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Whether your hosting an alfresco dinner party or whipping up a yummy salad for a light lunch, nothing tastes better than adding in a few flavoursome herbs – especially when you’ve handpicked them fresh! It doesn’t matter whether you have a large country garden, a small city window box or even a windowsill, herb growing can suit any environment and is actually quite straightforward!

We called on Gardening blogger Lucy from Smallest Smallholding, a champion of the ‘Growing Your Own’ movement to give us the low down on how to get started…

The taste for home-grown fruits and veggies is a new luxury many British families up and down the country are enjoying once more. But for some, the dream of complete self-sufficiency is just that – a dream. But that’s not to say that we all can’t enjoy a little bit of tasty, fresh home-grown produce! Even those with the smallest amount of growing space can enjoy some home-grown produce, whether it’s freshly harvested salad from your windowbox, fresh tomatoes grown on your balcony, or earthy potatoes grown in a container on your patio!

Salads and herbs are a great starting point for anyone who wants to enjoy the culinary benefits of fresh, flavoursome food. Fresh herbs can add a real punch of flavour to many dishes (think freshly torn basil on pizza – delicious), and you can’t beat tender and crunchy freshly harvested salad leaves. Salad leaves and herbs are particularly easy to grow, and the Laura Ashley ceramic herb pots help to make them an attractive (and productive!) home-grown feature on your windowsill at home.

I’ve chosen to grow basil, lemon thyme and flat leaf parsley in my ceramic herb pots, and the good news is that most herbs will grow happily on a warm windowsill, including other favourites such as mint, chives and coriander.

Helmsley Set of Three Herb Pots

Planting your herbs in the ceramic pots is easy – you can either grow on plants purchased in 6inch pots from your garden centre (I find supermarket pot-grown herbs tend to have a limited shelf life and wilt more quickly), or if you have the luxury of a little more time, you can also sow seeds directly.

Herbs prefer a full-sun (southerly) aspect, so always opt to place your ceramic pots on a warm, sunny spot in your kitchen (east or west facing if you’ve got no south-facing windows), away from any draughts, fridges and hot ovens! Basil, possibly the fussiest of all herbs, doesn’t like to get too hot and dry, or too cold either, so you might have to experiment to find the best spot in your kitchen for the herbs you’ve chosen to grow.

Herb plants need watering regularly, but they don’t like to be water-logged – in fact, they need a fertile but free-draining soil when they’re pot-bound, so fill each ceramic herb pot with a mixture of potting soil and sand or vermiculite to ensure good drainage. If planting from pot-grown plants, add a couple of inches of potting soil to the bottom of the ceramic pot, before placing the plant in situ and in-filling with more potting soil. If growing from herb seeds, sow on the surface of the soil, and cover with a fine sprinkling of potting soil or vermiculite. Water regularly and turn the ceramic pots as the seedlings grow, to avoid your seeds reaching for sunlight and growing wonky.

You might find that every now and then, you need to fluff up and top up the soil around the mature plants; you can do this with a small fork to avoid soil compaction and avoid a ‘crust’ that stops water permeating properly. As the Laura Ashley herb pots have a shallow tray underneath, in summer months you may find that the thirsty plants will need watering daily to keep them in tip-top condition.

Do you have any top tips when it comes to growing your own fruit and veg? To read more of Lucy’s gardening adventures check out more of her insightful blog here.

All images are ©SmallestSmallholding.com.

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The new crafty magazine has won us over with their ultra quirky and modern make and do projects. Only in it’s 3^rd issue they kindly invited us to pull up a pew and knit this funky stool cover. Here’s how…

We love a stool cover or two here at Crafty and this one, with its geometric shapes and curly typography, is one we’ll be making over and over again. We’re hooked!

We’ve got stars in our eyes over this happy springtime stool cover made using the most divinely soft 100% wool from Erika Knight. If you’re a beginner crocheter, this would be a good place to practise your hooking, not least because it’s so easy to adapt to fit any size stool. We picked ours up for next to nothing and so can you if you have a good look around charity shops to see what you can find. The pattern is written using UK crochet terminology, and for the triangles we used colour A and colour B to show which stitches need to be worked in which colour.

