My Dad is not a big drinker but at Christmastime he likes to have a drink. His booze of choice is Pernod & Black and because he has only ever drunk it at this time of year it is a smell that conjures up many happy memories from my own childhood.

If you are hosting Christmas at your house this year, it’s a good idea to have as many different classic drinks available as possible for your guests.
I also opted against having a drinks cabinet and chose to have a drinks table instead. I felt that folk wouldn’t feel quite as comfortable dipping into a cabinet as they would if the there was a table with everything set out for the taking.

If you’re starting your own drinks collection this year or need to replenish it with some staples here are my suggestions – I should add at this point that they are merely suggestions and as you know your family and guests better than I then you may want to substitute my choices with other drinks.

I would suggest filling your drinks table with some or all of the following -

- Vodka – I have apple, raspberry & plain. This combo will make some great drinks
- Gin
- Sherry – pour some on the trifle
- Almond & Orange liqueurs – fantastic with Mince Pies
- Baileys Irish Cream – great for pouring on top of chocolate desserts
- Beer
- Red wine
- White wine
- Champagne or Prosecco
- Coca Cola
- Lemonade
- Fruit Juices & cordials
- Soda water
- Tonic water
- Dessert Wine – serve with Biscotti for those who don’t want dessert
- Whiskey
- Port – serve with the cheese board
- Pernod for my Dad – He’s literally the only one who drinks the stuff!!!
- Lots of ice and lots of glasses

This list is by no means exhaustive but as I know my family and the guests we have arriving, I know that this combo of drinks will serve everyone well. Of course I’ve not included Eggnog, Punch or Mulled Wine in this list as I’ve decided to only concentrate on the staple items for the drinks table. Adapt your list so that you’re happy with it and if you’re not hosting then offer to buy your host all the ingredients for his or her favourite Christmas cocktail as your contribution.

Not only will they love you for your thoughtfulness but if you get them to drink enough of your concoction they may not even notice that you spilt turkey gravy all over their new white carpet at lunch!

Needs must and all that!

Love Cherry

x
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1, Radio 2
I have Radio 2 on early in the morning while I’m fixing my breakfast. I usually get into the kitchen by 06.30am which gives me some time to make a coffee and get a load of washing in the machine before the twins wake at around  7am. At this time I’ll tune in to Chris Evans, I like him in the mornings and find him gentle, smart and funny. I also love Radio 2 as they play all manner of fun Christmas ditties that get me in the mood for the day.

2, Classic FM
I play Classic FM in the office between the months of September and December. I CANNOT listen to Classic FM after Christmas as the lack of carols and the realization that it’s all over just makes me thoroughly depressed. But from the slightest onset of autumn until January the 2nd I have it blasting. Besides it’s the only music I can have on in the office that doesn’t distract me from typing.

3, My selection of Christmas CD’s
I’ve been collecting these CD’s for years and I’m a sucker for those one’s that come free with a magazine. I love Mariah, Diana Krall, The Rat Pack Does Christmas and the Choir of Kings College Cambridge. These can play in the background throughout the house all day long on repeat and I wont get bored of hearing them. And besides, they’re only out for a couple of weeks a year so it’s nice to see them after such a long absence.

4, ‘Getting Ready For A Party’ Christmas Music
This type of Christmas music is my absolute favourite as I play it as I’m getting ready to go out to a Christmas party. I’ll have a selection of songs playing very loudly while I’m in the bath, wandering down the hall to get my clothes, applying my make-up on the floor in front of the mirror (good light) all before I leave the house and head into the chilly night on my way.
I’m particular about what I play and a few of the songs that made the cut are listed below.

Fairytale of New York – The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl
All I Want for Christmas – Mariah Cary
Little Drummer Boy – Jackson Five
Last Christmas – Wham
Driving Home for Christmas – Chris Rea
2000 Miles – The Pretenders
Winter Winds – Mumford & Sons

I love every one of these songs and never have more music filling the house than I do at this time of year.

Christmas is an amazing time of year and so is the music that fills the air during it.

Love

Cherry

x

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Ta dahhhh!

These things are so much fun to create and stand back and stare at afterward. Bowls of sweets litter the table, mortar in the piping bag spills out all over the floor and the mess made is extraordinary. But at what other time do you get to build a front garden fence out of decorative Candy cane?

I ask you, when??

To make the mortar you will need:

• 500g icing sugar
• 1tsp cream of tartar
• 3 medium sized free range egg whites

Mix the above ingredients together in a food mixer using the whisk attachment and beat together until it forms stiff peeks.I used a piping bag with a small nozzle attachment to pipe my mortar onto the gingerbread pieces.

