Want to create your own Scandi Christmas decs and not spend a penny?

Without trying to convert the converted, nothing beats a walk in the countryside this time of year. Filling your lungs with the freshest of air and your nostrils with the pungent scent of damp soil and the rising sap of conifers is hugely restorative. It’s no surprise then to hear of its huge health benefits.

With Christmas around the corner, you can combine getting your steps in with creating your own Scandi Christmas decorations.  

What actually defines the scandi look?  Simplicity, a lack of clutter, lots of light and a draw to nature. The overall effect is to induce a sense of calm.

So our starting point for our very own Christmas Scandi Decs has to be the common pine cone. Next time you find yourself strolling the countryside, take a moment to collect some sweet-smelling pine cone. With a few dabs of white paint you will transform these plentiful autumn seeds into quintessentially understated Scandi Christmas decs.

So let’s get started and be prepared to get a little bit messy!

You will need:

• A wood with conifers (but the conifer round the corner is equally fruitful. I’m constantly collecting cones on my dog walks)
• Lots of pine cones
• Bucket or reusable bags
• A bit of emulsion in a pale tone but please use a tin already opened, so white, grey, cream are all good light colours that work well.
• A decorator’s brush but not a good one.
• Paper to protect your surface
• Some metal twine (green garden twine is good)
• Secateurs to clip the wire. But wiggling backwards and forwards will snap the wire too.
• You might need gloves if you want to keep your hands looking lovely.

Next:

1.  Collect as many pine cones as you can. The more the merrier.
2. Leave somewhere to dry but ideally not inside the home (I leave mine in the garage as I’m not a massive fan of creepy crawlies).
3. Decanter some paint into a jar and start brushing the tips of the cone. The idea is to imitate the snow sitting on the tips for a more natural look.
4. Let the cones dry. If you place them close to a radiator, they tend to open up and get much bigger.
5. Twist the end of the twine around the bottom of the cone.
6. Get your Christmas tree in the right position and add lots of warm lighting.
7. Tie the pine cones upright to the branch and closer to the tip as you would see it in nature.
8. Group a few pine cones together for a more natural look.

Now stand back and hope for a white Christmas!

And If you can’t get enough of the scandi look, we have some beautiful gifts like the understated, super soft long water bottles and some Christmas decorations too.