Deck the halls
Sydney Morning Herald
Thursday December 10, 2009
Decorate your home with a touch of tradition, writes Susan Redman. As Christmas baubles and trimmings become more sophisticated and colours follow fashion trends, it's becoming increasingly difficult to choose from the many divine decorations on offer at this time of year. I took the plunge a few seasons ago by choosing yuletide chic over conventional options but sadly the black Christmas tree I bought didn't do much to impress the grandparents and the littlies, nor did the wicker door decorations and plywood tree ornaments.So this year I resolved to revisit tradition. After all, red and green still say Christmas better than any other colour combination and when applied to handcrafted treasures, they outshine even the glitziest bauble.Country Road's endearing Christmas stockings look like grandma stitched them up out of patchwork offcuts and Lark have produced a whole range of knitted tree decorations almost as cute as Davis & Waddell's gingerbread house. You'll be able to amaze your friends with this piece of sugar and spice bakery that you make yourself from a cookie-cutter set.And what's a Christmas tree without tinsel and sparkle? Festoon your tree with the beautifully embellished baubles from Wheel & Burrow and Citta Design.And don't confine yourself to dressing the tree, either. If you choose right you'll want to keep your Christmas decorations out on show long after St Nick's been down the chimney. Children will love these super-cute beanbag mice from Gund, dressed in red and green stripes, or this dear little deer made from birch twigs. Hang a wreath on the door fashioned from natural fibre and you are ready for the big day.1. Hand-knitted tree decoration, $9.95, Lark, (03) 5348 1853, larkmade.com.au. 2. Small birch deer, $29.95, Rouge Living, (03) 9523 0244, rougeliving.com.au. 3. Lucia wild oat and Isabella raspberry stockings, $49.95 each, Country Road, 1800 801 911, countryroad.com.au. 4. Striped bauble, $7.95, Wheel & Barrow, 9389 9022, wheelandbarrow.com.au. 5. Davis & Waddell gingerbread house cookie-cutter set, $32.95, Albi, (03) 9474 1300, albi.com.au. 6. Preserved boxwood 25cm wreath, $29.95, Wheel & Barrow, 9389 9022, wheelandbarrow.com.au.7. Gund beanbag mice, $7.95, Jasnor Australia, 1300 881 940, jasnor.com.au. 8. Snowflake decorations, large $25, small $15, Pond, 9969 5800. 9. Fabric owl decoration, $11.95 for two, Pure Homewares, 9310 7099, swinggifts.com.au. 10. Eeni Meeni Miini Moh Christmas stocking, $34, 1300 668 590, arterystore.com. 11. Metal snowflake wreath, $59.95, Citta Design, 1800 256 723, cittadesign.com. 12. Kotte straw goats,$12.99 each, Ikea, 8002 0400, ikea.com.au.
© 2009 Sydney Morning Herald
Share This