Get their look: Fireside cottage Christmas

 

 
 
 
 
 
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A post shared by Rachel | thepinkcottage (@thepinkcottageadventure)

I’ve held out for as long as I could! It’s December… I’m coming to terms with the fact that Christmas is just a few weeks away. Everyone’s Instagram squares are full of Christmas crafts & decorations; welcoming wreaths on front doors, advent calenders on the go, tastefully trimmed trees, home-made mince pies, puddings and sloe gin. I’ve just not got my act together this year – nothing has been prepared!

This week’s house is one of the most like our own that we’ve ever featured… we too have garlands of hops hanging from our old beams, we’ve also re-purposed a vintage steamer trunk as a coffee table (and make good use of the storage it affords inside). We have brown leather armchairs, enamel chamber sticks and brass candleholders, wicker baskets and woollen throws…

…and this image is most likely what we’ll be doing on the 25th of December – enjoying a cosy fireside cottage Christmas day.

We’ll be spending this Yuletide ‘à deux’ or ‘à trois’ if you include Barley the Weimaraner. At 4 months old, it will be his very first cottage Christmas, and he’s already discovered that he loves sitting in front of a warming fire!

Get their look

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Wooden tree ornament
Wooden tree ornament
White Wee Willie Winkie candle holder
White Wee Willie Winkie candle holder
Vintage steamer trunk
Vintage steamer trunk
Singer treadle sewing machine
Singer treadle sewing machine
Tea light houses
Tea light houses
Winter evergreen wreath
Winter evergreen wreath
Dried hops garland
Dried hops garland
Fireview stove
Fireview stove
Wooden tree ornament
Wooden tree ornament
White Wee Willie Winkie candle holder
White Wee Willie Winkie candle holder
Vintage steamer trunk
Vintage steamer trunk
Singer treadle sewing machine
Singer treadle sewing machine
Tea light houses
Tea light houses
Winter evergreen wreath
Winter evergreen wreath
Dried hops garland
Dried hops garland
Fireview stove
Fireview stove

Price Points: Swedish torch logs

Swedish torch logs

Swedish torch logs, sometimes known as Swedish candles or tree torches, are wooden logs that are burned and used for heat and light outdoors.

Depending on what you want to do with it – cook or keep warm – determines the type of wood you should use. For cooking, go with hardwood such as apple, ash, beech, cherry or oak. Resinous woods such as fir, pine and spruce are best for producing heat.

When it comes to price, it appears that it’s length that matters; expect to pay about 30-35p per centimetre. The 1-metre option has a burn time of up to 6 hours, so it’s ideal if you’re planning on hosting a garden party that will go on well into the night.

Of course, you could always make your own. Get yourself a log – not too dry, not too wet, chainsaw a deep ‘x’ through it vertically, stuff a firelighter into the resulting crevice…

…or perhaps simply get one of the examples below that we found online!

  1. Small Swedish fire log – 25cm: £7.99, Primrose
  2. Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch – 50cm (hardwood): £16.99, Amazon
  3. 1-metre long garden fire log (pine): £34.99, Glow

shop Swedish torch logs

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

1-metre long garden fire log
1-metre long garden fire log
£34.99
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
£16.99
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
£7.99
1-metre long garden fire log
1-metre long garden fire log
£34.99
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
£16.99
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
£7.99
1-metre long garden fire log
1-metre long garden fire log
£34.99
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
£16.99
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
£7.99
1-metre long garden fire log
1-metre long garden fire log
£34.99
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
£16.99
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
£7.99
1-metre long garden fire log
1-metre long garden fire log
£34.99
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
Abrus® natural wooden fire log torch
£16.99
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
Small Swedish fire log – 25cm
£7.99

Gimme Five: Dustpan and brush

"Gimme Five!" blog post banner

selection of 5 dustpan and brush examples

The temperature dropped this week so we lit our fire for the first time this year. An essential part of having a real fire is a good dustpan and brush. It’s only a humble object, but if you’re going to use something everyday, it makes quite a difference if it does the job well – and looks good too preferably. Here are some favourites from our recent search.

  1. Stainless steel & beechwood dustpan with beechwood & horse hair brush – £21.95, Myriad Natural Toys & Crafts
  2. 2-piece dustpan & brush set – £4.99, Westfalia
  3. Child’s dustpan & brush – £10, Objects of Use
  4. Beechwood & stainless steel dustpan with beechwood & horse hair brush – £59, Skillman & Sons
  5. Sweeper & dustpan – prototype, Jan Kochański