Lotts and Lots | Making the everyday beautiful

DIY - Floral Bath Salts in collaboration with Polly's Petals

Friday, 14 February 2020

I swear it's a happy coincidence that I'm posting this floral bath salts tutorial on Valentines Day. Having a bath once a week has become a treasured part of my routine. If it's been a long day I'll turn off the lights and sit in the moonlight, other times I'll just read but I always add salts, bubbles and a face mask. I didn't think bath time could get better until I was asked by the family run Polly's Petal to come up with a tutorial using their craft petals. I kept it purposely simple and it's definitely a make that I'd get Stanley and Milly to help with. This bath salts DIY is perfect for gifting, with Mother's Day and Easter on the horizon I'd really recommend making a big batch and passing on. Here's how to make...

For the bath salt mix you'll need - A mix of petals, I used Marigold Flowers, Rose Buds, Burgundy Rose Flowers, Cornflower Petals , Epsom Salts, Pink Himalayan Salt, a pretty glass jar (mine was from a vintage shop, try eBay or charity shops for similar or this glass jar would also work)

This is the fun and very pretty bit - hence alot of photos! Add your salts to a bowl and mix then add the flowers and mix again, Polly's Petals also do a Rose, Cornflower and Marigold mix, which would make life even simpler. As this is such a visual process keep adding flowers and salt until it looks gorgeous.

Once happy with your mix carefully add to the jar, I made a funnel out of paper to help get the contents inside without too many spillages.

I would really recommend making some simple muslin bags to hold your salt and petal mix for in the bath, they couldn't be easier. First cut a rectangle of muslin 32cm x 24cm, fold in half so the short sides are together and pin into place. On a sewing machine sew a line of stitching along one short and one long side, press the seams. Onto the wrong side of the fabric fold the top over by l cm, press. Fold the top over again by 1/1.5cm, press. On the sewing machine stitch along the edge of the fold making a channel. Take a thick needle and thread a length of ribbon into the channel, knot the end to secure.

As I'll be gifting my bath salts I wanted to add a pretty tag to finish off. Using craft wire make a small loop and thread on three Pink Rose Buds and make another small loop to fasten. Repeat using only two rose buds. Take a length of ribbon (the length will depend on your jar) and tie the rose buds to each end. Using a small rectangle of paper punch a hole in one corner and thread the ribbon through. Fix around the jar to finish.

This really is a beaut of a tutorial - simple, gorgeous and sweet smelling! Happy Making!

Petals all kindly supplied by Polly's Petals. Concept, DIY, styling and photography all me.

Strawflower Workshop - 15th March 2020

Wednesday, 12 February 2020

I'm delighted to be bringing you my first workshop of 2020. I'm hosting a Spring Strawflower Workshop at my home on Sunday 15th March in the heart of Leigh-on-Sea, it'll be a beautiful creative morning full of making and growing.

For those new to all things floral strawflowers are everlasting flowers that grow with a dried appearance making them perfect for displays all year round. The morning will be split into two halves, first we'll be making a mix of wreaths, posies and garlands with my homegrown strawflowers then we'll be moving outside (weather dependant) and I'll show you my garden set up and where I grow my flowers. To finish we'll be sowing our seeds for this years flowers. All materials and refreshments (I make cake!) provided.

It's my absolute pleasure to host an event where all capabilities can feel inspired and empowered to create their own beauty. My workshops are always joyful events aimed to nurture a create spark, however big or small.

I really look forward meeting some of you on 15th March. To book, email me at lottsandlots@gmail.com .

February in the garden

Monday, 10 February 2020

February in the garden can really play with your emotions. One minute early daffodils and a sunny day have you believing spring is creeping in, the next wild winds and rain that soaks the bare earth have you retreating indoors with only last summers photos for company. February is however a great month for getting your garden sorted for the year ahead - I like to use indoor days to organise my seeds and plan new spaces and sunny days for tackling areas that need some TLC. Now my garden is becoming more established I can start to take you through my plans month by month, rather than waiting for a whole year before I share if an experiment has worked or not. Here's what's happening in February.

Sorting seeds - Following my 2019 garden review, I gathered all the seeds I'd been buying and sorted them by sowing month. This is a really easy way to plan ahead and not lose yourself when things get busy. I simply write each month on a post-it and pile each seed packet on top according to the first month the seeds can be sown. I then bundle each month up and slowly (this is key) work my way through the packets month by month. This is a great way to spot any gaps you might have but also see replications.

The veg patch - Our veg patch is really Dan's area but he hasn't had the time to do anything with it so I'm stepping in. This area has become a bit of a dumping ground and is over run with a mass of wild onion that I have begun to dig out. It's probably only a days work to get it all fixed but trying to do during family time is always my biggest obstacle. Once it's cleared I want to add a bench under the lilac tree and then use the four empty bins to create more raised beds for veg or small fruit trees.