As you can see the construction of the Gingerbread houses are fairly simple. You need a steady hand, lots of mortar and patience but it all holds fairly well. I left mine to dry overnight but you don’t have to do that. I did it because I ran out of time but if you construct the houses in the morning they should be ready to decorate in the afternoon.

And boy did we decorate! It got to the point where Jodie and I just could not help ourselves when it came to sticking bits on here there and everywhere.

Using sweets and candy for the coloured bits and ready to roll Regal Ice for shapes that went on to make window frames, some of the doors and, randomly, heart-shaped front lawns on one of the houses.

In my fantasy Gingerbread Village Christmas elves run through the streets when night falls. Checking all of the houses are safe and well and that the children are tucked up in bed inside.

Then, when the village is safe, they knock on the liquorice all-sort door to the church and sneak inside for a power nap before heading back off to the North Pole.

Taking the train of course. It’s all very Polar Express in my Gingerbread Village.

All is calm. All is bright.

All is also vibrant and sweet tasting. Perfect and imperfect. The best combo don’t you think?

I decorated the outskirts of the village with giant baubles. Robert and I went to NYC for Christmas one year with the rest of my family and there were giant GIANT baubles outside one of the tall buildings there. So I put them there to remind myself that one day we’ll all go back again. We’ll stay at the same hotel and feel the City in the same way we felt it several years ago. Before children, before marriage even. But not before love.

Enjoy your days in the run up to Christmas. Take it all one step at a time, one day at a time. Everything you’re meant to get done you’ll get done. And if you don’t manage it then it wasn’t important.

I love you and I thank you for reading.

Cherry x

Click here for Part One of my Gingerbread Village

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But say you’re going away over Christmas, what about your furry friends? If you are indeed planning on getting away from it all and you are unable to take Doogle the dog or Boo the cat with you now is the time, if you haven’t already done so, to make arrangements for them.

You may be a very lucky sausage as the family member or friend you are visiting over Christmas has said that your pet is also welcome – You’re welcome, Jodie – if this is the case say no more just pack the dog up and head off before they change their minds. But make sure when you pack up the car you also pack your pet’s bed, bowl and enough food for your entire stay. You may even want to pack a favorite toy to make him feel a little more at home. If you are traveling a long distance in the car with your pet make sure you factor in plenty of stops along the journey for toilet breaks and so your pet can stretch his legs a bit.

If you are leaving your pet with a friend or neighbour over the festive season remember to give the neighbor everything they will need to look after it. You don’t want to hear that they had to go out on Christmas day to buy more cat food because you didn’t buy enough of it! To show your appreciation buy your friend or neighbor a nice Christmas gift and don’t scrimp either. Having someone that you trust and will look after your pet whilst you are away is invaluable, so let them know how much they mean to you with a thoughtful gift.

If you are putting your animals in to a cattery, kennels or the like then I would suggest doing your research ahead of time. Searching online for the name of the establishment is usually enough to find a recommendation of sorts and I would suggest that this is something you take time out to do. You can even arrange a visit prior to your pet’s stay.

One last thing that I really must insist upon if you are planning on taking your pet with you is that you clear up after it. And that before you leave you have searched every inch of your hosts home and garden for traces of POO!
You know how we feel about dog poo around these parts.

Love

Cherry

x
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You can write it on a black board, a white board or even on cardboard but just make it clear and easy to read ensuring everyone’s name in the house is featured on it.

If you have a family, ensure you get each person’s events over December written down and added to the board ASAP. Suggest that everyone check the board each morning when they are getting their breakfast, that way no one will miss out on the ice-skating trip to Somerset House that was booked last August!

If you live with flatmates do the same. Collar them as soon as they walk in the door from work and tell them what nights they need to keep free for those Christmas cocktails. If everyone reads the event planner no one will miss out.

And why do I think that this is a good idea?

Because I have lived in too many places where the month of December is a blur and the things you’re invited to verbally go in one ear and out the other. It’s not about being able to do everything but it is about being able to do the things that you really want to do, and the things that are really important to you and the people you live with.

How could you live with yourself if you forgot the evening that little Elsie was appearing as a donkey in the school nativity? And, how awful to miss out on meeting the person of your dreams because you totally forgot that it was your flatmates office party and she works with some real hotties!

It’s a simple thing to do but one that I guarantee will have you looking at and realising in actual fact your social life is a lot funkier than you’d even realised.

I’ll have a glass of something white and bubbly, please!

Love

Cherry

x
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Especially when the roof collapses.

