Winter Solstice

The winter solstice is usually on the 21st December but I do believe that this year it's the 22nd December. Its the shortest day of the year and is celebrated because soon the light and warmth will return.  If you have ever wondered why we decorate for Christmas the way we do, well it dates back to our Celtic, Nordic, Pagan roots and heres some history behind the things we recognise. 

The tradition of bringing evergreens inside are as a 'symbol of life' through winter, a period of terrible hardship for your average Celt.
The wreath, yule log, holly and mistletoe decorated the houses of our ancestors during the winter solstice and these traditions run across the whole of northern Europe. 

the colour in the background is Annie Sloan Chalk Paint - Provence.

You can learn to make your own wreath at florist workshops all through December and when it starts to look a bit droopy, just pull some bits out and add some fresh. Heres one I made with things I found in the garden, primarily rosemary and bits off the pine tree. The dried oranges were bought from my local garden centre (Waddesdon Plants). I don't hang mine on the front door because then I don't get to see it very much. Instead I put it somewhere in the lounge.

It seems that the wreath dates back to Roman times, when winners were crowned with a laurel wreath. They would hang it on the front door to show their victory in ... whatever it was they were doing. It went on to become another symbol of fighting through the winter.

The scarf in the background is from Folkski.

The Yule log is not just a cake you know ! It was traditionally something a family would chop down and bring inside on the winter solstice, it then was doused with cider or ale, sprinkled with flour and burnt. It should then smoulder for 12 days and was the highlight of the solstice festival.  I shall not be dousing mine with my precious home made cider, but in true Blue Peter fashion, heres one I made earlier.  I got hubby to drill me three holes and voila, tied on a few garden bits, a homemade candle holder.

Paints used here are by Annie Sloan - Provence in the background and on the table its Aubusson with a stencil of white and red. The candelabra and hanging came from charity shops in Sweden.

So I'm off to Sweden this week for a photo shoot and heres some traditional Swedish Advent lights I bought on previous trips in junk shops for a few pounds. The advent lights are displayed in the the windows of every Swedish home, primarily its thought because its so dark there during winter that it would light the streets for passers by.  It has no religious significance and the candleabra come in various sizes from 3 to 7 candles, always an odd number but just for aesthetic reasons. The electric advent light came to Sweden from Germany in the 1930s and the man behind H&M was the first to import them. 

Other traditions regarding holiday decorations are that bringing inside some mistletoe, holly or ivy would invite Natures Sprites in the home. I like this idea. Holly kept by the front door all year invites good fortune.

I love to make an event out of tree shopping and its all made possible by the wonderful Ingrid at Claydon Christmas Tree Farm.
They are growing their own trees which will be ready in 2015 but in the meantime they bring trees from Wales up to us in Buckinghamshire and they are truly great quality.

But I haven't told you yet the main reason why I go there, its because (ssshhhh now don't tell anybody) Santa leaves his Reindeer there to be looked after by Ingrid. Here is Tatiana from Folkski with Sophia.

A real life Reindeer can be a formidable creature to meet you know. Poor little Sophia had to hide inside her mums Babushka scarf. The Reindeer are so well behaved but those antlers are huge.

I've been decorating the house to fit with the winter season and found some things to paint. This wooden carved 'thing' was found in a charity shop so I painted it up with Annie Sloan chalk paints and stencilled with my own hand cut stencils. The colours used are Graphite, Emperors Silk, Antibes Green, Greek blue and old White.

I made the little felt Dala horses by doing a mini version of the one in Mollie Makes issue 32. The wall behind is my chimney breast which is now Aubusson blue. 

So as its time to climb into the loft and find where the hell we put the decorations last year, I wish you all happy hunting and will catch up on my return from Sweden.

Sweden here I come.

I'm preparing to go to Sweden to photograph the next catalogue for Van Asch and also to see my godchildren and get some Christmassy shots. So, apologies to all you Swedish folk, but I'm praying for snow, just a little bit will do, and hope that everyone there has started to get their decorations out and houses lit up so that I can bring back some lovely photos of how they style for the festive season.

My last visit was for the Midsummer festival, so it couldn't be more different but as the Swedes like to embrace their roots and traditions I'm expecting great things.

For Midsummer we made wreaths to wear on our heads from flowers and foliage we picked in the hedgerow. As I'm about to write about making Christmas wreaths for my column in Vale Life, I was reminded of this. The best props often come from nature itself, at no cost, particularly if you live in the countryside.

Heres my god-daughter getting her wreath together.

We weren't alone, everyone throws themselves into these traditional festivals, this lady came in full Swedish national costume.

Young and old alike, the hand made garland is a must.

