Christmas Details by Mary Norden

This month I'm reviewing three Christmas books from illustrated lifestyle publishers, Ryland Peters & Small and CICO Books. Today I am reviewing Christmas Details by Mary Norden. Mary Norden is an author and stylist of home and craft books and magazines, as well as Interiors Editor of Red Magazine.

In my opinion this is a sweet little soft cover book full of wonderful photographs of an array of Christmas styles and themes. Each theme has about a dozen creative ideas on how to create the look and all are charmingly photographed by Sandra Lane.

This is a delightful book to leaf through to give you very good ideas for a white, traditional, exotic, contemporary or, my favourite, country styled Christmas. It presents a wealth of ideas on setting the table, wrapping presents, making small gifts and decorating the home. From decadent white feathers and glamorous sequins for your White Christmas to the rich berry red, opulent shades of maroon and purplish black to inject drama into the reassuringly traditional Christmas theme of Holly and Ivy. From sparkling votives and spicy pomanders for your exotic Christmas to the cool metallic, textured paper and frosty glass of the contemporary Christmas. The country Christmas is a relaxed family affair with pearly snow berries, ivy wrapped candle lit jars and cream glazed earthenware filled with decorative foliage. The book finishes with gift ideas like spiced nuts, rustic beeswax and colourful hand made stockings.

However, this is not a particularly practical book. The instructions are brief and don't contain enough detail for the more complicated crafts and there are no patterns or templates to help you, either. At a recommended price of £8.99, I think it is a good coffee table book but I wouldn't buy it for instructional purposes.

Some of the fun and easy projects I'd like to have a go at are:

Tea lights wrapped in pretty ribbon

This one is for my sweet friend who loves spicy pomanders

A great idea for old glass jars

To summarize, Christmas Details is a delightful coffee table style book. Mary Norden's contemporary eye for detail and Sandra Lane's beautiful photography make this a darling book to leaf though and fire up your imagination.

Please note that my opinions are my own and I am not paid for these reviews (apart from receiving a free book, of course!).

Have a sweet day!