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There’s so much great content out there now we’re in the run up to Christmas, it can be hard to filter through it or even know where to begin. So I thought I’d put together a little list of some of my favourites at the minute. These are some of (if not all) the blogs and vlogs I’ve been loving in the last couple of weeks in a handy little list, they’re not all producing work daily but they are all making some inspiring and festive content.

So, in no particular order…

WHAT OLIVIA DID

You will know from my latest run down of some of my favourite YouTubers that I absolutely adore Liv’s work. But today, instead of her YouTube I want to talk about her blog. I became a fan of Liv’s through her blog initially. She redesigned it this year, and it is absolutely stunning and her festive content is always absolutely top notch. She’s just finished her 12 days of Giftmas series, so if you’re still looking for ideas they are the ultimate gift guides, and some of the most beautifully shot too.

HOLLY EXELY

Holly is another one of my favourite YouTubers. If you haven’t heard of her before, she is an incredible watercolour artist and just all round lovely lady. Her style is very laid back and down to earth, so perfect for when you need to take a moment in all of the chaos. I’ve really loved keeping up with her vlogmas content this year. Plus, her videos also feature her two lovely pups which is always a bonus.

OH HAPPY DAY!

Oh Happy Day! always has so much decoration inspiration – I’m talking the kind of set ups you could only dream up but brought to life in full colour with plenty of balloons. So, unsurprisingly, it’s somewhere I keep going back to now we’re in the run up to Christmas. If you’re after some inspiration for how to spice up your living room for the big day, or you just want some magazine quality scene setting check them out.

JEN CARRINGTON

I’m including Jen, not for her Christmas content but for her motivational and reflection inspiring pieces in the run up to the new year. I recently read her Whole Hearted Year mini book and it’s definitely put me in the right mind to tackle 2018.

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So, it might be mid-December now, but there are still so many festive things you can do in the city. London isn’t always my favourite place, but it’s an incredible place to spend Christmas. Here are my favourite festive picks:

THE LIGHTS

I love Christmas lights. There’s just something so festive about twinkly lights over the streets. I’m lucky enough to go past the ones on Oxford Street and Regent’s Street everyday, and as busy as the highstreet may be at this time of year nothing detracts from the lights. Or, if you don’t want to head into central, this might sound like a bit of a cop out but I always think it’s worthwhile wandering the streets where you live to see everyone’s personal displays. It’s something I used to do at home, and still do now.

THE MOVIES

There are so many good Christmas movies out there, too many to list in fact. But Prince Charles Theatre is managing to show a good chunk of them on the silver screen. So why not swap your TV for the big screen and make a night out of your movie marathon.

THE WALKS

To me there is nothing more wonderful and wintery than a walk in the cold. So, don your warmest coat (you might need your hat and scarf too) and hit up one of my favourite London trails. Bonus points if you manage to get out when it’s snowing.

 

THE CAROLS

Is there anything more traditionally Christmas-y than carolling? I don’t think so. This year children’s charity Street Charity are doing their annual carol service twice to share the love. So, if you want to get your sing-song on for a good cause, this is the place for you to be.

THE TIME TRIP

Once again Dennis Servers house is decked out in full Christmas sparkle, well sparkle from 1724. So step back in time into the 18th century complete with all of the sights, smells, and sounds that you would have experienced if you were sharing Christmas with the Huguenot family 300 years ago.

 

Singing Tree

https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/the-singing-tree

If traditional trees aren’t your thing, you might want to pay a visit to the V&A. This year their tree is a digital projection designed by Es Devlin. The tree is brought to life via machine learning based on thousands of words collected from the public – that means you can contribute too!

 

 

Museum of Architecture’s Gingerbread City

https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/museum-of-architecture-gingerbread-city

Just a stone’s throw away from the Singing Tree at the V&A, there’s a whole gingerbread city at the Museum of Architecture. Made by architecture firms from across the city, the model spans two floors. As well as getting to feast your eyes on the incredible structure, there are also workshops happening throughout the duration of the exhibition.

