Vintage Packaging

If you love vintage packaging and original advertising from years gone by, I do hope you will enjoy this little selection of cardboard boxes.

Lella Loves... Vintage Packaging

I collect anything (be quiet, Mr Lella!) which has had a life and yet is still lovely to look at. Cadbury's Chocolate Cremes were the original contents of this box but the packaging is so lovely that the previous owner retained the box and used it to store dressmaking pins.

Lella Loves... Vintage Packaging

This egg box is in amazing condition. I bought it off a dealer who had found a stash of them in a house clearance. Some were water damaged as they were stored in a crate and then, long-forgotten, up in a loft but there were a few perfect examples.

Discovering an egg box or...

Lella Loves... Vintage Packaging

a vintage dispensing box from a French chemist is all part of the pleasure of finding things and having a good rummage at a flea market.

Lella Loves... Vintage Packaging

Beautiful packaging can be strong and reliable. Likewise, hardy and well-made can be beautiful. This is an old laundry box c1930 - 1940. I love the reinforced corners and the effort put in to the front label.

To demonstrate the size of my biggest vintage box, I took the photo with a tiny lamp bulb and a penny.

Lella Loves... Vintage Packaging

Bringing lovely buys home and displaying them gives endless joy to thousands of collectors. This is a delightful little Fairy Dye box with all the instructions on the packaging.

Lella Loves... Vintage Packaging

The Milwards box is very well made and is still filled with crochet hooks.

Lella Loves... Vintage Packaging

First Aid items are usually in great condition if found unused as they have had the benefit of being stored in a box which is then kept in a cupboard. This finger burn dressing is immaculate.

It amazes me how some things have survived but I am always super excited to find them in a box at a car boot or at a flea.

If you go food shopping, enjoy looking at the creativity and design on the boxes of everyday foodstuffs like custard and herbs.

Have a great day.

Lella  xx

http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com

Handmade Soap

Do you love handmade soap?

Handmade French soaps can be found at provincial Anglo-Continental street markets as well as in gift shops and chemists with a luxury soaps section.

Lella Loves... Handmade Soap

My collection is growing and yours could too. Keep your eyes peeled if you enjoy the hunt of pretty things and useful things. Handmade soap is so lovely and can be easily found for 20p and 50p a block if you browse car boot tables.

Lella Loves... Handmade Soap

Many folk receive soap as a well meaning gift yet they never use it, preferring anti-bac hand wash. This is how these delightful soap blocks have ended up in charity shops: they are simply some people's idea of clutter.

Lella Loves... Handmade Soap

Small blocks of handmade soap such as these are usually about £3 each when purchased new yet this olive bar cost me 50p each from a car boot sale.

Lella Loves... Handmade Soap

I am a non-user of these French blocks, instead I display them.

Lella Loves... Handmade Soap

They are beautiful and, if I see a (new and unwanted) block in a charity shop window, I have to go in and smell it!

Lella Loves... Handmade Soap

These handmade vegetable soaps also make a pretty display. I leave them in their wrappers as they are rather plain without it.

Lella Loves... Handmade Soap

Burt's Bees are a must-have travel product and these Rosemary and Mint shampoo bars are perfect for long weekends away.

Lella Loves... Handmade Soap

I keep a lavender soap and a nail brush in much loved but cracked terracotta pot. When I have been gardening, there is nothing better than to clean my hands the old fashioned way.

If you too love soap, please let me know your favourites.

Pop back soon,

Lella xx

http://lellalovescreativity.blogspot.com

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

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