I have been mainly focusing on personalised cards using my flower photography for the past two years.
My floral gift collection includes personalised totebags and notebooks, as well as coasters and candle holders which will be available to buy through my website soon.
Within the last few months we have been working towards providing a larger complementing gift range using my flower images.
Many customers and friends have asked if my flower photography was available as framed or canvas prints, so I have been working to expand my range. The below image is an example of the prints available to buy. They would make a lovely Easter or Birthday gift, bringing a touch of nature to your living space.
As well as my special collection of floral art prints, I am pleased to be able to tell you that we are now able to provide a range of personalised mugs, t-shirts, aprons, baby outfits, shoes, tote bags and so on through our zazzle shop.
I am particulary excited to have my floral prints available on shoes.
I hope you will like my collection.
If you are interested in our gift range please visit my website for further details. – www.sendafloralgift.com
Last week, I went on my annual trip with my dad, looking for snowdrops.
Snowdrops in the Dorset and Hampshire region have flowered quite late this year and after all the cold windy weather we have been having, some snowdrops which are open to all the elements, have had a rough time holding their delicate heads held high.
In the language of flowers the snowdrop means – A friend in adversity and hope.
If you know someone who is having a hard time, a trip to see the lovely snowdrop is sure to life their spirit.
Now is the time to plant snowdrops ‘in the green.’ Planting them now will give you a fantatstic display next year.
On my day out we decided on visiting 2 areas that we knew would be excellent to see this lovely flower.
Damerham church has the wow factor of several thousand snowdrops planted together in the church grave yard. They often hold special snowdrops days to welcome visitors. It was lovely to see, and just how I remembered.
The snowdrops were beautiful, even though they were a little windswept. If you want to see snowdrops in their thousands, then this is a lovely place to visit next year.
As we carefully moved around the wonderous display of snowdrops in the pretty church yard, I counted around 5 different varieties growing there. There was probably more, but this was the number I spotted. These snowdrops had a little more protection from the elements than the ones at Damerham, so there was plenty of opportunities to photograph them.
There was also a lovely area of winter aconites.
The yellow of the aconites and white and green of the snowdrops had a really fresh, spring feel.
I watched Countryfile the other week, and the presenter looking at snowdrops in Scotland said he thought snowdrops looked all the same. Well if you view them from a far, you may agree. It’s not really until you examine the detail of each of them, that you will see how different and special they can be. It’s epecially hard to see the differences, due to the fact that they are low to the ground, and the flower heads point downwards.
This particular snowdrop wanted the world to see her beauty, as this flower head was pointing outwards. I was so pleased to have spotted this one and capture the image. I have heard of some people using dental mirrors to see the insides of low growing flowers, and I can quite see how useful this would be.
If you like this snowdrop image, it is available to buy as a framed, mounted or canvas print
As I have said before you can see beautiful flowers all over the place. You don’t always need to go to a specific garden to see them, it’s often fun to look into alternative places, such as church yards, roundabouts etc…
In the language of flowers the Crocus stands for cheerfulness!
I think this has a wonderful meaning; can you not help but smile when you see their stunning display? I can’t.
I was looking for some new areas to find the crocus treat last year. Matt (my husband) came back one day from work and took me for a surprise trip to Kinson in Bournemouth. I must admit, I wondered why Kinson was the place to be that particular day, but I was told to shut my eyes as we came to a gradual stop in the car. All of a sudden he said ‘open your eyes’ and there before me was a purely blissful sight to see. It was like a sweetshop for crocuses, in shades of lilac, blue, yellow and white. These beautiful flowers were planted in their hundreds around a couple of trees in a urban area. I don’t know if they were planted by the council gardeners, or if a gardener planted it as a surprise for their neighbours, for whatever reason it was gorgeous and I can’t wait to make a return visit.
Here is some information about the crocus
Crocus – plural Crocuses or Croci is a perennial flowering plant
They grow in Europe, North Africa, Asia.
There are more than 100 species!
There are three types of Crocus – Early spring, late spring and autumn flowering
Early spring flowering Crocus flowers from February and March.
Late spring flowering Crocus flowers from March to April (these tend to be Dutch Crocuses.)
