Zoe Brewer, Lower Mill, logs and beavers...

So remember a while back when I gave you some sneaky peeks of a job I was doing? (Its here if you didn't). Well I can finally tell you all about it, so no more guessing games...

Back at the end of January I started working for Zoe Brewer, a very talented lady who has worked her way across television and styling to now owning her own interior design business My Interior Stylist.

Meeting with Zoe was probably one of my favourite interviews ever. We met at her house where not only did I meet Zoe and get a good look at her pink themed kitchen, but also her cute new kitten and lovely dog Suzie joined us.

I was brought on board to assist Zoe with some interior makes for a big interiors project with Lower Mill Estate located in the Cotswold. Ill explain more about Lower Mill in my next few posts as its such a beautiful place I wouldn’t want it to just be a short paragraph.

So interior makes. Looking over Zoe’s great mood boards on our first meeting that you can see her explain here. I got a very detailed look at what she wanted to achieve with the project and also what she wanted from me.

Zoe had a great idea to use materials from the land around the estate, most predominately been logs.

Together using pinterest we were able to see how others had used logs within the home, from tables, seats to interior features. Zoe had some great pins, that you can see here, which also inspired my own collection for inspiration that you can see here. Using these images I was able to get an idea of what she wanted.

So I got to work on some testers….

So my first testers started out as a Christmas tree, which if like me you hate to see Christmas trees in with the rest of Christmas rubbish, this is a good idea for the future. 

Using a hand saw I stripped the bark of all the branches and sanded it down. I used a electric sander, (kindly handed down to me from my dad) but using paper sand paper would work, just watch your hands.

After that I cut the log into three sections, all different in height for variance.  I sanded down each end to remove any sharp edges and also to expose the gorgeous tree rings.

Once all sanded, I gave them a coating of white paint then choose some neutral colours to paint them. This way they would work within any colour scheme, especially within the interiors of the Lower Mill project.

As the bark was small and probably wouldn't make much of a seat or table, I decided to present these as church candle stands.

The second set of testers I went on the look out for some larger logs, finding some in the local park.

Here I am getting started on the stripping down or the bark and cutting the edges off.

(Cheese!!)

So once cut down to size, exactly the same process as above.

At this size they can easily be used as a seat or a table to rest your drink. When not been used, they just add a bit of colour to the garden. 

These testers where not actually used for the Lower Mill project. The estate actually had onsite logs that during the project where painted and used for the apartments. Not only was there logs similar to above but Lower Mill actually has a family of beavers and logs that had been artistically gnawed by the beavers. Animal lover like me, have a read about the beavers here.

So because the testers weren't needed for the project I got to keep them! They now sit pride place in my new home, the smaller ones lighting up the living room at night when we're trying to save money on electric and the larger for when we have summer garden parties, like below...

Can you see them? I know, I know, not great pictures but I think these guys appreciated them.

Thanks for reading everyone and I will tell you more about this project soon!

Elle xx

'Making a house, a home...' Part 1

Give a girl a week off and she will make things. Maybe not so much the popular quote but, the past week iv been off work so instead of planning a range of things or sitting on the couch watching Nashville on 4OD (anyone else love it?!!) I began making a range of things for our new place.

So I came over a bit crafty at first. In our new place the living room is a bit bigger then what we had before, with rather high ceilings making it feel not so cosy and, this might sound silly, but too tall. So the solution? Nope not heating, nope not lighting but a Pom Pom garland! Makes it feel so much more cosy J

How do you make a pom pom garland i hear you ask? Well sadly i didn't do a step by step picture guide, as its to bloody easy! But... Wrap your wool around something, i.e fingers, a salad fork. Once your at your desired thickness wrap around a string of same colour wool across the loops after youve taken it of the wrapping object, then cut through the loops, voila!! 

Then use string, yarn what tying the poms-poms inside knots along the way. 

Iv chosen purples and reds for the living room, so this is my start at getting them pops of colour in, plus a few Ikea treats. 

With the Mr Sun deciding to show his face finally, I could get in the garden like said in my last post, my task, to make us a little bench. Below you can see my inspiration and the final product.

Iv got a lot more things im putting together that as soon as they are done, ill let you know!

Showing you reds and purples do go!

POM POMS!!!!!!!!!!

Bench Ideas

The real deal...

Thanks for reading everyone :)

more cake pops please!!!

So excited to be working with the lovely Pippa Jameson again. The project is for a children's party food book, so lots of delicious food and cake pops. Obviously cant say too much now, but, she explains a little bit more here. 

Assisting on this shoot has got me excited about using my garden space in my new house! Its got me thinking about making how to make it a party space and a relaxing space, with food as the main culprit, also the wishful thinking for some sun! 

So heres some photos of my own food from the past (not styled so much but will be on the menu), along with some inspirational shots for this summer.

Oh and heres a little taster of what was shot and what i had to eat today....

more cupcakes please!!

my food...

summer please hurry up so we can do all this...

bbq satay chicken

sandwich and crisp holder idea

halloumin kebabs, my fav

sweet potato burger
mmmmmmmmmmmm

bbq veggies

bbq prawns with pesto dip

bbq fish

hay bales, candle, blankets, cushions, wooden seats, i could go on....

Thanks for reading guys! Hopefully be updating soon with some actual work when it has been released!