Happy Friday!

It’s been a verrrry long week. My smallest has just started a new school and it’s been a serious emotional roller coaster. I feel a little bit like I’ve been run over. We have also starting building work at home which is exciting but I didn’t really think about what it would mean; (obviously) a lot of builders, scaffolding, a bright blue ‘Bobs Bogs’ portaloo in the middle of the drive. Dust, noise, heads snapped off tulips, smashed windows and a lot of mess. I’m not very good with mess. I can’t concentrate in it. But, the sun is out. As are my tulips. Which are still bringing so much joy. This week my shares are all about the little things. The little things bringing a lot of joy; bluebells, my teaming garden, a brilliant gradual tanning lotion, summer embroidery and tennis get-up must haves and a new collaboration.

In this week’s dispatch I share what I’m loving this week; bluebell central, gradual tanning, Gap x Victoria Beckham launching today!, tennis get ups, failsafe pretty summer tops and more…

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Love, Willow x

Leave a comment

Garden Update

I don’t think there’s a better time in the garden than now. The tulips, the blossoms, the bluebells. The drifts of frothy cow parsley, the birds in overdrive. The giant milky green towering cardoons; peony heads getting fatter every day. The dahlias warming up in the green house, itching to get outside. The seeds sprouting. And the absolute best bit of all? The Solomon seal - I’ve got 15 about to unfurl!

Embroidered Beauties

Read more

Happy Friday! I hope you’ve had a lovely week. Mine’s been blissfully quiet, mostly pottering about in the greenhouse (more on that saga later!), walking in the bluebells and spending time with the boys, supervising GCSE revision before the new school term kicks off again.

This spring, though, is behaving like it can’t quite make up its mind - one minute it’s winter, the next it’s practically summer; I’m finding it thoroughly discombobulating. It’s also turning getting dressed into a daily guessing game! At one point, I was helicopter-parenting my tulips, desperately trying to shield them from golf ball–sized hailstones and five minutes later, I was back inside reapplying factor 50 like I was on a beach holiday.

Leave a comment

In this week’s dispatch I share what I’m loving this week; my new glasses, the favourite tulips in my garden, what’s going down in the greenhouse, a stripy summery co-ord, the kaftan of dreams & more…

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Love, Willow x

Blind as a Bat!

Read more

I hope you’ve all had a wonderful Easter break. I have been away for a week, staying with friends in the sun which was just what the doctor ordered. A week of proper switching off; no laptop, no school run, no getting in the car full stop; just hanging out with my boys, lots of laughing, lots of chatting… We then came home to more sun and all the tulips flowering and it feels like a whole new world! It’s amazing the difference a week makes isn’t it? How is your garden looking?

Leave a comment

In this week’s dispatch - my new greenhouse update, a skincare saviour, a fabulous holiday read, my summer dress hero & more…

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Love, Willow x

My Greenhouse Update

I have longed for a greenhouse for about ten years and finally, she is here! The boxes were delivered back in January and have been sitting patiently waiting ever since for nice James from the Greenhouse People to come and put it all together. He finished last night and now we have a dark green, 7ft x. 12ft Victorian style vision of a greenhouse sitting in the garden, ready for action. I can’t get my head around the fact that it’s actually here! I am so excited to get in there and start sowing seeds. First on my list is Ammi, Cosmos, Corncockle and zinnias; and warming up my dahlias which I’m a little behind on. If anyone has any greenhouse tips, please do share them!

Leave a comment

Hero Holiday Dress

Read more

Today we’re not not doing the usual dispatch but instead, have a special treat for you from Create Academy - a bonus tutorial lesson to watch for free where I show you my favourite ways to decorate an Easter table plus a 30% discount on both my courses (and in fact all of Create Academy courses) to use this long weekend.

So if you’ve got that spring feeling and urge to create, now might be the time to get started learning a new craft…

Leave a comment

In this week’s dispatch - How to dress your Easter table, an Easter wreath and more bonus tutorials (plus a 30% discount on courses) from my friends at Create Academy…

I hope you have a very happy Easter weekend.

Love, Willow x

My Easter Table

Read more

GET THE LINKS

Top row, left to right:

Linen Striped Trousers
Mini Raffia Bag
Rainbow Embellished Hoop Earrings
Red High Waist Wide Leg Trousers
Denim Blue Shirt
Summer Raffia Belt
Palest Pink Sunglasses
SÉZANE X SEA NY Avery Jacket
Chunky Knit Cotton & Linen Knitted Tank
adidas Originals Silver Samba OG’s
Red Scarf Silk Top
Brown High Wasit Wide Trouser

Read more

top row, left to right:

Meet Clara - a scallop-edged navy linen dream (with trousers!)
Our Kate Trelawny X Willow Crossley stoneware footed bowl
Bikini bead necklace to make spring sing
Perfect legs really are a skin miracle
The raffia basket in my favourite weave
Candy stripes are always a good PJ shout

Willow Loves… (6 more!)

Read more

In this edition, we chat with the divine Milli Proust about her wonderful new book, ‘How Does Your Garden Grow’ and also chat with the super creative and talented cook-turned-cermacist, Kate Trelawny who we’ve just launched a collaboration with this weekend.

Willow Loves this month include stripes and skincare, pyjamas and heels. My flowery tip is my favourite spring centrepiece - a Shell Garden - spilling over with potted paperwhites and muscari. Make one for Easter weekend and add in some snakes head fritillaries and speckled eggs if you can.

Our My Last Supper guest is my friend Hattie Rickards whose fine jewellery is beyond exquisite and has now launched a collection of ‘ready to wear’ pieces to elevate the everyday.