MATERIALS

/ Erika Knight British Blue Wool (25g): 2 balls Gift (A), 2 balls Milk (B), 1 ball Mouse (C)

/ 4.5mm crochet hook

/ 1 button

/ round-seated stool

ABBREVIATIONS

/ Ch = chain

/ Dec = decrease

/ Dc = double crochet

/ Trc = treble crochet

/ Sl st = slip stitch

/ Yo = yarn over

/ St(s)= stitch/es

How to

With A, ch4. Join to form a ring.

Round 1: Ch3. Work 10 trc into ring. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3 to join the round.

Round 2: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, *2 trc into next st. Repeat from * nine more times. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 3: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next st, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next st. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 4: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 2 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 2 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 5: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 3 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 3 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 6: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 4 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 4 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 7: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 5 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 5 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 8: Ch3. Join colour B, work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 6 sts, *1 trc in next st, 1 trc in same st, 1 trc in next 6 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 9: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 6 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 6 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 10: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 3 sts, 1 trc in next 5 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 3 sts, 1 trc in next 5 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 11: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 5 sts, 1 trc in next 4 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 5 sts, 1 trc in next 4 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 12: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 7 sts, 1 trc in next 3 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 7 sts, 1 trc in next 3 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 13: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 9 sts, 1 trc in next 2 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 9 sts, 1 trc in next 2 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 14: Ch3. Work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 11 sts, 1 trc in next st, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 11 sts, 1 trc in next st. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3. Fasten off A.

Round 15: Using B only, ch3, work 1 trc into same st, 1 trc in next 13 sts, *2 trc in next st, 1 trc in next 13 sts. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 16: Work 1 trc in each st around. l st into third ch of initial ch3.

Round 17: Repeat round 16. Fasten off B.

Round 18: Join C. Ch1. Work 1 dc in each st around. Sl st in initial ch1.

Round 19: Dc dec around – *insert hook into st, yo, draw yarn through st, yo, draw yarn though st, yo, draw yarn through all 3 sts on hook. Repeat from * to end of round. Sl st in first st of round. Fasten off.

With C, ch130, or however many you need to get it to the right length.

Lay out the chain on top of the stool cover and pin in the position you’d like it. Sew into place and attach a pretty button.

Pop the cover onto the stool, stand back and admire your handiwork!

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As you may have guessed we are rather partial to beautiful blooms but when it comes to cooking with them we have a lot to learn! Thankfully new book ‘Cooking with Flowers’ (Recipes with Rose Petals, Lilacs, Lavender and other edible flowers) by Miche Bacher and Mali B Sweets has all the answers, along with simple flower enhanced recipes. Now our plates of food can look just as pretty as our home.

As well as easy-to-follow recipes (with jaw-dropping photos) you’ll also find the history and meaning of flowers, tips and tricks to seeking them out, growing your own and preparing your edible blooms. From the savoury Daylily Petal Salad and Calendula Ravioli to the sweetly sublime Passionfruit Orchid Tartlets and Tulip Ice Cream Bowls, we can’t wait to get acquainted with our delectable petals.

Tulip Ice Cream Bowls

To kick start your first foray into the world of edible flowers, why not give their Pansy Petal Pancake recipe a whirl?

PANSY PETAL PANCAKE RECIPE

1¹/₂ cups milk

¹/₂ cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

¹/₄ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted,* plus more for cooking

¹/₂ cup buckwheat flour

³/₄ cup all-purpose flour

3 eggs

12 pansy flowers (about 1 cup)

Pansy simple syrup or flower syrup of any kind, for topping if desired

*You can substitute vegetable oil, if you like.

Spring, summer, and fall, pansies decorate my pancake plates. These pancakes are really crepes, so the batter can be made the night before—give it a gentle shake in the morning, and it’s ready to go. It’s fun to see a little flower peeking up at you from the plate. Served with a floral syrup, it is a great way to wake up in the morning. Makes 12 crepes.

1. Place all ingredients except pansy flowers in a blender. Blend until smooth. Refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to overnight.

2. Let batter come to room temperature before frying. Shake well. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat until a bit of butter melts quickly when added to it.