And the mortar falls in huge big blobs on to your sister’s foot. I’m not kidding, she was helping me hold the roof at the time and had to have a steady hand lest it cave in further. You know how it goes ….. when you’re not allowed to laugh the laughter arrives multiplied!

And you have a cheeky monkey thinking it’s funny.

I’ll have a go later and show you tomorrow. Which may be a good thing actually as if you’d like to make one then there is more time.

So today I have a corner. A Christmas Corner no less and something I try to do every year in my home.

Here is the corner. It is in the entrance hall by the front door. It has a chair, lots of fairy lights, some lanterns and a wheelbarrow.

A wheelbarrow? I hear you say.

Yes, a wheelbarrow. But it is no ordinary wheelbarrow.

This, ladies & gents, is my Christmas Wheelbarrow.

It is a small wooden wheelbarrow that has been filled to the brim with sweets and chocolates and placed by the front door. Ready and waiting for friends, family or carol singers who may happen upon us.

It sits on the windowsill and is visible from space the front garden. A warm and exciting welcome to view before people even get near to the door knocker.

Can you see the deep blue Winter sky from the window?

I love that sky.

I took these pictures yesterday evening as this sky was at its best. It is a sky that says to me “Get inside quick. Close the door, light the fire and turn on the tree lights. Hunker down for the evening and make sure everybody is safe as it’s going to be a cold one”

There is nothing more important to me than making my family safe and warm at this time of year. We grab duvets and quilts and blankets from the backs of chairs and I always make sure that the logs are dry in the hearth.

What’s out there?

Owls, foxes, pheasant, grouse. All around the house and if we’re lucky we see them.

This morning, when my coffee had eventually kicked in, I came downstairs & turned the lights in this corner on for the first time today. What is it about this time of year that opens my heart up like a huge Wintry flower? I think it’s the knowledge that not everyone has cosy mornings like I do. Not every child runs downstairs to a warm room and turns the tree lights on like I did as a child and like my children will do. I watched the Baby P documentary last night and my heart broke.

This is why I try to keep things out and available that can easily be given away as I have been given so much. Even if it’s only sweets that are there to fill the pockets of the carol singers Duffel coats. It’s the same with Mince Pies. I’m making them today and they’ll go in exactly the same place as well as being  packed up and sent out to various places.

Christmas jewels that can be eaten.

God bless everyone.

And God bless my Christmas wheelbarrow. Its makeover worked an absolute treat.

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, Let Your Heart Be Bright.

I love you and thank you so much for reading.

Cherry x

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This is a common scenario and one we have all found ourselves in but also one that can be totally avoided.

My advice, after many years of going over budget buying rubbish for people, is to make a list of each and every gift you have either bought or are still to buy for each and every person. You can then take your up-to-date list with you whenever you go shopping and you know at a glance what is still left to buy. It also gives you a lot longer to plan your trips knowing that there may only be five items left to get instead of fifty five that you may have forgotten.

Something else I have taken to doing over the last few years is wrapping the gifts up and labeling each pile for each person.
This way you can see at a glance everything that you have bought and completed and just how big some people’s piles are compared to others (!).

Keep them in your room or hidden away until you’ve purchased all that you need and then they can be officially ‘gift tagged’ and placed under the tree.

A simple idea that simplifies your Christmas and Auntie Mable won’t be stuck wearing the thong you bought her in haste!

Love, Cherry

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Of course occasionally if my parents knew that the three of us needed some time out of the house we’d head off to grab a burger, or something equally exotic, and take a drive around the neighbourhood to see the light displays on other houses.

I can’t tell you how precious those times were.
We were never as quiet or calm as when we were in the back of the car looking at the lovely houses all lit up.

In my opinion, no matter what type of house or flat you live in, the outside is just as important as the inside at Christmastime. There is nothing nicer than coming home on a Winter’s evening after long day and finding that your loved one has secretly decorated the entire front of the house in lights, thus turning it into a little winter wonderland.

And for those of you in apartments; if you decorate your balconies and windows the light given off from the strings of fairy lights throws itself, with abandon, into the room and lights it all up!

Bare trees are also a favourite of mine to decorate at this time of year. By now most, if not all, of the leaves will be gone and the poor things have to wait until next Spring looking all twiggy before any signs of life emerge. Again, all they need are a string or two of fairy lights and you’re all set.

We have a large Christmas Tree out the front this year and it’s been given the royal treatment (as much as an outdoor tree can be given) I’ve used big multicoloured light bulbs, a departure for me, and baubles. Resisting the urge to get to work with the tinsel although there’s still time.

And you know, if you don’t want to go down the route of decorating there is nothing, NOTHING, more welcoming than a burning candle in the window. This is a traditional welcome to the weary traveller and a sign of peace and security for all who live there.