Our edit to Spring Forward are 12 carefully curated pieces I think every wardrobe needs for this season (and next): colour, stripes, denim, raffia, a pop of red and some sparkle too.

Plus there’s garden tips for April and what do visit and look forward to this month.

Wishing you all a very happy month ahead!

With Love,
Willow

*This is my Monthly Free Edition, but every week, I send out emails to my paid subscribers with flowery, fashion, food and wellness content - ideas to inspire, create and nurture. I hope you will join our growing community, we have so much planned this year!

PS. this is a long read so might be best to read in web browser (just in case it cuts off in your email).

Willow Loves

What I’m loving this month…from vases to baskets, stripes and scallops, beads and more…

top row, left to right:

Meet Clara - a scallop-edged navy linen dream (with trousers!)
Our Kate Trelawny X Willow Crossley stoneware footed bowl
Bikini bead necklace to make spring sing
Perfect legs really are a skin miracle
The raffia basket in my favourite weave
Candy stripes are always a good PJ shout

Willow Loves… (6 more!)

(scroll to the end for our paid subscribers)

March Flowery Project - Shell Garden

It couldn’t be easier to create this beautiful spring table centrepiece. You can fill with whatever bulbs you have to hand (I’ve used paperwhites and muscari), and add some speckled eggs for a nod to Easter….

Leave a comment

Spring To It!

12 new season essentials that pack a spring dopamine punch

GET THE LINKS

Top row, left to right:

Linen Striped Trousers
Mini Raffia Bag
Rainbow Embellished Hoop Earrings
Red High Waist Wide Leg Trousers
Denim Blue Shirt
Summer Raffia Belt
Palest Pink Sunglasses
SÉZANE X SEA NY Avery Jacket
Chunky Knit Cotton & Linen Knitted Tank
adidas Originals Silver Samba OG’s
Red Scarf Silk Top
Brown High Wasit Wide Trouser

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Like the reference to the popular traditional nursery rhyme, ‘How Does Your Garden Grow?’, Milli Proust and her latest book carry an air of whimsical nostalgia about seeds to flowers and a love of the land, while at once being relevant for today and inspiring for the future of gardening.

We spent five minutes chatting with Milli about her wonderful new book, the power and pleasure of creativity, biodiversity for beginners, and much more...

Read Now

Leave a comment

Visit MiliProust.Com | Follow @miliproust | Order ‘How Does Your Garden Grow?’

5 minutes with Kate Trelawny

We are very excited to announce our special collaboration with talented British ceramicist, Kate Trelawny this weekend - two beautiful stoneware footed bowl vases that have been hand thrown on the wheel in Kate’s London studio and delicately decorated by hand. I have keenly followed Kate’s work and her story of cook for the fashion crowd turned ceramicist with a cult following. Here we we spent 5 minutes with Kate to find out more about her passion pivot into the world of ceramics…

Read More

Leave a comment

Visit KateTrelawny.Com | Follow @katetrelawnyceramics

My Last Supper

With British jewellery designer, Hattie Rickards

Hattie Rickards is well known for her incredibly beautiful bespoke fine jewellery, and has now created a new collection of ready-to-wear pieces. Wardrobe ICONS are the foundations of a Hattie Rickards Jewellery wardrobe: refined, versatile, and designed to be worn on repeat. Built around the brand’s distinctive use of custom cut natural diamonds against polished gold. Hattie is our My Last Supper guest this month:

What would you have for your last meal on earth? A drink, a starter, a main course and pudding? You never get full and you can be wherever you want in the world…

Drink: A cold glass of manzanilla sherry.

Starter: A whole artichoke with warm melted butter - slow, indulgent, and worth every leaf.

Main: A beautiful charcuterie board - jamón, good cheese, chutneys - the kind of spread where you just keep picking and the conversation never stops.

Pudding: Dark chocolate truffles with a pinch of flaky sea salt.

Setting: A long table under an orange blossom tree in Andalucía, with the people I love most

The Wardrobe ICONS collection, perfect for dining alfresco in Andalucia is available now.

Visit HattieRickards.com | Follow @hattierickardsjewellery

Garden Tips for April 🌱

Tulips, daffodils, and cherry blossoms are usually at their best in April. Patience is also needed as while the frost has usually departed, April showers can be persistent. If your soil is still cold or heavy, wait a bit—working wet soil can ruin its structure.

Here are some jobs I’d recommend this month:

Feed & Mulch
- Add compost or well-rotted manure around plants
- Mulching helps retain moisture and suppress weeds
- Start feeding roses and other hungry plants
Prune & Tidy
- Lightly prune shrubs that flower later in summer (like buddleia)
- Cut back dead growth on perennials
Water Smartly
- April showers help, but containers dry out quickly
- Water early morning or evening to reduce evaporation
Indoors Out
- Harden off plants grown indoors before moving outside
- Protect them if a late frost hits (common in the UK even in April)

April Arts & Culture

What to see, visit & plan this month…

1. Visit Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A

2. Visit Tracey Emin: A Second Life exhibition at the Tate Modern

3. Visit the Lucian Freud Drawing into Painting exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery

4. Go to the David Hockney exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery

5. Go and see the new production of Romeo & Juliet at The Harold Pinter Theatre

6. Don’t miss the Rose Wylie exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts (until 19 April)

7. Plan your Chelsea Flower Show visit in May

PS. Willow Loves (6 more!)

Read more

Read more

Like the reference to the popular traditional nursery rhyme, ‘How Does Your Garden Grow?’, Milli Proust and her latest book carry an air of whimsical nostalgia about seeds to flowers and a love of the land, while at once being relevant for today and inspiring for the future of gardening.