3. Lift skillet from heat and pour 1/4 cup of the batter in the middle, tilting and swirling the pan to distribute it quickly and evenly. Return to heat. After about 1 minute, sprinkle with pansies. Use a spatula to loosen the edges of the crepe from the sides of the skillet. Flip crepe and cook for another 30 seconds. Turn or slide it onto a serving plate. Repeat with remaining batter.

These get easier to make as you go. Consider the first crepe a sacrificial one—not so pretty, but tasty enough for the cook!

You won’t believe the color of syrup made with dark purple or black pansies. The resulting liquid is a blueish hue so beautiful and unusual, you’ll have a hard time convincing friends that you didn’t use food coloring to achieve it.

Excerpted from Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher (Quirk Books; April 2, 2013)

Watch out for the ‘pansy pop’ recipe up on the blog in the next few weeks!

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The time is now upon us and we are excited to reveal our blogger of the month for May! Since we shared our last blog crush for April, we have been madly bookmarking all our online favourite reads. So without further ado we are super excited to announce our May Blogger of the Month, the ever so lovely Laura at We Made This Home…

It goes without saying that we really are rather smitten with Laura and her blog We Made This Home. Falling head over heels for her little corner of thoughts, we have thoroughly enjoyed following her adventure of turning her house into a home. Laura’s sweet notes cover a range of how-to craft guides, décor inspiration and a snapshot of her daily life through her amazing photography. Recently new to the blogosphere, Laura’s online journal has become an instant hit for those with a penchant for all things crafty and whimsical. If Pinterest were a blog, it would certainly be We Made This Home. Bursting at the seams with inspiration, this candy coloured haven welcomes you in, and eagerly scrolling for more. We especially love her Painted Chairs tutorial (we spy some of our Laura Ashley paint!) and the story of Laura finding her age-old cake recipe from her Grandmother’s aunt – a true treasure!

The recipe Laura found which was handwritten by her Grandmother’s aunt.

We invited Laura to tell us more about We Made This Home…

How did ‘We Made This Home’ come about?

‘We Made This Home’ started out as an online journal, showcasing the journey my husband and I embarked upon whilst renovating our first house together. Having always had a keen interest in interior design right from an early age, I used to dream up ideas of the perfect house, designing layouts and sticking furniture cut-outs together! After starting our renovation project, I began to collect inspiration for how I could create my own pretty and relaxed home. Picking out fabrics, revamping old furniture and crafting is something I really enjoy and in-turn something I love to share on my blog.

What inspires you to write?

Having been inspired by many other lifestyle bloggers, who welcome you into their home and lives; I wanted to do the same – sharing my thoughts and creations with others. I am very much inspired by the simple things and like to write about little projects and crafts that makes our house a home. From little scraps of fabric that can be made into bunting, a lick of paint that can transform an old chair or a jam jar of old buttons which can present a whole host of creative possibilities (like a last minute gift idea!). My blog aims to be a celebration of all these little things.

What do you enjoy most about blogging?

Blogging has fast become my favourite hobby. Whether it be planning future posts or setting up little projects to be photographed. The biggest enjoyment I get is simply the delightful interaction I share with my readers.

What are your top three favourite blogs to read?

Bright Bazaar

I love Will’s lifestyle blog, when pulling trend moodboards together for work it’s my first stop for inspiration. His blog is an eclectic mix of interior design and styling ideas with interesting posts about his travels and interesting finds thrown in too!

Domestic Stories

Ivy writes about her adventures of setting up a home with so much passion and honesty, it’s simply beautiful – with her photography mirroring this!

Ailie Williams

I met Ailie online and I like to think we have become blogging buddies! I love to sit down and read her blog, covering the topics fashion, baking and making. She is a young whippersnapper, currently studying her A-levels with a natural talent for blogging.

What’s your favourite item on the Laura Ashley website?

Yikes, do I only get to choose one? That’s a tough one! My favourite item would

be the Oakham Coffee Table – it would look lovely in my living room accompanied with a beautiful bunch of flowers and a few candles sitting on top! I also love the

idea of storing wicker baskets on the shelf at the bottom.