 

Finnish Rooftop Sauna

https://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/finnish-rooftop-sauna

If you’re feeling a bit wild, or rather a bit steamy, along with the usual market this year the South Bank also has a Finnish Sauna. Not only is it a great way to sweat out your festive indulgences, it also has one of the best views over the river.

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Putting up Christmas decorations is pretty much my favourite seasonal activity. I love the planning, the reshaping my space, and getting to go hard on the sparkle. But decorating in a small space, especially one you rent rather than own, can pose some challenges, so I thought I’d share some of the workarounds I’ve found when doing my own decorating.

Play with scale

If your space is limited playing with scale can be a really fun way of tricking your eye into thinking you’ve got a bit more. Try using miniature versions of certain decorations. I used mini baubles on my tree last year and because it ended up having the proportions of a family tree, it made my room feel so much bigger and better decorated as a result. Or try having really big versions giant fairy lights or ornaments can add a touch of over the top fun.

Washi tape, Blu Tac, and Command Hooks are your friend

This comes as standard, but you want things you can take down again easily if you’re in a rented space. I mentioned the wonders of washi tape (way stronger than you think), blu tac, and command hooks (way easier to take down than you think) in my room design post because they’re great all year round, but they really come into their own when you want to decorate. Use them to stick up your lights, display cards, or give that decorative pine cone the attention it needs.

Fairy lights

Put fairy lights anywhere you can. They’re wonderful. Lighting can make such a big difference to how a room feels. They can give your room a lovely magical twinkle, which you can enjoy long after the 12 days are over. Pro tip: where you can avoid the battery powered ones, they never last that long (unless you have recommendations – share below!) and you can get the plus in ones super cheaply now.

Use what you’ve got

Knowing that I’m not going to be in this room forever, I’m always conscious of the amount I will have to pack up. Plus I only have limited storage space. If you’re in a similar situation it’s great to reuse anything you’ve already got. For example, I’ll be dressing up my other plants as well as a tree and using string I already have to hang bits and pieces. Making displays out of any cards you receive is a lovely way to do this too. If you’re on the hunt for DIYs, there are literally thousands on Pinterest or throw it in as a search term to Bloglovin or something similar. In the same line of thought, if you’re buying things trying and find bits you can use when it isn’t Christmas. My fairy lights (sorry to keep mentioning them) were bought for Christmas last year but I’ve used them all year, and my festive tea light holder gets turned around and used most weekends.

Think about your tree

A Christmas tree is a must for me. It’s the first thing I that comes to mind when I think of the season. It’s at the core of any Christmas decoration planning. It’s also quite hard fit into a smaller space. When it comes to trees you have 2 options, artificial or real. Artificial trees have the benefit of being cheap, reusable and available in pretty much any size you might need. But this year (like last year) I will be going for a real tree. Small trees are much easier to find than I thought, and if you get one in a planter you can rehouse it outside when the season is over, which was why I liked the idea – it means you don’t have to find somewhere to save a box filled with branches. You also get that lovely evergreen smell. But you do have to be careful to get one that won’t cover your room with needles – it’s worth the extra for the vacuuming hassle you save.

What are your Christmas decoration tips?

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I know I’m a little late to the game. But I know that there are probably some of you out there who are still looking for gift inspiration, if not for Christmas then for new year birthdays. So without further ado, here are some of my picks for gifts for creative types.

THIS BOOK

So you all know I love Adam JK. Things Are What You Make of Them is his latest book and it’s incredible. It’s the pep talk we all need from time to time. It’s chock full of great advice and support. Each page is in full colour, and is perforated so you can save it for later or even share it. This is the gift you’re going to want to get two of, because there’s a good chance that as soon as you start reading you won’t be able to give it up.

THESE TRAVEL GUIDES

Travel is one of the best forms of inspiration, and while in the age of the smart phone you might not necessarily need a printed travel guide these ones are so gorgeous that your recipient is really going to want one.

SOME CLASSES

Give the gift of learning. Picking up new skills is essential, but it can easily be overlooked. So vouchers for classes work as a great reminder, and give someone the opportunity to expand their horizons and their practices.