This variety tends to be larger than the early spring and autumn varieties.
Autumn Flowering Crocus called the Colchicum is also referred to as Meadow Saffron, but don’t try adding this to your cooking as it is poisonous, just admire their beauty. These flower from September through to November and quite easy to grow.
There is a wonderful display of colours found in the Crocus family. Like the Snowdrop and Bluebell they are beautiful singly, but are also amazing in large numbers grouped together.
Crocuses are wonderful planted under and around trees, lawns, borders and in containers. When you visit the garden centre around spring time, you will often see lovely displays of this lovely flower grouped together with other spring bulbs such as daffodils.
You may have also spotted in various shops gift sets including this pretty flower; you can grow them inside for a little colour too – this could be an idea for a Christmas gift!
If you want to create a natural look when planting your crocuses, gardeners often advise that you drop them carefully onto the area you wish to plant them, and plant the bulbs where they land for a less formal look.
The good news is that the Crocus doesn’t usually fall foul to disease, but they are a tasty treat for squirrels and rabbits! If squirrels and / or rabbits are nibbling your crocus bulbs, try planting the bulbs deeper in the soil.
If you want to know what the weather will be like, you can usually spot the signs displayed by your flowers. On a bright sunny day you will see the crocus shining brightly for all to see. When it is a wet dull day, they tend to close their bowl shaped petals.
To see some lovely samples of crocuses that you can buy, then please visit - Rare Plants
Where to see the Crocus?
Most towns will have an area for the popular crocus, so ask around and see if someone can share their favourite places to go.
As with snowdrops, old church grounds are often a good place to see Crocuses
Why not help raise money for the Breakthrough Cancer Charity, by participating in, or organising a crocus walk. For more details please see Crocus walk
I love creating cards for this occasion, as flowers are strongly linked with this special day, celebrating mums everywhere.
The traditional gift for this day are daffodils, and often if you go to church, mums will be presented with a daffodil.
In the language of flowers the daffodil means respect, a great flower to show your love and respect for your mum.
I have 6 designs to choose from, which can have your special message added at no extra cost – Mother’s Day greeting cards
I also have a bespoke Mother’s Day card option, where I can make a special card for you from your photo. Maybe you have a special photo of the two of you celebrating a special day, or a special memory.
Our last order date for Mother’s Day cards in the UK is the 11th of March.
Cards delivered in the UK have free p&p.
Please take a moment to look through our collection.
As a part of a new series looking at various gardens to visit throughout the seasons of the year, we visited this garden while we were away on holiday last week.
East Lambrook Manor has been a garden that I have wanted to visit for a long time.
Margery Fish’s garden style is seen as a true example of English cottage gardening, with many gardeners eager to learn from her experience and plant expertise, adding to their garden designs.
In her book ‘A Flower For Every Day’ first published in 1964, Graham Rice who wrote the book’s foreword in 2000, described Margery’s gardening style as -
‘She believed that even in gardens of relatively modest size and limited resources, plants should, and could, be chosen to provide flowers and a fascinating garden prospect on every day of the year.’
(Quote from A Flower For Every Day, Author Margery Fish, Foreword by Graham Rice, year 2000, B.T Batsford)
As our gardens get smaller, we can apply these same principles in our gardens today.
This garden holds a specialist collection of snowdrops and geraniums.
There have been three new varieties of snowdrops discovered since the year 2000 with the wonderfully named –
Galanthus Dodo Norton in 2000,
Galanthus Lambrook Greensleeves in 2001
and last but not least the Galanthus Sir Henry B-C in 2006
Tuesday – Saturday throughout March – April and 20th July – October
Please check with them before you travel
Disabled Access – It has limited disabled access as it is a small garden with small paths and has a terraced and gravel areas. The area known as the Ditch and woodland area is suitable for wheelchairs and those with limited mobility. They have a detailed disability access statement, for those wishing to know more.
There is also a unisex disabled toilet.
Plant Nursery they have a small plant shop, with a variety of plants grown in the garden.
Parking there is a free car park across a small road in front of the gardens, with some disabled spaces.
Eating facilities there is a small café that offers coffee, fruit juices and cake.