Be sure to pop We Made This Home on to your must-read list – we can’t promise you won’t fall in love with her blog, because you will. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!

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If like us, you’ve been recently hit by the sewing bug (we blame The Great British Sewing Bee!) and you fancy trying your hand at creating something simple yet pretty and useful, then this is the moment to unleash your needle and thread! We enlisted the marvelous Rachelle Blondel, co-author of the inspirational crafting book ‘Granny Chic’ to give us a step-by-step account of how to create her beautiful Market Day Tote…

I think the ladies out there would all agree there is always room for another bag in your collection! In this tutorial I am going to show you how to whip up the perfect tote bag, ideal for when you’re popping out to your favourite local shop and in need of picking up a few bits & pieces!

For the tutorial, I will be using two of my favourite summer Laura Ashley fabrics, the florally eye-catching Queen Mary Floral and Charleston Grapes. The following steps will showcase how to create the cute hand-held size bag. If you fancied a larger shopping bag to sit comfortably on your shoulder (and to carry more goodies) then simply follow the same method but follow the size changes in the brackets – what ever suits your fancy!

You will need:

• Two rectangles sized W42cm x L34cm of the main fabric (W42cm x L48cm),
• Two rectangles sized W42cm x L34cm for the lining fabric (W42 x L48),
• A small piece of fabric for the patch pocket 17cm x 17cm,
• A piece of jute webbing for the straps, W5cm x L84cm (W5cm x L2m),
• 50cm of bias binding to finish off edges,
• Thread,
• Any chic embellishments that tickle your fancy!

So let’s begin…

1. To start we shall create the patch pocket displayed on the front of the bag. Hem the top edge of the pocket and press well with an iron. Then unfold one edge of the bias binding and place around the outside edges of the pocket. Stitch along the crease on the binding, easing round the corners…

2. As shown in the photo above, turn the binding folding back over the seam and press well again. Then place to one side in a safe place!

3. To create the straps of your shopper bag, fold your piece of jute webbing in half then cut in two, measure 15cm from each end and mark with a pin. Then fold length ways and stitch between the two marker pins – this will ensure your strap is strong and secure. Make sure to press well to keep it in shape…

4. To create the main body of the bag, take your two large rectangles pieces then fold them in half, pop a pin in the top centre of the fabric to keep in place.

Next we will attach our straps, take one of your rectangles and lay your strap 5cm each side of the top centre pin and 8cm down. This should give you a rough indicator of where they should lay. When you are happy with their positioning simply pin in place then stitch the base of the strap to the material. Repeat process with other rectangle – now you will be left with two pieces with straps attached (starting to take shape!)

5. Choose where you would like your pocket to sit on one of the rectangle sides, then stitch on to the bag keeping close to the bias seam.

6. Place your two rectangle pieces together, pinning the side and bottom seams together then simply stitch together. Press all the seams open, and then turn to right side and press again.

7. In order to make a base for the bag, bring together the side and base seams at bottom corner and flatten. Measure 8cm across keeping the 4cm mark inline with the seam and draw a line. Stitch across the line and trim.

8. To create the lining for the bag, take your other two rectangles and repeat the above steps. However make sure to leave an opening on the bottom seam to enable you to turn the bag to the right side. Follow up by pressing the seams open.

9. Place the lining over the main bag with right sides facing, ensure that the handles are folded towards the base and are enclosed between the main bag and lining.

10. To attach the lining to the main bag, pin it in place and stitch. Pull both sides of the bag through the gap left in the bottom seam to the right side and stitch along the open seam.

11. Turn the lining into the bag and press the top seam flat. Finish up by embellishing your bag getting creative, whether it be wrapping the handles in lace, stitching on cute buttons, sweet bows, or my personal favourite… lots of granny faux flowers! Bling to your hearts content.

So there you have it, your very own printed market day tote. A perfect handcrafted gift for a loved one (or yourself!), this little fun project will certainly become the beginning of many crafty adventures…

Why not check out Rachelle’s other amazing handmade creations in her book ‘Granny Chic,’ co-written with Tif Fussell. From spruced up coat hangers to crocheting your own tea cosy, even revamping a lampshade with scraps of material, this beginners guide book is your one-stop-shop to Granny Chic Craft – so retro!