Christmas lights can make even the most cynical amongst us feel a bit more festive. So whatever you can manage in terms of decorating your outdoor space you can be rest assured that it will not go unnoticed.

Cherry

x

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Aha! Welcome to the week. Preparations for Christmas have been somewhat stalled here at my house in West Sussex due to a rather busy few days spent dealing with various bits and pieces. But it’s Monday, the start of a brand new seven days on planet earth and I’m ready to rock and roll. Today and tomorrow’s post are all about how to make a Gingerbread Village (I say village, it’s really just two houses and a church) and the preparation pictures that I have up today are a teeny bit boring and brown. So I have peppered them with some pictures of my tree to add some colour.

You’ll see that today is about the construction of the buildings ( I’m making it all sound a lot fancier than it is) and tomorrow is going to be all about the decorating. Which is the fun bit so I’m off out to the shops in a moment to buy some sweets.

Last year my Gingerbread House was a bit squiffy …..

I liked it, don’t get me wrong, but when I was making it I was suffering so terribly from morning sickness that I had to hold my nose whenever I went near the poor thing. I tried to get it finished in record time so I didn’t have to spend all afternoon with my face in a bag of jelly tots and this made it all look a bit haphazard. But come on, Gingerbread Houses are meant to be fun and when my kids are old enough to be making them I’ll be so proud of what they create no matter how lopsided they may be. So if yours doesn’t quite stand up as straight as you would like it really doesn’t matter.

I have used this gingerbread house recipe for the last four years and have found it to be the best one. I hope you enjoy the fun to be had. I’d love to see your houses/villages so do post your pictures on my Facebook fan page if you have a go. Links at the bottom of the post.

What you will need:

To make the gingerbread -

• 300g packed brown sugar
• 200g softened margarine
• 250 black treacle (molasses will work but NOT black-strap)
• 1100g (1k & 100g) plain (all purpose) flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 250ml water

Pre-heat your oven to 220c / 425f

I used a food mixer with the paddle attachment to make the dough for my gingerbread house. It can be mixed by hand but you will need to put a bit of elbow grease into it as the gingerbread dough does become quite hard to mix because of its thick consistency!

Start by creaming together the sugar and margarine

Then mix in the black treacle  and set to one side.

In a separate and large mixing bowl blend together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon and ginger

Measure out the 250ml of water and bit by bit, add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture along with the water

Tip: It is advisable to add the water gradually at this stage as you may/may not require the full amount for your gingerbread dough

The dough mixture should end up being of a of bread dough consistency; thick, strong and slightly stretchy, but not too sticky. You should be able to remove it from the mixing bowl without leaving any behind.

On a well floured surface use a rolling pin to start rolling the gingerbread dough out ready for the template to be cut in to it

Tip: I found that a thickness of around 3-4mm worked well for the thickness of the gingerbread walls and roof but you could make yours thicker if you prefer.

When you are happy with the thickness of the dough you are ready to cut out your gingerbread house template

Tip: I made a cardboard template for both my houses & the church; each house consisted of four walls, two roof pieces (front and back) and two additional  triangular, side roof pieces. For the  main part of the Church I cut out three wall pieces, two large roof pieces and one small, and for the steeple side of the church I cut out four taller pieces of wall and four pieces of triangular shaped roof.  You may have a steadier hand than me and not require a template at all!

Place your gingerbread village pieces onto a greaseproof or lined baking tray(s) and bake in the oven for around 10-12 mins

When you remove your gingerbread pieces from the oven do not worry if they feel a little soft and spongy to the touch, they will stiffen up, I promise.

Allow the gingerbread pieces to cool down completely before you start on the next step….

Check back tomorrow for how to make the mortar, tips on how to decorate the houses and to see how my (little) gingerbread village turned out.

It’s very foggy here at my place and I wish you could see it. You can just tell that Christmas is right around the corner. OK, I’m off to the shops. I have an edible village to decorate.

I love you and wish you the best start to the week you have ever had.

Cherry x

Click here for Part Two of my Gingerbread Village

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Hang on, I HAVE been getting ready for it for a week.

I’ve decided to fill, FILL, the dining room with candles. This means that I’ve brought in free standing candles from the inglenook fireplace in the living room and gathered up all of the candle holders from various windowsills dotted about the place.

But there’s something you should know about me.

I get distracted very easily.

This has manifested itself in me pottering in the dining room this past week and putting a great many baubles in places other than on a Christmas tree.

The wonderful thing about most baubles is that they reflect the light so beautifully. So when they are adorned with a string of white fairy lights, just placed on top,  they glow in the corner that you have decided to put them in.

