/ Flower Ideas Blog

25 Inspiring and Positive Quotes To Lift Your Day

14.1.19

25 positive and inspiring quotes which uplift and energise. I love these quotes and hope they lift you up today too! The quotes below include Eleanor Roosevelt, Paulo Coelho, D.H Lawrence and Roald Dahl to name a few of the top 25.

1. Life is ours to be spent, not saved. D.H Lawrence

2. What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail? Robert H. Schuller

3. Everything has beauty but not everyone sees it. Andy Warhol

4. There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve. The fear of failure. Paulo Coelho

5. Bloom where you are planted. Anonymous

6. The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. Eleanor Roosevelt

7. Be your own sunshine to light the way. Kelly Rideout

8. When it rains look for rainbowsfd when it's dark look for stars.

9. Be the energy you want to attract.

10. Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. Muriel Strode

11. Every day may not be good, but there is something good everyday. Anonymous

12. The secret of change is to focus all your energy. Not on fighting the old, but on building the new. Socrates

13. Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.

14. Do small things with great love. Anonymous

15. If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. Roald Dahl

16. Enjoy the little things, as these are the fabric of life. Anonymous

17. A year from now you will wish you had started today. Karen Lamb

18. Dreams don't have deadlines. LL Cool J

19. Sow a little happiness every day and watch it bloom and grow. Kelly Rideout

20. Happiness is the new rich, inner peace is a new success. Health is a new wealth, kindness is the new cool. DKuncovered.com

21. Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. Karim Seddik

22. Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake. Henry David Thoreau

23. I'm going to make everything around me beautiful - that will be my life. Elsie de Wolfe

24. Don't stop until you are proud. Anonymous

25. And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it. Roald Dahl

Inspiring and uplifting quotes help me stay positive and focused, I love recalling my favourites in my mind as and when I need them in different situations. The positive quotes which resonate I believe can also form to be a self-mantra. Focusing the mind and energising when it is needed through the journey. Have a great day!

8.11.18

Swans on the lake

Seed tin and Iceland Poppy

Watering the flower cutting garden - Cosmos

Happiness for me isn't about the big moments in life but about everyday little joys. About small pockets of beauty, calm, creativity or just something personal that makes you slow and enjoy that moment. A coffee first thing, a hug from a loved one, seeing a flower on the way to work.

When these little pockets of time are strung together they can create infectious ways of feeling inspired and looking for the positive in any situation. Seeing the world afresh, where the colours become more vivid and senses open up to possibilities.

Gardening work - watering

Roses in the tin cup

Here are some of my creative joys, which I have created for fun and to keep inspiration flowing. I grow a flower cutting garden which I love and can often be found bare feet in the dirt. For me these are special moments watching, growing and waiting for the bloom.

Gardening Joy

Glorious morning coffee

I also love to play with items in the studio which are normally housed on the shelves and ledges. I love making them come to life in little stories. I hope you like them and can feel the joy. If you do be sure to follow for more on Instagram and sign up to the newsletter.

Handmade craft bags

Creative joy in making

Sweetpea playful creation

Thanks for reading!

Kelly x

All images are copyrighted to Kelly Rideout

9.9.18

One of my favourite outings is to a haberdashery shop or department to view the assortment of colours, textures and prints. By nature I love to collage and make tiny creations by hand and I thought I would share some of these below.

For this style of design I use beautiful fabrics from Liberty London, Cath Kidston, Laura Ashley, Rose and Hubble, Clarke and Clarke, Chatham Glyn and carefully selected vintage fabrics. I like to introduce handmade papers, delicate eye catching trims and other objects to make each unique.

Floral Friends Handmade Fabric Bag Wall Art (includes beautiful Liberty fabrics)

Handmade wall art using the finest fabrics and materials.

Cath Kidston and vintage strawberry bag art.

Creative joy hand making bag art.

Joy in the journey for me is about selecting and arranging the materials before they are handmade. It's the time to create and the moments of joy making the finished artwork.

Handcrafted art minature bags on the studio desk, ready for framing.

Beautiful bundles of fabric all ready to come alive.

Inspired by beach life for minature seaside bag creations.

Inspired by fashion colours and the catwalk for fashion fabric ideas.

These are pieces I have already made but I can also use your own fabrics or colour combinations. For commission pieces please contact me.