You can buy ‘Granny Chic’ here – or visit Rachelle’s craft blog ‘Tales of Ted and Agnes.’

Will you be giving the Market Day Tote a whirl?

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Zita Elze has been wowing the floristry world with her visionary approach to floral design since winning the Design and Decoration Award ‘Graduate Garden Designer of the Year’ in 2003. Her famous ‘living’ floral embroidery won her a silver-gilt medal at RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2011 (see jaw-dropping wedding gown below) and she recently worked on the gothic flowers on set of the recent Great Expectations adaptation. Her string of achievements however is not what defines Zita but her absolute passion and intrepid approach to floristry that makes her truly unique.

On Saturday morning we showed up fresh and eager to her floral Workshop ‘Flowers for the Home’ at her intimate Design Academy in Kew. Not entirely sure what to expect, Zita’s fresh, free and dynamic approach to floral design was at the root of her teaching approach. The class consisted of a small group of just 5 students, which gave us all a rare chance to get to know Zita’s world, pick her brains and get to know a lovely group of people who each had their own different motivation for being there.

Encouraging us to truly express our own unique personality through our floral design, the class started with Zita inviting us to pick a word from a pre prepared list of adjectives that we felt best described our feelings at that time. From establishing this we were welcomed in to her stunning florist (just a few doors down) to select the blooms and foliage, entirely with this mood in the mind. This not only gave us a concept to work with but also encouraged us to express feeling through flowers in an entirely true and individual way. Casting aside the rules of traditional floristry, Zita gave us the freedom to be personal in our approach (which lent itself really well to a beginner such as myself) without being consumed by rules or boundaries. This freedom not only bolstered our confidence but was hugely liberating and most of all a lot of fun!

Zita and her lovely team outside her florist

Spoilt for choice inside Zita’s enchanting florist

Fellow student Sue with her chosen flowers

In a Q&A on Flowerona’s blog Zita Elze explains her teaching style…

“I would love to say everything comes directly from the soul. I really do not think of a recipe on how to put a design together, rather I let it happen naturally. It’s amazing what your sub-conscience can do for you. This may sound a bit woolly but with some training it can make miracles.”

Once we were had gathered our beautifully reflective flowers, we headed back into the Design Academy to get hands with preparing our blooms and crafting our arrangements either in vases or as hand ties, with the help of Zita’s insightful tips and techniques.

The results were so different and each in their own way sublime. From feelings ranging from ‘thoughtful’ and ‘serene’ to ‘stormy’ and ‘fragile’ can you guess what feeling / adjective each of the student creations represented?

We kicked off the day with a beautiful morning spread of pastries, fresh fruit and macaroons and rounded off the class with a giant loaf of individually prepared sandwiches from Paul and some healthy nibbles. This was also a lovely chance to chat with Zita about her exuberant background and plans for the future. You can catch one of Zita’s new floral embroidery designs again at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show. We can’t wait to see what she creates next!

You can find more information about Zita’s flower school here. All materials are provided, along with the flowers of your choice from Zita’s shop. Arrangements can be taken home, along with knowledge of how to use floral design to capture the important emotions of life and the ambience of special occasions.

The academy offers long and short courses, including Zita’s signature Floral Embroidery technique; an in-depth study of Wedding Design and her innovative Concept and Design class. All taught by Zita herself.

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We’ve recently discovered that staying in with the girls is not only friendlier on the purse but way more fun than a girly night on the town! Who needs a crammed bar full of random strangers to have fun when you can natter, giggle and be generally silly with your best chums in the comfort of your own home?! Hannah Read-Baldrey, the amazingly talented stylist and co-author behind two of our all time favourite craft books Everything Alice and Everything Oz has just released her new title Girl’s Night In, packed with quirky makes, bakes and pampering ideas that’ll unleash your inner hostess skills in a flash. With the help of Hannah’s book you’ll be wowing your lady friends with the scrummiest candyfloss cupcakes, hilarious party games and nail art to die for!

