Angel At My Table Christmas | Godard Girl : The Taxonomies of Design

My blog has moved and changed name to DESIGN SODA, I’d love it if you followed along with my new content there.

Similar to a small child, Christmas makes me feel giddy and excited. It is such a sensory overload, the sights and smells are a true sensualists dream.

My first acknowledgment of this is my excited perusal and horde planning of decorations for the home. And as advent has officially started I have already begun to hang the first of my Christmas decorations.

Here are my favourites of the year, from bright and shiny to white and understated, like all other areas of home decor I love eclecticism in my Christmas touches.

Paper on String:

I just love these stars made by Danish company House Doctor, hanging these stars from the top of window frames looks particularly effective. You can get them from many places online, I found the cheapest was through Design Vintage and Rockett St George’s collection.The Meri Meri Pinwheels are £15.95 from Selfridges. All Retro Honeycomb Paper Decorations made by Miss etoile are available at Rockett St George.

White Christmas

I bought this Ceramic Fox Bauble last year, its very expensive but just exquisite, available through Notonthehighstreet for £19.95. Another Cox & Cox classic, the opulent wreath for £45, but their Willow Wreath for £14.50 is a better cheap option. I just love this Pearl in Oyster Decoration from the V&A shop. And lastly the Xmas Lace Bauble £6.95 from Selfridges

Christmas Kitsch

I love a bit of Xmas tackiness and tat, these are all fabulous examples of supreme kitsch. Snow Doll Candles £19.95 from Rockett St George. Deer & Holly Tealight Holders £6 from Cath kidston. Nutcracker Figurines £9.41 for 8 available on Etsy. Horse and Rider Moulds from Pedlars. Cute Guardian Angel Candle Holders 8 for £40 via Rose & Frank. Pink Reindeer £2.50 from Paperchase.

All That Glitters is Gold….

Gold Shoes & Gold Concertina Globe Christmas Decoration

I don’t tend to do gold very much in the home, it tends to remind me of eighties fleur-de-lys and the like but at christmas I make an exception. There is nothing so stylish as white and silver but also nothing more Christmass-y-joyful than shouting-sunburst-gold. Gold Slipper Decoration £3.95 from Graham & Green. Gold Concertina Globe Decoration £4.95 for two, Rockett St George.

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String:

Who doesn’t love fancy trimmings and wrap adorning their presents? These are my favorites of the year, all would look incredible tied around craft paper, best quality cheap wrap is from Tiger in my opinion, but Ikea comes a close second. Merry Christmas Black Printed tape £4.50 from Selfridges. Hot Pink Velvet Decorative Ribbon on Spool £6,.50 from Oliver Bonas. Neon Coral Ribbon with Stars £16, Rockett St George. Multicoloured Bakers Twine available through a plethora of sellers on ebay.

Now time to crack open the second door on the advent calender….

My blog has moved and changed name to DESIGN SODA, I’d love it if you followed along with my new content there.

Sometimes, something which you’ve been thinking of suddenly pops up everywhere you look! Either you have unconsciously tapped into a zeitgeist subliminally absorbing a trend, or you are noticing objects because of a connection already articulated in recent memory. Now I’m sure there is a very cynical marketing answer to this, but at the beginning of Autumn I found myself rueing a wonderful collection of snow globes I threw away several years ago.

Low and behold, some weeks later, there are a zillion Christmas hanging decorations on the market which take their cue from traditional snow globes. Much like the stags, bells, Nordic prints & owls of yesteryear, it is nearly impossible to look at any high street stores decorations in 2013 without finding a knowingly kitsch cloche style hanging decoration or snow globe. I pretty much adore all of them, on the same principle as I love terrariums – as miniature treasuries of display, curiosity or sparkle.

Some are absolutely enchanting. I bought the deer globe at the top of this post for £12 from Anthropologie (also retailing at more than double the price in Selfridges!). Here is an assortment of my favourite globes currently bombarding the market, from the kitsch to the pretty, the simple to the ornate:

Party Dog Mini Glass Cloche £15 from Angel at My Table.
Nativity Scene Dome, £25 from Marks & Spencer.

Castle Globe Decoration £16 at Anthropologie.
Bulldog in Gold Top hat Globe £12 from Heals.

Bird in Glass Dome Xmas Decoration, £9.50 Rockett St George.
Long Butterfly Bauble £6 from Marks & Spencer.

French Bulldog Sequined Bauble, £22.95 Selfridges.
Robin Bell Jar Decoration, £6 Marks & Spencer.

Christmas Tree Snow Globe Decoration, £6 from Paperchase.
Vintage House Dome Decoration, £4 from John Lewis.

Set of 3 Snowglobe Characters, £15 from Paperchase.
Polar Bear Snow Globe, £12 Graham & Green.

Penguin Snow Globe, £12, Graham & Green.
Forest Owl Glass bauble, £26.95, Selfridges.

Snowdoll Snow Globe, £12, Graham & Green.
Woodland Scene bauble, £24.95, Selfridges.

And for those who like a Christmas craft to keep them occupied on wintery evenings, here are some online inspirations for d.i.y cloche displays and mason jar snow globes. I don’t know how, but you may be able to guess I have a slight propensity for deers in the holiday season!

Or, for a super easy personalised display, brilliant company RE (whom I adore), have brought out a lovely clear bauble with lid for £3 for you to fill with whatever you fancy. I’d fill mine with glittery acorns, what would you do?