Glass, glass and more glass. Especially hanging glass. So good at this time of year. Romantic and slightly whimsical. But depending on the shape it can also be entirely modern.

That’s one of my biggest challenges. Living in a place steeped in so much history while trying to hang on to the styles of today.

Another example of getting distracted. But a nice table setting for when the table isn’t in use.

Hello!

It’s been a lovely, lovely week here in West Sussex. I’ve had realisations as I’ve sat in the nursery folding baby clothes and wonderful phone calls with the most exciting news in the world. I’ve had awful headaches due to a wisdom tooth careering through my gum and been woken by Robert coming in to bed with a baby who needs to do a poo but can’t quite manage it. A full week.

I read recently that stress can sometimes be defined by being here and wanting to be there. I feel that all the time, especially when the weather is a touch gloomy. But occasionally, usually when tiredness gets the better of me, I relax in to my current situation and enjoy the moment, not allowing my mind and imagination to create any more.

Moments.

They are quite literally all we have.

I love you and thank you too for this week. It’s been so much fun.

See you on Monday.

Cherry x

Don’t forget that you can find me in the December 2010 issue of BBC Homes & Antiques Magazine – Out now!

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So it seems entirely fitting that today I can officially say “Come on in, my Christmas house is now open”

The weather outside may be frightful……

…but the fire is so delightful.

From now until Christmas, along with all of the regular goings on here at the house, I’ll be adding all of my Christmas prep in real time.

So if I make some chocolates or treats I’ll tell you all about it. These truffles, made last year, went down a storm. You can find the recipe right here.

Or if I find a great book that would be perfect as a gift I’ll give you the nod. And if you ever find yourself in London at Christmastime you must, must, must book in for breakfast at The Wolseley.

For me personally I am entering this season of goodwill feeling on top of the world.

And you know why?

Because I am not suffering from morning sickness. If I could only describe to you how utterly hideous I felt on the day this picture was taken. I was standing by a hot AGA, wearing a cashmere cardi and staring in to a plate of mince pies. Bleugh!!!!!

My brow was sweating, I had to sit down regularly and the whole thing was no fun at all. And although it was still magical and I celebrated with the divine knowledge that I had two whole babies growing inside of me, this year, oh this year, this year is already ROCKIN!!!!!

There will be decorations to make.

And Candy Canes to hang.

There will be a warm, cosy Christmas kitchen to bake, cook and create delicious new dishes in.

Like this delicious Fig & Stilton salad that I made last Christmas.

There may be shopping in London to be done. Getting there early in the morning to avoid the rush.

If so, then a trip to Fortnums will be a must.

Along with the red cups. Ahhhhh, the red cups. Never has coffee tasted so festive.

There will be quiet times at the start of the day in the living room with only the tree lights for company.

And treats for guests as they arrive for a festive glass of Champagne.

There will be walks in Petworth park following the watery sun.

And perhaps we’ll be joined by a friend.

Of course I’m sure there will be last minute rushes to the florist.

And we’ll certainly have to head out and get a tree at some point.

But there will also be time at home spent getting ready for celebrating.

With the sounds of the season playing in the background.

Towels and linen will be laundered in anticipation of people staying. Logs will be brought in from the cold and the fire will be stoked.

What I’m really trying to say is that I’ll be at home getting ready. Tying big red bows in my hair and singing ‘O Holy Night’ at the top of my voice to my babies.

And I’d like to extend an invitation to you.

Please join me.

Tell me what you do to get cosy and share your recipes with me if there is one that you think I simply must try.

My door is unlocked and ready for you to step in to the warm.

It’s a pleasure to have you and so much more fun if this time is shared.

What’s mine is yours because I love you. The Christmas House is now open and I can’t keep from singing.

Click the Christmas banner at the top of every page and you’ll be taken right there.

Cherry x

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This is the view from near the sink by the coffee maker. We’ve been working on the island in the middle recently which is almost finished. I’ve put lights up in various places and it’s nice in the evening to have only them illuminate the room. Of course this means lots of wires but it’s not forever.

I turn to my left and this is what I see. I found the wooden ‘NOEL’ hanger in an antiques store. But seeing as it’s not an antique I picked it up for a song. Lights, again, adorn the beam above the AGA alongside two white stars that sit either side.

Ah! My most current and favourite tea towels. They get soaking wet and then hang here for ten minutes to dry off.

I like the colours and I’ve always loved the Bisto Kids.

I took this picture from the corner by the rocking chair. The kitchen is rather full of my ‘stuff’ but at this present time it’s not overflowing. I’ll stop bringing things back if it begins to looked a little stuffed.

