Leaves and Wreaths

Da da … the first swag out of the door from Leaves and Wreaths … straight to my front door! There’s a lot of work in this, including weaving palm leaves onto a spray of vivid red dogwood to act as a base ‘leaf shape’. There are four different types of foliage, including dried bracken leaves and dried mahonia stems. Then three types of berry. Finally my favourite, signature dried hydrangeas. Yes they’re back! Next job: I’m making a lantern collar and garland to match the swag to decorate my porch.

To celebrate our new location next to the river Ouse and purpose-built studio we have a new name! Leaves and Wreaths allows us to branch out in other ways too (sorry): to use a material more local to this environment – willow – which allows more structural work. And the new facilities mean it can be an all-year-round creative adventure that isn’t just wreaths at Christmas but could be festoons of colour for spring, table centre-pieces, Halloween pumpkin arrangements, branch wall décor for the summer, even a headdress of twigs and flowers!

All materials are foraged from the wild, natural environment (no plastic or silk, plus ivy is used to fix where possible, rather than wire) and prepared (preserved/ dried), so it will take time to build up stock - but please ask if you are looking for something specific and I can seek the right stuff out. I can also advise you how to harvest and use favourite stems from your own garden and/ or arrange them for you. I will be posting regular updates of the stock available to give you ideas.

Prices are based on the time (for preparing materials and building pieces) to produce items, running costs and a small commission. Wreaths start at £25 for a leaved, classic circle of twisted vines.

Fun, relaxing, absorbing - a double wreath making experience in my new Hook studio with two old pals. We had a laugh, lots of chat, tea, cider and some discovery of old creative talents. And the wreath Bron and Cate produced wasn't half bad either ... I might be up for doing this again!

Hello and long time no see! My foraging basket has a new home. Which can mean only one thing: Home and Christmas Charm is back in business! Building up stock, but hoping to do some wreaths this year in my new, purpose-built studio in the East Riding of Yorkshire. I might be rusty, so let’s see how this goes…

Leaves and Wreaths updated their phone number.

LOOKING FOR HYDRANGEA FLOWERS, EUCALYPTUS, SMOKE BUSH AND ACER STEMS, STACHYS AND CHINESE LANTERN PODS. A home and Christmas charm is looking to build up stock for Christmas in it's new base: Hook, near Goole. I use foraged and donated flowers [if you can provide me with materials to dry, depending on quantity, I will deliver you an autumn or Xmas wreath]. I am setting up a new studio here so my output will be limited for the 2021 season. Please take a look at my page for ideas on what I do! And always open to ideas/ unusual commissions ...

A home and Christmas charm updated their address.

Thanks to my friend Simon Wells (wedding and other photography) for commissioning headdress flowers and my daughter for an experimental shoot through a veil (it was unbelievably technical). Magnolia and dried red roses brought out in Maddie's eye makeup. Love it!

My house is looking flowery in time for my valentine tonight ...

Cate's birthday flowers all ready and packed up to be posted! If we can't see each other this year at least you will have these to remind each other of our friendship (already 37 years old!).

This is a bit different technically too. It's a flat tie bouquet - so designed to be flat on a surface and viewed that way. It's of course made from my usual mix of preserved foliage and dried flowers, plus woven green dogwood stem leaves with a moss base for a bit more support. If you look you should see eucalyptus, magnolia buds, lavender, roses, catkins, caenothus buds, winter jasmine and yellow ilex berries. Loved the challenge of making this. I am very much in spring now although I think some dusky colours next ...

Spring green jam jar - sunshine encapsulated with preserved and dried foliage, dogwood woven 'leaf' decoration and spring bulb flowers. £15.

Valentine wreaths now ready. On a simple and elegantly thin dogwood frame (can be green or red or a combo). With minimal decoration from preserved veronica, cotoneaster, phormium and foam filled mini roses. Also available with old gold (not metallic) roses. £15. Collection from Newmillerdam.

