I had a long think this week about the sort of things I want to write about and share with you on my blog as I’ve been overthinking it a bit and worrying about what I should write rather than just writing what I feel like sharing. What makes me me and what drives me to do this business is my love of and my connection to nature, and my belief in its incredible powers to heal and ground you. A walk in the woods always helps lift my mood no matter how bad things are, but there are times when the rain is pouring down or you’re sick or tired and just can’t face going out. So I wanted to share the ways that I bring nature inside especially at this time of year when there is so much colour and so much in bloom, as there are so many ways you can use nature to make you and your home feel full of spring.
1) Fill old glass jars or painted tin cans with spring wildflowers like daffodils, bluebells, forget me nots and other blooms you find in the local woods, parks or in your garden. Place them on your dining table or bedside table for an instant burst of spring.
2) Press your favourite spring blooms (this takes a couple weeks in a flower press or heavy books) and then frame them and hang them on your wall to capture spring forever.
3) Hang pictures of meadows or wildflowers on your walls – whether it’s framed photos of your favourite flower photos (Inkifi does great Polaroid style prints of your Instagram photos which look lovely hung with pegs on a wire frame or string – I’m definitely getting prints of my blossom photos), a landscape or floral picture or some abstract art that makes you think of flowers and nature. I especially love these wildflower meadow prints on wood by Beth of Boo Lou Lew Design and the new native spring wildflower prints by Striped Pebble. I also have a lovely canvas picture of a bluebell carpeted wood in my bedroom that transports me to the bluebell woods near where I grew up every time I look at it.
4) Throw your windows open every morning even in the rain to let the scents and sounds of spring into your home.
5) Choose a scented candle that evokes a favourite spring smell – I’m burning one from my collection called Wilderness at the moment as it’s earthy and woody and makes me think of camping in the woods and the smell of forest. Laura of The Smallest Light makes the most amazing seasonal scented candles too in limited batches.
6) Change your soap/shower gel/deodorant to a different scent for spring – I like to use the Wild Sage & Co Cedarwood & Green Clay soap which is lovely cleansing and grounding soap perfect for spring. And I switch to a fresh planty or fruity shower gel in spring – my favourites are Korres Fig Shower Gel which smells lovely and Faith in Nature’s Aloe & Ylang Ylang shower gel which reminds me of outdoor showers in a beautiful cabin we once stayed at.
7) Make a spring wreath to hang in a window or on a door – you can refresh your Christmas wreath if you have a moss based one too as the dried moss makes the perfect base for grasses and spring blooms (I’ll be running a spring wreath workshop in May at Redcatch Community Garden).
8) Read about spring and seasonal celebrations – I like to read Creative Countryside Magazine for ideas and inspiration and Lia Leendertz’s Seasonal Almanac is a brilliant guide to the best things in nature every month.
9) Use spring colours – choose bright yellows and fresh greens and add splashes of spring colour to sofas and beds through throws, or to walls through wall art or even try a new shade of paint. The zesty yellow panel on this blanket can make any room feel full full of sunshine even on the greyest days!
10) Eat seasonally and forage for spring delicacies like wild garlic. It is everywhere at the moment and wild garlic pesto is such a simple and easy thing to make! It can be used not just on pasta, but on crushed new potatoes, as a sauce with lamb or you can chop wild garlic leaves straight into risottos and omelettes. I like to play around with different nuts for the pesto – pistachio kernels work really well and walnuts are my other favourite.