DIY - Decorated Gift Bags

Hooray for a fully functioning laptop - I just found this sweet gift bag tutorial and I'm so glad I can finally set it free! I'm not a huge fan of gift bags, they are often so specific (think 'Hello Baby Boy') that they can't be reused. These little brown kraft bags however, are perfect for awkward shaped gifts or for when you are wrapping in a hurry and can easily be passed on. They also make excellent favor bags with the additional benefit of being able to theme the ribbon colour to match your party decorations - win win!  

They couldn't be easier to decorate, take your kraft bag, Hobbycraft has a great selection of sizes, and punch a hole in the centre between the handles. Take a length of soft fabric, like chiffon, tread through the hole and tie in a knot. Tie a bow and before you fully tighten, thread lengths of ribbon and other pretty trimmings through  the knot and tighten fully. Snip off any extra lengths and gift.

See so easy! With Valentines and Easter on the horizon they are a great little project to while away January days. They would also look great with fresh flowers in the bow, you know I can never resist adding fresh blooms where I can. Happy Making! x  

My Summer Garden - 2019

Thud, thud, thud - the spring seed catalogues have been arriving through the letter box steadily since 27th December - before I lose myself in the giddy excitement of new plants I wanted to look back at Summer 2019. I count myself a very enthusiastic and curious beginner gardener, each year I like to give myself a new challenge to see what I can grow. My 2019 challenge was to have a bunch of blooms every week from the first daffodil to the last dahlia and from 15th Feb to the 9th of December I met my challenge. Whilst my enthusiasm never wavered I learnt to contain and channel it, focusing on growing fewer varieties but more of them and also creating three new flower beds for hydrangeas, an extended area for dahlia's and a experimental cutting bed where our awful conifers had been.

The biggest challenge, apart from cats and small children, was the amount of bind weed in all the flower beds. It wove itself around the base of shrubs, founds its way into pots and into any undisturbed area, 2019 was the year I finally had the time to really get stuck in and dig out as much as I could, after ten green bag loads I stopped counting as miles and miles of the pesky weed made its way out of the garden. Whilst there were still a few shoots popping up, the situation was far more manageable than previous years. I have a whole post to write on how I've managed to get it under control without the use of chemicals and spending a fortune which I'll be sharing in a few weeks time.

I try and keep my seed list relatively small whilst I still don't have loads of time to dedicate to growing. I love annuals that produce an abundance of flowers for as little effort as possible and did really well with super cheap seeds from the supermarket. My favourites last year were as follows.

Cosmos - I've written about Cosmos before, seriously, if you grown one flower make it this one. I chucked my 2018 seeds onto a bare patch of soil where trees and been removed and ended up with a forest of flowers that bloomed from July to December. My favourites are the Candy Stripe and Day Dream varieties but you cannot beat Purity for simple perfection. I start mine off in seed trays but I think I'll be much braver about liberally sprinkling them around the garden so they can do their thing this year.

Dahila's - Sweet Sweet dahlias, they need some tending to get going and you have to be very vigilant with slugs and snails as they LOVE the early shoots but once the plants get established they are magnificent. I go large and lush with Penhill Watermelon, the dinner plate size flowers start off the season with the best coral colour then fade to a gentle pink as the season closes. I have lots of other tubers that I have collected along the way from places like Wilko, that always perform. Before I started growing dahlia's they always felt a bit intimidating, I wish I'd known about growing from seed. As an experiment I've grown seed dahlia's and they have been so good, you have less control about colour but if that doesn't bother you then start them in seed trays and reap the rewards over the summer. They form proper tubers so you can lift them in the winter and replant the following year. After seeing the cut flower beds at Sarah Raven's garden I was brave this year and left some of my tubers in with a layer of mulch. My garden gets so wet in winter, I've kept them to the drier beds and am keeping my fingers crossed they survive.

Strawflowers - I'd never grown these before and they were an absolute delight, strong and tough with an abundance of flowers that last forever when cut. I almost let the seedlings go to waste as I ran out of time but I had a change of heart and filled cutting beds and gaps in the garden with them. Not expecting much they filled the garden with so many different shades from deep reds and sunset oranges to gentle pinks and silvery whites. My seeds were from Lidl and only cost 45p per pack which makes them such amazing value (they normally arrive in store mid February). They grow really upright, which makes them perfect for slotting into busy flower beds. 

Of course there many other favourites along the way - Sweet Peas are a dream but didn't have the best year and I missed my favourite Hi Scent (getting that back on the list this year). Zinnia's were a delight but I let them almost go to waste and they didn't recover as well as the Strawflowers but I will grow again. I added lots of new roses last year and more this autumn too, I always go for bare root roses as they are much more affordable but seem to take a while to establish in my garden, my mum's roses are always amazing. She really feeds her's so I've been taking time in the last few weeks to really look after them and hope for more luck this year as they become more established. I do daily checks and there are new shoots popping out all the time.

I definitely want to add more grasses to the growing list, I tried Sparkling Fountain and Bunny Tails last year which did so well and have dried amazingly - which means homegrown flowers all year, yay! I think something with a little more movement will create a perfect trio for arrangements, I have this Briza Maxima in my basket.

I'm raring to go this year but know that patience is a virtue and will wait a little longer before I get sowing. I'm really hoping that I can get some more gardening posts written up -  I have a few I've been saving as I needed to record the whole season which of course takes a year. BUT if there is anything you'd like know get in touch, I could talk gardens for days!

