The Lovely List

Since passing the first of December at the start of the week the blogosphere seems to have gone into Christmas overload - not that I'm complaining; I've been humming festive tunes and munching on mince pies for a couple of weeks now, and this weekend we have finally begun the festive season in the CC household by putting up our tree (see tomorrow's post for the finished result!). I have also succumbed to my annual winter illness, so as a result I have been wrapping myself up in cosy scarves, drinking cinnamon tea with honey and actually taking time out to rest and do very little (something I hardly ever allow myself). I have also found solace in winter walks, and yesterday's was so magical that I stopped every few seconds to take another photograph - it was the first hard frost of the season and looked just beautiful.

If you're looking to eat seasonally this month (as I write about here!) try this frangipane mince pie recipe - they  look absolutely wonderful and make a change from the normal festive fare.

Spindly winter stems and a brilliant blue sky for a midweek miscellany - I love this series from from Sarah and look forward to catching up with it every week.

If you're struggling for inspiration, check out these beautiful festive wrapping ideas from Leah - I particularly like the doily. If you're still on the lookout to bring some seasonal cheer into the home head over here for a table centrepiece how-to.

These photos are so evocative of the cusp of the seasonal descent into winter; they have an ethereal, magical quality that somehow Laura manages to capture perfectly.

Regular readers here will know that I love to bring nature into the home and use the seasons to inspire everything I do, and it seems as though lots of other bloggers follow a similar ethos - head over here for #stylingtheseasons inspiration for December.

What other lovely posts should I be reading that I might have missed this week?