This is a concept that always appeals to me so much. I love the Mediterranean way of living; the flow between the inside of the house and the outside space of a garden. From May onwards, we rarely eat indoors, only if it’s raining, and we can always be found in the garden. All of our spare time is spent tending to the garden and enjoying it. Whilst I don’t claim to be a gardening guru (somewhat of a fluke gardener), I know what I like and I know how I like the garden to look and feel.
After planting it with all of your favourites (in my case Roses, peonies, hydrangeas, sweet peas and more lavender than I know what to do with!), the next step is always to add those extra things that make it feel like home. A huge part of making any garden space (however big or small) feel like that is how you choose to decorate it. Lots of people like to use garden mirrors, metal structures or lanterns to give their gardens a more “lived in” feel. There are so many little touches you can add to give your garden space that little extra in the summer months, and I have been so delighted with these bits from Hobbycraft that have really helped me to add that little extra something.
I think lots of people are scared to DIY or craft in their garden space, but you needn’t be; it is so easy (and fun!) to do. In just under an hour I added all of these little extra pieces to our garden, and it couldn’t have been simpler. The Geometric black lanterns were a particular favourite addition of mine. I filled the larger of the two with gravel and a white round candle, then tucked some little faux succulents around the edge. For the smaller of the two lanterns, I decided to make it a terrarium of faux succulents and used some moss to create a bed of greenery for them to sit upon. I cut some of the length from the succulent stalks, using wire cutters, so that they would sit nicely and not be too tall. Both look brilliant and were so easy to create.
I used the rest of the succulents as a centre piece for the table using a wooden tray and a different type of decorative stones. Again, I popped in some succulents to give it some greenery and a candle as the centre.
I love lighting candles; in the house, in the garden…..any excuse I say?! I really wanted to add some extra candles to the garden area, and so I opted to fill some of these Glass Hurricane vases with some white pillar candles. To hold them in place I used some white sand, which I also think looks really effective and not too overdone. These would make a great addition to a garden party on a summer evening, or to decorate a summer wedding reception!
Lastly, I added some metal jugs and a milk churn. I like to think of these as a way of dressing the garden and having decorative items (aside from the flowers!) just as you would do inside the house. If you were feeling particularly creative you could plant them up with herbs or lavender growing out of the top, to add a little extra scent to the garden. To be honest, I didn’t even know there were such interesting and unusual finds in Hobbycraft these days. It will definitely be a place that I will look to use for styling other projects around the house.
In true British Summertime style, it started raining when I was in the garden putting everything together, I had to chuckle. I mean, would we even be in the UK if there wasn’t a shower on a day that we were planning to be in the garden?! That aside, it dried up quickly and I was able to pop everything back in its place and enjoy what I had created.
Adding things to the garden space can get a little addictive, and I had so much fun adding these extra bits from Hobbycraft. I am really pleased with how it all looks, especially in the evening with the candles lit and the garden lights on. We’ve definitely achieved that Mediterranean vibe that I love so much! Now we just need less of those showers and the sun to start shining again so that we can enjoy a summer evening with friends in our lovely little inside, outside.
Elle x
Until the end of June 2018, Hobbycraft are giving you 15% OFF all orders online (excluding sewing machines) when you use code DIY15. So, what are you waiting for? Happy crafting!
{This post has been created as a paid collaboration with Hobbycraft, with items being supplied to me to create the blog post; but, as always, all writing and opinions are my own.}
Elle Wright is a wife, mother, author and blogger. After the death of her son, Teddy, at three days old, Elle started writing to navigate her new life and as a way to feel purpose again. Her Feathering The Empty Nest blog is a way of finding light in darkness, positivity in times of desperation and, hopefully, making a few people laugh along the way.
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