Home grown fresh flower gift wrapping

Like buses, gift wrapping occasions seem to come all at once. Luckily for me the latest flurry has happened in glorious summertime. For this gift wrapping tutorial I wanted to use home grown garden flowers mixed with left over wrapping paper and ribbons. Since I've not been in work I've been really conscious of how much I'm spending on extra's especially in the craft department. Over the years I've amassed quite a collection but it just sits in my craft room waiting for 'best'. As my motto is - making the everyday beautiful - I've been using it up and really enjoying the feeling of having less. 

I wrote a fresh flower gift wrapping post a few years ago and to this day it remains one of my favourites. I wanted to revisit using left over wrapping paper and these gorgeous summer blooms. This type of wrapping might not travel too well but it is a beautiful way to share summer flowers. 

Materials - Wrapping paper (these odds are from Oliver Bonus and Selfridges), Tissue, Tassels, Ribbon and crystals all vintage.

Step 1 - Wrap your present, a box shape works best. Gather your flowers, selecting colours that blend in with your wrapping paper. If you don't have access to garden flowers then buy a few individual stems from a florist. Anything with a cottage garden feel will work, the aim is to create something really unique and one-off rather than a lot of the same flower.

Step 2 - Create a little posy of flowers, starting with the largest flower and working down in size. Wrap with wire, string or ribbon to secure. Trim off any extra long stems, you want to keep about two inches of stem sticking out from the base of the flowers. 

Step 3 - Wrap a contrasting ribbon around the parcel securing in a double knot. Place the flower posy in the centre and securely knot the ribbon again, you only need to do one knot as you'll be tying a bow next. I wrapped a matching piece of tissue around the posy before I secured it to cover my wire. Now tie a bow and snip of any extra ribbon.

Step 4 - Take 100 pictures and Instagram it of course ;-) !

Travel - Glamping in the Dordogne, France with children

 Hello friends, it's been a while...I wanted to stop by and share all about our recent trip to France. We decided a year ago that we wanted to camp in France and as it happens my cousin, his wife and two gorgeous girls had just bought a glamping campsite in the Dordogne. Travel can be quite tricky with children, airports don't quite have the same charm they used to when laden with baby stuff so we thought packing the car and driving somewhere would make life a lot easier, which it did! We drove to Dover and took the ferry to Calais, the Tunnel is a quicker option but we wanted to be able to give Stanley a run around plus it meant we could change and feed them easier. To break up the journey to the campsite we stopped for a few days in the Perche region which was very nice but very quiet. If we make the trip again, we'll stay in Chartres for a night or two rather than the 5 nights in Perche that we did. 

The second leg of the journey took around six hours, that included a few stops (There are loads of Aire's/service stations on the motorways). For speed we took the motorways which are fab but there are tolls which means it can get pricey - for the whole trip we spent about £80. Lots of people have asked me about the driving - Dan did most of the long journeys and I braved some smaller ones near the campsite. Driving was absolutely fine and it made far more sense to me to drive on the right! The closest airport is Limoges which is only about and hour and a half from so you can make the journey much quicker than we did. 

The campsite itself its gorgeous and so so peaceful, we stayed in a belle tent that had everything you'd need to be comfy for a week...a proper bed and bedding (for all of us), electric points and even a hot tub. We had our own fridge in the communal lounge area and shared showers on the newly refurbished toilet block. There was plenty of space in-between each tent so there was no feeling of being packed in. When it comes to space, Stanley thrives on having freedom. The field was big enough for him to feel like he was independent but secure enough for me to not feel like he was going to disappear. He loved daily visits to see the chickens and often took us for walks in the wood that is part of the site. 

I truly believe that nature is the best healer, we left the UK rather frazzled but a few nights falling asleep and waking up to bird song was enough to sooth us into a gentle way of life. Weird at first, we soon got used to the slow pace and enjoyed not having to be 'on' - I took photo's to be reminded of something and not for perfect instagram shot. We didn't need to rush and planned our days according to weather and the children's mood. 

The photo's below are a mix of our favourite places - We loved the very beautiful Saint Jean de Cole and had a fabulous lunch in the square. There's also a lovely shop next door to the restaurant that sells local produce - I really recommend buying some syrups. Bourdeilles was a gorgeous place to spend a morning, there were winding streets, roses, plenty of shutters and a secret garden in the grounds of the Chateau. The town closest to the campsite was Brantome, we made quite a few trips for meals etc and again is a really lovely French town with a market on a Friday. 

A few things before I finally press publish...Nappies are expensive in France so take as many as you can, food on the ferry is dreadful but there are loads of tables so bring lunch. If you're going to be arriving late then most supermarkets close at 7 so stock up when you see one open enroute. Finally if you are staying in Chartres and like homeware make sure you stop off at a wonderful shop called Bouchara, they're all over France but I'd never heard of them - I nearly lost my mind when I saw the stripe tablecloth section! 

