Hello Ber Months

I know it’s a bit of a cliché to say “where has that time gone” but I am going to say it – how is it the end of August already. Summer has flown by in a flash. I am already starting to feel a bit cooler and nights are getting darker earlier. The one good thing about us nearing the end of August is that the so called Ber months are literally just around the corner now and if you’re a jumper and boots girly like me then this is fabulous news.

I love the term Ber months, the collective name for the last part of the year. What it means to me is comfort food, homemade soups and pies, cosy nights curled up with a good movie (Christmas ones are a good option any time from now), and of course, Christmas planning.

When I say Christmas planning, it’s not just personal but also Christmas stock. We’ve done Christmas stocking the last few years but I have a list for decorations and cushions that I am kicking off making this weekend. Starting now means we can have them on sale in plenty of time for you all to shop ahead of Christmas and ensures we have plenty ahead of Christmas craft fayres which we are starting to look at booking now. First one booked today fro Sunday 8th November is the Riverside Lodge Hotel in Irvine. Keep an eye out for the Christmas shop launch soon.

But before Christmas comes Autumn and as much as I can romanticise bright, crisp, cold days with gorgeous colours of Autumn leaves, the reality is I don’t live in New England and therefore, the likelihood is it will be dull, damp and dreich. It is nice to have a countdown to Christmas, almost like a bridge from summer to winter and it is lovely to now have some decorative touches for this time around the house.

I created this cushion over the last couple of weeks.

Most of the time working on this was the embroidery. Hand drawn design first onto the calico and then filled in with the embroidery. Backed that with wadding and a lining material and then added the frill and co-ordinating orange back.

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  Embroidery progress 2

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This soap I saw from a local interiors shop, Bailey and Tibbs on Instagram and thought, that is such a nice simple way to add some Autumn to the house so of course I had to visit to pick this up.

Finally, another lovely thing to do at this time of year is a garden centre visit. As we tidy up the garden prepared for winter, it is nice to have some autumnal coloured baskets to replace the summer flowers and still give some colour as we transition into winter. I will definitely be planning that at some point in September.

As August draws to a close, I am looking forward to the cosy months now. Just not too much rain please. Crisp, cold, bright days would be most appreciated.