Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Sunday, 29 January 2012
Simple Pleasures (Gathering Leaves)
I have to say that I really enjoyed the hour spent gathering leaves. Mother Nature had blown them into huge banks against the fence, and the rain had made them a bit slippery, so I thought it was time to do something about it.
Mr Lella is not really the gardening sort so I don't worry if he doesn't offer to do it. If he did, I think I might pull up a deck chair and watch :)
My task was made easier with these fabulous leaf grabbers; huge yellow plastic mittens which pick up a bucketful of leaves which each scoop. Costing £7.99, they saved me a lot of time.
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| Lella Loves... Sundays |
Mr Lella is not really the gardening sort so I don't worry if he doesn't offer to do it. If he did, I think I might pull up a deck chair and watch :)
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| Lella Loves... Sundays |
My task was made easier with these fabulous leaf grabbers; huge yellow plastic mittens which pick up a bucketful of leaves which each scoop. Costing £7.99, they saved me a lot of time.
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| Lella Loves... Sundays |
It is very satisfying to see my recycling bin filled to the brim.
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| Lella Loves... Sundays |
If you love your garden and you have the space, place all your wet leaves into black bin liners and pile them up, out of sight until next summertime. What you will have, instead of soggy leaves, is the most amazing composted leaf mould - also called soil! It is super-rich in nutrients and organic matter and it will go far if you add potting compost and some sand to create your own planting mixture.
In my photo, that pile of leaves has already started to decompose. The black stuff you can see is homemade compost, made in-situ as I had not gathered leaves from this section of path for 6 months.
Oooh... and whilst I was out in the garden, I noticed all the daffodils are pushing up. Their stem growth is looking good and I hope yours are too.
Lella xx
http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com
Lella xx
Friday, 27 January 2012
Silk Flowers (Red Tulips)
Hello there and welcome to another floral Friday. Today's display is one of my favourites but I might have said that about another display as I am obsessed with arranging silk flowers.
The arrangement below has 40 silk red tulips and 24 hypericum stems with bright red berries to match the frilly tulips.
The arrangement below has 40 silk red tulips and 24 hypericum stems with bright red berries to match the frilly tulips.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
I have arranged my tulips and hypericum in a heavy glazed planter simply because I like the drippy, two-tone glazes used on Japanese garden pots.
Red tulips are fabulous and if you are not a silk flower fan, you can buy fresh in most supermarkets. I saw a bunch of 7 red tulips last week for £4. Change the water and trim the stems by half an inch every day and your fresh flowers will last a week.
Red tulips are fabulous and if you are not a silk flower fan, you can buy fresh in most supermarkets. I saw a bunch of 7 red tulips last week for £4. Change the water and trim the stems by half an inch every day and your fresh flowers will last a week.
However, if you wanted to create a similar display to mine, using all everlasting plants, you will need:
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
40 silk Parrot tulips
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
24 Hypericum stems
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
A frost-proof garden pot is a good investment as they won't topple and you can always use them in the garden if you get bored with your display.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Choose a garden planter, one which is an inch thick and glazed, if you like a heavy pot.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Place all your stems together and trim the stems if needed. Some fake flowers come with a 30 inch stem so cut them back so they are one and a half times the height of your chosen planter.
*Tip: If your pot is 12 inches tall, trim your 30 inch stems to 18-24 inches. It is good to leave a few tall ones.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Start your arrangement by adding one berry stem and then two tulips.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Keep on building your display and just remember the one for you, two for me saying. Add one hypericum stem per two tulips and keep on layering.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
I have used hypericum berries to add dimension and they give the display a depth of texture. By adding a few very tall stems in between the nearly-finished display, you are able to add height but not heaviness.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
One of my finishing hints is to look down right above your display. The arrangement should look like a bouquet and have that 'just picked' feeling to it.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Your finished planter should look something like this. I have left 7 of the hypericum stems a few inches longer than the rest as I like to add height using the chosen greenery. It reminds me of flag-planting in deep garden borders. Having taller plants in front of smaller shrubs draws the eye back and I love implementing that into my silk flower arrangements.
Have a lovely weekend and do please leave a comment if you love silk flowers. I am available for indoor commissions and I am happy to travel.
