It's Christmas Eve!

 

Happy Christmas Eve! This is one of my favourite days of the year. I love the last minute shopping (I have always forgotten something!), the baking, the last minute wrapping, the wine drinking, catching up with friends, the carols and of course, watching made for TV films all day while rushing around (Hello, Mrs Miracle). I hope everyone has a lovely, relaxing and happy festive few days. Thank you so much for reading Sparrow + Spark! in 2012.

 

Here are a few festive links!

 

Which of these Christmas dinners would you like to eat?

A festive garland.

Under the mistletoe.

Would you swim in the cold, British sea on Christmas day?!

Gorgeous textile prints.

I love this modern Christmas tree.

Some more Christmas garlands.

Beautiful snow.

Super sweet reindeer cookies.

Home

Images from Gregory Beauchamp

Friday! My birthday! I have been doing a lot of socialising this week so I am tired. But I do love this crazy week of parties, cocktails and lots of food. How are you getting on with your Christmas preparations? As Christmas is getting nearer, people automatically start to think of home and family a lot more. I love the whole heading home part of Christmas. So, I thought this Homestead artwork from Gregory Beauchamp was absolutely perfect for this time of year. I love thinking about the spaces we return to.

A Walk In The Park

I haven't done a Love Where You Live Post for a while! I especially love living here during the festive season as there are so many little towns with beautiful Christmas lights and their own lovely places to visit. This weekend, amongst all the festive craziness my friend Alex and I went on a lovely countryside walk in one of my favourite places, Attingham Park. I love it there! There is a deer park, lovely country house, lots of Christmas trees and a cute little robin waiting to say hello.

Silly Holidays

Images from Dirty Bandits

It's Monday! This is one Monday I actually like getting up for, as it's getting to be my favourite week of the year. In one week I have my birthday, Christmas parties, catching up with friends, work lunches and last minute shopping. I love it!

 

I also love getting ready for the year ahead. I try to declutter and tidy as much as possible during the mad Christmas weeks- I love starting the new year all tidy and refreshed. I still need to get my calendar too. I really love this calendar from Dirty Bandits. It celebrates the silly holidays throughout the year (a bit American, but I am fine with that!). November would be my month- peanut butter lovers day. Although August looks pretty good too.

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday! My house currently looks like Santa's workshop- ribbons, bows and sticky tape everywhere. Yesterday I had to quickly make some wrapping paper as I had run out. Going back to my inner five year old was pretty fun!

 

Here are some fab links from around the web this week, if you're not too covered in glitter, glue and tape as well!

A lovely celebration of favourite drink, coffee.

A British Christmas print tea towel.

I love this type map of the world.

This blog will make you want to quit your job, run off and travel.

Some fun pinwheels.

A cosy, festive scene from Marimekko.

If you're not knitting-challenged like me, knit a snood.

Absolutely beautiful Ghosts.

A calendar for cat ladies everywhere. (I am one, don't worry).

So Sew

A new HobbyCraft opened in our town recently  and I have been a loyal customer this week- I could buy a lot of stuff in there! I bought some embridery floss as I used to love it when I was younger (friendship bracelets were a particular skill of mine!). I have really been enjoying sewing lately-  it is so much easier to understand to me than knitting and crochet (I will get the hang of them one day!).

 

While watching Home Alone 1 and Home Alone 2 last night (ultimate Christmas mood films!), I started on some embroidery. I bought the top pattern from Bec Groves and it was so fun to do. I love the illustration. The flowers are a free hand style that I am just using to practice- fun!

The Falling Garden

Images from Gerda Steiner & Jorg Lenzlinger

 

Happy Friday everyone! How has your week been? Do you have any plans for the weekend? I don't know about you, but the weeks are starting to get long for me. A combination of Christmas socialising and busy work means I just want to finish for the Christmas break now! I am seeing more friends this weekend and hopefully starting on my gift wrapping- it's one of those things that I keep putting off.

 

I came across this amazing installation while browsing Pinterest for flower ideas. It's incredible! Gerda Steiner & Jorg Lenzlinger created this in 2003 for the 50th Biennial of Venice. Can you imagine lying underneath the flowers and looking up? Beautiful.