Seed sowing - When time and weather aligns, I've been out in the greenhouse planting seeds. sweet peas have been my main focus as I missed a pre Christmas sowing (I've planted Ballerina, Valerie Harrod, Ethel Grace, High Scent and last years homegrown seeds). I have also done a second batch of Larkspur and Ammi and potted up some of my autumn seedings (I've lost the labels and can't remember whats what!). Still to plant are poppies in the greenhouse and grasses which i'll start on the window sill in the kitchen.

At this time of year it's more important than ever to get outside whenever time allows. Nothing makes me feel more grounded than time spent in the magic of nature. Daunting as starting a garden may be now is the perfect time to begin, I can't tell you how good it feels when your garden starts to bloom, I want everyone to experience that giddy excitement of new shoots and buds about to burst open.

Butterfly Wreath (for sale)

Monday, 3 February 2020

I have an idea that I keep coming back to, I'd like to spend the year making and using up all my materials and have a big sale next Christmas. I keep visualising my craft room to be a big empty space again full of new potential. Whilst I don't feel like my treasures are weighing me down, I don't feel like they are helping me move forward either. Perhaps the change of decade, the thought of Stanley starting school or a term of having a day to myself has given me some space to catch up and look at how I can move forward with my creativity.

Fittingly the first thing I made this year was the butterfly wreath, I'm never normally drawn to butterflies but I found these squirrelled away and thought they would be perfect for this wreath. I sprayed them an off white and added a soft touch of pink to the outer edges of the wings. The main wreath is made of a mix of natural and dyed grasses. Gorgeous as it looks here in Milly's room, I'm ready to let it go. If you would like to buy, its £25 plus postage. It's total one off (Stanley made light work of the other butterflies) and I'd love you to enjoy it. Email me - Lottsandlots@gmail.com for more details (I'll post globally).

Have a wonderful week. x

DIY - Framing vintage prints in collaboration with Photowall

Tuesday, 28 January 2020

I'm so delighted to bring you this post in collaboration with Photowall, there's a treat for you at the end.

My bedroom has been an ongoing project for the last six years - it's been painted twice, had three beds and various configurations during that time. It was the purchase of two new wardrobes last spring that it finally found its groove. One project I have been working on, is creating a gallery wall full of vintage and floral prints inspired by trips to Voewood House and Aynhoe Park. I wanted a wall that was a seemly eclectic collection built up over time. The only trouble, finding the right prints is a lengthly process of searching charity and vintage shops. When Photowall got in touch I immediately knew what I needed to search for. Whilst tempted to add a mural, I searched 'Vintage Botanical Prints' and found two absolute beauties that have transformed my bedroom into the sanctuary that I always hoped it could be. I love how you can choose different sizes and styles to suit your space but also create a cohesive collection without having to spend hours hunting through cardboard boxes.

For my gallery wall I went for a delicate illustration of medicinal and herbal plants that worked with the colours of my existing prints (i'll show you how I framed it below) and an antique botanical print of strawflowers. All prints are printed to order so you can select your size knowing that it will be a perfect fit. You can also get them printed as wallpaper which is something I wish I'd known about six years ago!

So onto the DIY element of this post, to highlight the beauty of the print and make it feel like it's had a history I framed it using an old frame picked up in a charity shop for a few pounds. If searching for old frames is new to you try and see past whats already in the frame, look for good quality materials like wood and glass and the rest can be easily changed.

You'll need - an old frame (roughly the same size as your print and spray paint

Step 1 - Give the frame a quick clean and if possible remove the glass if not cover it completely.

Step 2 - Take to a well ventilated area and give the frame two light coats of spray paint leaving to dry between each coat. Depending on the base colour of the frame you might need to do a third coat.

Step 3 - Normally at this stage I take the print to get professionally mounted as I think it gives a really lovely finish. However, the framer I use was closed so I went about it myself. I bought a pre-cut mount that I trimmed to fit my frame and then very carefully added the print and replaced the backboard.

To finish I hung in pride of place on my botanical wall, it looks like its been there forever and so happy with all its other floral friends and gathered treasures!

In complete contrast, this beauty filled a rather empty space above a radiator. I hadn't planned for it to work here but it made the space. To frame, I simply added to a classic 50 x 70cm white frame that I already had but Photowall can even do the framing for you - it couldn't be easier.

I'm so glad to have finally found the right prints to finish this room, it's been such a fun project to get completed on dark winter days. Photowall are giving my readers 25% off until 28th February using the code lottsandlots2020 .

A huge thank you to Photowall for gifting the prints for this post - DIY, Photos and Styling all me.

DIY - Decorated Gift Bags

Sunday, 19 January 2020

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

Friday, 17 January 2020

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!