It is the second week of March and it is meteorological spring already but it seems nobody has told the snowy weather in England! Therefore, as it has been a while, it seems the perfect timing for a wintry roundup, with lots of sunny day wishes for 2023, from us at Create Display.

It has been a busy season with everyone back in full swing this year, at last. There has been lots of local creative community meetings and exhibitions in Sussex and Hampshire and some exciting artistic events in and around London. Happily, there has also been time for some interior design, writing, painting, making and sewing too.

Some excellent walks at this time of year are a great opportunity for getting out in nature and enjoying the crisp cool light. We are fortunate to live on the Solent coast of England and I have been inspired by both the colourful sunsets and the watercolour pastels of our often-icy countryside.

Here is a recent ‘Warm Light Vibes’ collage painting from my studio which I hope will give you a peaceful feeling. ‘Light, love and good energy will overcome the darkness’ is a theme that applies to our unexpectedly long cold beginning to the year and a lot of things that are happening in the world right now. I am using upcycled paper and Pebeo acrylic paints along with some leftover Dulux interior emulsion for this piece, which is painted on a deep canvas, from our local Hobbycraft.

We are delighted to be able to visit our favourite textile supplier The Eternal Maker at their wonderful new premises in Sidlesham, West Sussex. The Eternal Maker’s smart new barn store is complete with super new studio for classes and makers meet-ups.

I was able to make holiday cards for special people I saw over the holidays. I like to buy simple message charity cards, turn them inside out and ‘wrap’ my own designs on the fronts. This technique works well for crafting all kinds of greetings cards too.

Here I am using a Hewitt Packard colour laser jet professional MFP M477fnw printer and scanner to print my images. I have owned this workhorse for a few years and it is an excellent piece of equipment. I just use PVA glue to carefully layer the cut sections onto cards I have painted with leftover multipurpose decorating paint (B&Q own brand).

This sunset painting on a deep canvas is inspired by the Sussex coastline. My office walls are painted in Dulux ‘natural calico’ paint which is a good neutral background hue for our colourful wall hanging collection. I have really enjoyed having this shoreline picture in my office over the last few weeks to remind us that brighter days are on the way. So, roll on spring!

For more information about interesting art, design and textile related shows follow the links below to these articles and more at https://www.hotenough.com/

We have chosen an area of the garden in a mid century terrace in Hampshire, England which faces west and enjoys lots of sunshine. This design could be scaled up by adding more panels and planters or scaled down by just building one planter with a single trellis panel. This method is suitable for a large property or a small balcony. Alternatively installing a trellis planter of this type at the side or front of a property might make a pretty focal point so a tiny outdoor space can still look special.

How to make the raised planters with trellis back panels

1. Firstly to create both impact and privacy in the garden we have built a high fence at least 2.3 metres high using thick wooden posts to make a large frame. The hardest part of this project was connecting the large OSB panels onto an existing rendered brick wall standing around 1.2 metres high.

2. Using timber posts and a masonry drill we screwed right angled brackets at regular intervals onto both the existing wall and the posts. Then once the structure was ready we screwed the vertical OSB panels closely butted together into place.

3. The outdoor treated timber lengths now support the orientated strand board (OSB) panels to form a large flat wall. We then painted the new textured wooden surface with dark green fence paint from B&Q’s own brand range. It is a good idea to save time by not cutting the OSB boards and securing them in a portrait orientation gives us the height we wanted.

4. The supports for the planters were constructed using thick finished spruce timber from B&Q left over from building our studio cabin. It is important to raise the planters up off the patio to help make the space feel as spacious as possible and allow for drainage when watering. Another benefit is being closer to the flowers to make the most of their beauty and plus it makes watering the plants easier. The durable black plastic containers are from B&Q and are a bargain at £6.30 each.

5. It was easy to fill the planters with fresh soil and pop in the tulip bulbs ready for the warmer weather. We have already grown some climbing clematis and there are more wallflowers planned to continue the vertical planting theme.

6. We attached eight vertical pieces of trellis from Covers to add interest and support climbing plants. We painted the trellis with Cuprinol from B&Q in the country cream colourway to match our new design studio.

Introducing Meditteranean elements throughout the garden

In another area of the garden a simple bamboo lattice is easy to create using twine and bamboo sticks. The bamboo arches from Hillier work really well for supporting growing plants like tomatoes.

In the summer months get ready for guests by adding outdoor furniture and textiles in natural materials. Hang up colourful floral wreaths like these handmade pieces from Create Display to decorate the walls of your continental style entertaining area and compliment the colours of your foliage. Enjoy the delights of al fresco dining with friends in a fresh and neat open air oasis or just some well earned time relaxing outside on the patio.