Author Hannah Read-Baldrey

Showing us exactly how a it’s done, Hannah invited us to her very own Girl’s Night In last Friday for the launch of her book. Hosted at her charming home in South London (which we had serious interior envy over), the evening was a friendly mix of her best buddies, contributors, publishers, crafters and fellow bloggers alike. Hannah ‘Peckham’s Queen of Cakes’ as we like to hail her, was every inch the glamorous hostess, receiving us with an excitable smile and insider chat about the making of her beautiful new book. We were blown away with a spread taken from the book’s delectable bakes; including her star Leggy Ruffle Cake, mountain platter of chocolate & almond profiteroles and the biggest gooeyest baked brie and walnut slice we’ve ever feasted our eyes on.

Taking time from a vibrant room of happy chatter, Hannah also made time to run two crafty workshops from her book including painted flower nail art demos and our personal favourite – floral felt fascinator making!

We didn’t want you to miss out on all the fun so check out Hannah’s step-by-step Floral Felt Fascinator video below…

‘Girl’s Night In: Crafts Cakes & Cocktails’ by Hannah Read-Baldrey is £16.99 and can be bought here

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Word on cyberspace is social networking site Pinterest is the hottest new trend in the stratosphere. Whether you’re planning a wedding, hungry for a tasty new recipe, on the hunt for an unusual holiday destination or looking to revamp your living space, virtual online pinboard ‘Pinterest’ is your go-to source for inspiration. For those of you yet to sign up, we have compiled our own guide to getting to grips with Pinterest, a must-have guide on Pinetiquette 101…

The Basics

Pinterest is your one-stop-destination for inspiration, with people all over the world sharing their ideas, dream products, tips and tricks. This online virtual scrapbook is home to thousands of shared images and videos called ‘pins.’ Free and super easy for anyone to register, it’s time to get involved and start pinning!

Pick A Theme

Getting started couldn’t be easier, simply start by creating a number of themed online boards to host all your different interests and topics. A collection of must-try crafting tutorials, stylish outfit lookbooks, memorable quotes or film recommendations, you name it – you can create a themed board for it! Perfect for planning a project, whether that’s re-modelling your kitchen to planning your big day, Pinterest is your online space to collate all your ideas and coo over the creative ideas people you are following are sharing too!

As you can see from the Laura Ashley Pinterest account we have created boards that tap into our own interests from ‘Beautiful blooms’ (flower inspiration) and ‘Pastel Hues’ (spring trend) to ‘Bright Buys’ (our favourite lighting) and ‘Book Club’ (our latest reads)…

Get Pinning

Build up your own boards by repining other user’s pins, or upload your own images directly from your own internet browsing. Simply drag the free Pinterest bookmark button (‘Pin It’) in to your browser and if you happen to stumble across an idea or image elsewhere on the web, simply click the ‘Pin It’ button and the image will go straight to your preferred board. Yes it’s that easy!

Get Interactive

Pinterest is an interactive community, with users sharing and discussing ideas. Keeping up to date with your favourite pinners is very easy, simply following their pinboards will ensure their latest pins will automatically appear in your news feed. Follow other pinners that have similar interests and in-turn you will gain a following over time too.

Sharing is Caring

As well as sharing your favourite pins on Pinterest, you can also post them on other social media networks such as Twitter or Facebook, so your friends can keep track of your inspiring ideas too. Be sure to download the Pinterest App on your phone to be able to ‘pin on the go’, allowing you to upload images or videos directly straight from your camera (how techy!).

Few to Follow

We have rounded up a few of our favourite Pinterest users to get you started…

Holly Becker (author and pro-blogger of decor8blog.com) http://pinterest.com/decor8/

Heart Hand Made Blog – http://pinterest.com/hearthandmade/

Country Living Magazine – http://pinterest.com/countryliving/

A Thrifty Mrs - http://pinterest.com/athriftymrs/

Quadrille Food (for great foodie reads) http://pinterest.com/quadrillefood/

Torie Jane – http://pinterest.com/toriejayne/

Who are you following on Pinterest? What are your top tips?! Love to hear your tips below…

We’d love to be ‘Pin Pals’ with you. Click here to follow our Laura Ashley Pinterest boards.

