A little earlier this Autumn, tucked away in a corner of Kirstie Alsopp’s Christmas HQ, I had the great pleasure in taking part in the Table Decorating competition. I had originally applied to take part in the Christmas Tree Decorating competition, but with some jiggery pokery I resubmitted my brief and got through to the series, with only days to spare. Because I never do anything by half, or like to make life easy for myself this also happened to be the week I moved house and studio.
A small selection of the preliminary drawings for my brief , “The Twelve Birds of Christmas” There is some British folklore that depicts the Victorian Christmas Carol as all British Birds, with each line interpreted as a different species. From Blackbirds for Calling Birds and Cattle Egrets for Maids a Milking.
Christmas Candle Carousels give a nod to a traditional Christmas tables.
The Twelve Birds of Christmas Table Centrepiece, featuring 78 individual British Birds.
Winning the Christmas Table Decorating Competition 2019 for Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas.
The day, absolutely flew by, with cameras and lights everywhere. We had 5 hours to complete our Table Decorations. Each of us were allowed a certain amount of things to be prepared in advance. I had each bird cut and etched but had to hand paint and embellish 78 birds in total, as well as construct the centrepiece and each place setting. The main detail for my centrepieces were the Candle Carousels, that I enjoyed making as a child. I wanted to incorporate the an element of sparkle and movement. I wanted to bring as much of my usual Lily Faith style to the table, including lots of natural seed heads and hand painted leaves, much like my wreaths.
You can enjoy one my Candle Carousels on your own Christmas Table this year, follow the link here