Ella’s Edit – Ella's Place

Posted on June 6, 2019July 21, 2019 by ellajohnston12

Prints in Cafe Saison

In June I showcased some new work in this most beautiful of venues as Colchester Makerspace’s ‘Maker of the Month’.

This is a soft launch of a new body of work for me and a new creative direction. The small-scale show displays my ink on sumi and watercolour paper work. My pen and Japanese calligraphy drawings are shown as A5 limited edition giclée prints on archival paper, created specifically for the venue.

I’ve often talked on this blog about desire to celebrate simplicity and my experiments with ink. This work simply marks a point in time for this on-going project. I’m really enjoying the experimentation process while using different kinds of paper with various mark-making tools using ink.

I am currently obsessed with working ink over sumi paper. I love the fact that you have to work fairly quickly with sumi paper as it immediately absorbs the ink. You have to think fast when you make your mark. I’m also intrigued by the difference that work on this rice paper has in comparison to ink drawings made on high quality hot and cold-pressed waterscolour paper. Both in the final finish and the actual working process.

You can take a look at how I created one of these pieces in the video below…

Posted on October 19, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Ella’s Edit: Sea-inspired buys

Seahorse ornaments www.tch.net/ — Seahorse ornaments, The Contemporary Home

Have you noticed how dark it’s got recently? I quite like autumn but this has come as s shock even to me so I’m lighting in my mood with these sea-side themed buys from The Contemporary Home.

Large Ceramic Shells www.tch.net/ — Large Ceramic ShellsThe Contemporary Home

These delightful oversized ceramic sea shells and seahorses have not only kept a little bit of summer in my heart but they’ve also saved my bathroom look during its ‘transitional phase’. We’ve getting it decorated in the new year and I wanted something to brighten it up in the short term.

I’ve teamed them with some real items scavenged from the beaches of Great Britain to give the smallest room in the house a bit of life. Who knows where they’ll live when my bathroom is complete – watch this space!

Posted on October 4, 2017October 2, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Pick of the Pins: Lucy Tiffney Mural

I’ve been itching to share this pick of my pins this week. Lucy Tiffney’s murals are a constant inspiration but this particular illustration created for Care UK, Oxford really impressed.

I think this example exemplifies Lucy’s illustrative style; simple, structural and striking. It communicates the essence flowing energy and lightness of the plant’s leaves contrasted with the weight of the pot. Her colour choice is always spot-on and her simple composition is one to be admired and taken note of. She has inspired me to explore some large scale work of my own.

See more of Lucy Tiffney’s work on the following channels…

Instagram: @lucytiffney

Website: lucytiffney.com

Posted on May 15, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Monday Moodboard #mondaymotivation – House plants

What better way to brighten up this dull Monday than with a plethora of house plants for this week’s moodboard?

Last week I noticed that the first 17 pictures (I know I counted them) from the people I follow on instagram were of house plants. These images particularly showed off the gorgeous greenery against cream, light grey or blush pink walls. Why not? Lush green leaves are a thing of beauty both indoors and out so I’m all for the botanical house plant trend and for bringing nature’s beauty into every aspect of our lives – even our bathrooms.

I’m even cultivating some monstera plants of my own with varying degrees of success; here’s my efforts so far…

True to form I’m turning this current obsession into illustration too with Monstera watercolours on a blush pink background selling as prints on Not On The High Street, Etsy and Folksy.

Posted on March 28, 2017March 27, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Home hack: Lovely everlasting botanical display

An everlasting display is a lovely thing plus a cheap and easy home hack to boot.

Regular visitors to Ella’s place know how much I love creating floral displays – they are a lovely way to give the place a refresh without costing you a fortune. Plus I think it’s important to bring elements of nature into your home.

Eucalyptus and thistles are great to buy fresh and then let them dry in the house. The make a lovely permanent arrangement as they fade into silvery tones and provide a lovely structured display.Last summer I also gathered spent allium and poppy heads from the garden to decorate our spaces. Again, the faded hues and structured shape look really effective all year round.

Posted on March 24, 2017March 27, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Spring finds from The Contemporary Home

Naturally Beautiful Range of Products from £4.00

This is my first of four monthly posts for The Contemporary Home. When I worked on magazines, me and the team were for ever trying to get TCH products into our shoots as they always hit the spot in terms of trends and the photography is just delightful as you can see.

