Head for the hills of heather

September always marks the heather season for me, and I'm usually found high in the mountains searching amongst the beautiful purple haze to find the best sprigs for my botanical collection. Bell heather is my favourite type due to its rich and vibrant colour and dainty bell-shaped blooms. 

Heather thrives in dry acidic soils, and grows in profusion on moorlands and mountain sides. Over the centuries it has been used in numerous ways; from bedding, brooms, basketry to roof thatching. It's aromatic buds were also used to flavour beer and provide a sweet floral aroma to honey. For me, it is a much loved staple of my collection and is used in two core pieces; My Wild Irish Heart necklace and earrings. Both pieces capture the wild and natural beauty of the Irish landscape at this magical time of the year, and preserve the rich eternal charm of the heather forever. 

Flower foraging in the garden

The days are long and busy in the Lost Forest studio, so any opportunity to escape into the sunny garden for a breath of sweet summer air is essential to restore calm and ease the mind. Today, I gathered a pretty selection of blooms that were tumbling out of their pots and were prime for picking. 

I snipped tiny bouquets of Forget-me-not (Myosotis arvensis), its larger counterpart; Chinese Forget-me-not (Cynoglossum amiable), beautiful fluffy umbels of chocolate Queen Anne's Lace (Dara ammi) and purple corn cockles (Agrostemma githago).  I always find this stage of the process in my jewellery making to be the most relaxing and therapeutic. It certainly beats the sanding stage; the less said about that the better! I could happily pick and press flowers all day long.