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A few weeks ago Rona from flower-inspired blog Flowerona shared her London Floristry School Guide. To kick off the beginning of April and the first signs of spring, Rona has now rounded up her regional flower school picks across the rest of the UK. This could be your calling to take a delightful new hobby and dip your toe into the world of floristry…

Flower School Brighton

Whether you are an absolute beginner or have had previous experience, The Flower School Brighton offers something for everyone who has an interest in flowers and floristry.

They run a range of workshops from a one day Introduction to Floristry to a more detailed six week evening course.

Their workshops attract people of all ages, with some students travelling from as far afield as Norfolk and the Isle of Wight.

G Lily Flower School

Based in Somerset, the G Lily Flower School is run by Sabine Darrall.

Sabine runs a range of courses focussing specifically on wedding flowers and décor.  You can choose from a five day bespoke career course to a range of one day workshops plus masterclasses to create your own course.

In June, Sabine will be running her first 2 week professional course. She’ll be including field trips to a venue, cutting garden and wholesaler, decorating a real church, a venue and creating a styled shoot.  Bridal work and reception flowers are also included along with a business day.

Mood Flowers Flower School

The Flower School at Mood Flowers in Glasgow, run by Nick Priestly, was established in 2008.

The school is an integral part of their work studio offering students an insight into their day-to-day work, as well as an inspiring environment to work in.

Half day and fully day classes are offered, all of which are topic specific, for example, Hand-Tied Bouquets and Flowers for the Home.

In the past two years they’ve developed their professional classes. These are designed for students looking to kick start a career in floristry or for those with established businesses looking to learn some of the Mood Flowers magic. The One Week Career Course and the Two Day Wedding Flowers Course both run twice a year.

Philippa Craddock

Philippa Craddock’s Flower School is based in Philippa’s bright studio in the heart of the Sussex countryside and just one hour from London.

The courses have been designed to offer absolute beginners, enthusiastic amateurs and even florists looking to catch up on new trends in floristry, classes in an informal setting.

Courses include Introduction to Floristry, Entertaining at Home, The Perfect Hand Tied Bunch and Simple Bridal Flowers.

Students have the opportunity to learn the necessary know-hows and through practical and easy to follow demonstrations, create their own designs to take home.

Sarah Raven

Based at Perch Hill near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, Sarah Raven runs floristry courses for beginners as well as those looking to grow their own cut flowers, and for those looking to do their own wedding flowers.

Each of the courses is taught by Sarah, and includes a two course lunch with ingredients from the gardens.

In April, a Spring Flower Festival will be taking place at Perch Hill. Attendees will see the school full of flowers and arrangements of all the very best things from the garden in spring.

Sarah will also give a talk on how to make flowers last as long as possible, followed by a flowery garden tour.

Sussex Flower School

The Sussex Flower School based in the rural Sussex village of East Hoathly runs floristry courses to suit everybody from complete beginners to up-skilling professionals

Their aim is to provide exactly what their students require, whether it be a one to one class on how to do a wired shower bouquet, a fun day out with the girls or a longer course to retrain as a florist.

There are many days to choose from such as Hand Tied Bouquets, The Perfect Pedestal, Mother’s Day Flowers, Vintage Flowers.  And they also run days on growing your own flowers, sugarcraft and willow weaving.

Tallulah Rose Flower School

The Tallulah Rose Flower School is situated in the heart of the beautiful city of Bath.

Run by Rachel Wardley, the school offers courses primarily for those interested in entering into the world of floristry.

They include four week career courses, bespoke courses and refresher courses for florists in need of new inspiration, revised technical skills or perhaps a boost to their business skills.

There are also one day courses for you to learn the skills of the hand-tied bouquet, tablecentre arrangements, an introduction to wiring and DIY bridal flowers.

So, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my blog post and that it’s given you a little taster of the types of floristry courses on offer. The schools included in the post are simply a selection of some of the places in the UK where you can learn floristry. Now, which one are you going to choose to sign up for?

