Screen printer Hannah Carvell is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on colourful home design for a creative family to live in. See the rest of her articles here.
Christmas is the season for staying indoors with mince pies, homemade gingerbread men and, of course, getting your craft on. I’ll admit, I’m a year-round crafter, but by late November my daughter and I are fully in festive mode: carols on, glue guns out, and ready to make something Christmassy together.
When the kids were small it was all paper chains and iced biscuits; we’ve kept the traditions going, but the projects have grown more elaborate. Every year we make a gingerbread house, and last Christmas my daughter recreated our Somerset home, complete with gingerbread chickens. Almost too sweet to eat (not that my son ever hesitates).
We always make a wreath for the front door. You can pick up a metal ring cheaply - The Range sold them for £1 last year and Hobbycraft always has a selection. We gather greenery from the garden and often take a tote bag on dog walks to collect extras like pine cones.
Offcuts from the Christmas tree make a perfect base, and anything goes from there: olive branches for something stylish, dried hydrangeas, berry-covered sprigs for colour, or fragrant herbs like bay, rosemary and lavender. Even slices of oven-dried orange add instant festive charm. Half the joy is foraging; the other half is wiring it all together with florist wire and adding ribbons and little decorations.
As the children have grown - and Instagram and YouTube inspiration has soared - our projects have become wonderfully ambitious. One year we made red spotted mushroom garlands by hollowing out clementine halves, drying them, painting them red with white dots and glue-gunning on twig stalks. They looked adorable draped around a tabletop tree, and we still bring them out three years later.
Last year we tried the viral metal garland using empty tomato purée tubes after seeing @theprintedpeanut’s post. Snip off the ends, cut down one side, wash it out, and you have a sheet of gold metal. We embossed patterns using a biro and a compass before cutting them out and stringing them along wire.
They twinkle beautifully in the light - and I loved them so much I never took mine down from the kitchen window. My daughter was ten at the time and made gorgeous little designs I’ll treasure. Younger children could definitely join in, just with some help on the sharper edges.
This year we’re reviving the classic paper chain - but knitting it instead. Bright wool, lots of giggling, and a daughter who now knits far better than I do (thanks to school knitting club).
There’s something magical about making decorations together - handmade pieces that come out year after year. Every December, as we unpack the Christmas box, the memories of making them tumble out with them, and it’s those moments that make the season feel truly special.
