Advents 22nd Door: Old Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies

Christmas doesn’t feel like christmas without an afternoon of baking, and gingerbread is my favourite go to for wholesome festive yummies. I love the apothecary fun of mixing so many delicious ingredients together, like making a festive potion; a bit of sweet, a pinch of spice, a sprinkle of sugar and a generous drizzle of honey. The smell that fills the house with the warm familiar seasonal scents of cinnamon and ginger and cloves. 

We have our favourite cookie cutter shapes and a mixture of both pretty and silly ideas of how to decorate them; dala horses, father christmas, holly leaves, stars, trees, snowmen and reindeers, there’s even been a few ‘festive unicorns’ on occasion. 

Thats the fun of them, creative decorating and each unique design and a recipe that can’t go wrong even if you’ve not an ounce of Delia or Nigella in you (I really don’t). 

This year I’ve discovered this diary free, gluten free recipe which we’re giving a try. It looks like it’s got the right amount of sticky and just the right amount of crunch and a great allergy friendly version you can share with everyone. 

This recipe here from Gails bakery is a good one as is this one here. But if you fancy a bit of a kitchen bake off, you can always try a gingerbread house. 

Kaley at the Kitchen Macabe has the most incredibly divine recipes including her latest Lavender and vanilla hot chocolate. Her inspiring instagram feed is a must and synod trying to move away from processed food an towards a more nutrient rich and wholesome kitchen table will love the twists Kayley sons on well known recipes as well as new!

Start your inspiration with these gingerbread yummies here

xx

SaveSaveSaveSave

Advents 21st Door: Free printable Art

1

2 .

3. 

4.

After our recent move and building renovations some of our walls are still missing artwork, and I wonder If I could perhaps gift the house this Christmas by finally framing some pictures. I’ve been saving a few ideas and the my favourites I’ve gathered here. 

I have hinted for John Derian’s incredibly beautiful picture book as a gift. Its full of the most wonderful images and wonderful for a gallery wall. 

I think any of these collections would make very beautiful Christmas gifts. Printed onto a good weight paper, or framed. A collection would make such a pretty gift, a personalised picture such a wonderful addition to any child's bedroom or playroom, and gosh what incredible wrapping paper for little gifts.

 5. 

 6. 

 7. 8. 

 9. 

10.

top to bottom click the number for the link : 1 . 2 . 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Such prettiness deserves to be gifted

xx

Photo: Stephen Johnson, Courtesy of Artisan/Workman via vogue

Advents 20th Door : Party with an Extra 10%

There’s no better time of year to throw a party (well , ok Birthdays are pretty spectacular, and well Easter too, and mothers day…. ). But, Christmas is a big one and brings together so many friends and family that that in itself is a celebration and sometimes quite a feat of human endeavour! The parties collections in the shop are some of my favourite pieces and I love to see how people throw their collections, colours and themes together. We made it a little easier this year and carefully, lovingly created four varied collections of party pieces based on our favourites that you’ve picked.

So, cocktail carts and party table pieces there are beautiful bundles of festive goodies and party ideas in our Christmas inspired collections as well as our entire parties range and lots to see you through to the New Year celebrations too.

Tomorrow is our last day for postal orders and we’ve now put our festive pieces on sale. But you, our blog readers get an extra 10% off parties in our advent today using code PARTY at checkout! 

Decorate the halls and the table and get the party mood started here.  View all the party collections here and share your pictures we’d love to see!

Decorate the halls and the table and get the party mood started here. 

View all the party collections here 

and do share your pictures we’d love to see 

@sistersguild

xx

SaveSave

Advents 19th Door: Your 25% OFF Code

25% Off Christmas ideas; from table to cocktail cart, decorations and wrapping and ribbons, ideas for Father Christmas to fill the stockings and those utterly unique gifts that you know will bring joy. Helping bring together a magical Christmas with a bit of help with the code JOLLY25 at checkout. Take a look at our Christmas ideas for gifts, decor, table and stocking. There’s something for everyone big and small and medium sized too.

xx

what’s on your wishlist from sisters guild tag us on Instagram with your wish list pieces and we’ll help you make your wishes come true. 

