Sania Pell

bloom in miniature

May 24, 2011  in flowers, interior styling

The fabulous annual Chelsea Flower Show starts today, but what I wanted to show here is that you don’t always need to buy lots of fancy flowers and that you can make something little from your garden look really quite sweet.

I picked and photographed these Forget-me-nots over the Easter weekend when they had just bloomed. These came from my tiny London garden but my plants were originally a donation from my parents’ garden in the countryside, where so many were growing that I was able dig up and transfer a few. I love that they are so commonly found and that tiny arrangements like these can be made really easily to display in your home. I love the soft blues with the little pop of yellow at their centre.

To me, the name Forget-me-not conjours up old fashioned love letters and romantic messages, so in this little shoot I wanted to reference this. I included some old typed envelopes, letters, a key and a note book that I bought at car boot sales. The little glass vase is a recent purchase from Designer’s Guild and is one from a set of six, the handmade saucer with blue flower print I bought a while back at The Hambledon shop in Winchester (I’ve been trying to remember who it is by, I should know but I just can’t think – does anyone know?) and the little bowl I bought at a Cockpit Arts open day one year.

I love that they are just perfect miniature blooms that without something to gauge their scale, could be much bigger. I couldn’t help adding a little bit of wrongness to this shot with the addition of the cowboy gun charm.

The Forget-me-not is a flower that grew in my parents’ garden prolifically. When I was little I would pick bunches of them and press them. It’s quite time consuming, placing each flower carefully on the card of the press, especially as they are so tiny, but worth it as they dry and keep really well. When they were ready a few weeks later, I would store them in an envelope to keep them flat. I would have a different envelope for each flower type and stick a flower to the outside for quick reference of what loveliness was inside.

The dried Forget-me-not flowers work beautifully stuck to swing tags for gifts or to cards and pictures.

I still press flowers from the garden, now with my little daughter as a helper (she loves it too). In fact I still have the press I had when I was little! It’s a lovely way to never forget the Forget-me-not.

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quick idea: disco vase

May 16, 2011  in diy craft projects, flowers, interior styling

Here is a quick and simple idea to glamourise an ordinary clear glass vase.

My daughter and I had picked some flowers from the garden and I was looking for a vase to display them in. I had this old circular glass vase in the cupboard (I think it’s Ikea) and thought it would be perfect for this idea I had.

I simply tipped a bag of silver plastic sequins into the empty vase using a funnel and then topped the vase up with water. Some sequins floated and some sank and then I just popped in a bright red rose and voila, instant glam! If you want a more delicate look simply choose an appropriate bloom.

I was inspired by a couple of vintage mirror balls I bought from a flea market which, when the sun shines in to the room at a certain time of day, reflect little sparkles all around. If you try this idea at home, see if you can position it so that the sunlight can reflect off the sequins for an added sparkly effect.

Once the flower has faded you can use a sieve to catch the sequins when you tip the water away. Give them a rinse and leave to dry and you can use them again.

It’s a very simple idea that has a bit of eye-catching wow factor. So which way would you go – glamorous or delicate?

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three go mad in liberty

May 16, 2011  in homemade, interior styling, news

Liberty has been trading since 1875 and, as a textiles, craft and interiors girl, it is one of my most favourite shops in the world. I’ve been a regular visitor since I was a teenager and living in London means I find any excuse to pop in there regularly!

So imagine my excitement when I was asked by my lovely friend Holly Becker to be part of a styling demo for the launch of her new book Decorate…  at Liberty!  You can read the highlights of how Holly, Leslie Shewring of A Creative Mint and I went a little Liberty crazy over at Decor8.

When we started brainstorming ideas for this dining table setting, one of things I said to Holly and Leslie was that we needed to “think catwalk”. We didn’t need to think about it being a realistic, practical table setting as it was a styling demo – it needed to be eye catching, creative and inspiring.

Liberty has a very British design aesthetic.  It is classic with a twist, elegant and a little bit eccentric. So we wanted our table to be a bit quirky too, a little bit bonkers – but in a good way. It needed to be Decor8 x Liberty. I think we achieved it, do you?

We knew we wouldn’t be able to have a working bulb so we used a little mirror ball!

We made each place setting unique!

It was so much fun to collaborate with Holly and Leslie (they are both as lovely as they come across on their blogs) and the Liberty team were brilliant too.  I met so many great people that afternoon (and well into the evening!).  If you came along I do hope you enjoyed the demo!

I wish Holly and Joanna Copestick the very best success for Decorate!

P.S. Thank you to my wonderful assistant Polly Ord for helping make and to set up the table and to my husband for taking these photos while I was busy chatting away!!

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