How to make natural Christmas decorations

Use a paintbrush to dampen each pear with water, this will ensures the gold leaf sticks. Be careful when handling the gold leaf as it is extremely delicate, tear off pieces ready to apply.

Press the gold leaf over the pear and smooth it down. Once dry, you can use a dry paintbrush to brush off any excess gold leaf. To finish, tie a name tag to the stalk of the pear (we used a faux leather cord).

Simmer clean avocado stones and skins for an hour. Increase the heat until the water turns a reddish pink, but don’t allow it to boil. Remove the stones and skins and leave it to sit overnight.

Strain the dye into a jug or a bowl through a muslin cloth to remove any remaining bits of avocado flesh, which can cause uneven dyeing results.

Place your napkins into the pan and pour over enough dye to cover them. The napkins should be able to move freely to ensure even dyeing results, so add more water if you need to. Simmer and leave for up to an hour depending on the shade of pink you wish to achieve.

When properly cooled, take the napkins and wring them out above the dye bath to remove any excess dye, then hang them outside to dry on the washing line. Next, leave the napkins for about a week before ironing them on a medium heat to seal in the colour, then machine wash once more on a cool setting.

These herb napkin rings are an easy way to add a natural flourish to your Christmas table settings. Attach a sprig of herbs to a piece of floristry wire using floristry tape. Continue to attach individual sprigs to the wire at alternate angles to achieve a fuller look. Apply tape all the way down the length of the wire for a neater finish.

Place the arrangement across the folded napkin. Wrap the wire around the back of the napkin, tuck it under the herbs at the front and snip off any excess wire.