You Are What You Give... with Amy Merrick

I am thrilled to introduce our third guest in this season's You Are What You Give interviews, the floral magician and wordsmith Amy Merrick. One of the greatest gifts I've been given in recent years is a copy of her book On Flowers: Lessons from an Accidental Florist, a compendium of photographs, personal essays and collected, collaged paraphernalia, which I devoured like a box of truffles.

Amy has written for The World of Interiors, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times: How To Spend It, and House & Garden among others, and her floral styling has been published in the likes of Vogue, Architectural Digest, Martha Stewart Living and Broccoli Magazine. She is also an Associate Creative Director at the Dennis Severs’ House, leading styling and special projects for the museum. I asked Amy to share some good gifting memories, and her current wish list, which is characteristically unexpected and excellent...

What's the best gift you have ever received?

"A dear friend gave me an old charm bracelet full of vintage charms which she collected individually, each representing something that I loved or valued. A miniature watering can, a little book that opens and closes, the state of New Hampshire, a lattice topped pie, a rose, a canoe… I wept when I discovered how personal and thoughtful each charm was."

And the best gift you have given?

"I’m a knitter, so my most cherished gifts to give are usually handmade, with a lot of hours of work put into them. This Christmas, I’ve knitted my mom a pair of intricately cabled aran mittens with beautiful wool from a neighbour’s sheep named Constance. Her name is also Constance, so it was truly meant to be."

"Homemade ice cream is truly a gift from god, so please sign me up for this ice cream course with Kitty Travers. My copy of her cookbook is custard-splattered favorite, and I would love the chance to make nine (!) versions of vanilla with her in a single day." Ice Cream-Making Day Course with Kitty Travers, £185

"And speaking of, the idea of having a few dozen vanilla pods in the pantry is overwhelmingly luxurious. I usually hoard one or two in their protective glass test tube for special cooking projects, but these packs are both super quality and super affordable. Stuff my stocking with vanilla please." Gourmet Vanilla Pods, £9

"I keep circling back to Camilla Wynne’s new cookbook Nature’s Candy, in which she demystifies the process of making candied fruit. I’d ask for it under the tree, but I think I might have to buy it for myself as an advance gift to be able to put it to good use. What could be more Christmassy than a heaping pile of sparkling sugar dusted, candied clementines?" Nature's Candy book by Camilla Wynne, £26.99

"Ahhh the gift of socks for christmas, why even try to fight it? These are made in Wales by a royal warrant holder and would look very cheeky with a pair of loafers." Mabli socks, £20

"I can’t ever seem to have enough baskets and these Scottish willow ones are quite special. John reproduces old shapes that were once common in British agricultural and fishing communities, but have fallen out of use, like the perfect bushel for cherries or a potato harvester." Basket by John Cowan from £45

"There are no flowers that touch me quite as deeply as daffodils, they are hope and joy incarnate. So to be a card carrying member of The Daffodil Society, founded in 1898, would be the perfect thing. Every year they organize a “bulb lottery” and raffle off groups of heirloom bulbs no longer in cultivation for members only." The Daffodil Society Membership, from £15

"I’ve wanted this absurdly glamorous velvet robe for years and years, but this new mossy version feels like The One. I can imagine wearing it forever, until I’m a little old lady surveying the progress of my tulips as I wander the garden, swathed in threadbare velvet." Velvet Dressing Gown from Toast, £350

"My mother-in-law has gotten in the very good habit of giving me a voucher to my favorite yarn shop and it’s a gift I can eek out all year long. They carry the best hand-dyed yarns and I adore the little gold flower scissors they stock from Canada, too." Flower Scissors, £14

"The paper bows on these lovely memo boards blow me away! And frankly, there is nothing from Choosing Keeping that I wouldn’t be happy to receive, my husband and I trade off buying each other gifts from Julia’s shop each year. If the memo board isn’t in the cards this year, she also sells just the bow." Memo Board, £285 and Paper Bow, £25

"We light candles every meal, even at breakfast (perils of a dark Georgian kitchen). I love that this hand marbled matchbook cover fits over a beloved box of Cooks matches and elevates an object of daily use into something especially beautiful. Plus it hits that sweet spot of easy gifting, something you’d use everyday, but never buy for yourself." Matchbox Cover, £29.95 Compton Marbling

"Not one for the snails to claim, but I couldn’t imagine a more gorgeous christmas present than this urn with a showstopping amaryllis inside, all crowded with dewy moss and branchy twigs for support." Frances Palmer Terracotta Urns

"There is something so appealing about the idea of sitting by the fire stitching a tapestry. This one is suitably trad and requires minimal brain activity as the pattern is preprinted on the canvas, so it’s really like paint by number with wool." Ehrman Tapestry Cushion, £75

Last but not least, what would you pick from Scribble & Daub for Christmas this year?

"Hard to choose only one thing, but the star tree card in yellow is just so charming. It feels like something my grandmother would have chosen in the 1940s while Christmas shopping in New York, and I can give something no higher praise!"

Thank you so much Amy!