 I love the fact that plants and art go hand-in-hand when styling the home. And as a maker I love the way that plants can offer a muse as well as a function for art too.
In my own home I like to combine elements of art-work that I have made as well as prints and illustrations which have a botanical theme. I also like to mix contemporary styling with vintage accents to create a fresh, yet homely appeal. Somebody who has known me for a long time observed that I am becoming more like my mother. It's true my mom has an extensive conservatory with a jungle of greenery, so I was brought up surrounded by plants, but young children and now a puppy have meant a relatively conservative approach to greenery in our main living areas, until now...
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 I love joining in with the #urbanjunglebloggers community, founded by Igor and Judith, who are both passionate about having plants in their home and outdoor spaces. Every month they pick a topic where you can focus on your beloved green plants, so that they really get a chance to get centre stage. This month the theme is some beautiful green styling for Easter. I'm guessing that I have been influenced by toasttravels and their pop-up succulent shop this month, which was too far for me to travel to, but I purchased some mini cacti from my local garden centre, Notcutts, which I think work pretty well.  For this project I carefully transferred them into some temporary homes, being careful to stay away from the spikes. As a ceramic maker and lover I chose some white simple egg-cups which I had bought from Sainsbury's a couple of years ago.  Here are my little cuties... I then added some other Spring foliage. I love the simplicity of white tulips which matched the egg cups and of course pussy willow twigs are synonymous with Easter too. I happened to have made my own 'egg vase' which is a second, which provide a nice splash of colour. The other vase was one I bought a couple of years ago from Habitat. And of course, my Easter scene needed a little egg in there too.  This simple and pretty Easter table sits below this gorgeous floral print from print artist and designer, Emma Hardicker, that was a Christmas present several years ago. So the only things I bought for this were the little cacti £1.99 each and the bunch of tulips.  I've purposefully not looked at any other blogs as I didn't want to be influenced, but will enjoy looking at everyone's Easter interpretations of this month's #urbanjunglebloggers.
And, I think my next job is to make some 'forever' homes for my cacti - they can't stay in egg-cups for ever - especially with Easter coming up. If you are interested in seeing my porcelain creations have a look in my shop. 
It's all about the bulbs... Last month I discovered an on-line family of green enthusiasts known as the #urbanjunglebloggers (UJB). The team behind this are Igor and Judith who are both passionate about having plants in the home, in other interiors and in public spaces: "We want to highlight the beauty and benefits of houseplants and other greeneries in urban spaces.". Each month they suggest a blog topic to celebrate greenery in the home and as a plant lover myself I was keen to get involved. This month's topic is '(Green) love is in the air'. If you follow me on Instagram you will notice that I have fallen in love with spring bulbs with their roots on show. There is something so fragile and real about showing the beauty of the whole of a plant. I was inspired to try out this idea after reading a lovely blog over on A Quiet Style by Emma and Caroline of Wild Rubus. It was only after seeing another interpretation over on Apartment Apothecary by Katy that I got my act together to clean up some bulbs. I chose some Mascari - as I love their delicate blue blooms which perfectly represent spring. But there are lots of other bulbs which equally look nice depending on your preference - hyacinth, tulips, daffodils, bluebells and my other favourite: Snakes Head Fritillary. Using the theme from UJB I think I have elevated the humble bulb to a piece of floral wall art. And it was so easy too! 
I had some floral wire (left over from a wreath making project) which I simply wrapped around some washed jam-jars. Before I tied off and tightened the wire, by twisting the ends, I slipped some garden twine underneath and formed two single knots, on each side of the jam jar to create a simple loop or hanging thread. Then it's just a matter of following Caroline's tutorial and washing the soil off the bulbs (I did this using the outside tap and leaving the bulbs to soak in water overnight so it was easier to remove the soil); popping the bulbs in the jar and adding enough water to cover the roots. I also added a few drops of plant food. Finally I hung the jars on a couple of nails that my partner kindly hammered into the wall for me. It's best to display in odd numbers (since things look more natural this way). I chose 3 random heights, but I think 3 or 5 in a line might also give a good effect. 
The room shot also shows some other blooms - alive and preserved which fit very nicely with the #stylingtheseasons topic organised by Katy (again) from Apartment Apothecary and Lotts from Lotts and Lots. I love the contrast of the dried hydrangeas and the fresh buds of the daffodils. I also sneaked in a couple of the pretty porcelain vases and vessels that I make. If you want to read about the inspiration for them have a look here. I'm soooo looking forward to seeing other people's interpretations of UJB's theme.
And with mother's day just round the corner these bulbs in hanging jars would be an easy and thoughtful gift for any Mum. I hope you are inspired like I was... And if you are I'd love to see the images, just tag me on Instagram or post a pic on my facebook page. |
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