We spent five minutes chatting with Milli about her wonderful new book, the power and pleasure of creativity, biodiversity for beginners, and much more...

When did you first begin your love of flowers and gardening?
I’m sure it must’ve began with my grandmother. Some of my strongest memories are of being in her garden, she would treat plants like companions to greet not things to learn. I grew up in London, so spending time in her pocket of green felt magical. Later, in my early twenties my dad gave me packets of seeds to try on my window boxes and small container on a balcony, and something clicked. I moved out of London at 26 and something clicked, I knew that I wanted to be a grower. Growing things from seed, and watching gardens grow from tiny cuttings and seeds felt astonishing. It’s hard to describe, but there was something in it that allowed me to have a clear sense of who I am, and I’ve been hooked ever since.

.Who did you write ‘How Does Your Garden Grow?’ for?
I was really thinking about the people who were reaching out to me with big, often quite overwhelming questions about gardening, the kind that can stop you from even beginning. A lot of those questions came from people following along with my garden, who wanted to grow but felt unsure where to start, or worried they might get it wrong. My sister became a kind of touchstone while I was writing it. When she started her first garden, she asked the most brilliant, honest questions, the kind that reveal exactly where the gaps in knowledge and confidence lie. I found myself constantly thinking, how can I make this feel simpler, clearer, more possible for her? At the same time, I didn’t want it to only be for complete beginners. I wanted it to be rich with ideas for people who already garden too, those who might want to deepen their practice, experiment more with propagation, or find new inspiration in how they design and use their space. So it sits somewhere between those two places, I hope. It’s for the person standing at the edge of starting, feeling a bit overwhelmed, and for the person already growing, who wants to go further, try more, and keep that sense of curiosity alive.

Have you always been creative?
Creativity has always been a constant thread for me. I grew up in a family where making things was just part of life. My mum went back to university to study painting when my siblings and I were very young, and later became our primary school art teacher. It felt like creativity was simply part of being human.

As well as a gardener, florist, and grower you are a talented writer. What other creative pursuits feed your inspiration and expression?
Writing is a big one, but I also find a lot of creativity in observation, walking, noticing small seasonal shifts, and collecting textures and colours from the landscape. I love to draw and paint, and I do all the illustrations for our Alma Proust seed packets.

In the book you talk about biodiversity and its benefits. For someone just beginning to embrace gardening, can you talk about the benefits and small ways we can all begin to embrace a biodiverse planting?
Biodiversity is really about creating a space that feels alive and interconnected. The more life you can encourage into your space, the better. That might look like planting a wide mix of species, or allowing the natural undulations of the land to remain, so plants with different water needs can find their place.

You’ve recently moved home and garden - how does it feel to be starting again in the garden? Can you tell us more about this new garden chapter?
It feels SO exciting to be starting again equipped with so much more knowledge and experience than the last time I had a chance to start a garden from scratch. There’s a load of humbling going on too; starting again has reminded me of how long everything takes, and how much of gardening is about patience and trust. There’s a real tenderness in these early stages, when nothing is established yet. There’s a lot to do and plant. It feels like the beginning of a new relationship as I’m learning this land, where it’s wet, where it’s dry, all it’s quirks and details.

We love your ‘Windowsill Wednesdays’ on instagram and endlessly inspired by your love of creating with flowers. How do you divide your time between floristry, growing, family, friends, seeds and the time for gardening?
I’m not sure I ever divide it perfectly. It’s more of a constant ebb and flow. I love my work, and I never take it for granted that I get to do what I love.

This year will be a little different. I’m stepping back from some floristry work to focus more on growing, particularly increasing our seed production while maintaining quality. The seasons dictate a lot too, spring is full of sowing and planting, autumn is intense with harvesting and processing seed.

Rex is luckily very into digging, sowing, and planting, so he’s often right there beside me while I work.

In your dream last supper, what would you eat? And who would be at the table?
It would be something abundant and shared, long tables, lots of seasonal dishes, outdoors. Probably more about the atmosphere than the food, but there would be zingy salads, wild rice, roasted vegetables, something cooked over fire. For pudding, ice-cold cherries, peaches and cream, and rhubarb pavlova. The people would be a mix of those I love and those I’ve loved and lost, alongside a few people I admire for their creativity and curiosity.

3 favourite or desert island flowers (or plants)?
Roses, always my favourites.
Sweet peas, for their scent and generosity.
Apple blossom, it reminds my of my husband Ted and his apple obsession.

What does your ideal day entail?
Walking my dogs through the landscape here in West Sussex, a cup of coffee outside, time in the garden with my son, making something with my hands, sharing a meal with people I love, and ending the day feeling like I noticed the small, beautiful things.

Where are you happiest?
In the garden, or anywhere where I can feel close to the natural world. It’s where everything makes the most sense to me.

What would you hope your flowery legacy be?
That I helped people feel like they could grow something, even if they thought they couldn’t. And that I encouraged a deeper connection to the natural world, in a way that feels joyful rather than intimidating.

What’s next for Milli Proust?
More growing, more learning, and hopefully more sharing through writing, seeds, and teaching. We’re trialling another 150 sweet pea varieties this year, and we’d love to work our way through every sweet pea in existence to find the very best. My business partner Paris Alma and I are three years into our breeding work, and we’d love to eventually bring some beautiful new varieties into the world.

