DIY: FESTIVAL FLOWER CROWN

This is a quick and very cheap flower crown that's perfect for festival season! It took only half an hour to make and the flowers and materials cost under £10! I used chrysanthemums as they were very cheap, are easy to work with and last quite well out of water.

MATERIALS

• Bunch of chrysanths from the local supermarket 
• Wire 
• Floral Tape 

(I used quite a thick wire but any gauge will do. If it's thin just double up and wrap in floral tape before you start so that you have a firm base. I like this kind of floral tape. It's easy to use; you just stretch it gently until it goes translucent and then it sticks to itself. You can get it really thin so you barely notice it)

METHOD

1. First thing's first MEASURE YOUR HEAD. I actually forgot to do      this but by some miracle it still fit. I created loops on the end    to attach a ribbon but you could just create a complete circle of    wire.

2. CHOOSE THE FLOWERS. I chose a couple of big flowers for the focal    point of the crown including a yellow gerbera daisy. The rest        were little chrysanthemums.

3. WIRE THE LARGE FLOWERS. It is much easier to get the focal         flowers to sit the way you want if you wire them insead of using     their own stem. Here's how to wire them:

Cut off the stem

Bend a short piece of wire into a hook

Push the long end of the wire through the centre of the flower and pull through until all that can be seen is the very top of the hook.

4. You can then wrap the new wire 'stem' of your focal flowers onto    your wire circle and position them exactly how you want them.        Finish by wrapping the wire in floral tape so you aren't being      stabbed by wire when you wear it.

With the smaller flowers I just used their own stems and the floral tape to attach them to the wire frame. Easy-peasy! Add some ribbon and you're ready for your (hopefully) sunny festival.

Happy Festival Times :)

SITTING ROOM: BEFORE AND AFTER

This is the first before and after! A year ago we moved into our new house. It's a brick terrace built in about 1910. When we arrived the front room was a little dark and run down. It had unfortunately lost its fireplace which we decided not to replace in the end. It's quite a narrow room and we have a lot of stuff so we just thought make it feel small. Plus it's the perfect size for the T.V.

First, we had some shelving and cupboards built in the alcoves which fits every book we own. The cupboards are still waiting to be filled! We went a little eccentric on the door inspired by a trip to A la Ronde!

Shelves and woodwork: Crown Alliance Matt
Walls: Farrow and Ball House White Estate Emulsion
Floor: Homebase Slate Grey Silk

The curtains were given to me by my aunt and uncle who recently redecorated. The fabric could have looked a little chintzy but teamed with the other colours I think (hope) it works.

LATEST FINDS VI

The house is slowly coming together. We have been in it almost a year and we are just finishing off the last room. Doing up a house (even just cosmetically) takes a lot more work and time than I envisaged. Standing back and looking at the finished result makes it worth it though.

My love affair with brown objects seems to be growing. My parents found this rather lovely vase for me. It has a slight lustre to it which makes it even better! It was perfect for the dried hydrangea that my Mother-in-law gave me from her garden. I REALLY need to grow a hydrangea but the slugs love them. I have 10cm mammoth slugs in my garden so if anyone has any tips for getting rid of them!

The fashion for all things tin seems to still be going strong. There are some great tin advertising signs about and some lovely tin boxes. Got to watch out for dodgy reproductions! I fancy these two for sale at the moment on ebay: French Tin Candle Box and Mabel Lucie Attwell Tin Sign. Tempted as I am by them, I found this beautifully decorated 'Parkinsons Confectionary' tin in Lincolnshire for a tenner. If you're ever up that way Horncastle is brilliant for antique shops.

Happy Hunting in Horncastle!

SWEET PEA HAND-TIE

Back when the days were long and the fragrant sweet peas were out my friend celebrated her 26th birthday. I don't think enough flowers are given nowadays. Yes they are quite expensive given they die in a week or two. I get that it seems a little frivolous, but with a little effort even supermarket flowers can be made to look a bit special. 

I found these sweet peas in Waitrose for less than the price of a bottle of wine and using some garden twine made a hand-tie. Sweet peas are very easy to tie because of the woody, straight stems. You just have to be careful not to knock the flowers off. I lost a few which was no big deal.

The birthday girl was very pleased and said that the sweet peas made her house smell beautiful for a week and brightened up her living room.

Little Things!

SIMPLE SIDE DISH

I saw something similar to this on pinterest. Theirs was a lot prettier and better put together but I was in a rush. Nevertheless it made a nice simple side dish for a dinner party and looked like I had done something fancier than chopping and layering!

Two graffiti aubergines, two courgettes and two big tomatoes cut into rounds and layered up with Malden sea salt, cracked black pepper and olive oil. If you haven't switched to Malden sea salt you totally should. It is delicious.

TIPS AND TWEAKS

Next time I will use four tomatoes as their wasn't quite enough. I would also take the time to cut everything much thinner and layer more densely. That way it would cook without burning but look even better.

Happy Experimenting!

LATEST FINDS V

The clock collection is growing! Found this first in a charity shop for a fiver. Bargain! The second actually works and is made out of some sort of pottery painted gold. Pretty bling!

Beaded Light shade - I'm guessing 20s and I got a pair!

Happy Hunting!

THE BEST FISH AND CHIPS #1

I have had to call this post 'the best fish and chips number one' because I hold hope that out there somewhere there are more delicious fish and chips for me to discover. If I have found the best ones at the age of 27 then, frankly, I peaked too soon. I am worried though. Very worried, because these are so scrumptious I can't imagine better ones. The secret is beef dripping. Apparently this is the traditional (extremely unhealthy) way of frying fish and chips, but let's face it fish and chips are never healthy. Why on earth wouldn't you always use beef dripping to get the best possible flavour?

I have a small confession. They were so good I ate them in under five minutes and totally forgot to take a picture. I have a habit of doing this. Thankfully, whilst I was waiting for them, the shop itself provided ample photo opportunities.

The shop is in the Black Country Living Museum and you therefore have to pay entry to the museum and then buy the meal. Hardly the cheapest meal in the world then! However, the museum is a brilliant day out.