Zinnia's 

Self seeded Holly Hocks and Snap Dragons

Chamomile

Old Rose 

 Cosmos

Snap Dragons and Strawflowers

Cutting bed 

Roses

A seed grown Dahlia

Cosmos and Sunflowers 

Here are some garden posts you might like.
My Dahlia Experiment
A Beginners Guide to Growing Flowers 
Spring Flowers
My Garden (so much has changed!)
The last of the Cosmos
A Beginners Guide to Growing Sweet Peas

Handmade Flower Fairies

Happy New Year! A slowish start here as my poor laptop has been in for some much needed repair - all seems to be working now, fingers crossed I can get back to some more regular blogging. 

The first project I wanted to share are these handmade fairies, I made for the top of our tree, fell in love and then made one for my auntie and cousin. Using up the left over fabric from my gift wrapping workshop they were so fun to make. The ex-fashion designer in me loved putting their dresses together and the gardener in me took so much time in considering which homegrown flowers would make up the wand. Until I start sewing, I always forgot how much pleasure I get from it (and how one project leads to the next...!)

I've got so many ideas for these lovely ladies - I'm going to make a limited number to sell for Valentines day, as soon as I publish this post I'm off to avocado dye some cotton to match some lavender linen I dyed yesterday. I've also found some gorgeous vintage fabric that would be perfect for an Easter batch. As the ideas keep flowing I want to make some using Milly's old dresses as a little keepsake. I posted a picture of these on Instagram and got such great response, if you'd like to buy one, email me, they're £28 each. 

They have really inspired me to sell more of what I make this year, do you remember my (shortlived) Etsy shop - maybe it's time to get that back up and running again?! 

Wishing you a wonderful 2020. xx 

My Table at Christmas

Sneaking in one quick post before we head into the blank page of 2020. My Christmas table this year was a medley of ideas I'd seen through out the year and treasures I've collected on my travels. Using candle plates to decorate the table and sweet bunches of homegrown strawflowers to create an over-head disco of dancing golden fringe and vintage baubles. It's taken us through two Christmas dinners and a New Year's take-away tonight. I purposely kept it easy and bright - mixing vintage plates and my linen napkin collection. Whilst the Christmas celebrations might be ebbing away, this idea could easily be re-created for any celebration through-out the year. I fixed all the hanging details to the ceiling with a web of fishing wire which was much easier than it looked - I promise! 

Before I go, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year. Thank you so much for reading and following along. xx 

Styling with Strawflowers

A quick post today as Christmas is fast approaching - I wanted to share some of the ideas I used in the second festive table styling set up I demonstrated at my workshop. This one a little darker and moodier (which was hard to create in my extra bright craft room on a bizarrely light day) than the first one I shared.

With an abundance of strawflowers, I made little bunches that included flowers (obvs), foliage  and grasses from the garden, I placed them in small vases (these are empty air freshener bottles) and finished with hand dyed silk ribbon. Mixed with brass candlesticks and darker tones this set up would look so good if you have inky toned walls to play with. 

If the only place you’re foraging between now and Christmas is the supermarket, head to the herb aisle and make posies out of rosemary, thyme or any other woody stemmed herb - they’ll make the table smell absolutely amazing. Don’t forget the candles, every table needs the glow of candle light to complete it.

DIY - Upcycled packaging gift wrap

Like many of us this Christmas I'm trying to wrap with the planet in mind, when Milly's Christmas present arrived from Amazon  (I know, its a huge contradiction) with metres of brown-ish paper I knew I had to try and reuse it somehow. With the remaining supplies from my craft workshop, a bag of glitter given to my years ago - I used what I had and painted stripes and swirls to transform the paper from dull to dazzling. If you'd like a more detailed tutorial, this Fairy Themed Gift Wrapping post is just for you. I embellished with fabric off-cuts, metallic bakers twine (from my stash), cardboard stars which were last years Christmas table decorations - coloured by my girl and the few remaining clay decorations from workshop which Stanley decorated so carefully (his part is on the back!).

I must say I'm so happy with how they turned out, painting brown paper before wrapping is a definite must for me, I need the extra layer of detail to make the gifts feel special. Making sure every scrap and off-cut is used up makes a little go a long way and gives the presents a cohesive feel. I shared the whole process on Instagram stories - recycled wrapping can be done anytime of the year so have a look on my highlights bar (I'm @Lottsandlots) for the full story. I hope this has inspired you to look at your recycling in a new way, happy wrapping! xx

Gift Wrapping Workshop

I’m taking absolute joy in sitting down and sharing these photos from my Christmas Crafting Workshop. I had planned on running more workshops this year but I hit a personal bump just after the macrame workshop I ran in early February and needed to take some time to figure a few things out and heal from a low (but accidental) blow. Teaching, sharing and spreading the delight I find in making is so important to me and feeling the golden glow of a room full of people creating is a feeling I want to hold onto - it has definitely inspired me to run more and different classes next year.

In this workshop I covered three different tutorials, gift wrapping, clay decorations and some festive table styling. A multi event really worked as there are many cross overs with the ideas I teach,  it was a great way to share how my creative process flows. The students, some past faces and some new, did a fabulous job of picking up my ideas and completely making them their own. I’m careful to only share original tutorials I write myself, seeing them unfold and take on a new life with someone else’s hands is the best.

It was so hard to edit the photos the wonderful Mia Davies took for me on the day, I've looked at them at least a hundred times! She captured the details so wonderfully. For me it is so important to recreate what I share online in real life - I consider every element down to the cups that we drink from and the glue that we use. Taking care of people and providing a nurturing and calm environment for people to create and fully immerse themselves in, is something I take great pride and care in and I'm so glad that I'm able to do these workshops, this one will forever be really special to me. From the bottom of my heart I want to thank everyone who came (and coordinated so beautifully) - I really hope to see more of you in 2020! xx

All photography - Mia Davies Photography 

If you're interested in a workshop -  I can host and run one for you, from one-on-ones to groups get in touch and we can discuss.