What's in the name "Poinsettia"?

The name derives from the fact that Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, introduced the first specimens to North America in 1828.

Where is  the Poinsettia originally from?

Christmas Wreath Making Tutorial

Do you know someone that would love to create their own Christmas Wreath?

Or maybe you would like to learn a new skill with a friend or family member either in person or over a video call? Our Christmas Wreath Making Kit is perfect for this festive season!

This DIY wreath kit includes everything you need to make your very own festive door wreath and get creative!

Video Tutorial

 

 

 Step by Step Tutorial 

Step 1

Once you open your box, check all your wreath making material.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2

Attach one end of the reel wire to your frame with a few twists.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3

Secure bundles of bunched up moss to the frame by wrapping the reel wire around them. We use moss as it gives depth to the wreath – it will also provide moisture for the foliage you’ll be adding later.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 4

Continue adding bunches of moss until the whole frame is covered with an even distribution. Keep the reel wire attached to the wreath. Assemble small bundles of your mixed foliage and pine – it works best to keep larger bits of foliage and pine at the back of the bundle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 5

Lay a bundle of foliage on the wreath and secure firmly using the reel wire. Add more bundles in the same direction, overlapping with the previous one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 6

Continue adding bundles of leaves until the frame is evenly covered. Cut the reel wire, leaving enough to secure at the back by twisting it around itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 7

Attach a ribbon by doubling it around your wreath underneath the foliage, leaving it long enough to attach to your door. It’s a good idea to hold up the wreath and look at the shape before you decide where to attach the ribbon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 8

Cut long lengths of reel wire to make ‘legs’ for your decorations (to attach them to the wreath). To do this, bend the wire in half and attach with a few twists around a suitable point on your decoration (such as the stem or around the pine cone).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 9

Attach the decorations at random intervals around the wreath by separating out the ‘legs’ of the wire and securing them at the back of  the wreath with a few twists. Use the ribbon to hang your wreath on a door or suitable place Your stunning festive wreath can be also be used for decorating your wall, door or mantelpiece!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 10

Well done!! You have created and made your very own  wonderful creative Christmas wreath- sit back with some mulled wine and enjoy! Merry Christmas!

Some interesting facts about Halloween in UK 

In Scotland and the Isle of Man, Halloween's Celtic roots are honoured through Samhain celebrations

Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “sow-win”) is celebrated in Scotland, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland and Ireland. 

Samhain is a Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter or the "darker half" of the year and symbolised the divide between the world of the living and the world of the dead.

Traditionally, it is celebrated from 31 October to 1 November.

Samhain celebrations feature rituals such as bonfires and dancing.

Bonfire Night 

Guy Fawkes Day (also known as Guy Fawkes Night and Bonfire Night) has historically been  and still is a big day in the UK calendar.

Celebrated with parades, bonfires, and fireworks on November 5 ― you might be familiar with the rhyme "Remember, remember the fifth of November" Guy Fawkes Day commemorates the failed Gunpowder Plot. The scheme, orchestrated by Roman Catholics in 1605, was an attempt to blow up Parliament in response to King James I's refusal to expand the religious freedom of Catholics.

Halloween's customs are scary

In the UK, we stick to the more traditional horror-inspired ghost, vampire, zombie, Frankenstein, ghoul costumes.

In the US, when kids go trick-or-treating, it seems any costume goes, even costumes that aren't necessarily 'Halloween-y' (including princesses, Spider-Man and so on).

Brits don't go wild with Halloween decor

It's rare for people in the UK to put up an excessive amount of Halloween decorations although every year there seems to be more Brits getting in the spirit and decorating their homes.

 

Trick-or-treating is more common in the US.

Going door to door for  treats is not as a big a deal in the UK, however again there seems to more of growing trend within some age groups to get dressed up and go out trick or treating possibly with an adult in tow!

Guising has a Scottish and Irish tradition

Dating to the middle ages, guising ― a shortening of disguising ― refers to the tradition of dressing kids in old clothes and having them mimic evil spirits on Halloween (known then as the Eve of All Saints Day).

Going from house to house, they would be given offerings for warding off evil.

Today in Scotland, children still go guising.

But they're expected to show off a talent (like singing or reciting a poem) in order to receive a treat.

A city in Northern Ireland is famous for its annual, four-day-long Halloween fest.

In Derry, the second-largest city in Northern Ireland, people celebrate Halloween with a four-day-long event called the Banks of the Foyle Carnival.

The festivities include a haunted house, a parade, and more.

In Scotland and Ireland, it's traditional to carve a swede or turnip instead of a pumpkin.

Pumpkins are synonymous with autumn, and it's hard to think of Halloween without picturing a glowing jack-o'-lantern.

People in some parts of the UK, however, make lanterns from other root vegetables ― namely, swedes or turnips.

The practice can possibly be traced to an Irish legend about a man named Jack who was cursed to wander the Earth by the light of a turnip lantern.

This is a very old tradition in Scotland and Ireland based on Celtic mythology.