Checkout my pinterest for more craft and creative joy, fun inspiration for making at home or buying gifts.

Thank you for reading!

Kelly xox

3.9.18

I have been asked quite a few questions recently so I decided to tell you a little more about me below as my friend and collegue Zoe questioned me.

Where do you live?

Hayling Island (a real island with a bridge to join it to the English mainland. Everytime I drive over the bridge I know I am nearly home surrounded by beautiful sea) in Hampshire UK.

What medium do you use?

Mixed media (Paper, Textiles, Flowers and little treasures I find along the way) and I work on Photoshop, Procreate and Adobe Lightroom mainly.

How do you stay inspired?

I stay inspired by looking around me everyday, keeping my mind open, writing my blog and reading others blogs. I love books and have stacks all around my studio and I grow a cutting flower garden which I use in my designs. That keeps me inspired daily.

What colour combination are you most excited about right now?

I love rustic reds, pinks and a touch of gold right now.

What blog(s) do you read?

I read way too many!

What illustration job would you love to get (your dream job)?

I would love to illustrate my own book Inspired Living Now and a childrens book (already have the outline). Can I also add a range of garden and flower gifts too!

Name something you do in your spare time.

I grow a cutting flower garden, wonder antique shops and vintage shops for little treasures. Play fun and crazy games with my two wild boys and I enjoy tending to my blog https://inspiredliving-now.blogspot.com

What’s your favourite TV show?

My favourite show right now Billions

What is your favourite cake or wine?

White wine in summer and red wine in winter every time.

Do you wear shoes when you do art?

Never, I am always in bare feet unless it is freezing then funky socks is a must! The studio floor is tiled so in winter it gets freezing.

What do you listen to while you work?

Lounge, country, podcasts or something on the radio, depending on my mood.

How do you stay in shape?

I like to go on my bike, swim or gym.

What is your current favourite font?

I have way too many

How do you take your coffee?

Flat white or iced coffee in the summer - lovely!

Favourite Quote

The best way to predict the future is to to create it by Abraham Lincoln

16.7.18

The Lavender Fields at Selborne Hampshire, had an open day yesterday and it was great to visit with the family. A stunning backdrop of colourful fields against the blue sky and fluffy clouds. The blues and subtle shades of the lavender never fail but to impress. It was great to see so many people taking photographs in the fields and simply enjoying themselves. It was also interesting to learn more about the Lavender Fields, the third generation farm and the story behind the farm. What had been farmed before and why they now have wildflowers in the centre of the field. To give the land a rest and to recover before they replant lavender back. Interesting to learn more about local businesses and I loved the bright yellow in the middle of the Lavender so a great visual treat.

Lavender Fields Selbourne Hampshire Uk

Beautiful Blue Lavender

Arctic Snow English Lavender will be a new edition to our garden.

On the visit, it was good to see Rebecca Goff from Blooming Cow Flowers giving a talk and demonstrating hand-tied flower arranging. The flowers and the shop looked so gorgeous and wonderful to know these are now so local. As I tinker with my own cut flower garden out next to the studio it is wonderful to see flower cutting gardens blooming across Britain.

Rebecca Goff - Blooming Cow Flowers

Surrey Beekeepers gave us a great explanation of bees, hives and how queen bees are selected. The children loved asking questions as they had been learning about bees at school this year. He showed us how it looked inside the hive and took time to explain lots of questions we all had about bees. Thank you Surrey Beekeepers, you taught us all something new yesterday.

Surrey Beekeepers - Giving us great information on beekeeping

Lots of fun spotting the ceramic pig smelling lavender, the rat and the lamb on our way into the Lavender Fields. It was a great delight to see Jon Barrett-Danes Ceramics was also located onsite and he was at work painting the spotty pig's feet when we saw him. Lovely to see inside his studio and how the items are stored, hand painted and carefully kiln fired. Be sure to look out for the ceramics around the lavender field as you go in as they are great!

Jon Barrett-Danes Ceramic Pig - Smelling the Lavender

I love to see local and British businesses doing a great job, sometimes it really is the simple pleasures that make the most fun days out and great weekends. It has to be said this visit was followed by a Sunday roast at a local pub so a perfect Sunday with the family. Thank you Lavenderdar Fields, we shall be back and I would recommend if you haven't visited them for an open day before, it is well worth a visit.

