Love festive crafts? Book a cosy Norfolk holiday cottage and turn it into a woodland wonderland with magical Yuletide touches. Keep it simple and celebrate the beauty of the Christmas season by making a winter garland of natural treasures gathered on a frosty walk.

Things you will need:

• raw potato (a green alternative to floral foam)
• evergreen foliage: holly, ivy, conifer, spindle, mistletoe
• natural ornaments: cones, seed heads, nuts, reships, hawthorn berries, twigs, woody herbs like rosemary or bay
• florist wire or natural twine and ribbon
• a skewer

Skewer a small hole at the base of your potato and poke in a stalk of foliage. Repeat until you’ve made a ring of greenery around the potato.

Be mindful about the shape of your garland and pay attention to the ways different colours, tones and textures sit together. Once you’ve finished the outer ring, fill in the centre using shorter twigs and leaves in higgledy piggledy directions for a rustic effect. Or maybe go for something elegantly pared back. Keep going until the potato is completely hidden. Then use short pieces of wire or thread to secure your natural ornaments amongst the leaves.

Stand it on a pretty plate as a table centrepiece for your rural retreat. Not going away? So DO try this at home! If you’re staying put, head out for a local walk, maybe swing by the pub and then head home to get creative. All you need now is a mince pie and some mulled wine!