A STATIONERY SUBSCRIPTION

So who doesn’t love stationery? Keep your loved one full stocked throughout the year with a stationery subscription. There are plenty of good ones out there. In particular, I like the Paper Gang by Oh Deer and Post by Katie Leamon. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.

A PRINT, OR TWO, OR SEVEN

It makes sense that artists love art. Getting someone a print by a maker they love is a great way to show you care, and to give them something that they’ll look at and think of you every day. You can even support a good cause or two, by buying prints where the profits are given to charity or inspire social action like The Good Cause.

SOME COMPANY

The studio can be a lonely place. Get your friend a little company.

SOME PEACE AND QUIET

So one of the best things I’ve bought this year are a pair of noise cancelling headphones. If you’re feeling a little spendy, they’re an incredible gift. They’ve helped me focus and kept me on task and sane throughout so many hours of work this year.

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Writing Christmas cards is one of my favourite parts of the season. I love letter writing at any time of year but the added bit of festivity and the added excuse to write to people I wouldn’t normally is something I relish.

I mentioned in my Christmas planning post that I’d be sharing a few of my thoughts on writing top-notch cards, and this is it. This is by no means a prescriptive guide, the best cards are the ones that you write from your heart but I (at least) think it’s always nice to have a bit of nosey into how other people do it.

DRAW UP YOUR LIST, AND KNOW YOUR TIMINGS

Before you do anything, you’ll want to work out how many cards you’re sending out and to where. The further away your cards are going the earlier you’ll need to have them written. I’d suggest checking your local postage times, Royal Mail last posting dates can be found here.

 

PICK YOUR CARDS

Obviously, you then need to pick your cards. I have a set that I’m very proud of in my shop, which have just the right level of sparkly in my opinion. But you should choose the cards that go with the kinds of wishes you want to send out into the world, are you going for something humorous, are you trying something traditional, or something minimal, or are you going for all-out glitter, sparkle, and sequins? Finding cards that you want to be your marker on someone’s mantelpiece can be tricky, but it’s so nice when you stumble across that set that’s just right. Just remember whatever you buy to make sure you buy enough to have a couple of spares because mistakes will happen (if you’re me).

PERSONAL, FORMAL UPDATE, OR A MIX OF BOTH?

Now to the format, where you have two main choices if you’re going for something other than the “Dear John, Merry Christmas, Love Jane xx”. The first is to write a personal note in each card, something specific and thought through that is more about your individual relationship. The second is to go formal with a pre-written or typed insert, one of my friend’s mums is particularly great at these. If you’ve got a lot of updates you want to share with grandparents this way can definitely speed things up. Or, you could merge the two and have your pre-formatted updates go into a personal card, which is what I’m potentially thinking of for this year.

PERSONAL

This is the route I normally go down. I like to use Christmas cards to reflect on my relationships and why I’m thankful to have the people I do in my life – I guess because we don’t have Thanksgiving here. Where possible I like to include a story we’ve shared over the year. I’m also partial to throwing in a Christmas cracker style joke in there too – because they’re great and you can never have too many in your life.

FORMAL UPDATE

As I said I receive a lot of great examples of these from mums – is there anything mums can’t do? These often come in the format of a typed up insert and can be designed as much as you like and even include photos. In terms of copy, think about including the big events that have happened over the past year. Have you changed jobs? Moved house? Taken up a new hobby? Got a pet? If not, what are you enjoying in your day to day? It can be a great chance to look back over the last 12 months.

DRESS UP YOUR ENVELOPES

I love a good finishing touch, and when it comes to letters that means adding something a little special to your envelopes – of course, make sure that your address and stamp are still clear and visible. You could adorn them with doodles, stickers, or add a few extra words. How about wrapping them in gift wrap so they’re like mini presents in and of themselves? Whatever you do, add something you wouldn’t normally and you’ll feel like you’re really sending something festive out into the world and who knows you might even make a postman’s day along the way.