@sistersguild

Advents 18th Door: Must Try Chocolate Orange Truffles

If you’re looking for a delicious treat to make for a party or take to party these delicious truffles are perfectly divine. Utterly scrumptious, easy to make and only ten minutes to prepare you’ll need to keep some chocolate powder dust smudges on your cheek as evidence you’ve been busy making them.

The kids love making these too. It's as simple as throwing all the ingredients into a mixer and then rolling the mix into bite sized balls before rolling in cacao powder to finish. It's a sticky finger heaven (though a bit of coconut oil on the hands helps it getting too messy)!

We think they'd make great gifts too, wrapped in a little cardboard box and tied with ribbon.  Made even more delicious when paired with the ingredients and the recipe. 

Give them a try following the recipe here from Ella Woodward aka DeliciouslyElla  

xx

Share your festive pics and ideas with us on instagram too

@sistersguild

Advents 17th Door: Glitter Filled Baubles

I spied these glitter filled baubles over on the Vault files a little while ago and fell in love with their fun and sparkle. I think they would make great decorations around the house or to add to garlands and wreaths for some festive fun.

I’m hoping to make some for a New Years Eve party, adding a bit of a sparkly fun feel to the home decor, turning the house from Christmas to new year with a bit of shimmer with strings of effervescent bubbles hung across the room .

I simply love their versatility too. Don’t you think they would make great invitations to a party with a beautifully written invite rolled up inside or even written with a bright marker on the outside, or a great alternative to a gift card - placing the gift voucher inside amongst the glitter and sparkle, or perhaps numbered clues leading to a gift like a treasure hunt. 

We might write New Years wishes and dreams on them and create a garland we can add to each year, a fun tradition   creating a times capsule when a new year begins, celebrating a chapter and starting a new. It would be so fun for the kids to look back and see what their 7 year old self wished or hoped for. Fun to give them to guests and ask them to write their wishes inside for them to take home and keep.  A sparkly promise in a bauble. 

Effervescent fun in little bubbles and so many pretty ways to use them. Such a simple idea with magical effect. We love love love them and can’t wait to fill them. 

Head over to the Vault Files for the tutorial. 

xx

Share your festive pics and ideas with us on instagram too

@sistersguild

Advents 16th Door: Wreath Making

A Christmas wreath is so pretty hung on the front door,  a symbol of welcome and a deep connectivity with nature and home. I find it so beautiful that in a season (especially here in London) when the dark nights settle in and the cold weather has us all heading for indoors and cosines that we tend to bring the outside in. 

The wreath gathers the season’s colours, scents and joy and celebrates the season with a spirit of tradition regardless of their style; modern or classic. The wreath represents the strength of life overcoming the forces of winter. I simply adore them. I do, admittedly, tend to buy my wreath but with so much inspiration to make one of my own I feel the urge and, perhaps, the need to make one this year. To gather my favourite colours and smells of the season and adventure to find the foliage with the kids. Leaves, fruits, herbs from our window boxes, eucalyptus, evergreens and fresh  anemones and cream roses, dusty pinks and red ranunculus. 

The image’s here are my inspiration and this beautiful blog has all the steps to help you create your own. 

xx

Share your festive pics and ideas with us on instagram too

@sistersguild

SaveSave

Advents 15th Door : Let it Snow

Every year the one thing that is always on the top of my Christmas wish list is snow. To wake up on Christmas morning and see a blanket of fresh white snow out of the window and as far as the eye can see. Though each year we say it really could happen, I know that sometimes we need to create the magic in other ways. 

Perhaps I can fill the kitchen with hundreds of whimsical white snowflakes cut from paper like the one’s here found in Vogue. But with my to-do list getting longer by the day and the numbers of days until Christmas decreasing. Its unlikely to happen to such an effect. 

