last minute driftwood inspiration

Really, it's Christmas Eve Eve already?! So it appears I blinked and December went! Got a few beautiful driftwood pieces hanging around the house (oh the joys of living beachside!) so here's a few last minute Christmas Tree thoughts..

Source: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/517773288381039871/
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/217087644507761670/
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/301741243754790067/

christmas aussie style...

...replacing snowflakes with ice lollies!

tis the season to be jolly

Indeed yes it's December ALREADY! Where did the year go I hear you cry?! Well the busy little elves at Lula & Bella have been gluing, sticking and goodie hunting to create some wonderous wrapping ideas just for you! 

With our brown paper and Christmas tags in mind we began gathering any pretty bits and bobs we could get our hands on! Buttons, ribbons, vintage lace, wool, string, beads, foliage and seeds (...Aussie inspired of course...not much holly or
mistletoe round these here parts!).

E voilà..

....Preeeettiness! With an abundance of wool we decided what better thing to create...than a pom pom or two! If you too want to relive your primary school days follow the steps below! And if you like our tags and want some for your own you can find then in our shop! 

Happy wrapping my friends! xx

What you will need to create your pom pom extraordinaire:

* Cardboard

* A compass or two circular items you can trace around

* Wool

* Scissors

* A darning needle (if poss!)

Method:

1) Find a circular object to draw around which is roughly the size of the pom pom you want to make. Draw around it twice on a piece of card. 

2) Place a smaller circular object in the centre of each circle and draw around it. 

3) Cut around the outer circle and cut out the middle leaving you with two donut shaped pieces of card.

4) Cut roughly a 2m length of wool, fold it in half and then half again. Thread your wool through the centre hole and make a lasso around the card to secure it in place.

5) Continue wrapping wool around the cardboard, repeat step 4 until the centre hole is full.

6) When the hole becomes too small to use your fingers continue by using a darning needle.

7) Once finished, insert the scissors between the two pieces of card and cut the wool all the way round.

8) Loop a strand of wool between the two pieces of card and tie it tightly in a double knot.

9) Carefully tear the card donuts to remove them.

10) Ta-daa! A quick trim of any uneven strands and your pom pom is complete!!

ye olde england

Yesterday on a gentle jaunt around the beautiful Lavenham, I came across so many fabulous wreaths, not a fake morsel in sight! Lula x

the twinkly lights of blighty

After 6 years of hot Christmases I'm happy to say I've finally returned to the motherland in search of a mulled wine, mistletoe and mittens! And nothing excites me more at this time of year than donning my winter warmers and venturing out into the bright lights of London. Regent Street, Trafalgar Square, Bond Street and Leicester Square to name but a few all hold twinkly treasures and wonderous windows. In the shadows of the London Eye I came across Southbank's Christmas Market. Another festive delight crammed with wooden chalets selling handmade crafts and yummy food. Oh to be British. London + Christmas = a happy place for me, Merry Christmas everyone! Lula x

is it too early for a mince pie?

We are very excited to introduce our new typographic, hand printed Christmas tags! You can check these out in our shop.

anyone for hand printed tag?

After a cozy day in with tea and cake sketching our Christmas animals we decided to set ourselves a challenge...lets try printing our tags the old fashioned way! Caught up in our constant quest for the idyllic life, we wanted to see whether the satisfaction of handcrafting our goods would outweigh the financial outlay. Just how long would it take us to produce one tag and how much would we have to sell it for to make it worth our while? So the Saturday after we began making our plates and let the printing process begin. 9 rewarding hours later with 18 very beautiful tags printed, the verdict was in...one hand-printed Lula & Bella Christmas animal tag would cost...are you ready...$30! Ahh I hear you sigh. Err yes! 

So it's safe to say that although we had a blast creating them, from now on for the sake of your cash flow, these particular Christmas tags will be lovingly produced...with modern machinery! What can we say? We tried!