Christmas Countdown: Ivy garland

We returned from my parents' house this weekend with a large bag of ivy gathered from their garden. I hoped that I could manage to somehow form it into decorations that would replace a Christmas tree and help our home look really festive. Armed with florists' tape and some ribbon, I had a go and discovered it was harder than I initially thought to make something that looked like it should be in my home rather than on a compost heap.

My attempts looked a little weedy, so I've added some large gold stars to bulk it out (and perhaps draw the eye away from the ivy...)

I've got lots more greenery to experiment with, and hopefully I'll get better as time goes on.

Christmas Countdown: Pomander

I've come across various methods for making these, but this is how I've always done it and haven't had any problems!

Take an orange and put holes all over it with a cocktail stick or fork.

Push a clove into each hole. The closer the cloves are to each other, the better.

Roll the pomander in ground cinnamon and nutmeg.

Leave in a warm dry place for a few weeks, or in a low oven for a few hours. It will shrink quite a lot after it has dried.
If you want to suspend it, criss-cross a ribbon around it with a loop at the top.

They look and smell lovely in a bowl or hung around the house, and after Christmas can be put into a wardrobe, drawer or airing cupboard to keep clothes and linen fresh and moth free.