Wreath (Oak Leaves)

Hello there and leafy greetings to another floral Friday.

I have been looking forward to this blog-make for ages. October is my favourite month as I love pumpkins, the colour orange, pot pourri and candles. And crows! And acorns!

Lella Loves... Wreaths

This is my door wreath for October and I made it using silk leaf garlands and prim decorations which I bought online.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

If you would like to create something similar for your home, you will need:

Large twiggy wreath

3 leaf garlands or 12 similar stems of your choice

Snips or scissors

Prim decorations such as crows, hearts, stars or pumpkins

Cable ties

Wreath hanger

*Tip: Prim is a term for primitive, handmade decorations but they can be found in either resin or wood. You should use anything you like to decorate your wreath such as rusty bells, acorns or berries. Let your creativity flow!

Lella Loves... Wreaths

Firstly, take your wreath and decide which side you are using. Look at it from all angles and make sure it is neither top-heavy or too skinny on one side.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Take your leaf garland and, using tiny cable ties, attach one end to a very wide twig on the back of the wreath.

Lella Loves... Craft Tools

Snip off the excess tie with snips.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

Wind the leaf garland in and out of the twiggy wreath, making sure your spaces are even and the leaves are not bunching.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

Once you have finished your first garland, step back and see how your wreath is looking. If you are happy with it, take several cable ties and fix the garland to the wreath on the back side.

Leave the cable ties uncut as their tails will help you to remember which is the back of the display.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

Take your second garland and continue wrapping the leaves over the wreath.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

During the process, check the side where the cable ties are to help you remember which side is the front.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

You are nearly finished when you have covered the wreath entirely. Nearly finished but not quite.

Check over the wreath and look for leaves which have been squashed by the garland or trapped under the twigs.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

Flick them free as the more leaves, the better the overall look. When you are happy with the wreath, fix all the garlands in place with more cable ties. Snip off the tails once you have finished.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

One of the prettiest things you can do is to add decorations to your wreath. Look for wooden hearts and stars in Hobby Craft or try a cake supply store for small gingerbread cutters.

If you like my particular look, search eBay.com for little crows and stars to add extra texture to your wreath.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

I bought the crow and stars decorations online but if you are handy with modelling clay, you could have a go at making your own using Fimo. 

Simply buy the Fimo ready-dyed and sculpt your preferred shapes. Add a wire loop and bake in the oven.

Lella Loves... Pumpkins

I also bought a few metal pumpkins but there is an unspoken rule of knowing when to stop. However, I am obsessed with pumpkins and I am sure these friendly fellows will find a spot somewhere in Lella Towers.

Lella Loves... Wreaths

And here is my finished wreath. I love it :) I really do.

This is most definitely one of my favourites and would really encourage you to have a go and make your own. The sense of satisfaction is amazing and it will give you that creative outlet you might be looking for.

I want to show that wreaths are not just for Christmas nor should they be considered funeral sentiments.

Wreaths are circles: they represent the circle of life. We speak of family and friends in terms of circles. Our most trusted friends are part of our inner circle. Wedding bands represent the promises and the circle of trust within a marriage.

Enjoy wreaths for their beauty and have fun making your own.

Please feel free to leave me a message as I enjoy reading your comments.

Best wishes and have a lovely day.

Lella Loves... Crows

Caww Caww...

Lella xx

http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com

Silk Flowers (Cream Anemones)

Hello there and welcome to another floral Friday. Silk flowers are a passion and every Friday I love to share one of my arrangements with you.

If you like anemones, you should like today's display.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Here is an old garden tub which has anemones, hypericum and ivy in the display. I assure you, everything you see is an everlasting floral.

If you wanted to create this in your home, you will need:

40 Anemones

6 Ivy

3 Hypericum berries

Terracotta pot

Piece of tissue

Lella Loves... Old Pots

This pot was in my garden and I love the algae so I only cleaned the inside of the pot. You should use any tub or vase which suits your home.