Flowers at any time of year look great in the home, but having them around at Christmas time is a must.

This is the view from the door leading into the room from the entrance hall. It never entered my mind to have a large dining table in here. It was always going to hold a sofa.

It’s nice to be able to have others join you when you are in the kitchen cooking and for them to have a comfy seat.

Another view of my most used resting place.

More lights atop the dresser you’ll see.

And a nice corner by the window.

I don’t have hoards of recipe books as I buy them all for very specific reasons and if the truth be known rarely cook from them. I much prefer looking at the pictures and fantasizing about all the things I’m going to cook “one day”.

And here’s the door that leads out to the entrance hall and my Gingerbread House.

It’s all very cosy right now.
Warm and cosy.
The temperature has DROPPED here in the last few days and Christmas is truly in the air at the moment and not going anywhere anytime soon.

Hooray – I LOVE Christmas!

Cherry

x

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I’ve not really got much to say today, which makes a change I know. I just wanted to show you our tree in the entrance hall.

I have a love affair with Christmas trees which light up a darkened space. They emanate a light that is available at no other time of the year but Christmas and I love them for that.

Hello, tree.

I NEED things that bring peace to my mind when it’s troubled and a well lit Christmas tree brings me that.

NO IDEA why it just does.

Robert the Husband and I are somewhat lacking in peace today as we have somewhere to go that is scary to us. We have to do something that brings up all sorts of fears and hurt from times gone by and to be honest we just want to get it over with.

Thank God we have a roof over our heads to come back to. A home that we’re both safe in.

Safe to wail if things go wrong and safe to celebrate if things go right.

I have faith that it will all be OK, I just need to know.

And by lunchtime we shall.

Of course I can’t forget that Christmas is just around the corner and we have a lovely time planned. Family, friends, presents (lots of presents for me please as gifts is one of my love languages (!!!).
So we’ll be alright, the hubby and I, we WILL be alright.

IT WILL be OK………..yes.

I have to thank all the folk who read this site on a daily basis. The response to the Advent Calendar has been RIDICULOUSLY cool and to all of you who actually take time out of your busy days to stop by here and read all of these words and look at all of these pictures I am in your debt because you allow me to do what I love.

No matter what the circumstances.

We are still giving and planning on giving away lots of ‘stuff’. Both for the duration of advent and on into the New Year. So please accept these giveaways as a very small way of me saying thank you to you.

And have a wonderful time in the run up to Christmas.

Lots of love,
Cherry

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You can’t see it from here but hanging along the top of the dresser is a whole string of gingerbread men Christmas decorations.

Let’s have a closer look…..

There they are.

I like things made out of gingerbread at Christmas. It holds just the right amount of nostalgia for me without making one look like one collects dolls as a hobby.

Never understood that.
If I gain an understanding of that I’ll let you know and be sure to explain my epiphany but please don’t wait too long for it!

ANYWAY………

To make these little fellas you will need to use my recipe for the gingerbread house.

• Makes at least 24 gingerbread men.
• Pre-heat oven to 220c / 425f
• Start by mixing up your dough and then rolling it out onto a well floured surface with a rolling pin
• I rolled the dough out until it was about half a centimeter thick

• I then used my gingerbread man cutter to cut out the shapes (although that’s Jodie’s hand in the picture as I lost my third arm in a recent shopping trip)

Tip: You could also use different sized gingerbread men cutters to vary the sizes of your decorations

• Then I put the gingerbread men onto a greaseproof baking tray ready for the oven

• In order to be able to hang my gingerbread men when they were baked I pierced a small hole through the top of each head just before I put them in the oven.
• I used a knitting needle for this as it made a clean and neat hole but a sharp knife would work too
• It is important that you make the hole before you bake the men as the dough will be too brittle and may crack after being baked.

• I baked the small men for 10 minutes and allowed them to cool down on a wire rack once removed from the oven

• Once the gingerbread men had totally cooled I set about decorating them
• I used pink, blue and white icing and piped the ice into place using a piping bag
• As additional decorations I used some mini silver, pink, blue and green sugar balls, some mini marshmallows and some mini edible stars and candy canes
• Keeping it Christmassy the whole time

• Once my gingerbread men were decorated and the icing had dried I threaded coloured string through each one so that they would be ready to hang.

Tip:  you may like to thread the string onto your gingerbread men before decorating them if you are worried about the icing spoiling

And here they are, looking down at us all from the dresser in my kitchen. Some are decorated a little more abstract than others…and the one below bears an uncanny resemblance to Leigh Bowery in his Clothes Show heyday!