Let’s Play Favourites
Season: Early summer when the roses are in first full flush and the wild strawberries are abundant
Flower: Roses, I just can’t get enough
Day of the week: Wednesday, I’m always my most creative
Artist: Cedric Morris
Musician: My husbands band Mumford and Sons (I’m biased)
Era: Now with one foot in the 90’s
Film: I love film, this is almost too hard to answer. My favourite new film is Past Lives.
Scent: Sweet peas
Taste: Tomatoes picked on the vine warmed by the sun
Song: ‘I Could Drive You Crazy’ by Sierra Ferrell - we had it playing at the registry office when we got married last year.
Travel destination: There’s something about a Greek island I will never not love, and so many I still would love to explore
Quote or mantra: Grow something you love

Photography: Éva Németh

Visit MilliProust.Com | Follow @milliproust | Order How Does Your Garden Grow?

Leave a comment

Share

It’s time to perk up the pelargoniums* again! Mine have done pretty well over the winter; they’ve carried on flowering nicely but they are definitely in need of some new soil and some food (tomorite) and they’ll begin to really get going again. If you’re looking to buy some new ones, have a look at Fibrex - they’re pelargonium specialists.

* you might wonder like I once did about the difference between pelargoniums and geraniums. They are very similar (pelargoniums are really a type of geranium) and I adore both but there are subtle differences that just push pelargoniums to the lead in my humble opinion! The primary difference is that geraniums are hardy, herbaceous perennials that survive winter, while pelargoniums are tender, shrubby plants usually grown as annuals (but they are often sold as geraniums in garden centres). Geraniums have symmetrical, five-petal flowers and are often used as shrub or ground cover, whereas pelargoniums have asymmetrical flower clusters (I love uneven rather than even shapes!), woody stems, are often upright, can be trailed or trained and are used more in pots. You cannot beat a pelargonium in a terracotta pot on a windowsill!

Still on theme, Cath Kidston has just bought out a new hand cream ’Number 4’ in her C.Atherley collection. It smells so good - a rose geranium scent which she’s brilliantly matched back to one of my faves pelargoniums, Attar of Roses.

I also love these pelargonium paintings by my very clever Mama, Kate Corbett- Winder.

Leave a comment

We’ve certainly had a little taste of it this week. The sunshine and general spring vibes have changed the energy and it’s contagious. I have been man down with a horrible virus and so has my middle son but we’ve actually had a lovely time together, so silver linings, lying in the sunshine and watching a lot of rugby together. So while it’s been frustrating as there is a lot to do and I wanted to feel the spring in my step, it’s also been a very good lesson in acknowledging a slow down is sometimes simply needed (not my forte!).

On Monday I went to my brother-in-law’s care home to do some flower arranging with the residents. I had such a lovely time. There were plenty of “experts” in the room and a lot of very strong opinions on whose was best!

We created, we laughed, and it all felt a bit chaotic in the best way — just a really happy few hours. A little reminder of how flowers can bring people together, no matter your age.

Leave a comment

In this week’s dispatch - Time to perk up the pelargoniums, Best dressed at the Oscars, In Bloom exhibition, A kitchen pan I’m obsessed with, Charms for Trainers (truly!) & more…

I hope you have a happy, sunny weekend.

Love, Willow x

Perking the Pelargoniums!

It’s time to perk up the pelargoniums* again! Mine have done pretty well over the winter; they’ve carried on flowering nicely but they are definitely in need of some new soil and some food (tomorite) and they’ll begin to really get going again. If you’re looking to buy some new ones, have a look at Fibrex - they’re pelargonium specialists.

* you might wonder like I once did about the difference between pelargoniums and geraniums. They are very similar (pelargoniums are really a type of geranium) and I adore both but there are subtle differences that just push pelargoniums to the lead in my humble opinion! The primary difference is that geraniums are hardy, herbaceous perennials that survive winter, while pelargoniums are tender, shrubby plants usually grown as annuals (but they are often sold as geraniums in garden centres). Geraniums have symmetrical, five-petal flowers and are often used as shrub or ground cover, whereas pelargoniums have asymmetrical flower clusters (I love uneven rather than even shapes!), woody stems, are often upright, can be trailed or trained and are used more in pots. You cannot beat a pelargonium in a terracotta pot on a windowsill!

Still on theme, Cath Kidston has just bought out a new hand cream ’Number 4’ in her C.Atherley collection. It smells so good - a rose geranium scent which she’s brilliantly matched back to one of my faves pelargoniums, Attar of Roses.

I also love these pelargonium paintings by my very clever Mama, Kate Corbett- Winder.

Leave a comment

Read more

All is good here and I think it’s a reminder to check in with each other and ourselves as the news of the world is heavy and worrying right now. It is probably even more important to find little pockets of joy in our every day - flowers or otherwise. Daffodils lining the hedgerows, blossom fringing the roadside, and ladybirds everywhere are some of the little signs of Spring and renewal that are both very life affirming and grounding.

It’s Mother’s Day here in the UK on Sunday. I do hope you’re lucky enough to be with your own mother, be spoiled as a mother or spending time with the mother figures in your life - even if it’s a wonderful video call from afar. Make the time, eat the cake (I’ve shared my favourite ever sponge cake recipe below), ask the questions, take the photos and enjoy! For those missing their mothers, I’m sending so much love.

In this week’s dispatch - Spring supplementing, the birthday presents I have loved and used (including dry leg oil, yes really!), the best cake recipe I always return to, the beauty of Mary Delany’s art (she began aged 72!), a podcast for mother’s day laughs, & more!

I hope you all have a happy weekend.

