Here I will show you how you can quite easily pull together your own Christmas light Garland like the one on the left.

I hope you enjoy making your garlands.

Wealie x

What do you need?

• covered bells in silver and/or white.
• 15-20 medium coloured metal bells.
• 6mm Jute string – approx. 6 metres.

• 6mm christmas style butcher’s string – approx. 6 metres.
• One set of LED Christmas lights approx. 4 metres, with 80 bulbs and preferably battery operated.
• Approx. 15 Christmas wooden shapes – I used three different types, but you could use more or less.

Putting it together

Cut three lengths of the Jute string approximately 2 metres long. Knot the three lengths together at one end leaving about 5 cm of string above the knot and plait together. You could also substitute one of the lengths for butcher’s string for a different effect.

Leave about 5 cm of string free at the end of the plait and knot the lengths together - you should have around 1 – 1.5 metre plait length.

Attach the light furthest away from the battery pack to the beginning of the plait using the 5 cm of free string. Weave the plait over and around the lights. At the end of the plait tie the closest light to the end and then turn the lights, tie down the first light after the turn half way between the next two lights. Weave the rest of the lights in and out of the plait and lights so that they are evenly spaced and you have lights on both sides of the plait. Tie the final light to the plait using the free string at the end.

Cut a length of about 1.5 metres of the butcher’s string and tie it around the first light on the plait leaving about 10 cm of string free. Weave the string around the lights tying it around every second light until you reach the end of the plait and tie it around the final light and again leave about 10 cm of string free at the end. Cut off any excess string and knot the 10 cm ends so that they form loops for hanging the garland

Using the jute string attach one of the small coloured bells aroud every second light. In the lights without bells proceed to knot your shapes and the larger bells in sequential order.

You’ve now got your very own Christmas lights garland!

For extra colour why not incorporate some ribbons or faux berries and holly.

Where to buy the materials

If you would like to make the same garland as me you can buy all the materials I used here:

• You can buy a variety of pre-cut wood shapes on Amazon
• Buy three rolls of  the jute twine string on Amazon
• Buy the red and white butcher’s twine on Amazon
• You can buy two sets of the battery operated christmas lights on Amazon
• I bought the coloured small bells in my local Rymans stationers
• The large white and silver covered bells I bought in Waitrose, red and white versions are available to buy online

Snowy view from my study - Copyright R.Weal 2010

Well it’s December again, the shops are now well and truly filled with Christmas goods, everywhere you go they’re playing those terrible Christmas songs (personally I could do without them) and Mother Nature herself has decided to join in and lend a bit of Christmas like cheer to the UK.

The snow has fallen all across most, if not all of Britain over this last week.  Here in Salisbury, we’ve been pretty lucky to miss out on the full scale snowed in status, but it was falling thick and fast last night.

In the end I’d say we had around 3 inches, but other areas had much more. It’s amazing how just a little bit of snow can bring this country to its knees. We’re a strange bunch the British, we seem to be so preoccupied with our weather, but we’re never prepared, I can’t quite work out how that should be? Answers on a postcard to Wealie please.

Snowy Lanterns - Copyright R.Weal 2010

Below is a very short little video that I took on the iphone of the snow falling. The flakes were just so large and fluffy that it was too much to resist.

Enjoy the winter wonderland folks!

Wealie x