You may not know, but Emma Lewis did the photography for my new business venture, Grace Alexander Mentoring. I have been such a great fan for quite a while now (she took the loveliest picture of my stairs many years ago) and my interest in her work was re-sparked by listening to a lovely podcast she did with the Caro podcast

She talked so thoughtfully about photographing trees, asking their consent, and then just sitting with them a little while. Out of this process came some utterly wonderful, dramatic, prints of leaves.

You can choose from different sizes and framed or unframed here. If you keep an eye on Emma’s instagram, there seem to be some offers on…

I’m saving up for a beech leaf. Or hoping I find one rolled up in my stocking. Scroll down for interview.

What makes you feel Christmassy?

Without a doubt putting up the tree & decorating the house. I love the feeling of nostalgia it has & the excitement of bringing out the decorations to put on the tree. They feel like old friends & some have lovely stories about who has given them to me, ones I have made with my son, so they bring back happy feelings & the knowledge that more memories are going to be made round the tree too. I get as many lights as I can around the house so we can turn off the main ones & just live in twinkly fairy lights & candles!

I also love foraging for bits to make my wreath from the garden. I had been keeping my eye on a holly bush that was laden in berries & this weekend went out to pick some & because of the freeze we just had ALL the berries had gone! But my cotoneaster still had loads so I have gone for that with some beautiful beech leaves & have made my own little brass leaves to add on to make it shimmer in the fairy lights too!

How are you spending Christmas this year?

We’re going to my Mums house on Christmas Eve to gather with my sisters & their kids.  We are ranging in ages from 5 years old to teenagers all the way up to 75 so a good mix of ages!

We are all going to take on various parts of the cooking etc. I will be doing the Christmas Pud for my first time this year so any winning recipes gratefully received! And my sis is Molly Mahon and in charge of decorating the table so it will be suitably colourful & festive with her block prints! Mum is also an artist & always makes some sort of fun game & clever table names for us...lots of crackers & jokes etc!

Dream Christmas?

The above! I just want to be with my family, opening lots of lovely presents, drinking champagne by the fire & eating loads of food. With a big (ideally snowy but never is!) walk thrown in at some point. Finding some good board games to play & playing with all our new toys…

What was the best Christmas present you ever received?

Well I could say it was my son! He was born on the 23rd December so when we woke up on Christmas Day we felt like we had the best present ever!

But it was also a guitar. For years I have always said I wish I could play the guitar but never really did anything about it. But one year my partner gave me a guitar & it was so beautiful & sounded so good, once I had learned to tune it. And I have been twanging away on it ever since. Only in private as I am currently teaching myself with an app!!!! But in a very different life I would like to be a singer songwriter playing the pyramid stage!!

And the worst?

Well not to sound completely spoilt, but it was a camera. I always kind of knew I wanted to be a photographer, but never had the vocabulary for it. All I could say was I wanted ‘a proper big camera’, meaning an SLR camera. And when I did get given one but it was a point & shoot one I was so disappointed.

In retrospect it would have been far too an expensive present to get anyway but at the time that was all I really wanted.  I eventually did get myself one & it was so worth the wait. Everything always happens at the right time time you just have to trust…

Who would love one of your prints as a present and why?

Well this is the great thing with them is that they are perfect for all ages & both men & women. People have been buying some prints like the Hawthorn (Love & Protection)  & Ash (Healing, Magic & Life) for babies or toddlers to have in their rooms. They are perfect for either Christmas or Christening presents as something that will stay with them in their rooms & will always be relevant & look pretty.  

Or you have the Oak representing strength, longevity & wisdom which always appeals to the older generation. Nice to receive from their children to say thanks for being my wise Oak! The Alder is another favourite representing Confidence & Balance, it’s just such a nice reminder to have on your studio/office wall perhaps. As would the Hazel, representing Enchantment & Inspiration, that is what we all need for our work.  

Anyway I could go on. I really love them all.  And I also love how now if I am going for a walk & I end up picking up certain leaves or am drawn to a particular tree I know it is giving me a certain energy that I obviously needed that day. And I am reminded by my beautiful prints about what they are representing (If that isn’t too tree hugger for some!!)

How are you going to relax on Boxing day?

We are going to be heading to Margate to be with my partner Kelvyn’s family to do it all again! We will definitely head into Dreamland for a go on the rides. Go visit the Turner gallery & if the sea isn’t too wild I will go in for a Boxing Day swim to feel alive!!! And I am sure that It’s a Wonderful Life will be on the tv that evening.

Thank you so much for the questions & asking me to be part of this.

Huge thank you to Emma for her Christmas answers. I am sending this to my husband now…