Garlands, Garlands, Garlands

Holly and Ivy Door Wreath

I love this time of year when I'm greeted by the familiar Christmas pine fragrance every time I open my workshop.

I get great pleasure making wreaths, whether it's for a wedding, funeral or Christmas, they all have the same sentiment - the circle of life.

A tradition thought to have started in ancient Rome, Christmas Door wreaths are formed in a circle to signify eternity and hung on the front door to represent happiness and luck for the New Year.

Each Christmas wreath is constructed by hand onto a wire frame, bound with fresh moss and decorated with fresh evergreens.  Designed to be hung outside, they last well into the New Year as long as they're sprayed with a mist of water every couple of days.

I have a selection of traditional rustic designs to choose from, or if you have a specific colour/theme, I'm happy to create a bespoke design.

Keep it Local. . .

Christmas officially started in Brighton last weekend with the 9th annual Open Houses Christmas Festival.   

There are lots of opportunities to buy original arts and crafts from local artists and the Festival is running over the first two weekends in December.   

On a bright and sunny Sunday morning, my first outing this year started on the Hove trail where I kicked off my spending spree at Kellie Miller’s studio in Wilbury Grove, Hove where I was greeted with a glass of hot mulled cider and a fabulous mixture of artworks and ceramics.   

Image courtesty of Kellie Miller

Another favourite, which I visited at the May Festival, was 9A Hove Place, which has an eclectic mix of work from hats & accessories, to sculpture, ceramics and woodcarvings.  There’s 23 houses on the Hove Trail and a total of 65 throughout the city, so if you’re stuck for ideas for gifts this year, this really is a fun way to do your Christmas shopping!  

My workshop isn't on the trail, but I'm currently taking orders for my traditional door wreaths, which are all individually made by hand onto a wire frame, bound with fresh moss and decorated with fresh evergreens - and would make an ideal gift!