Enjoy the pictures, it's good to be back. xx

Indoor, Outdoor Seating

It took me a while to find the right title for this post..."random stuff that inspired me one afternoon"  didn't sound too catchy! We've recently had our patio re-done which has already made such a difference to the feel of our outside space. What was once a concrete paradise is now a really smart place to sit. The trouble is,  its so smart I don't know what to do with it - we're used to almost finished and a bit rough and ready so this perfect spot has thrown me! I've added some festoon lights, a vintage table found at a church sale (church sales are hidden gems when it comes to furniture, cake and plants) and these really great Lacko chairs from Ikea but I'm not quite sure what else it needs? I'd almost like to make it more of an outdoor room, cocooned by a giant fig tree and lots of plants, this like many of my grand ideas will take time and of course money. 

As I ponder my longterm plans I might as well talk about a current quick table laying fix that has been bouncing about my mind, bud vases. With this year being my most successful in the garden, I'm beginning to really treasure and feel proud of the plants I'm growing. As such, I want to give them a proper place to be displayed. A collection of little bud vases not only highlights the movement of each flower (like with these ranunculus) but is sophisticated move on from a jam jar (which I'm sure I'll always have a soft spot for).  For a no fuss, I love these extra small vases from Arket , I always keep an eye out for ceramic vases from Kt Robbins and of course a few charity shop hauls never leave me disappointed.  I'm excited to see where this space and my new collection takes me over the summer.  

Dancing Flowers

I want to capture the beauty of these flowers forever. All homegrown, they last well over a week and I just love seeing them change as the days move on , it's almost like they're dancing. 

 

Mum's Macrame

 My mum's been making the most beautiful macrame's recently - I love all the tassels and different textures and don't even get me started on the heart shapes. She's making to order so if you'd like one, get in touch with me - lottsandlots@gmail.com  and I can put your order in. Prices start from £30.

A beginners guide to growing flowers

This year I finally feel like I understand my garden and the best way to grow plants in it. It's taken me a few years of experimenting and learning but I finally feel like I've cracked it, as I type, my mantle is full of homegrown tulips, anemones and ranunculus (it was the  blooming ranunculus that made me feel like I've reached a new level). If you're new and feeling daunted then here are some simple ways to get going, like with anything creative I find the best approach is to get stuck in and have a go. Don't worry if it goes wrong, I've learnt so much more from plants that have failed than bloomed on the first trial.

Be inquisitive - As a starting point take a walk around your local area and see what's growing in front gardens or in parks. Take pictures or ask (if you're feeling brave) of plants you like the look of and start to research. I figured if a plant was doing well in someones garden close by then it'll probably do well in my garden too - as a result I've added so many roses and am beginning to add more and more hydrangeas which do really well in my heavy clay soil.

Focus on a few - Every year so far (and a little bit this year) I've brought too many seeds that I don't have time to properly care for which has lead to a few lanky plants that never do that well. This year (manly due to two small people) I've kept it really simple and focused on a just a few plant types that I can care for all in the same way and at the same time. My main plants are cosmos, sweet peas and dahlia's, I've gone for loads of different varieties but kept to the same plant type. As a result I've got a greenhouse full of gorgeous green seedlings that I cannot wait to see flower.

Cut and come again flowers - I love fresh flowers so its really important for me to grow plants that flower abundantly which probably explains the cosmos, sweet peas and dahlia's in the greenhouse! If you don't have much time then I think it's really important to focus on plants that make life easy and provide loads of flowers for your time.

Plant in blocks and rows - Last year I made a small cut flower bed in my garden and also took on a bed at my mum and dads allotment - whilst the flowers that grew were totally different, the common theme was flowers that I grew in blocks did much better than the flowers I grew in rows. This year I’m planting the same amount of seeds in square blocks rather than singular lines, safety in numbers works.

Plant what you can afford to lose - Whilst I say focus on a few plants that are easy to care for it’s also fun to set some time aside for experimenting. My rule is to buy only what I can afford to lose, I often buy one of a plant to see how it does then will add more the following year if its looking good. This year I’ve been buying lots of bulbs, tubers and a few tiny shrubs from the Poundshop which are all performing really well, although the only downside is they’ll take a few years longer to establish, its been a great way to fill my garden on very little money.

Read as much as you can -As much as I love the internet, it can be a little overwhelming when looking for information as research I've loved reading The Floret's Farm Cut Flower Garden  and The Cut Flower Patch . Both are great starting points and really helpful to refer back to once you get going. I especially love the photography and simple break down of each plant type in The Floret Farm book, I read a page before bed every night!

If you want to follow along, I try and update my garden instagram (@lottsinthegarden) on a weekly-ish basis and I share my weekly pickings on my main instagram @LottsandLots .

Happy growing! x

All the spring flowers

I'm out of words currently but wanted to post the beautiful homegrown blooms before the moment passes. All these feminine frilly beauties are giving me so much joy, and if you don't you should definitely try growing your own (I'll write a post soon). Enjoy! xx