*Tip: To achieve this look in a few months, not years, simply purchase a new terracotta pot, slather it with natural yoghurt and then place it under a large tree or behind a bush in your garden.

The covered pot needs to sit for 3 or 4 months in a damp corner but not where the yoghurt might get washed off in a downpour.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

You will need at least 40 anemones. They are very reasonably priced. These were purchased in The Range and were no more than 75p each. Dunelm has similar flowers in white and pink.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Choose some everlasting berries for your arrangement as they give extra texture to the display. Really good examples, such as these hypericum heads, will cost about £4 a stem but they can be used for years so buy the best you can find.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Floral supplies such as this ivy are a must as they give your arrangement much needed greenery. No matter which flowers you choose, there should be a happy balance of both petal and leaf. All flowers are beautiful so enjoy arranging them.

Similar ivy stems can be bought in Dunelm for 59p. A real bargain in my opinion!

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Cover the hole with a folded piece of tissue.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

To get started, lay the first ring of stems around the edge of your pot.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Build up the anemones until you have a full tub.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Once the anemones are in place, add your ivy. Try to place the taller stems more toward the centre and pop the shorter stems around the rim.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

When you are happy with your ivy placement, add the berries. Hypericum heads give good value for money as they are quite large and offer a lot of colour for the cost.

Your display should look something like this. I think it is lovely, and this very arrangement sits in my kitchen.

I hope you enjoyed today's post and feel free to leave a comment.

If you wanted to commission an arrangement, please contact me. Wealthy patrons are happily catered for.

Cheerio and have a great day.

Lella  xx

http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com

Silk Flowers (Cherry Blossom)

Hello there, and welcome to another floral Friday. Today I am going to show you how to create a very large display of cherry blossom. Each branch is 3ft in height and I have combined it with various greenery including willow. The whole display is finished off with a fairy ring of grasses.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

If you wanted to recreate this display, you will need:

Terracotta Long Tom pot
Bag of gravel
Newspaper
11 branches of cherry blossom
11 branches of pussy willow
11 branches of winter stems
22 stems of grass

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

These cherry blossom stems were bought from Dunelm. Most Dunelm stores stock them in the red option, white and baby pink.

If you fancied orange, blue or purple blossom, try Wilkinsons as they have a wide range of floral supplies in all the jewel tones.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

I bought these twiggy winter stems from Hobby Craft but it was a few years back. If you have a neighbour with real fruit trees, ask them if you could have a few stems next time they prune their trees.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Pussy willow stems can be found in various garden centres such as Notcutts or Wyvale.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

The grasses are a super bargain: they are 59p a stem from Dunelm. There are several colour variations so choose the greenery which will enhance your blossom choice.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

To start, block the flower pot's hole with several sheets of newspaper and half-fill with shingle.

Place all the cherry blossom stems in the centre, and let them face in all directions. Every stem has a natural lean: don't try to fight it. You then arrange the willow and the winter twigs in a ring around the top of the Long Tom - the base of the cherry blossom. The stems of the greenery will support the much taller stems of the blossom.

Finally, infill with all your lovely grass.

Lella Loves... Silk Flowers

Have fun arranging this in your home. If you choose a different coloured blossom, do let me know as I love to hear how you make the blog-makes your own.

Three cheers for silk flowers...  Hip. Hip.. Hooray...!

Lella  xx

http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com

Hats (Wide Brim Floppy Diva)

Today's post is to show you how easy it is to take your favourite hat and give it a different look for the upcoming season. 

If you like this wide brim style, treat yourself to a floppy diva hat. My flower pin look works just as well on a cloche or a fedora. You won't have to spend more than a few pounds on the flower pins.

Lella Loves... Hats

I bought this lovely pure wool hat and even though I love the beaded bow applique, I had three black flowers just waiting to be used.