Love, Willow x

PS. We’re currently offering a full sized scented candle with any purchase in the online shop over £75 so if you’re wishing for a little Spring refresh at home and to stock up on presents, now’s the time (while stocks last)…
Use Code: CANDLESWITHLOVE

Spring time supplements

Read more

Read more

How has your week been? Mine has been quite surreal - enchanting, dreamy, other-worldly even, and I’m not just talking about the sunshine… You see, it’s not every week you’re invited to a Dior show as part of Paris Fashion Week! In fact, it couldn’t be further than my usual week of muddy walks and school runs. It was a whirlwind, almost dream-like escape from the everyday. I find myself thinking: Did that actually happen? Was I really at a Dior show watching all that beauty unfold? Did the sun really shine that brightly? It was magical and I feel so fortunate. A reminder that pausing to appreciate beauty, creativity and art in any of its forms really does inspire, and it certainly put a spring in my step.

While I should have been answering emails and writing my book on the Eurostar, instead, I watched 5 episodes of Love Story back to back. Are you all watching it too? I think we’ve all been long obsessed with the chic of Carolyn Bessette Kennedy and intrigued by their 90s New York ‘love story’ that was so tragically cut short. It’s brilliant so far and I am inspired, as ever, by her chic, polished, refined preppy style so have chosen 14 pieces to ‘get the CBK look’.

My greenhouse has arrived! I still need to get it actually built (harder than I thought as much levelling of ground etc to be done first) but it’s bringing so much joy already. In case you’re inspired by greenhouses too, we’ve got a round up of inspiration and my wish list for what I’ll put in mine, apart from the actual seeds and bulbs!

Colourful spring ballerinas are popping up like new buds everywhere and feel like a welcome, feminine change from boots, loafers, and Birkenstocks. So we’ve rounded up a few to get ready for Spring. Socks optional…

Wishing you a gorgeous weekend!

Love, Willow x

In this week’s dispatch - all the pics from the dreamiest 48 hours in Paris with Dior, Love Story (and general CBK obsessing), Greenhouse dreaming, Colourful ballet flats for Spring, & more!

Paris in the springtime

Read more

I went just this last week and I cannot stop thinking about and replaying the trailer! The romance was off the charts dreamy and I am so inspired by the whole vibe - the fashion and interiors while fantasy in part, still have me wanting to run through the moors with big skirts and boots and decorate my hair with tiny pearls! There’s actually a lot of beautiful fashion and accessories around right now that would be at home on the Wuthering Heights set and we’ve rounded up 16 swoony pieces. Do you think Emily Brontë would approve?

SHOP THE EDIT

Leave a comment

Top row, left to right

Fine faded denim stripes on the perfect spring weekend jacket
Our Loving Cup of dreams (and Mother’s Day dreaming?)
Patch pocket striped fun from La Veste
The perfect red cardigan? I think this is it, Navy Grey
Heart skipping for these pretty pale ballerinas. Imagine with spring skirts!
A super soft sheepskin chair to curl up in and wait for summer

Willow Loves… (6 more!)

(scroll to the end for our paid subscribers)

Read more

March not only signals a new season but has become the month to celebrate women - with International Women’s Day on the 8th and Mother’s Day on the 15th (here in the UK). It’s a good month to pause, acknowledge and celebrate the wonderful women in our lives.

My Willow Loves this month has an unconscious red, blue & white theme (oh and pale pink too!) as I march towards Spring. Plus 6 more loves for paid subscribers at the end. My flowery tip this month is my favourite Spring centrepiece - a ‘Garden in a Glass’ - just so easy and so satisfying! It’s magical. Talking of magic, I went to see Wuthering Heights this week - my goodness, the romance of it all! I can’t stop replaying it in my mind and we’ve found 16 forever fashion pieces inspired by the drama. More magic unfolds as we chat to the totally magical, Beth Taylor - a psychic like no other and we ask her everything we want to know about how she knows so much!

There’s also baking ideas for Mothering Sunday, garden jobs and what to sow this month, plus a mini interview with my mother and me. Finally, we round up things to do or book ahead for this month.

Wishing you all a magnificent month of March with plenty of sunshine (we can but dream) and lots of flowery fun and love all around.

With Love,
Willow

*This is my Monthly Free Edition, but every week, I send out emails to my paid subscribers with flowery, fashion, food and wellness content - ideas to inspire, create and nurture. I hope you will join our growing community, we have so much planned this year!

PS. this is a long read so might be best to read in web browser (just in case it cuts off in your email).

Willow Loves

What I’m loving for early Spring dreaming - blue & white, some very soft pink and bold punches of red. With stripes, of course and a sheepskin chair to curl up on and wait for the warmer days outside…

Top row, left to right

Fine faded denim stripes on the perfect spring weekend jacket
Our Loving Cup of dreams (and Mother’s Day dreaming?)
Patch pocket striped fun from La Veste
The perfect red cardigan? I think this is it, Navy Grey
Heart skipping for these pretty pale ballerinas. Imagine with spring skirts!
A super soft sheepskin chair to curl up in and wait for summer

Willow Loves… (6 more!)

(scroll to the end for our paid subscribers)

March Flowery Trick - a garden in a glass!

Now’s the time to recreate my magical ‘garden in a glass’! It’s one of my favourite flowery tricks for a spring centrepiece. The combination of fine pretty flowers with the glow of candle through glass is simply magical. Create for your next dinner party or ‘just because’ and prepare to impress, even if just yourself as it’s so easy!

Here I’ve used pretty winter and early spring flowers such as snowdrops, muscari, snakeshead fritillary and tulips; but you can be creative and use whatever you like. Try to use flowers that have stems that are malleable enough to train around the inside of the glass vase.

Watch how on my YouTube video here…

Leave a comment

Wuthering Heights!

Oh the drama! Have you seen it? What did you think?

