Tag: Christmas

Deck the halls…with real holly and ivy

There’s nothing like bringing the outdoors in, and the best dressed homes this Christmas will be festooned in real festive foliage. But taking your pick from the nearest woodland isn’t really the sustainable way to do it – here’s an easier way to get the look…

Cornwall-based Rocket Gardens sent us one of their Festive Foliage Boxes (£29.99 for a large box; £19.99 for small) to get our decorating started. The large box really is large (60cm x 45cm x 45cm) and full to the brim with real sprigs of holly, ivy, bay, fir, rosemary, mistletoe and pine cones. It instantly brings that lovely smell of greenery into the home, let alone the distinctive rosemary (pop a sprig or two on a radiator or stove hotplate for a fantastic natural fragrance).

Everything in the box is grown and harvested at Rocket Gardens, and dispatched the very same day so you receive fresh foliage ready for sprucing up your home (note: don’t let the box sit around as it can go brown in centrally-heated homes after a few days!).

Rocket Gardens suggest a few ideas for what to do with your festive foliage, including making table decorations, stocking trims, ‘rosemary snowflakes’, candle rings – visit www.rocketgardens.co.uk/make-natural-decorations – but you can also do a few quick Christmas spruce-ups by gathering together bunches and putting in vases on tables, in the fireplace, around mirrors or up bannisters. Be aware that the Festive Foliage Box only includes the greenery, you’ll need your own wire, string, tape and other choices of fastenings and fixings to actually deck your halls!

Festive Foliage Boxes will be dispatched until 21st December. For more details and ordering visit www.rocketgardens.co.uk.

To get you started, here is a step-by-step guide by Rocket Gardens to making your own natural table settings:

Natural Table Settings

You will need:

  • Stem of Bay, stem of Holly and a couple of sprigs of Rosemary
  • Floristry Wire
  • Gardening Twine
  • Scissors

 

Step by step:

  1. Select a stem of Bay, a stem of holly and a couple sprigs of Rosemary
  2. Cut them to size.
  3. Arrange them how you want them to look when bunched together. Keep the foliage facing forwards. You don’t want any getting squashed when placed on the table.
  4. With floristry wire bind the bunch of foliage together.
  5. Go over this wire by wrapping the twine over the top and forming a pretty bow at the front. You can completely cover the stems with the twine or leave some showing, it’s up to you.

 

Why not also attach a personalised tag to each one and use them as place settings for your Christmas dinner table.

Eco and Ethical Christmas Gift Guide – For Him

For fathers, grandads, brothers, uncles, friends…here are some fabulous eco and ethical Christmas gift ideas for men

‘cor affection’ iPad cover – £50 from ono creations, www.onocreations.com

We love the super-stylish organic and ethical bags and cases from ono creations – all are made by artisans under fair conditions, using eco materials such as organic cotton, natural bamboo and reclaimed teak. This iPad cover (which measures 20.5 x 25cm and fits the iPad 1, 2, 3 and other tablets) is made from beautifully soft and tactile cork (we couldn’t stop stroking it!) with naturally-dyed bamboo lining. View the whole range for some uber-covetable clutch, shoulder and tote bags, wallets, cases and more.

ono creations iPad cover

Elephant Gin – £41.99 from Selfridges, www.sefridges.com

For gin conoisseurs, this special botanical blend of apple, elderflower, ginger and African wormwood and baobab (rarely used in gin making), is more than just a lovely tipple. 15% of proceeds from every bottle sold goes towards two elephant conservation charities; Big Life Foundation’s Ranger Club and the Space for Elephants Foundation. Both charities work to preserve Africa’s unique wildlife, help crack down on poaching, encourage wildlife tourism and create local employment opportunities in Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa. Available in London Dry and Sloe Gin varieties (the latter a limited edition of 1,500 bottles), these beautiful bottles with hand-written labels and natural cork stoppers make this a perfect gift.

Elephant Gin

Wood-Packer backpack – £268.50 from Fabriano Boutique, www.fabrianoboutique.co.uk

This rucksack may look like it’s made of high-quality leather, but it’s actually made from FSC-certified wood! The material is thin carved wooden sheets with micro laser engravings, coupled to a tissue with the usage of water-based adhesives. The result is a soft material, almost like leather. The bag is large enough to carry a 13″ laptop and heaps of other kit. Fabriano have teamed-up with Tree-Nation to ensure they plant 350% more trees than they consume.

fabrianos-wood-packer-rucksack-238-50-fabrianoboutique-co-ukJollie socks – £15 a pair from The Big Issue Shop, www.bigissueshop.co.uk

Christmas isn’t Christmas without someone getting a pair of socks – and it’s hard to beat these ‘Jollie’ ones! Available in eight colourful designs – with names like ‘The Prankster’, ‘The Speckled Punster’, ‘The Jester’ – each pair comes in a very jolly can. Jollie Goods, the brand behind the socks, describe themselves as a ‘more-than-profit’ enterprise which supports homeless charities and those caring for the homeless. For every pair sold, a pair of sturdy hiking boots is given to a local homeless charity.

Jollie socksOmbar chocolate bars – £1.99 each (35g) from www.ombar.co.uk

Raw chocolate Ombar bars are just too moorish! Raw chocolate can often be a bit gritty or bitter but these are lovely and smooth. Using 100% organic cocoa, unrefined coconut sugar, live cultures and real fruit, you can almost call these a heath food (raw cocoa really does have health benefits!) Available in a variety of interesting flavours including Lemon & Green Tea, Blueberry & Acai, and Cranberry & Mandarin, alongside standard milk and dark varieties, these 35g bars make excellent stocking fillers.

ombars-together

 

Upcycled canvas cufflinks – £22.50 from Yours Sustainably, www.yourssustainably.com

These smart cufflinks have been made from artists’ canvas rescued from charity shops, mounted on wood salvaged from building sites, then splattered with paint Jackson Pollock style! Various colours available, each design is unique.

upcycled-painted-canvas-cufflinks-22-50-yourssustainably-com-lowres_crop

 

Stainless Steel Growlers by Klean Kanteen – RRP £35.95, visit www.whitbyandco.co.uk for stockists

These lightweight, reusable stainless steel bottles by Klean Kanteen are a safe and healthy alternative to plastic and lined aluminium bottles. The classic ‘Growler’ is perfect for carrying around cool beer, win, juice or iced tea. The brushed steel is particularly stylish – also comes in a fancy dark amber.

klean-kanteen-together

RAW WINE box – £149 from www.rawwine.com

The wine lover in your life with be delighted to receive this special box direct to their door. The RAW WINE box (from the founder of the RAW WINE fair) features six rare artisan wines that are all from organic or biodynamic grapes, grown using low-intervention techniques and avoiding any nasties at production stage. With tasting notes to accompany each bottle, this is a great way to enjoy hard-to-get, fabulous wines.

raw-wine-box-selection