Last year I attended the Hawke-dale Christmas fair (remember those lovely days?). As I walked amongst the many and varied stalls, I did a double take at the decorations for sale at one of them. My mother was Danish, so I was brought up with many Dan-ish traditions, including the hand made decorations which Christ-mas trees are festooned with. Frederikke Gaarn-Voizey is Sun-bury based and hoping to share some of her Danish traditions. Her own children get involved in walks in the woods, collecting beech nuts, fir cones and acorn ‘hats’ which are used in the creation of felt angel decorations or fabulous wreaths. Her creations are organic crafts, long lasting and natural. It is a far cry from some of the instant plastic glitz available. These natural materials will not add to the plastic problem in the world. What’s more, the making of the decorations is a collective activity. Get together over a glass of some-thing, or a hot chocolate and learn to make some stunning creations. Crafting is of course also proven to be a positive activity for men-tal health, creating little things of beauty to-gether.
I learned the art of plaiting a heart when I was only little. The photos below are of a more complex design, but I can promise the basic model is not difficult. The stars are definitely more complex. Strips of specially cut paper are woven to create a 3D star which is hung on the tree with an added string. The little felt angels have skirts made of felt, stuck inside a beech nut case which gives it stability. Frederikke decorates their skirts and hats with different fabric. They are a delight.
The ‘forest’ wreaths are a labour of love as each piece has to be individually stuck and chosen to create the best design.
Last year the Sunbury Brownies were taught how to make hearts. The idea this year had been for Frederikke to sell her products and the Sunbury Christmas Market, but of course that is not happening. So if you would like some authentic Danish decorations, do get in touch directly: gaarn_voizey@icloud.com or call 07793 065177. Angels £2, hearts £2, felt Santa hat decorations £1, stars £2, wreaths £15.