8.7.18

These cutting garden flower and women inspiration books are in my studio and the ones I recommend for summer browsing. Perhaps in your garden next to the cutting patch or while on holiday. These scrumptious books are filled with beautiful images, ideas and tips. A wonderful way to while away a few hours and plan the next stage of your garden or building something new.

I have chosen this selection of books with the theme of gardens, women and building something wonderful. Every time I have returned to these books they have offered me something valuable so I hope you may find them of interest too.

Cutting flower garden flower books stack in the studio

Start with In And Out Of The Garden by Sara Midda, a delightful sketchbook of summer days spent raspberries picking, seeing bees, and water colouring images of vegetables. There are poems, verbs and recipes to delight and relish. The illustrations and tiny details in this book mean every time I pick it up I find something new to look at.

In And Out Of The Garden by Sara Midda

Second in my summer flower garden reading stack is Flora Forager but this list is not in a particular order of preference just as I have simply stacked them in the studio. Flora Forager - A Seasonal Journal Collected From Nature is a beautifully illustrated notebook. I use this daily to keep my thoughts together and the images on the page corners are delightful. I do not have the new Art of Flora Forager but it is on my next list of purchases, which I will share soon. I love to follow Bridget Beth Collins on Instagram and you can find her @flora.Forager where she shares her wonderful collection of foraged flower art.

Flora Forager ((Notebook) By Bridget Beth Collins

Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life, the plants that inspired the classic children's tales by Marta McDowell. In the book, you journey along through a year in Beatrix Potters garden where each season you can see what she was growing. Pansies, peas, foxgloves and pink roses along with many old-fashioned English flowers in her home in the Lake District Hill Top Farm. As a travel guide it also offers walks and once my two sons are a little older we shall be off on adventures to find these places. Packed with gardening inspiration, illustrated with Beatrix Potter's work and a travel guide to the Lake District a little gem of a book. Bought for me by my husband Joseph, luckily he knows me very well!

Beatrix Potter in Bolton Gardens holding her pet rabbit, Benjamin Bouncer, 1890. From the book Beatrix Potter's Gardening Life by Marta McDowell

As well as a great source of gardening equipment and tips on the Sarah Raven website, there is also this Cutting Garden Journal, which offers advice for a beautiful year of cut flowers. It helps you keep your plants and cutting garden in good shape from January to December. Each month there are tips and jobs to do that month along with the monthly page to write your own notes. Although I am more of a trial and error gardener myself I do like to scan and pick up little particles of knowledge along the way. Something this book is filled with from arranging flowers, different varieties and a flower of the month section.

Sarah Raven's Cutting Garden Journal

Coming Up Roses isn't a garden book but the name blends and it does go along the theme of women building great things. The Story of setting up Cath Kidston in her own words "When I set up Cath Kidston in a small shop in Holland Park in 1993 I had no idea what a journey the company would take me on." It is a great read for anyone like myself interested in business and how ideas spring into life. It never is so random as you think, or a great flash of lightning like in the movies, I think it is more to do with passion, hard work and perseverance. A lovely book and an easy read, accompanied by vintage and craft inspired pictures.

Cath Kidston Shop Image is taken from Coming Up Roses by Cath Kidston with Sue Chidler

The Cut Flower Patch - grow your own cut flowers all year round by Louise Curley. A handy guide to flowers and plants, aimed more at beginners just starting out with tool lists, what to consider before you start a cutting garden and which plants they would recommend. Pretty flower photography and good information source of lots of plants like Sweet Peas, Love-in-the-mist and many more.

Love-in-the-mist was taken from The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley

Small Space Big ideas are exactly that, it gives creative solutions to small areas with wall planters you can make, small farmyards to plant with children (we tried it and the children loved it!) How to make garden decorations, picture framed planters and lots more. This is for creative gardeners looking for a new project and who likes to try fun ideas out for themselves. The below image taken from the Small Spaces Big Ideas book is one I will be trying out one day and I will show you the results!

Small Space Big Ideas - Create your dream garden on a windowsill, wall, step, staircase, balcony, porch or patio.