There is a wonderful pub - The Rose and Crown which is 5 mins walk away which offers a warm, friendly service with a wonderful menu that has options for gluten free, vegetarian and vegan meals.
I had a yummy cauliflower, broccoli and cheese bake and Matt had what he calls the best steak and kidney pie he has ever had!
Review
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to the garden. We were fortunate in that the weather was also lovely after a week of rain and snow. The collection of snowdrops was wonderful to see, and to be able to learn about the many different varieties made the visit even more special.
We loved the Galanthus Nivalis Blewbury Tart
and the pretty Galanthus Primrose Walburg that had yellow ovary (The section at the top of the flower head).
If you want to learn more about snowdrops, then I highly recommend this garden.
It’s not a garden to see thousands of snowdrops, but one that shows these beautiful plants in the best light. It’s not really a garden for young children as it is a small specialist garden, with small paths.
Due to the cold weather we have been having, snowdrops have been quite late this year, so there is still time to admire this beauty.
There was also a magnificent display of crocuses on the manor’s front lawn, so don’t miss this lovely display surrounding the tree.
As this is a specialist plants garden, this garden deserves a visit throughout the seasons of the year.
They are in the middle of restoring the gardens, so we are looking forward to seeing the changes over time.
I was recently given a flip video as a birthday present and I will be using it to show highlights of our garden visits.
I have put together a small video to give you a little insight into what you can expect from the garden. I apologise for the video as it’s my first attempt (I got a bit carried away with the word variety LOL, and hoping to improve the quality) but I hope it is useful to you.
Usually around our annual holidays / celebrations there is a discussion about greeting cards.
On the 9th of February the BBC reported that hospitals in Cambridgeshire are now providing a new e-greeting card service. The e-cards can be sent to patients through an online scheme, which will then be printed by the Patient and Liaison Service, and then be delivered to the intended recipient.
I had to read the article a few times, thinking I had misread it. I always thought that the point of sending an e-card was that it was an online card. If you print it, you might as well send a card through the post.
One of the main reasons I started my greeting card design business was that I have truly loved any greeting cards that I have received over the years, particularly if I haven’t been well. The cards and handwritten messages really brightened my day.
I worked in a hospital a few years ago on a head injury ward, and if you are unwell and haven’t been able to go outside for a while, with the same 4 walls keeping you company for weeks on end, a greeting card can really make a difference. I saw how patients were over the moon when they received post, and I also saw the effects when a patient had very little or no post.
Letters are also a great way to communicate with someone, but what I love about greeting cards is the sheer variety of them, there is a design for everyone, whether you like nature, humour, elegance etc…
I know that we live in a time poor society, and finding a moment to do anything can be hard when our lives are scheduled to the latest second, but how long would it take to remember someone who needs a little encouragement. I am sure we would love it if someone was able to show a little bit of kindness to us.
With this new service that the Cambridgeshire Hospitals have started, if it means that more patients will receive a note / card letting them know that they are loved, and that they have friends and family who can offer support at their time of need, then I’m all for it! But isn’t the NHS busy enough without us adding to the millions of things they have to do each day?
If you know someone who is having a hard time, who is unwell … how about spending a few minutes to help brighten their day by sending a letter or a card.
I would just like to encourage each and every one of us to consider sending a note or a card to someone we know, who would appreciate this in their time of need, whether short or long term.
Coventry Patmore The Angel in the House (1854-1862)
Love’s like the measles – all the worse when it comes late in life
The Wit and Opinions of Douglas Jerrold ‘Love’ (1859)
Amor vincit omnia – Love conquers all
Virgil
Love is the fart
Of every heart:
It pains a man when ‘tis kept close,
And others doth offend, when ‘tis let loose.
Sir John Suckling Love’s Offence (1646)
Loves’s tongue is in the eyes
Phineas Fletcher 1633 Piscatory Eclogues (1633)
Love is, above all, the gift of oneself
Jean Anouilh Ardele (1949)
Whatever your personal definition of love, and whether you think Valentine’s Day is all commercial hype and a money-making con, or the perfect opportunity to express your feelings for a loved one; there’s no doubt that Valentine’s Day has become a significant day in the UK calendar of celebrations. In terms of greeting card sales, it’s second only to Christmas.