I went just this last week and I cannot stop thinking about and replaying the trailer! The romance was off the charts dreamy and I am so inspired by the whole vibe - the fashion and interiors while fantasy in part, still have me wanting to run through the moors with big skirts and boots and decorate my hair with tiny pearls! There’s actually a lot of beautiful fashion and accessories around right now that would be at home on the Wuthering Heights set and we’ve rounded up 16 swoony pieces. Do you think Emily Brontë would approve?

SHOP THE EDIT

Leave a comment

Mimosa for International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day, is as it sounds, a day for celebrating women. On 8th March, people all over the world spend the day acknowledging women’s biggest achievements as well as raising awareness of the general inequality that still exists. In some places, it’s a day of protest, while in other parts of the world, it’s a less controversial celebration of womanhood.

The first Women’s Day was marked in 1909 in New York, and it swiftly became an annual fixture to hep recognise the social and political struggles faced by women. As well as addressing the political agenda, it’s a day to show women how much we love and respect them, be it your mother, friend, sister, teacher, doctor. As a sign of this love and appreciation, the tradition is to give a bunch of bright yellow mimosa flowers (Acacia dealbata).

The custom of giving mimosa flowers can be traced back to Italy to around 1946, where International Women’s Day is more commonly knowns as Fiesta della Donna. The flowers were intended to be presented as symbolic tokens of respect and appreciation, and all over the country on this day, mimosa flowers are given as a token to women by women from men to women, mothers to daughters, colleague to colleague.

Mimosa flowers were chosen for the fact that a) there’s not much else in flower at that time of year and b) it’s a strong, naturally growing, resilient plant that can weather tough conditions - just like women.

This 8th of March, seek out some of the frothy yellow blooms from your local florist and make someone’s day. Give her a beautiful bunch of mimosa to show her how much she means to you. Not only will you make her feel special and loved, but the act of giving is proven to make us happier and more joyful. It’s a win-win.

An excerpt from The Wild Journal - A Year Of Nurturing Yourself Through Nature by Willow Crossley.

Mother’s Day

It’s Mothering Sunday in just two weeks (15th of March) here in the UK. It’s a wonderful day of the year for those of us that are lucky to be mothers and to celebrate our own, or the mother figures in our lives. But it can also be a very tough day for those missing their mothers. I think however you’re feeling on this day, flowers help. Beauty helps. Being in nature helps. Spreading love in little ways such as hand made cards (with pressed flowers perhaps) or thoughtfully gathered flowers, or cakes baked at home. It’s the little things that nurture our soul whether with loved ones or sadly without.

I am incredibly fortunate to have such a special bond with my own mother, who has taught me so much about everything, including flowers! Her love for gardening and seeing beauty all around has definitely been passed on. I’m yet to see whether her talent for painting might pass down too! But she did give me a beautiful painter’s palette for my birthday so here’s hoping it might start to emerge soon...

Last year, my mother collaborated on a Loving Cup with us and we had some fun answering questions about each other! You can read it here…

READ NOW

Psychic Powers

Beth Taylor, renowned and in demand psychic, has “always struggled to label or articulate what it is that I do.” A psychic, a healer, an energy clearer? “I suppose I’m an intuitive,” she tells us. “A channel and an energy worker and the aim is to release as much density as possible and bring in awareness and supportive frequencies that remind someone of their innate truth.”

Here we chat with the sought after psychic and ask the questions we’ve always wanted! Psychic, healer, energy clearer and higher power channeller, Beth is hard to define, so let’s just say every little thing she does is magic…

READ MORE

Baking Ideas for Mother’s Day

We’ve recently discovered from All Day Cake on Substack and it’s like a virtual all day cake cook along extravaganza. Sophie makes it look easy and the presentation is superb, but she also breaks down recipes so that you have all the support you need. Look through her recipe archive (both free and paid recipes) to get inspired to create some pretty and delicious treats for Mothering Sunday…

Top row, left to right:

Chocolate Viennise Hearts, Apple, Cinnamon & Rose Brioche,
Lemon Drizzle Cookies, Custard Extremes

Blackberry & Pistachio Mini Battenberg, Spiced Financiers.
Coconut & Passionfruit Linzers, Hotel Style Scones

Garden Tips for March 🌱

We’re all itching to get back in the garden and there are jobs we can do to get garden-ready when Spring really shows up. But with the risk of frosts still, we have to protect the tender crops or better still, start them indoors (greenhouse if you’re lucky or on a bright windowsill). Work the soil and get it ready but only when it is dry enough (digging when sodden, which it still is in many parts of the UK, damages the structure of the soil). Be patient and plan your garden with seeds and bulbs indoors first…

Here are some jobs I’d recommend this month:

Garden Ready…

• Clear winter debris — remove fallen leaves, dead plants, and weeds.

• Prune Climbers — cut back climbers such as wisteria and roses if you haven’t already.

• Improve soil — add well-rotted compost or organic matter to borders.

• Mulch borders — lay mulch on flowerbeds to suppress weeds and retain moisture.

• Prepare vegetable beds — dig and fork over soil when not waterlogged.

Flowery Garden Jobs…

• Divide and replant snowdrops and early daffodils once they’ve finished flowering

• Plant out hardy annuals later in the month (if first frost risk has passed)

• Deadhead winter and early spring flowers to encourage more blooms

• Support tall perennials with cane towers before they grow too tall

Planting/Sowing…

In a Greenhouse/ Windowsill Indoors:

• Sweet peas and early annuals such as Dahlias, Begonia and Anemones.

