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Six ideas for minimalist, sustainable gift wrapping

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I love making gifts extra-special by wrapping them beautifully, but I’ve become increasingly aware of the environmental impact. In fact I recently read that the wrapping paper we throw away each Christmas in the UK alone could stretch to the moon and back, and that’s before you take account of the tags, ribbons and bows . In recent years I’ve been making an effort to make my own wrapping more sustainable, and I thought I’d share the various tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way. So, here are six simple ways to create gorgeous gifts without generating loads of waste. As always I’ve focused on the kind of timeless, minimalist aesthetic that appeals to me, using examples from my own Christmas wrapping over the years and elsewhere. Choose recycled wrapping paper & natural materials Like many people, I used to assume that most wrapping paper is recyclable – but in fact many designs have foil coatings or glitter which mean they’re unsuitable and end up in landfill. Plain b...
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A new home and a new renovation project: plans for our 19th-century stone cottage

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[Advertisement – this post references a PR product] I haven’t posted anything for the past couple of weeks because something big has been happening behind the scenes: we’ve moved house! And not only that, we’ve relocated from Bristol to the beautiful market town of Bradford on Avon, set just outside Bath on the edge of the Cotswolds . Chris and I had lived in quirky, creative Bristol for 30 and 24 years respectively, and we will always have a soft spot for it. But for a while we’d found ourselves craving somewhere quieter and more rural, and when we realised we were spending most weekends trying to escape the city rather than making the most of it, we knew it was time for a change.  Bradford on Avon suits us perfectly. It’s where my parents have lived since 2020, but we’d been drawn towards it long before they arrived. It’s picture-postcard pretty, with a cluster of higgledy-piggledy Bath-stone cottages and elegant Georgian townhouses rising up a hillside from the banks of t...
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10 elegant Christmas decor ideas with bows

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When it comes to Christmas decor, bows have been having a real moment over the last couple of years. Now I’m normally averse to fleeting trends, but I like festive bows and I don’t think they’re going to date – they’re a simple, timeless way to elevate your seasonal styling, and they can be adapted to pretty much any space and taste . If you’re reading this blog, chances are you’re like me and veer towards pared-back neutrals, minimalist decorations and nature-inspired interiors. So, here are 10 elegant and easy-to-replicate ideas for using bows in your home this Christmas. On the Christmas tree Last year I tied bows straight around the branches of my Christmas tree , using narrow satin ribbon with long tails that dangled down like icicles. You could opt for a more opulent look with velvet, create a more structured bow shape with thicker ribbon, or even replace the traditional tree-topper with a large bow tied or wired around the upper trunk. If you want to make things even easi...
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