The tradition of exchanging Valentine gifts is said to have originated in the later middle ages, when it was believed that the 14th February marks the beginning of the mating season for birds – thus the day became associated with love and romance.
There is some doubt about the identity of Saint Valentine and his association with Valentine’s Day. He might have been a Roman priest and Christian martyr, said to have been executed during the persecution inaugurated under Claudius II the Goth; however, there are claims that he might have been Valentine, Bishop of Turni, who was martyred in Rome.
On the 14th February many people will be declaring their love for each other by sending Valentine cards, chocolates, flowers and other gifts. Some will go for a meal, others might even wax lyrical with a little poetry, or pen a billet-doux to their beloved. In these times of emailing and texting I imagine the art of love-letter writing might be on the decline, which is a great pity. What better way to express your love than a personal message to the one who has stolen your heart? The British Library holds the oldest known Valentine’s message written in English – written in 1477 by Margery Brews to her fiancé John Paston. Here are some excerpts from her letter:
Right reverent and worshipful and my right well-beloved valentine, I recommend me unto you full heartedly, desiring to hear of your welfare, which I beseech Almighty God long for to preserve unto his pleasure and your hearts desire…….
For even if you had not half the livelihood that you have, for to do the greatest labour that any woman alive might, I would not forsake you……
My heart me bids evermore to love you truly over all earthly things…..
And I beseech you that this bill be not seen by any non earthly creature save only yourself.
Margery Brews could not have imagined that her very personal Valentine message would one day be available for the whole world to see. Margery and John had their happy ending and were married and had two children.
This Valentine’s Day, why not write the love of your life a letter, or send something personal and unique like a personalized Valentine’s card?
I shall hold my hand up and admit that I don’t know the first thing about flowers, yet they are the things that connect Anita and myself . Thank you flowers, am very grateful. I was thrilled that Anita invited me to write her a guest blog and then spent the next day wondering what it could be about!
Anita suggested blogging, so here it is
In nature everything has it’s place, predators to prevent anyone species running amok and areas of complete beauty where you least expect it. Blogging for me is like that, predatory with unexpected beauty, but everything in it’s place.
I shall explain the predatory part. The internet is used by trillions of people (is trillions even a number? if it’s not, it is now ) and some of them just help themselves to your copy, to your images, to your ideas. Some people will give you credit, others will just pass it off as their own and some are just oblivious to the rules!
So many people start blogging and give up at the first sign of a predator or a perceived predator.
I recall doing so myself. I would visit a forum and there would be another company posting up links to their website, asking for the business and generally making a nuisance of themselves. I didn’t know that wasn’t the way to do things, I assumed mistakenly this was their pond and I was the unwelcome fish in it!
As Qui Gon Jin says “there’s always a bigger fish”.
You cannot avoid doing something because someone else is doing it already. Just because someone else is blogging on your subject, it doesn’t mean you can’t. We all have our own unique flavour, and even if people blog the same topics as I do, they will sound, look and feel different.
I set about finding my own pond and my own places of beauty, and in finding those, I found Anita .
So what do a flower girl and a courier girl possibly have in common (aside from being brunettes with an aversion to having their photos taken?). We have friendship. We visit each others places of beauty and respect what we find. Many bloggers do that too. They visit your blog and look, and if they like they may do a few things
leave a comment
subscribe to your feed
subscribe by email
Share your work on Facebook / Twitter / Bt Tradespace
Social bookmark your post
And it’s your job to make it easier to do these things, it’s making your place of beauty accessible to others. Don’t think that a comment or 27 is the only indicator of it’s popularity, it’s not. Many petals go to make up a flower, many actions make up a blogs readership, some of which are not visible to the naked eye.
If you like this blog, do me a favour and tweet it.
I have always enjoyed making cards from designing cards using various papers and images, using the technique decoupage and my photo greeting cards.
As we offer a bespoke service turning your photos into special greeting cards, I thought this would be an ideal opportunity to talk about how to make your photos extra special and memorable, particularly if it’s for a special occasion, or you need to present a product at it’s best.
