Simple yet pretty Christmas / party table ideas

With only a few days to go before the holidays I thought I'd share some beautiful inspiration for creating a rustic Christmas table - or simply a lovely winter party table for friends and family! I love the idea of a natural white or grey linen table cloth or rough wood table decorated with foliage from the garden, with flowers and berries providing the only dash of colour.  I'm taking inspiration from these pretty, yet simple displays.

 

Pictures:
1 + 2:  A Quiet Style in collaboration with West Elm - see more of the lovely shoot here.
3: Hus o Hem - the entire post is full of beautiful inspiration (piled red apples anyone?).
4 + 5 + 6: Table inspiration from Swedish shop Artilleriet (see more here).
7 + 8: Call Me Cupcake - how delicious (and pretty) does that gingerbread cake with cream cheese and cranberry look?

get the look with these stonewashed white and light grey table cloths. 

This holiday I also hope to be tucking into this mouthwatering cake. And perhaps Thomas Kellers Chocolate Souffle. Mmmmm!

What'll be your favourite dish over the holidays?

If you're looking for more inspiration today  - check out 8 beautiful rustic gift wrap ideas? Or maybe pour yourself a coffee (or steaming mug of glögg?!) and take a scroll through the Christmas archive and Christmas / Party Pinterest boards.

Or if you feel like skipping the parties and heading to somewhere beautiful and remote this December, I'm thinking this pretty cabin in the Faroe Islands could do the trick?

Back tomorrow with the final post of the year (so soon?). Have a lovely day!

PS Thank you so much for all your lovely comments and mails about my new book- and for the pre-orders - it really means a lot to me! I hope you'll enjoy it as much as have writing it. I'll be back in the new year with more details! 

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My book - Modern Pastoral (sneak peek!)

Christmas has come early in my house.  After an entire year of shooting (with photographer James Gardiner) and writing, the first copy of my interiors book - Modern Pastoral has finally arrived! Although it doesn't launch until 11th February 2016 I couldn't wait to give you a sneak peak!   Modern Pastoral is published by CICO Books and features homes in Scandinavia and the US which embrace the pared-back lifestyle of living in the country. The homes take nature as the main point of inspiration - from exposed wood and rugged stone surfaces, to neutral textiles and rooms filled with light. They evoke an ideal, rural life adapted to modern living. Here's a sneak peek, I hope you like it!

These two photos were taken by My Scandinavian Home blog.

Finally having it in my hands is such an amazing feeling. When I look through it, it's like re-living the journey - from a day at a breathtaking house on top of a hill in Vermont to a cool cabin in the Catskill mountains and a pretty Danish summer cottage by the sea. I hope this book will inspire you to bring a touch of nature into your home too!

Thank you all for all your tremendous support without which I would never have had this opportunity! And to the generous homeowners who opened their doors to us and made us feel so welcome.

If you are interested in pre-ordering a copy please click the 'pre-order now' button in the top left of this blog page. If you would like a signed copy please send a mail to myscandinavianhome@gmail.com along with your order confirmation, I'd love to hear from you!

Modern Pastoral is published by CICO books and will launch on February 11th, 2016. 

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The Danish home of a ceramicist

I'm a big fan of Anne Black's beautiful ceramics (these hanging planters are a permanent fixture in my home). I was therefore soooo excited when I discovered pictures of her Copenhagen apartment ready for Christmas (shot by Birgitta Drejer). Anne's home is a lovely mix of mid-century finds, linens and of course - her signature ceramics against a backdrop of white. Let's take a tour....

Birgitta Drejer - Sisters Agency. Shared with kind permission.

I love the first picture of Anne baking with her daughter - so lovely! Making St Lucia buns and 'pepparkaka' or gingerbread biscuits with my girls is one of my favourite things about Christmas. There's never much leftover from the ingredients though - I'm not sure where it all goes....strange?!

What do you enjoy making at home?

Anne Black's ceramics are available here.


I mentioned earlier in the week that I have some exciting news and I'm finally able to reveal it tomorrow, so pop back if you have the time...

I hope you have a wonderful end to your week! 

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A beautifully simple DIY Christmas candleholder

I love this beautifully simple DIY candleholder idea, how pretty for a side table or the guest bedroom this Christmas?

Viennawedekind.com

See the full tutorial here.

I'll be back shortly with a fab home tour  - so make sure you pop back with a cup of coffee in hand! 

Oh and there are only a few hours left to enter the give-away to win a cordless vacuum cleaner from Electrolux. Hurry!

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8 beautiful rustic gift wrapping ideas

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is the gift wrapping. I absolutely love finding new ways to make presents look pretty under the tree. A few years ago I cut branches of holly and slipped them under brown string - I have to admit it was soooo prickly, my poor family couldn't fully appreciate the beauty of it)! I still absolutely love the idea of wrapping presents with natural items - simple brown paper and string, or even muslin and decorating with whatever is in the garden (without thorns!)- pine, skimmia, thyme, eucalyptus. And the presents smell lovely too. Here are my favourite eight DIY rustic wrapping ideas:

What do you think? Is there something outside your door you could use?

These lovely ideas are from:

1. Nåde-studio
2. Made by Mary - visit page for tutorial and more beautiful Swedish ginger biscuit inspiration.
3. Mur lifestyle
4. Local Milk - visit page for tutorial and more lovely christmas decoration ideas.
5. Hege in France  - Click over to see Hege's three beautifully simple christmas wrapping ideas.
6. Local Milk - Stunning Christmas inspiration including a cake, wreath and wrapping!!
7. Le Fork
8. Fox in the Pine

If you're quick there's still time to pick up brown paper, paperbags, and white paper. Plus hemp cord, rustic mesh ribbon online. Source brown string at your local DIY store or nursery. The rest can be foraged! 

Oh and if it's a present you're after - I love this DIY idea (perfect for a last minute gift too!). Or how about hyacinth's wrapped in newspaper?

More Christmas inspiration here and on Pinterest (where I'm madly pinning away - isn't there so much wonderful inspiration this year?!).

PS tomorrow I'll be participating in the live twitter #ElectroluxChat chat tomorrow (Friday 18th December) at 4pm CET (#ElectroluxChat- come and join us, there's a fab prize for My Scandinavian Home readers on offer too!).

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