• For vegetable beds, try Tomatoes, Peppers, and Aubergines (in a heated propagator or bright windowsill) and Herbs (Basil, Parsley, Coriander)

• Easiest choices for beginners or if you want simple, reliable success: Cosmos, Calendula, Sweet peas, Sunflowers & Dahlias

March Arts & Culture

What to see, visit & plan this month…

1. Give bunches of mimosa to all the wonderful women you admire on International Women’s Day (8 March)

2. Don’t forget Mother’s Day on 15 March!

3. Watch Wuthering Heights at the cinema before it finishes next week!

4. Book tickets to Schiaparelli: Fashion Becomes Art at the V&A starting 28 March

5. Don’t miss the Marie Antoinette exhibition at the V&A , on until 22 March

6. Watch Love Story - the JFK Jr & Carolyn Bessette Kennedy biopic and ode to 90s New York

7. Visit Tracey Emin: A Second Life exhibition at the Tate Modern

8. Visit the Lucian Freud Drawing into Painting exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery

9. Go to the David Hockney exhibition at the Serpentine Gallery from 12 March

10. Go and see the new production of Romeo & Juliet which opens at The Harold Pinter Theatre on 18 March

11. Visit the Rose Wylie exhibition at The Royal Academy of Arts (until 19 April)

12. Visit the Kate Lowe ‘Wild Solace’ exhibition at Made in the Pewsey Vale, Wiltshire from 6-14 March

13. Visit the Harpsden Court Tulip Festival this month and a Paper Tulip Workshop on 24 and 25 March

14. Countdown to the return of Simpsons On The Strand, reimagined by Jeremy King restaurants which opens this month (taking bookings from 30 March)

15. Plan your Chelsea Flower Show visit in May

16. Celebrate Spring Equinox on March 20 to mark the official start of Spring (remember: clocks move forward an hour)

PS. Willow Loves (6 more!)

Read more

Beth Taylor, renowned and in demand psychic, has “always struggled to label or articulate what it is that I do.” A psychic, a healer, an energy clearer? “I suppose I’m an intuitive,” she tells us. “A channel and an energy worker and the aim is to release as much density as possible and bring in awareness and supportive frequencies that remind someone of their innate truth.”

Sounds good doesn’t it! I found Beth at Bamford Health Club at Daylesford Farm (she’s there on Tuesdays) through a friend’s recommendation, and now see her semi-regularly online. It’s like a gift to myself that keeps on giving - a chance to pause amongst the busyness of life and check in with myself, my energy, my goals (and apparently my angels too). And while it may all seem a little ‘woo woo’ for some, I do believe the magic is there if you’re open to it. If at a cross roads or simply want to explore your energy chakras and unblock new ways of living, Beth might be a wonderful place to start. Her signature approach is grounded, accessible and fun, and ensures psychic sessions leave her clients ‘expanded, enthused, empowered and optimistic about their future path’.

We sat down with Beth to ask some burning questions about how one gets into (or is a bestowed the gift of) psychic healing, what misconceptions there are, what clients are nervous about and the town where she sees actual angels on earth!

When did you first realise you were psychic?

I was always an intuitive child, although it was lovingly dismissed as having an overactive imagination. People would always tell my parents I was an old soul, but it wasn’t until we moved into a haunted house around aged 10, that I found myself having more obvious interactions with spirits. I never really saw anything, as my leading psychic gift is Claircognizance ‘clear knowing’ - so I would just know what was happening in our Regency townhouse.

When it came to humans, friends of the family, etc, my insights about situations were advanced beyond my own understanding.

Do you believe your psychic powers are a gift? Has it been handed to you through family or something entirely separate?

Yes, I really consider it to be a gift and a blessing now. For a while after my (re)awakening it felt more like a curse, as I was trying to gain agency back and put in boundaries, so that I could do simple things like go to the supermarket without becoming exhausted and overwhelmed.

The gift is a dormant legacy on my maternal line, but I would say I’m the first to catch it and run with it, as both my mum and nan have feared their gifts and shut them down.

What are your main pillars of psychic healing?

• Energy clearing & upgrading

• Identifying habits, behaviours & beliefs.

• Channeling insights from the body consciousness, the soul & spirit guides (angels, ascended masters, galactic and elementals).

• Exploring future timelines.

• Multidimensional work.

• Guidance on how to co-create better future outcomes with the universe, with energy mastery and new awareness.

• Whilst I am not a Medium, as such, as an open channel, loved ones who have passed often wish to communicate messages through me (although it is not the intention of the reading).

What’s the biggest misconception about being psychic?

That I know everything! My guides are respectful of people’s privacy and neither I, nor they wish to violate boundaries. Because it’s a relationship with the higher dimensions, it really comes with pure intention, a lot of love and a duty of care.

How do you work on your own boundaries with energy? Are there moments when you deliberately ‘switch off’?

Since my reawakening it has been a constant process of developing boundaries and learning not to jay walk into people’s energetic fields. Those who identify themselves as empathic inadvertently do this all the time, until they gain awareness.

It used to be overwhelming to be confronted with so much energy, and as an open channel, anything with a consciousness is able to communicate with me - when I choose to engage!

I do have lots of practices to keep my energies clear and whilst I occasionally fantasise about what it would feel like to not have constant awareness, I am very grateful for this being my path.

What has been the most rewarding part of your journey?

Now! I love every day and have never felt so fulfilled. I truly have the best clients from all over the world that I see online and at Bamford in the Cotswolds and Cloud Twelve in London. It’s such a privilege to see someone at a soul level and to be allowed into someone’s innermost world.

Your sessions have been described as part psychic, part therapy? How does your energy reading become a two-way therapy session?

I think that’s a great description - particularly for a first appointment.