If you wanted to adorn your own winter hat, you will need:

Fabulous wide brimmed floppy hat in a muted, winter colour

3 fabric flower brooches

Lella Loves... Hats

Summertime is not the only time to wear flowers.

Lella Loves... Flower Brooches

To start, take your hat and brooches and make sure you are sitting in good, bright daylight.

Lella Loves... Hats

Open up the pins.

Lella Loves... Hats

Attach your first pin across the bottom.

*Tip: The trick to pinning your flowers is to set the pins in a triangle. After you have fixed all the flowers in place, fluff out the petals.

Lella Loves... Hats

The three brooches should now blend and look like one big frothy black peony.

Lella Loves... Hats

If you had always wondered why people buy black flower brooches or where do they pin them, I hope this little project will encourage you to buy three black lace flowers next time you see them.

It proves you can be super-chic even in cold weather!

Have fun :)

Lella  xx

http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com

Silk Flowers (Olive Branches)

It's Friday again so it is time for plants and flowers.

Today is a one-tub, one-type-of-leaf arrangement. It is a large metal planter, weighted down with black river pebbles and filled with everlasting olive branches. The impact comes from using one design of plant.

Lella Loves... Everlasting Olive Branches

To make this very easy display, I bought a metal planter from Sainsbury's gardening range in matt black as my greenery has fake green and black olives.

All I did was fill the planter half way with black river pebbles and then carefully 'plant' the olive branches, using the pebbles as wedges.

Lella Loves... Everlasting Olive Branches

That is it!

Find a place for your display and then enjoy it. Mine sits in a quiet corner where I like to read and do my crafts.

To create a similar look, you will need:

Metal planter £9.99

11 fake multi-stemmed olive branches £2.99 each

12 bags of black river pebbles 99p each 

Or, bag of gravel £3.99

Lella Loves... Everlasting Olive Branches

Do let me know how you get on. Feel free to leave me a comment.

Remember, you can use any greenery if you like this look. You don't have to use olives. Try cotton bolls, pussy willow or wild grasses: they would look just as good.

Lella Loves... Everlasting Olive Branches

The trick to this look is to stick with just one design of foliage. However, having said that, when I found this crystal-beaded dragonfly garden stick, I thought it would give a delightful surprise to anyone having a closer look.

Have a lovely day :)

Lella  xx

http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com

Pot Pourri (Cinnamon Sticks)

Today I am sharing the love of cinnamon sticks and, by using a terracotta planter, I will show you how simple it can be to use them in a pot pourri display with a difference.

Pot pourri is something I rarely buy in ready-made bags as I prefer to purchase the individual items and create my own displays. This project takes no more than 15 minutes and is so easy.

Lella Loves... Pot Pourri

If you wanted to make your own display, you will need:

Lella Loves... Pot Pourri

Pot or planter

Cinnamon sticks

Make sure your container is either glass or ceramic as they are best suited for pot pourri. I chose a very heavy terracotta heart planter which is glazed inside.

Lella Loves... Pot Pourri

To begin, turn your container on its side and start to fill with cinnamon sticks. I chose 4 inch sticks but you should use whichever length suits your pot.

Lella Loves... Pot Pourri

Continue to layer your sticks and, as you progress, make sure your check each end and stack using cinnamon which is not damaged.

Lella Loves... Pot Pourri

Whilst you are stacking, continually roll and wiggle the sticks to make them fit in snugly. The aim is to not pack them in too tightly, instead, you want to have a good fit.

Lella Loves... Pot Pourri

When your container is all but filled, turn it on its back. The cinnamon sticks should be able to stand but are still rather loosely packed.

You are nearly finished so take the last few sticks and fill in to your desired look.

Lella Loves... Pot Pourri

The smell of cinnamon is lovely and your display is easily refreshed by adding a few - I mean one or two - drops of essential oil every few months.

Lella Loves... Pot Pourri

Please let me know if you follow this easy blog-make as I would love to read your comments.

Have a lovely day.

Lella xx

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