However,  several above the table or a few at the windows look simply beautiful and they’re so fun to make. 

Sometimes, I fall into the danger of being so busy I forget to be in the present, I’m planning so far ahead I forget to sit still and just be. An afternoon of making paper snowflakes would be so much fun. Opening up each one to reveal each little unique pattern. 

We’ve discovered the best selection of tutorials and diy’s over on apartment therapy here. Whilst this pretty blog has a great visual to show you the cut style and the finish.  A great idea to draw the design  on top of your fold and then cut them out. 

Stop over and take a look and be inspired, whether for topping presents,  decorating an entire room or just a few touches here and there of whimsical white flutters. It will make a magical white Christmas feel

xx

Share your festive pics and ideas with us on instagram too

@sistersguild

SaveSave

Advents 14th Door: DIY Gift Boxes

Currently obsessing about my wrapping obsession and had to share these pretty gift boxes. How beautiful an idea and so many ways to have fun and be playful with the designs, With different patterns or pictures, magazine collages and hand drawn images behind the windows and doors. Using pictures of friends and family or scenes of family photo’s. Endless ideas and each one personalised. Beautiful. 

I simply love this idea. If you can’t find the right size boxes use the same idea to and create the same effect by using two layers of wrapping paper, layering the cut out on top and the patterned or coloured paper underneath. I can’t wait to give these a try with the kids.

 Pop along to get the full step by step tutorial here and whilst your there be inspired. 

Discover more of our favourite wrapping ideas here 

Share your festive pics and ideas with us on instagram too

@sistersguild

xx

Advents 13th Door: Printable Wrapping

I love the beauty in the simplicity of this wrapping paper. I wonder if it’s something that  might inspire Father Christmas’s gift wrapping for the stocking this year, tied with red or green twine. Adding a few springs of herbs and green foliage will make it even more exciting. 

Gift wrapping is a little bit of an obsession of mine and a well a wrapped gift sends my heart a flutter. Giving a gift feels so much more special when you’ve put as much thought in the wrapping as you have the gift and this gift paper though simple in style is ample in love.  It has certainly inspired us to have a go at creating our own. 

You can see find the inspiration as well as the free printable for this wrapping paper on this rather beautiful blog homeyohmy here. Let it inspire you to create your own; even as a simple scan and reprint process a hand drawn pattern or picture would make such a personal touch to a family gift.

Amy’s (creator of homeyohmy) blog is full of inspiration for that perfectly paired back simplicity alongside beautiful tutorials and projects to try.

Discover the free printable here and do have a go at your own.

xx

Share your festive pics and ideas with us on instagram too

@sistersguild

Advents 12th Door : Marshmallow Pops

School term is nearly at an end and the kids are looking for a treat to take in for all there friends. They wanted to make something colourful, edible and delicious. So, we’ve grabbed bags of giant marshmallows, white and milk chocolate ready to melt and various sprinkles ready to sprinkle. We’ve got little sticks to push into the marshmallows to make them like lollipops and little cellophane bags and pretty ties to package each one into.

This is where we found our inspiration here and here and here. We opted for star sprinkles, hundreds and thousands and confetti style sprinkles for fun. Such fun to make, and very quick and easy to make. Great for parties treats too. I think we may have found a new festive tradition!

Discover your favourite version here and here and here.

xx

Advents 11th Door : Glitter Ornaments

Its a tradition that each year each of us choose a new decoration for the tree, but its also become tradition for us to make some decorations for the house too. Glittery salt dough garlands, paper wreathes and Christmas villages have been previous favourites. We’ve put together lots of Christmas craft ideas and printables here on the blog over the past years so make sure you take a look at more great ideas alongside free printables here. 

These fun glitter ornaments are such a great idea and quite simple for little hands to make and bigger hands to help hang. Make them for the tree, attach them to a wreath or make a fun fruity garland. 

hop along to Brit + Co here for your fun DIY tutorial

xx