It used to be that you needed a very expensive camera to take high quality photos, but now you can even take a great photo on a mobile phone.
As readers of my blog will know, I love flowers and nature. Some ask me how I take my photos, interested in my ‘processes’. I have to say that it’s because I love flowers and the colours and detail. It’s easy in the sense that if I love snowdrops for example, I will want to show them in the best possible light! I will want people who see my photos to see why I love snowdrops showing them the detail, which you may miss ordinarily.
I suggest that you take this thought and apply it to your situation. Instead of the usual stand still and smile at the camera approach, think from a different perspective. We all love photos of children who are laughing for example, fully engaged in a fun activity, focus on the moment, not on what we think makes a good photograph. Natural images are the best! I am not a huge fan of the forced ‘say cheese’ shots, as immediately this puts people in un-natural focus.
If you want to improve your photography technique, choose a subject you already enjoy, this will then help increase your enjoyment and make it easier. Do you have a hobby you could focus on?
Practice and practise. You can read every book and manual out there on what you should do to take a great photo, but in some senses this becomes a very intellectual approach. We all learn from experience, don’t be afraid of taking a bad photo; look at them, why don’t you like that particular photo and what would you do differently next time.
* Take photos in different lights and note down what you like and don’t like. (It’s best not to photograph flowers, objects, people etc… in direct sunlight; you want the image defined in rich colours and detail, not washed out or gaudy.)
* Try a different angle. It’s natural to look at something and think oh that’s nice must take a photo … ask yourself, is this the best place to take the photo?
* Try different heights! This can turn an ordinary photo into a really interesting one. (you can often find me lying / sitting on the floor with my camera)
* Try to frame your image in some way, by leading the eye in to your photo
* Backgrounds are crucial, you don’t want a background that is cluttered and takes away from the overall effect you are trying to achieve. A camera setting of about F5 – 6 will blur your background focusing on your main image.
* Lessen the noise in your picture. A digital camera set at ISO 100 will help.
* Try taking an image with the main focal point off – centre, applying the rule of thirds
* Play and have some fun
If you are taking photos of products rather than flowers or people, for example products for eBay, think through what the product are for. Sometimes when the detail of a product is important it needs to be seen as clearly as possible, a blank canvas and daylight lighting is best. You can buy table top photo cube light tents online from £10.00 (spotted on eBay) with various colour backgrounds; this would be a simple way of showing your products.
From the 16th January to 28th February you can enjoy Wisleys winter garden and gorgeous butterflies! Sounds perfect to me!
There are no extra admission costs, just the usual garden entry price -
£9.50 for adults,
£3.00 for children (6-16)
Children under 6 is free.
For RHS members it is free.
You will see exotic butterflies, this will give you a great opportunity to see these beauties upclose as you learn about them.
This event is open from 10am and closes at 3.45 pm with last entries at 3.30pm ( I would suggest that you arrive as early as possible, as this is a popular event.
Extra family events: –
13th-14th February Make your own grass head butterfly
20th – 21st Create a caterpiller puppet
These are held in the Clore Learning Centre 10am – 3.30pm
been working to expand my range. The below image is an example of the prints available to buy. They would make a lovely Easter or Birthday gift, bringing a touch of nature to your living space.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=66f1a573-a315-4cce-b9b5-b62429edc92e)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=8fd02ada-e61b-4d74-a362-4d32b95690ac)
.jpg "crocuses")
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=08464281-4934-42ff-bac3-b82f5b9d8ea7)
everywhere.
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=7dc4454a-a1c4-4adf-a142-2300776ffaf3)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=a89e2b25-c902-41ff-a3be-074faf413e2c)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=9434a9aa-b4d4-4f55-b8a7-02318c13d235)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=5cab2244-b3bc-45f3-9916-22fe56153ffa)
) and some of them just help themselves to your copy, to your images, to your ideas. Some people will give you credit, others will just pass it off as their own and some are just oblivious to the rules!![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=f42f0dd5-fbdd-4cd6-9947-9689d6a7fddf)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=398bc196-78a0-4a65-8cc3-a2c6b752b787)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=d4b8474c-b0c6-4927-b549-4b766d00ea50)