Street Art Utopia

 

Images from a selection at Street Art Utopia

 

It's no secret that I love street art. I have hundreds of photographs that I capture in every place I see it. Paris, London and Berlin are my favourite places for great street art so far! My husband particularly loves stopping in the street every 10 minutes while I capture the latest thing I see (that's sarcasm). This selection of amazing art from Street Art Utopia totally brightened my day- they capture exactly what I love most- turning a corner and being surprised by something fantastic.

 

In The Forest

Images from Steffie Brocoli

 

Happy Monday! Seriously, how is it Monday already? I did not want to get up this morning- my bed was perfectly cosy. December seems to be flying by already- in two weeks it will be Christmas Eve, crazy! Hope everyone had a great weekend.

 

French artist Steffie Brocoli has created this lovely illustrated series, In The Forest. The animals are so sweet- I especially love the little snail and the owl sneaking off the page. Perfect!

Making Jam

Jam is so easy to make! The recipe for this is so simple, it's difficult to even call it a recipe: take equal weight of fruit and equal weight of sugar, plus the juice of one lemon. I used 600g of raspberries and blueberries. Then boil until setting point, which takes about 4 minutes. Pour into jars and that's it! Delicious.

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday! This weekend has all been about my Jam Plan (any Friends fans here?!). Making jams, chutneys and other delicious treats for friends and family is just really fun and feels very festive. I sort of feel like a culinary Santa Claus. I just hope they taste good! These were a raspberry and blueberry jam- amazing in porridge and rice pudding. Yum. We also put our tree up and got the Christmas crockery out- coffee in a Christmas mug just screams December to me!

If you're feeling festive like me, here are some great festive, wintery links from around the web this week.

I love this French Kiss tea towel!

The story behind one of my favourite Christmas songs.

I am really enjoying the latest issue of The Simple Things.

It's Christmas, the White House style.

Beautiful photo.

Super mixtape cassette as a USB.

Spectacular (I really mean spectacular) snow patterns.

Amazing festive lights in Madrid.

Lovely drawings from Sabine Finkenauer.

Festive, warming, slow cooked breakfast.

Winter paper snowflakes.

Notice Me Prints

Images from Garima Dhawan

 

I love these bright, colourful and bold prints from Garima Dhawan. They definitely deserve to be noticed!

The Intention To Be Organised

Images from Laura Deleonardis

When it gets to this time of year I start to think about calendars, diaries and trying to get organised for they year ahead (I can't believe that I only have two weeks of work left this year!). It never happens, but I always buy a lovely diary and calendar each year anyway and enjoy clour coding birthdays, events and bank holidays on the 1st January! Good intentions and all that. Laura Deleonardis sent me some images of a calendar she has put together and I really like it- a perfect mix of function and design. You can check more out in the shop here.

Baby Animals

Images from Sharon Montrose

Photos of baby foxes, kangaroos, pigs and cats? Yes please. I just love these baby animal images from Sharon Montrose. The perfect amount of cuteness, don't you think? They totally brighten up my ridiculous early and totally freezing start for work this morning!

Red Onion Chutney Recipe

It is the season for handmade gifts! I came across this article yesterday about homemade Christmas gifts and whether they're always better than shop bought and I thought it was interesting- do you like giving or receiving handmade stuff? I love it, but I think it has to be done well. I still love buying stuff too.

 

Last week I showed you a recipe for sweet chilli jam and today I thought I would show you more of a classic recipe- Caramelised Red Onion Chutney. Perfect on cheeses, cold meats, and with anything goats cheese in my opinion (even pizza)!.

For the recipe you will need:

4 red onions (chopped), 1 small red chilli (chopped finely), 1 bay leaf, 15ml olive oil, 100g brown sugar, 75ml balsamic vinegar, 75ml red wine vinegar

 

First of all, take the onions, chilli, bay leaf and olive oil and gently cook for about 20 minutes until the onions are dark and sticky.

 

Add the sugar and vinegars and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until thickened. Then pour into sterilised glass jars. Leave for about 3-4 weeks to mature in flavour.

I bought the labels from this Etsy store. I love them. Hopefully my friends and family will feel the same about my lovingly prepared homemade gift!