Heart wreath ready for Sarah, who didn't want anything remotely soppy! It looks pared back but there's actually loads on here. Green and red dogwood frame with pine stems, a rusty red Mahonia crown, yellow holly, teasels, hyrangea, lavender, yellow holly berries and the gorgeous blossom from witch hazel, which is almost impossible to secure unfortunately.

Tonight's foliage stem complete.

Thought you might be interested to see my creative process for Foliage stems, although this picture does look chaotic! I am working in the lounge because I have a fire to keep warm by here!

I start right back when picking stems and observe interesting shapes and pliability. I pick to order/ plan. So knew I was wanting to do some stem manipulation. I then trim items, getting rid of dead stuff and debris. And hammer the bottom of the stems (to make it easier to take up the preserving glycerine). I also start to mould to shape - you may be able to see the clothes pegs. They have been holding the stems in place for a week, whilst the stem was being preserved.

I am now ready to work with this stem. And will start be securing each part of the stem in place with long strands of jute twine. I then layer on different materials, tying each one with the same jute. I try to keep binding to a minimum, in as few places as possible and oreferabky covered by leaves/ the fresh flowers going in later.

Now I have laid out the other foliage I want to use, its a matter of careful work positioning, pe***ng and tying.

I will post the end result later tonight.

Nina looks fabulous doens't she? Really glad the twig crown worked out. Always up for creatively stretching commissions!

And one day she discovered that she was fierce and strong, and full of fire and that not even she could hold herself back because her passion burned brighter than her fears = Mark Anthony

Model: Nina
Headdress: A home and Christmas charm

Been taking a few days out from developing Valentine products (more over the weekend) to complete an exciting commission. I guarantee you won't have seen anything like this before. I can't wait to see the final photos from the shoot it's for. The brief was wild, ethereal and a bit different ... a twig crown with a touch of green and gold. So from just five foraged materials [ivy frame, magnolia buds, snowberry stems, dried montbretia and cotoneaster stems] here's what happened ...

Decorating your home with natural floral items is beautiful and economic. You can ring the changes quickly. Bay and foliage table centrepieces, plant and foliage baskets and garlands will last for months and can be made to specific colour requirements. Prices start at £30.

An everlasting flower arrangement to show love that lasts? All the examples here are still in place months later and vibrant with colours and will be for months to come. This is the advantage of using dried and preserved materials, but still keeping it natural. Please get in touch to discuss your requirements. Prices start at £30.

Inspiration for Valentines or a birthday perhaps? A wreath does not just have to be for Christmas ... £25.

Looking for inspiration for a present? Mothers day or perhaps Easter? A bit of floral charm lifts spirits and enriches the soul! Here's a review of what we can do with Swags and plaques ... all bespoke to clients requirements. Starting at £30.

Birthday door plaque that's a little different ... dried rose and teasels, with preserved pine foliage on a plaque made from woven dogwood, filled with moss. Completely natural, as usual. And should last a very, very long time.

You can dry roses yourselves. My top tips are: make sure you buy them as fresh as possible and not tight buds - just opening is best, rather than fully blooming - and enjoy them in water in a vase for up to two weeks (well why not get your money's worth?). Basically when you start to see the head of one or two droop times up. Dry the stems on some kitchen roll and nip a bit off the bottom; put one in your left hand and carefully add one at a time into a bunch. You are trying to keep the heads as clear of each other as possible so air circulates. Tie the bunch with jute twine and hang on a tack or hook somewhere warm and dry. Drying time does vary but the roses in this plaque were dried in my lounge for 3 weeks, hanging above my fireplace. Bear in mind that colours darken. So red roses will become almost black for example.

Three things I have reflected and learnt this week:

1. Certain tones and shades of green (foliage) work better on particular backgrounds than others. So it's important to check/ ask a client where something is going. Light is important too.

2. Different plants need different lengths of preserving time (with glycerine) and if it's overdone a sticky mess oozes from the leaves.

3. Feathers and preserved flowers are not easy to work with. Despite my good intentions, wire may be required!

Ho hum.

Peacock and Teasel wall plaque for a quirky bit of colour? Preserved and dried foliage on an ivy frame. All natural materials.