January can be a long and difficult month and I struggle with the dark and the cold, but there are lots of ways to bring sunshine inside your home when there isn’t much outside – through bright coloured artwork, ceramics, linens and blankets. Through beautiful books about nature and the outdoors. Through uplifiting smells and nourishing balms. Through the softer light of candles. Sunshine can take a lot of different forms.
While we wait for flowers to poke through the frosty ground, it helps me to spend time thinking of what I am going to grow and being surrounded by images of nature. I love these handprinted linoprint flowers in warm yellows and bright whites by local artist Striped Pebble.
I use the time to sort through what is left of my pressed flowers from last year and plan what I’m going to collect and press in my flower press this year too.
Yellow is such a happy colour and this beautiful hedgerow print by Helen Round in white against this warm mustard linen fills any room with sunshine. You can choose from linen bread bags, sandwich wraps, tea towels and storage pots in this beautiful cheerful colour.
Smell has such a huge effect on my mood and at this time of year, I seek out uplifting and energising smells in candles, bath salts and balms. This Hello Sunshine oil got me through last winter with it’s amazing combination of marjoram, lemongrass and eucalyptus. It’s like beach sunshine in a bottle. The Serene candle is another good uplifting scent to burn in winter with its mix of uplifting lemongrass and grounding cedarwood.
Skin needs extra love in Winter and I find it easier to face the day with Wild Sage & Co Argan Balm on my face, their Frankincense & Shea Body balm after my morning shower and this incredibly healing Herbal Balm on my dry cracked hands.
When I manage to treat myself to a bath, I fill it with the amazing smelling Dreamy bath salts by MOA. I think cardamom is warmth in smell form.
Getting your hands in soil helps so much in the winter months and now that we’re nearly out of January, I can start thinking about planting seeds again. I’m going to scatter some Urban Meadow seedballs in our back garden which we’re starting from scratch again. I’ve been given an allotment this year too, so there’s lots to plan.
These Growbars are such an easy way to get sunshine in flower form. You just pop them in a tray of water and get plug plants in a couple of weeks that you can then just pop in the garden or in tubs. My favourite is this Sunflower bar because they are one of the most sunshine-y flowers.
I find the right kind of light in the evenings makes a huge difference to my happiness too. Instead of the harsh light of the main lights, I have a few fairy lights around our living room mirror which add a bit of magic and I light these beeswax dinner candles to create a soft warm glow. They also purify the air and just make me feel calmer. I’ve been trying to head to bed earlier this month, so that I can be up earlier to catch the early morning light and get out in it for a walk or a run, or just a cup of tea in the back garden.
Light is my word of 2023 and looking for it wherever I can, whether it’s outside or inside. I’d love to know what helps. you through the winter months to bring more light and sunshine into your home and lift your mood.