In honesty, I’ve always struggled to label or articulate what it is that I do! I suppose I’m an intuitive, a channel and an energy worker and the aim is to release as much density as possible and bring in awareness and supportive frequencies that remind someone of their innate truth.

Through the clearance of energy I establish the ongoing holding-patterns (which relate to a person’s habits, behaviours and beliefs) that stem from trauma, woundings and conditioning.

Building on these insights, I then channel wisdom and energetic support to raise their vibration and bring someone to awareness on how they can reach their highest timelines/potential and start to consciously direct their future, instead of passively allowing the subconscious programming to project their reality.

What’s the most surprising place your intuition has interrupted your day?

As I mentioned earlier, I’ve had to become very boundaried to contact, but I willingly receive many downloads whilst in the shower or driving.

There is one exceptional place, a beautiful town called Bewdley, in Worcestershire, where I used to have to take one of my daughters to a craft club, which for me, is like walking into a twilight zone!

My ‘radio dial’ is generally tuned in to higher dimensional consciousnesses (angelic, elemental and galactic), but in this town I see Earth-bound spirits walking freely down the road amongst the living!

What would you reassure people with before embarking on a session with you if they are nervous?

People are generally frightened of hearing bad news. However, because I channel higher dimensional consciousnesses (like our spirit guides), the information I bring through is always with a person’s ‘highest good’ in mind. Neither the guides, nor myself as a conduit have any intention to worry, shock, create drama, disempower or influence a person’s decision-making. We wish to empower with insights from a higher perspective, to enable someone to affect what is within their influence and signpost them to more favourable outcomes.

Do people behave differently around you once they know your gifts?

Yes, sheepishly! I think people believe I not only know about all the skeletons in their closet, but what colour underwear they’re wearing!

Have you ever received information you absolutely didn’t want to know for yourself or a client?

Perhaps in the early days, when my discernment needed fine-tuning! As you’re opening your channel to other realms and dimensions, it’s no different to walking down the street. Some characters you’d trust with your shopping bags, others - not so much! Now my discernment is very sharp indeed.

Have you ever converted a full skeptic?

Skepticism tends to bring about energetic closure. For my gifts at least, it’s like getting blood out of a stone, as they’re not truly consenting to the process (even when they think they are!).

It would also be my ego trying to prove myself, which is not a healthy or responsible motivation and as the consciousnesses I work with aren’t at all interested in fluffing our egos, it’s a fruitless exercise!

However, I do absolutely love it when my clients book their partners and husbands in, who are open-minded skeptics and they have a great experience.

Please tell about your new programme, ’Sovereign Soul’ launching 1st of March… who is this best suited to?

My ‘Sovereign Soul’ programme is for sensitives who are currently feeling a bit stuck in life!

The aim is to elevate levels of self worth and embody a sense of self love, self trust and a readiness to take necessary action towards whatever’s calling your heart and soul forwards - stepping into the version of you that you came here to be, before the imprints of conditioning convinced you otherwise!

Participants will leave the experience with more clarity, purpose, confidence and a greater sense of connection, satisfaction and happiness.

It begins on 1st March, but will remain open to new members until 8th March.

Visit BethTaylorPsychic.Com | Follow @BethTaylorPsychic
Sovereign Soul begins 1st of March

It’s my birthday today! Another year older and actually I do feel a little wiser. A birthday does come around quickly doesn’t it? And a February half term birthday feels quite grounding I suppose you could say! Despite rotating dentist appointments, GCSE revision supervision, muddy sports kit and dodging the rain, I do feel very lucky to be at home with all my boys - dreaming up plans for warmer days en famille and a very exciting collaboration I’m working on for summer!

To share some birthday joy, I’m giving a 20% discount on annual subscriptions to The Seedling until the end of the month (next Saturday, 28 February). I do hope you’ll join us…

In this week’s dispatch - a bumper birthday edition with everything on my birthday wish list and what I’m loving right now (think trainers, jewels, flowers, interiors, books, skincare & more!)…

The Trainers

I got these trainers for my birthday and they are making me so happy. I’m not sure why; I’m not really a leopard print person. But they’re a very gentle, milky leopard. Which I do like. And the laces are a very chic dark green. And they’re a samba which are nice and roomy and squishy.

The Flowers

Read more

I’ve known for a long time that moving my body can change my mood, energy and outlook like nothing else - as can moving from inside to out, stretching my limbs, surrounded by nature. Even after an hour at my screen, I feel the need to move - even if that’s just to get some fresh air - a quick dog walk, a wander into the garden, or star jumps by my desk!

It’s not always easy to find the time and space, particularly in this weather. But the science stacks up - movement is not only a mood shifter but the best anti-aging weapon we have. But what is the best type? Does it have to be hours of cardio or lifting weights or do those little bouts of movement throughout the day add up? I’m not entirely sure of the answer but I know moving my body is the most natural and beneficial way to feeling good now and into the future.

Although we’d all love to have our dairies booked with a variety of consistent exercise each week, it’s not as easy as that in our busy lives. I think it’s about choosing to walk the stairs instead of taking the lift, walking a few blocks instead of taking the underground or getting on a bus, running up the stairs at home, and stretching to your own rhythm. It’s not about 10,000 steps a day or training for marathons (if it is for you though that is fantastic!); it’s about a commitment to moving daily, even if just a little…

I also think half the battle is getting ready. If I am already in walking or work-out friendly attire at the start of the day, it’s so much easier to take the first step! And with athleisure entirely acceptable and rather cool under your coat of choice, there really is no excuse. So here are six items to up my game (the skipping rope has been a great hit so far!) that you might like too…

top row, left to right:

Read more