I will try to keep my eyes open for anywhere I can get props, either if we pass a Lopis or a charity shop. Lets hope that my host needs some things for the photo shoot because then we can call it "work" (guffaws loudly). Then, of course, I can do a Sunday Prop Shop with my Swedish finds !!

Locations are still being discussed but we normally go and stay at this beautiful old farmhouse with relatives.

Can you imagine how cute these traditional houses will look with a smattering of snow (please please please let it snow).

Our other regular location is this castle hotel, its called Gorvalns Slott and is just on the outskirts of Stockholm. 
The rooms are all individually styled with amazing furniture and colour schemes. They are good customers of Van Asch and have the cushions dotted around all over the hotel on their sumptuous and decadent sofas.

In the corner of each room they have these gorgeous heating devices, its like a fancy chimney and was used to warm the house. I wish oh wish we had those here, they are always decorated so beautifully. Most are antiques now, I'm not sure they work anymore.

Heres another of these masonry stoves, they are more than just a chimney and actually recycle the heat in a very efficient manner before exiting the building. It's all very technical. 


So in the words of the song "let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" and put some wood in that corner stove while you are at it.

Folkski

My latest project, which is all entangled with lots of other things I'm doing, is launching a new company called Folkski.
You can find them over on facebook and there are links to ebay where the first items are being sold.

Folkski has come about by meeting my new neighbour Tatiana who is from the Baltic. I visited the USSR in 1978 with my Dad, at that time they were closed to outside visitors unless you booked with Intourist who organised escorted trips around the country.
It was to be one of the greatest adventures of my life. We travelled all over the USSR from top to bottom on internal Aerophlot planes (held together with tape and string I think) and experienced all aspects of this vast country. Not jut Leningrad and Moscow but also down to Tashkent, Samarkand and right down to the Afghan border. This tweaked my interests in arts and crafts from far flung places. 

My interest in folk art from the north of Sweden, across Estonia and over to Russia has propelled me into wanting more authentic items and when I told Tatiana she researched how to get some of these items that we can bring to the UK. The Babushka scarf has the most fabulous colour combinations and patterns, particularly the large roses on black.

The wool is extra fine and as they are large they can be worn or used to adorn furniture, we plan to make cushions and lampshades at some point too.

Whilst I still have some props bought in Russia on that 78 trip, I did manage to find a few things in charity shops and around in the uk at excellent prices.

The lacquered spoon, still with its Russian makers sticker, was bought for £1 in a charity shop in Bucks.

This glorious Scandi vintage light was less than £10 in another charity shop nearby where I live.

As a collector of Dala Horses this one came home from Sweden with me and the tin clockwork Russian toy came from e-bay.

I have also started cutting stencils and decorating furniture influenced by the colours and patterns in these scarves, all using Annie Sloan paints. These stylings will be unveiled in the new year at the launch of a special project that Annie Sloan is beginning. 

Meanwhile, Im on the lookout for more Folk Art from the frosty north and furniture to makeover. Hopefully another trip to Sweden while the snow is on the ground and maybe next year to Estonia.
Folkski are also investigating how to get felt boots at a reasonable price so more of that to follow. 

Until then "Dasvidaniya" from me x

To buy a scarf from Folkski please look on ebay from the following seller : click here 

Furry Props

I thought that for #Sunday Prop Shop this week I would post some photos of "when animals want to get in on the action". Wherever I go theres always some furry friend whose head ends up popping into shot. As I live with four cats then this is a regular occurrence if I'm shooting in my house, but it also seems to happen everywhere else I go.  


This was a shoot for Sophie Ray. Our lovely friend let us use her house and her old piano. Scooby the labrador just sat there, like he thought he was supposed to, and would not move until tempted by a biscuit from his mum.

At another friends house, Jane's enormous bull-mastif (soon to be a star of tv show 'Antiques Road Trip') just had to investigate the cushion I was photographing. 

Nelson's head is so big it could block out the sun. More biscuit bribes were necessary to move this behemoth. 

The summer pics in Sweden (below) where Boycie probably posed better than the girls, a shoot where everyone was bribed with cakes.

And then there are my cats, above Aston is wondering what I'm doing. Below, Coco (who is blind) just decided to settle herself on the bed and I didn't have the heart to move her. I was amazed that neither of them didn't just sit in the middle of the blanket as its so cosy and warm.

Here's Emily who didn't realise that this little shetland pony was watching her every move. 

And then sometimes a furry prop makes an appearance and its just the shot you need, even if you hadn't planned it.

What's the old adage "never work with animals or children". 
Mmmmmm .... seems like the animals have different ideas.

Click click splosh.

