A walk in the woods – Olly and Mills

It started with a walk in the woods with my daughter last Winter; on a Bright Winter’s Morning we set out into our woods to walk the dogs and enjoy our surroundings, then in March I was contacted by a lovely girl called Lucy who has a lovely Etsy shop called Olly and Mills.

She was incredibly kind about my Instagram feed and said that she had seen the photo below and wanted to create a wall hanging for me. The sketch she sent me in the first instant was so lovely, I replied saying that I would love to be gifted a piece of her work.

Original photo from previous blog post.

As the weeks went by I received regular updates, and as things progressed, I knew that I would want to share her work on my blog. In the years that I have been writing this blog and working on Instagram, I have been gifted many things, and there are items that are gifted to me that I like, then there are those, like this piece, that are given to me which I simply feel the need to share, as they are created with such skill, careful attention and the detail of the work involved, I simply couldn’t not share her work.

Lucy of Olly and Mills works in collaboration with her customers, creating wonderfully unique pieces for nurseries, wedding gifts or just special presents for your home.

An initial sketch was worked on and from that moment on and I have to say, I didn’t ever feel the need to change anything Lucy sent me, as she created a beautifully put together composition. You can see a few of the progress photos that were sent to me over the course of the design and creation at the end of this post.

The design did change a few times in terms of the placement of the figure and/or one of the dogs; we then discussed whether more foliage should be added towards the end to give a bit more depth and balance. The only one piece of detail I did ask for, was for our woodland fairy doors to be included, which was done in the most beautiful detail.

Each personalised piece is created using a mix of materials and techniques (depending on the design) which can include fabric painting, embroidery, machine sewing, appliqué using pens, glitter, wool, tapestry wool, linen canvas, polythene, felt, embroidery silks, cottons, ribbon and cords. Most of the materials used in Olly and Mills work is recycled from old garments which Lucy likes to give a “second lease of life” in the wall hangings she creates for customers.

Once the piece was finished, the work is turned into a wall hanging with a beautiful fabric backing, it is then supplied with all you need to hang it; I had plenty of sticks, so I just asked for the cord and hung it from a stick that I thought had plenty of character!

Plenty of notice is required prior to a personalised design if the customer has a specific date in mind, and price is very much dependent on the detail required.

This isn’t a sponsored post, nor is it an advert, this is a post shared with my readers simply because I was not only incredibly touched by Lucy’s kind offer to gift me a piece of her work, but I was also completely blown away at every stage of the process.

I would recommend Olly and Mills to anyone looking for something truly unique to give to someone as a special present, or if you want something for yourself to mark a special moment. The beautiful fabric wall art that Lucy made for us, now hangs over our daughter’s bed, it will no doubt be something that we not only treasure as parents, but she too will treasure and keep her whole life, undoubtably one of the most beautiful gifts I have ever had the pleasure of receiving thanks to creating this blog and my Instagram feed.

Thank you so much Lucy, we couldn’t be happier with your work… it’s just so magical and will always remind us and our daughter of a carefree morning in the woods.

Progress images from Olly and Mills:

For more information or to buy, visit Olly and Mills.

Please Note: I have not been paid for this post, although I received a gifted wall hanging, no review was asked for. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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