I thought I’d kick these posts off with my favourite buys for spring.

As regular readers of this blog will know I am very fond of displaying fresh flowers; some as big arrangements, others in little posies. So the jade vase above and set of clear glass receptacles are ideal for me. That jade colour is a lovely neutral, one I can see on my dining room in fact (hmmm). I’m also a big fan of those little bud containers in the very top image – they look so lovely when grouped together.

Dear friends of Ella’s Place will also be aware of my obsession with natural forms and a cheeky tea light. This artichoke tea light holder combines both – isn’t it cute? And it ties in with the Pantone Colour of the Year Greenery.

Now I don’t normally decorate the place for Easter but I couldn’t resist highlighting the image below. This daisy garland is really pretty and would make an adorable centre piece for a stylish egg-themed party.

Visit The Contemporary Home Website for more seasonal home ideas.

Posted on March 15, 2017March 7, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Display ideas: One colour blooms

Want a really effective flower display? Try an arrangement of one colour blooms.

I personally love my simple posy of cream gerberas, ranunculus and mini pom-pom blossoms with gorgeous green foliage. The simple overall look appears effortless (it was really) but stylish, especially when combined with my retro charity shop jug

Posted on March 9, 2017March 7, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Give a new build character

We live in a new build house (well it’s 10 years old – we’ve been there five). While we love the lack of building work and fighting with fittings, one of the biggest challenges of living in a new build home is to give the place some character and life.

We didn’t want to add architectural features that aren’t there – we wouldn’t feel comfortable about that – but there are simple ways to make the place look more established. The easiest place to start is with the floor and the walls.

We got rid of our standard issue new-build magnolia and gave our walls a classic clean, white and grey paint job. In the lounge we got rid of our fake fireplace and laid an oak floor stained black in our new build town-house and overlaid it with a traditional Persian rug.

You can give your bathrooms and kitchens a similar treatment. These blue Vecchio Floreale tiles are perfect for giving a modern home a vintage touch.

Walls and Floors have just launched their Vecchio Floreale Indigo Tiles. These durable ceramic tiles are suitable for use on both wall and floor spaces. They have a vintage pattern in blue and white tones, with an aged design, which is ideal for injecting personality into a bathroom, kitchen, hallway or living area. These tiles can be used to create a statement floor or feature wall.

The tiles measure 330 x 330 x 9.5mm and have a nice matt finish. They cost £29.95 per square metre. You can get hold of these and more vintage-style designs at the Walls and Floors website.

Posted on March 1, 2017February 27, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Daffodils! Hello Spring!

This time of year is so precious. Spring is coming and cheap posies of daffodils are in the shops. When these blooms are in abundance I buy two bunches every week for an instant hit of natural colour in my home. Unless I cut something from my garden, my floral displays are never usually that cheap.

By the way, the vase was given to me by my mum and dad who found these vintage Horlicks jars at an antique auction. It’s one of my favourite vases for displaying blooms.

Posted on February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 by ellajohnston12

Antelope in a leotard!

Yeah, here’s an antelope in a leotard. What of it?

I picked up this wooden antelope ages ago for 50p and, while I love it, this guy was looking a bit tatty and old. Then I saw a great craft project idea from Handsome Vintage who upcycles retro wooden creatures and pimps them up to make them ‘hipster’. Handsome Vintage has a wonderful collection of hand-painted pieces with intricate patterns and bright colours – it’s such a bright and original revamp idea so I thought I’d give it a go with my little guy.
I sanded old Andy the Antelope down (there’s another Ella’s Menagerie back story post due soon – Andy has an amazing tale to tell) and gave him a paint with bright yellow acrylic paint. Then I used a white posca pen to give the leotard a 1980s-inspired pattern. I gave him a spray of varnish too so his ‘tard stays in place.
Unlike Handsome Vintage, I have no intention of selling Andy. He has now become a firm favourite in our house, beloved particularly by Dr B of all people. I’m now obviously on the hunt for other charity shop animals (wooden or ceramic) that I can give similar treatments to. And, once she’s back from maternity leave, may purchase some brothers and sisters from HV.