I thought I would just add to the post below with some pictures of the weekend shoot near Lewes where we were continuing to photograph some crocheted items designed by Nicki Trench for Designer Yarns Noro wool.

It was a very early start, the sun had just risen and the view from my lovely B&B was double aspect, the mist was rising but it wasn't raining (like it had been the day before) so we hoped for a promising start.

Our lovely location was at Beshlie Grimes house/farm. Beshlie writes great books about making your own booze. Have a look on Amazon for Beshlie Grimes Making Wines. 

I can't show you the finished projects in full so heres some teasers.

Someone must have listened to our prayers because the sun peeped through and for a few hours we had lovely light. 

Later in the day we had a planning meeting about the next few shots, including those for 'what we call' Jam Hats. Such Fun. 


Click one ...
Just a little update of whats happening with me right now. 
I am still working on a design for a sock pattern that should be a good beginners project, so I'm knitting it, undoing it and trying out different ideas until I feel that its a good one. Heres the first prototype. Once I feel I have it nailed I will post the pattern here with information on how to do it yourself.

This is knitted in Aran wool on circular needles and I while I love a snowflake pattern on a sock, I think it took too long and I want this to be something that the knitter can see a quick result with. I'm loving the wools made by Drops, the wool above is their alpaca mix called Nepal.

Click two ...

I'm midway through photographing a book of crochet patterns using Noro wool and designed by Nicki Trench. 

and ... splosh.  

Soon there will be a new company launch for unique items from Russia and the company is called Folkski.  Combined with the launch of this company will be some new looks and the 'splosh' is the sound of paint being used in the room sets. We hope to bring you some fabulous colour combinations using Annie Sloan chalk paint. 

And this little lady is the Folkski mascot, wind her up and watch her go (sounds like me doesn't it)!

Big Jugs

I have big jugs and I cannnot lie. In fact, Im very proud of my big jugs, they are an asset to any stylist and photographer and useful on so many levels.

Big jugs can be used in many ways, either to divert the eye or as a way to disguise and cover up a less attractive feature.

I have used my own big jugs in may photo shoots and when they aren't being put to purpose I just have them around the house as decoration.  Luckily for me my 'other half' likes big jugs too and gets quite excited when I produce a new one.

This week I added to them with an Art Deco one which I found in a charity shop.

Sometimes I ask for advice about how to decorate them from my local florist Wild Orchid, Lorraine often has ideas about how to make them look seasonal, she has some lovely jugs herself, you should check them out if you are passing. 

flowers by Wild Orchid

The older they get the more you appreciate and look after them.

Sometimes I dress them up to look Victorian or Country Rustic. I love to play with them and see what is the most eye catching.

My big jugs have even featured in magazine shoots like this one  for Homes and Antiques, the September issue.

So impressive a statement is the big purple jug that it was photographed twice.

This one was used recently to hide a radiator and add a splash of colour in a shoot Im doing for a yarn company. 

My jugs tend to go up and down in size but I find the bigger the better. Im sure you have all seen my small ones anyway in other photos.  Im still looking to add to my collection with a pink enamel one from France to match the Lavabo in my bathroom.

This blog post was sponsored by good old British innuendo and "Carry On" educational services. All photos and jugs are my own; the exclusive property of Janice Issitt.

Mollie Makes issue 32

Ta Dah !  Heres the issue of Mollie Makes that I am in. 
In this months issue you can see why I collect Dala Horses and also make your own in felt. Can you see that banner to the right, ok, click on that and it will take you directly to where you can order the magazine, either a subscription or just the latest issue, which looks like this ...

I made these mini Dala Horses from felt but in the magazine you can see how to make a larger one and it also shows you how to do the embroidery stitches.

Nearer to Christmas I will show you how I plan to use these mini ones as decorations, I may attach them to a garland for the fireplace or hang them on the tree. They are fun to make and you could really just stitch whatever pattern appeals to you most. 

In the article I explain what they mean to me and the history and symbolism behind them.  

At some places in Sweden they have giant ones that you can sit on. I haven't made it to the factory or the museum yet and hope that on my next trip I won't bore my friend Rachel too much with these treks.

Perhaps I should  tell her they have an amazing cake shop next door :)

My thanks go to Gunilla and Hans-Olof who helped me with this collection and who cook me the most amazing Swedish food whenever I visit. The last trip was for Midsummer Festival and thats when this photo was taken of me wearing a flower head garland. I really want to visit at Christmas but need to find a cat sitter.

Scarlet Gunilla Rachel and Isabel with me all ready for maypole dancing, Swedish style.

Don't forget folks, a Dala Horse isn't just for Christmas its for life !