If you make them different sizes you can get some real characters going. This one has been left out on a limb here…..

…..but due to the fact that I iced smiles on to their faces I’ll never know if they feel any differently.

What am I talking about?…….

THEY’RE GINGERBREAD!!!!

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At this time of year the emphasis can very much be on the dining table; the colour of the table cloth, the size of the place-mats, the font you use to write the name cards, it goes on… but what about the chairs?

They are equally as important as the table and often overlooked in the rush to get everything else just perfect. With this in mind I decided to dress my humble wooden dining room chairs up a bit.

Way back in June of this year I stumbled across some beautiful pink and green taffeta fabric in a local fabric shop. It was sitting in the remnant bin and I turned to Jodie, my fabric partner in crime, and declared that in 6 months time these raggedy pieces would be used at my Christmas table. The business was re-locating to another premises at the time so I was able to pick the fabric up for a song. Lucky me.

I have a love/hate relationship with taffeta. I love the way it looks and the way it can be manipulated into pretty much any shape, but I hate having to pin it as it’s almost slippery between the fingers! Grrrrr.

This is how I made them.

• You will need a sewing machine for this project as there is A LOT of sewing to be done.
• Start by measuring the width of the chair backs you wish to cover
• As I wanted to created a double bow effect, using the pink fabric for the larger bow and the green fabric for the smaller bow, I needed to think in terms of two bows for each chair
• The width of my chair backs measured 38cm, so in order to wrap the fabric all the way around the back of the chair and then tie into a substantial bow, I calculated that the length of my pink tie would have to be 220cm in length and 50cm in width.

Tip: A good way of measuring how much material you will need for each tie/bow is to tie a piece of string around the back of the chair you are covering and then securing the string into bow; when you are happy with the size of the string bow, un-tie it and use it as a guide to measure the length of your fabric.

• I have six dining chairs which I needed to cover so I cut six pieces of pink fabric all measuring 220cm x 50cm and then double hemmed them all.
• The reason for double hemming the fabric is because you want the ties to look as neat as possible when they are on the chairs, and taffeta frays very easily; by double hemming you will avoid any stray bits of fabric poking their way through!
• Once all the pink fabric tie-backs are hemmed and machined, tie them onto the chair backs in bows, making sure you twist and tease the bows into shape – taffeta is great for this.

• The fabric for the green ties will not need to be cut as long as the fabric used for the pink ties, this is because the green bow is tied to the middle of the pink bow and not to the chair back itself.
• The size of the green ties I made measured 100cm in length and 25cm in width.
• When I had cut, pinned and hemmed the green ties, I then tied them onto the middle of the pink ties in a bow.

Et voila!

You’ll see so many pictures of my dining room in the run up to Christmas so I wont bore you now with an album full of chair backs. But I will say that this is ever such a nice and simple way to give the chairs something else to do over the festive period. Not only have they made themselves available to sit on but they now look pretty.

See?

They are multitasking for you.

We like that!

See you tomorrow!
Cx

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The tree is up and sitting there looking rather pleased with itself. I have a few more decorations around and about in this room but I didn’t want to do too much decorating until I’d seen the tree finished.

OK, so here’s the bit where I sound all floaty …BUT…..

A Christmas tree in the room brings me peace. In the evening I turn off all the main lights and have only a couple of lamps on alongside the tree lights.

If there’s a fire going it’s even better.

It’s nice to lay on this sofa watching the new series of Gavin & Stacey and occasionally look upwards to see the tree still there.

It’s not there for very long so it’s nice to take it in while I can.

But I’ll tell you when I like it the most………………

The morning. First thing. No other lights except the sun trying its best to come up through the curtains and only managing a chilly blue glow.

Me, my bowl of cereal and the tree. I don’t even put the television on. I just sit there and gather my thoughts. Prep for the day and think about what we have going on both in the house and the office.

When I was small I used to make it my business to be the first downstairs to turn on the lights. I’d have the same ritual even then. Sit on the floor in my nightie and eat cereal. Gathering my thoughts before heading off to school.

Some things never change.

Some things never should.

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May I take this opportunity to show off my Christmas Chair for this year. Inadvertently I always seem to end up with a Christmas Chair in my home at this time of year. It’s a chair that is used to hold sweets, chocolate, gifts, cards that need to be sent and all manner of things that I need to remember throughout the busy days of December. It is usually placed by the door and more often than not next to my Singer Sewing Machine table. It’s a handy wee thing that is too small to be used for dumping and yet just large enough to be thoroughly useful.

Here it is before. Bought for a fiver at a local charity shop and needing some wood glue in places but only because it was a bit bendy. Nothing too serious.