Flowerona (www.flowerona.com)

You might also like:

• LONDON FLORISTRY SCHOOL GUIDE
• A WEEK IN PICTURES: BLOGGER FLOWERONA
• Q&A with Floristry Virtuoso Nikki Tibbles

Now that the weather is getting warmer and brighter and the days longer, I thought I’d give our bathroom a spring make over using some of the items from Laura Ashley’s Coastal collection.

Nautical interiors are a perennial favourite for us island dwellers, so as well as using checks and stripes within the collection, Laura Ashley have re-invented some of their designs using coastal colours, such as Wallace which is available in Seaspray for spring 2013.

Starting with some DRAWSTRING BAGS, which are perfect for storage, I used the Wallace and Whitby fabric in seaspray. I find these bags are ideal for keeping grooming essentials in, especially if you have small children. Razors, toxic liquids such as nail varnish remover and medicines can be kept out of reach, high, on some hooks and out of harms way. They are also ideal if storage space is limited.

I started by cutting the fabric 50cm square with an extra 2cm for seams.

Turn each side in by 1cm, pin and machine stitch. Now turn the top of the fabric over by 7cm and turn a 1cm hem under and machine stitch again.

Measure 3cm above the stitch line, at the top, and machine another row to form a channel for the strap to thread though. Pin the wrong sides of the bag together down one side and along the bottom and machine stitch, up to the turned back top. Snip the bottom corners on the diagonal, being careful not to cut through any stitches and then turn the bag out so that the right side of the fabric is facing you. Using a pin, carefully pull the corners out so that they are nice and square and then iron the bag flat.

To make the strap, cut a length of fabric approximately 60cm in length and 3cm wide. On the reverse of the fabric, iron each end over, so that the raw edges of the fabric are on the inside of the strap. Then iron 1cm on each side, of the fabric, into the centre, so that the right side of the fabric is facing up and then fold in half again and machine stitch along the edge. You will end up with your finished strap like this. Alternatively you can use rope, ribbon or sisal string.

Attach a sturdy safety pin to one end of the strap and use this to thread through the channel at the top of the bag. Tie the two ends of the strap together and your bag is now complete.

Another quick craft project is CUSTOMISING PICTURE FRAMES. Using Wallace, Eaton stripe and Sandhaven wallpapers in seaspray and emulsion paint in Cloud, I turned some boring plain wooden frames into something much more refreshing.

First remove the back of the picture frame and the glass and paint the frame using your chosen emulsion paint. Give the frame three coats, leaving each coat to dry in between.

Using the back of the frame for a template, draw around it on the back of the wallpaper. In the centre of the cut wallpaper, draw another square slightly smaller than the picture or photo that you want to frame. Use a scalpel or craft knife to cut out both the squares as this will give you nice crisp edges and make the process easier. You will end up with something like this.

I always think it’s useful, if you have the room, to have a stool in your bathroom that you can put guest towels onto or use whilst bathing young children.

This one started life a little sad but was picked up for a few pounds and had a lovely shape and more importantly a loose seat pad, perfect for re-upholstering.

I chose to paint the base in Seaspray emulsion, which was given three coats and then I finished off by using some briwax and wire wool to distress the stool, perfect for that sea worn coastal feel. The seat pad was removed and used as a template for cutting out the fabric to size with an extra 2cm border for turning under. I chose Awning stripe fabric in Seaspray, which has a strong linen texture, perfect for upholstery projects.

Using a staple gun, secure the four sides with one staple in each side before working on the corners. Pinch pleat the corners into a fan shape and secure with staples. When you have secured the corners continue around the seat with more staples.

Don’t worry if it doesn’t look too perfect, nobody will ever see the underside. Be firm with the fabric but don’t pull too hard if it has an open weave such as the one I used, as the pattern will distort.

Place the seat pad back on the stool base, hang your pictures and storage bags and stand back and admire your new coastal bathroom.

A lovely alternative to the hooks I already had in my bathroom would be Coastal Fish multi hook.

Take a look at Karen’s blog for more interiors and craft inspiration here

You might also like:

• Sew an easy wash bag with Laura Ashley fabrics!
• Comfortably Coastal
• How to make a ‘Union Jack Cutlery Roll’