The Flower Appreciation Society is a vibrant London Florist now and this is their book and story on everything A to Z of all things floral. A story of two women meeting and growing flowers behind the pub where they worked and first meet. Now they work with well-known brands and hold regular workshops which I intend to visit very soon! I will share pictures and update you on the course after. To look for yourself you can see the Flower Appreciation Society course list. The book has drawn illustrations, fresh styling and just a cool vibe to it.

Illustration from The Flower Appreciation Society by Anna Day and Ellie Jauncey

When the Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden arrived through my door I was super excited, after following Floret Flower Farm on Instagram @floretflower (take a peek on their Instagram feed you won't be disappointed) this book was a must. Packed with the amazing pretty floral photography and the spirit of growing your own. This book has descriptions of amazing flower plants and is sectioned into growing seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter with jobs to do in each. Step guides help you decide on what to plant and how, then when the flowers come, there are guides to making your own flower crowns, flower arranging and cutting guides. This is one book which will be sitting in the studio next to my cutting garden, ready to inspire me for a long time.

Scabiosa Flowered Mix from the Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden

Each of these books has given me insight and joy. I hope you find a quiet moment to savour one or two of these books too. With their mix of gardening, flowers, creative ideas and strong inspiring women, it has and is a pleasure to browse through these, time and time again. Happy summer reading and if you have any thoughts on other books I should look at do let me know.

*This article was written because I believe in these books but links from this post go to affiliates where I receive a small commission on any sales which helps to support this blog.

1.7.18

July in the flower cutting garden outside the studio is blooming wonderfully, with Cosmos 'Blush' Cupcake, Cosmos Daydream, Cosmos bipinnatus 'Click' Cranberries, Sweetpeas, Zinnia 'Gaint' Dahlia, Huge Dahlia's Sunflowers and so much more bursting into flower.

I am so glad now I took the journey last year with my husband Josphe to begin building this flower garden area. The flowers give a constant source of inspiration for my designs and fill our home with fresh flowers in jars everywhere.

The 'Bloom and Grow' designs were handcrafted in the Hayling Island studio and flowers from the garden were used. These designs are styled and captured on the same day to ensure the flowers are at their most vibrant.

As I was planting the cutting garden earlier in the year, the little pots and pretty flowers inspired this collection. I hope the plant designs will make you smile. Coming soon are the new matching greeting cards, to view the newly added flower wall art prints Molly Margaret Shop.

Fresh cut flowers sign - now hangs above the flowers.

Watering in the evening on the cutting garden

Cosmos bipinnatus 'Click' Cranberries

Beautiful purple poppies have appeared and grown within the flowers

Zinnia 'Gaint' Dahlia - Amazing Red!

Sophia Laurhen Painted Metal Chicken - hiding under the Sunflowers

Bright Pink Large Dahlias coming out in full bloom

To keep up to date with the cutting garden, new products, flower farm updates and competitions be sure to sign up for the newsletter here.

15.5.18

Blossom on a blue sky by Molly Margaret Designs.

Little moments, breathing and just going somewhereI feel most alive can help when I want to renergise. Sometimes I need a walk outside, to plan a new adventure or simply think about being extra kind. Enjoying life more doesn't have to take huge amounts of time or money but little ideas each day can make it more enjoyable. Some of the best ideas for being 'More You' can be really simply. I decided to share what I use in the guide below, I hope you find them useful or perhaps you may make your own?

I do hope they bring you some calm and thought time to reflect and feel inspired, ready to enjoy whatever may lay ahead.

Ten simple steps to feel inspired everyday, this is your guide to daily inspiration to help you find beauty in little moments and uplifting ideas. Feel encouraged after reading this new guide and plan your own steps.

Includes, motivational quotes, handmade images and inspiring photographs. - Be more you!

Flower Ideas Blog

SLIDER

25 Inspiring and Positive Quotes To Lift Your Day

14.1.19

Creative Joy! Isn't About The Big Moments In Life

8.11.18

Handmade Bag Craft For Your Home

9.9.18

Designer Kelly Rideout Takes Questions With Zoe

3.9.18

Inspiration at The Lavender Fields and Cutting Garden Selborne Hampshire

16.7.18

Cutting Garden Flower Books Summer Reading

8.7.18

Flower Cutting Garden Design Inspiration

1.7.18

10 Steps To Positive Living Now - Be More You!

15.5.18