Lella xx
Wednesday, 25 January 2012
Recycling Craft Event
I have mentioned in a previous post that keeping an eye on community notice boards can be very rewarding and to my joy, I saw another advert for a class, inviting people to, "Come and Be a Womble".
I experienced 2 hours of fun and laughter with a group of ladies at that class as being a Womble means you are a crafting recycler.
The best bit was that one of the organisers had even gone to the trouble of arranging little gift bags for everyone and inside there were instructions and a template to be able to make the items we had just seen, at home.
We learnt how to make these little gift boxes from our old Christmas cards and here are those photos.
The event was held in my local community centre and the demonstrations were fabulous. All the equipment and materials were provided free of charge.
The hall was filled and not a spare seat around the event table. It was a really enjoyable evening and I highly recommend attending a craft class near you.
Have fun, ladies.
Lella xx
Monday, 23 January 2012
Upcycling Old Cushions
Every home has a few cushions which have seen better days. I have several and they are lovely but very tatty and one was actually coming apart at the seams!
If this sounds familiar, worry no more as today's project shows you how to upcycle your old cushion by appliqueing part of the fabric sections onto a new one.
If this sounds familiar, worry no more as today's project shows you how to upcycle your old cushion by appliqueing part of the fabric sections onto a new one.
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| Lella Loves... Upcycling |
This was one of the four cushion fronts which I really liked and wanted to reuse.
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| Lella Loves... Upcycling |
The cushion was well worn and the back was getting more threadbare every day.
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| Lella Loves... Upcycling |
I sorted out some scrap fabric pieces which would tone well.
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| Lella Loves... Upcycling |
I like the mustard and pepper colours as this cushion is for my kitchen chair. This is such a fun and satisfying way to reuse the soft furnishings we have in our homes and blend them with new pieces. As a crafter and creative, you will know best that handmade by you is always a pleasure to use.
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| Lella Loves... Upcycling |
These lovely tweed cushions are £12.99 and I found them in Dunelm Mill.
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| Lella Loves... Upcycling |
By taking one of the cushion panels and layering it up with matching fabrics, you can create a whole new front piece.
Please contact me if you wanted any cushions made to order. Patchwork is my first love and I would be happy to discuss any projects with you.
Have a lovely day.
Lella xx
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Flower Inspirations
I love flowers and every other Friday I try to show you an easy floral project using silk flowers. However, as today is Saturday, I wanted to show you my flower pin board.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
I keep this particular board solely for pictures and magazine cut-outs of flower pictures and bouquets.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
This display is in a large garden planter and the proportions encourage creative arrangements. It only features olive branches and the idea came from a 'Gift for Cooks' catalogue which had an olive tree, olive oil and a drizzle bottle all wrapped up in a hamper. I loved it and wanted to use olives as soon as I saw it.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
Choose silk flowers which you love to look at. Your displays should make you smile as you might well be looking at them for months. Have fun with your arrangements using vases, jugs and buckets.
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
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| Lella Loves... Silk Flowers |
If you enjoy flower arranging, get inspiration from flower shops' catalogues and bouquet cards as well as blogs like mine. Garden centres offer a good selection of silk flowers and don't forget a bag of shingle for ballast. If you love creating huge displays, that will be the best £4 you ever spend.
Lella xx
Thursday, 19 January 2012
Twig Balls
This lovely mantlepiece display is so chic yet very simple to recreate. I found this photo on the web ages ago and it always makes me smile.
The twig ball planter is what it is: it's a twig ball set into an old flower pot. The florist's frog can be found in most antique and collectables shops for a few pounds.
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| Lella Loves... Twig Ball Planter |
To make your own, you will need:
Large twig ball
Victorian flower pot
Pebbles
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| Lella Loves... Twig Ball Planter |
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| Lella Loves... Twig Ball Planter |
Simply take your old flower pot, fill it up with pebbles, sit the twiggy ball on it and place on your mantlepiece.
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| Lella Loves... Pot Pourri |
If you really enjoy making presents, you could make one for a friend who has moved home, and especially if the person has been to your house and commented on your own creations. An option would be to wire in some Star Anise as they will give off a delicious aniseed fragrance.
All handmade housewarming gifts are appreciated if your friend likes pot pourri and similar things found in Nature's bounty.
Keep warm and pop back soon.
Lella xx
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