I painted it a chalky pink in a slightly different shade to my recent lamp makeover. Don’t be alarmed, these two items are the only ones painted in this super bright pink and I’m not turning my house into Willy Wonka’s. But it’s important to have fun with decorating and pink, blue and green are awesome colours to do this with as they are suitable for each and every season of the year, depending on the shade.

And the seat was given an ‘at home’ reupholster. Pulling the fabric taut across the seat pad, folding the corners over underneath and stapling in place. Easy peasy!

It’s a sweet chair and we’ll need extra for around the table at lunch on Christmas Day.

It’s gonna be a big one!

Have a lovely day and THANK YOU for reading.

Love, Cherry

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So here it is, my Gingerbread House for 2009. I’ve made it early for two reasons.

1, Because I’m obsessed with Christmas

2, Because I like to give you, the reader, a chance to decide whether or not you’d like to make one. There’s nothing worse than being presented with an idea that you would have loved to have tried and not have enough time for it.

I’m also going to add something else right here also – I don’t make NEAT gingerbread houses. I don’t like NEAT gingerbread houses. I like them to look like there is so much sugar holding them together that NOTHING but a peckish child would ever be able to dismantle them.

Here’s how you make it -

Useful weight conversions

• Pre-heat your oven to 220c / 425f
• I used a food mixer with the paddle attachment to make the dough for my gingerbread house. It can be mixed by hand but you will need to put a bit of elbow grease into it as the gingerbread dough does become quite hard to mix because of its thick consistency!
• Start by creaming together the sugar and margarine
• Then mix in the black treacle (molasses will work but NOT black-strap) and set to one side
• In a separate and large mixing bowl blend together the flour, baking soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon and ginger
• Measure out the 250ml of water and bit by bit, add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture along with the water

Tip: It is advisable to add the water gradually at this stage as you may/may not require the full amount for your gingerbread dough

• The dough mixture should end up being of a of bread dough consistency; thick, strong and slightly stretchy, but not too sticky. You should be able to remove it from the mixing bowl without leaving any behind.

• On a well floured surface use a rolling pin to start rolling the gingerbread dough out ready for the template to be cut in to it

Tip: I found that a thickness of around 1/4 inch worked well for the thickness of the gingerbread walls and roof but you could make yours thicker if you prefer.

• When you are happy with the thickness of the dough you are ready to cut out your gingerbread house template

Tip: I made a cardboard template for my house consisting of four walls, two roof pieces (front and back), two additional roof pieces (sides) four chimney pieces, two small windows and a front door and then cut around it using a small sharp knife; you however may have a steadier hand than me and not require a template at all!

• When cut, place your gingerbread house pieces onto a greaseproof or lined baking tray(s) and bake in the oven for around 15 mins
• When you remove your gingerbread pieces from the oven do not worry if they feel a little soft and spongy to the touch, they will stiffen up, I promise.
• Allow the gingerbread pieces to cool down completely before you start on the next step

Making the mortar -

• If you are using a food mixer for this part, use the whisking attachment. If you are mixing this by hand, you will need to use a hand whisk and have a lot of energy!
• Mix together the icing (confectioners) sugar, cream of tartar and the three egg whites until light and fluffy, this takes a few minutes in a mixer, longer by hand.

• Using a pallet knife  start building your gingerbread house using the gingerbread pieces and the mortar you have just made.

• You may need to do the sticking of the gingerbread house together over a couple of days (i.e. stick the base (walls) of the house together one day and put the roof on the next) as the mortar will need time to set.

• And you may even need the help of another person to hold pieces such as the roof.

• Decorate your house with lots and lots of sweeties using the leftover mortar as the glue to stick them on with

Square chewy sweets work well as guttering and also a place for fairies to sit. The fairies you see in these pictures were bought from the fabulous Stephanie at the recent Country Living Christmas Fair. I can honestly say her stall was packed and I had to get in there quick before she had none left.

The chimney was stuffed with marshmallow flumps which gave my second fairy a very comfortable seat for the Christmas period.

And I sat one with a very large lolly by the front door. I fashioned a garden path out of tiny present confetti but as soon as there is any kind of draft the presents blow away.

Oops!

Marshmallows for roof tiles, dolly mixtures for the top of the roof, chocolate buttons as pebble dashing. The only thing that will limit your decorating of a gingerbread house are the sweets you can get your paws on. Nothing else.

Warning: Although this mixture is edible it is advisable not to eat it, because let’s face it, it won’t taste as good as it should after it’s been sitting around for most of December gathering dust!

Hello Nel!

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