From the rugged Scottish Highlands to the flat Fens: my latest bangle collection celebrates the beautiful Sound of Mull

Fabulous friends give you flowers. But it takes a really special mate to handpick and dry your favourite wildflowers and transport them 500 miles.

Luckily for me, I have that one in a million friend. 

The lovely Helen was happy to oblige during her annual trip to see family in the stunning Sound of Mull in the Scottish Highlands.

The stunning Sound of Mull. Picture by Helen Bennion

She gathered a posy of crocosmia, purple loosestrife, sea campion, red campion, red clover, bird's foot trefoil, sea aster, silverweed, valerian, meadowsweet, heather, ferns and moss from her family's property.

Wildflowers and ferns from the Sound of Mull. Picture by Helen Bennion

The delicate foliage was carefully dried before being transported 500 miles or so, from the rugged West Coast of Scotland to the flat Fens in the East of England.

I am so very grateful to Helen for these exquisite blooms! 

They were an absolute delight to put into a variety of bangles, which are now available in my Etsy shop.

The rugged coastline in Helen's photos and the delicate blooms, ferns and moss that are indigenous to this phenomenal coastline remind me of some of the scenery in New Zealand. Considering the climate and Lord of the Rings-esque landscape, this isn't entirely surprising.

The Sound of Mull. Picture by Helen Bennion.

I haven't been to my other home (New Zealand) in five or so years and I miss it terribly. With little sign of the Covid situation improving anytime soon across the globe (NZ being one of the most impressive countries to control its spread), it doesn't look like a visit is imminent in the near future.

I haven't visited Bonny Scotland in many years either. I have fond memories of spending a week or so with my parents and sister in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Loch Lomond when I was a teenager, staying in a family friend's dilapidated cottage in the middle of nowhere!

My last and very fleeting visit to Scotland (still a while ago) was a highlight from my former career as a club journalist: I was sent to Edinburgh and Glasgow to cover the MTV Dancefloor Awards for Club On magazine! What an incredible night that was (not that I remember much of it!).

One day, I plan to visit the Sound of Mull to experience this imposing landscape for myself. Meanwhile, I can look at my bangles and dream...

From journo to jewellery designer...

Aloha!

Not so long ago, I was busy chasing firefighters (not such a bad job as you can imagine!) as the "emergency reporter" for a newspaper in beautiful New Zealand. When I wasn't covering breaking news, I got to try awesome stuff like flying a plane, covering The Lord of the Rings World Premiere and photographing popstars.

Biggles goes flying. Don't be afraid - be very afraid!

It was a great life - but pretty full-on at times - so when I got home after a long day's work, I would chillax by hitting the beach, exploring a nature reserve - or playing with beads and wire. Some of my first efforts were pretty cringe-worthy in retrospect! But as my fabulous former boss was fond of saying, "imagine if there was no failure - only feedback?" Making mistakes and learning from them is all part of the process after all.

Fast forward a few years to March 2011... I was living back in Britain, working in PR and heavily pregnant with my first child. In the past couple of months, we had moved house and I was about to be made redundant as my whole department was being axed by the government. It was a stressful time - but also one of opportunity. Could I turn my passion for making jewellery into a part time job?

That question wouldn't get answered for a while. Cyclone Issy (my baby girl) arrived in a whirlwind, and suddenly, I barely had time to glam up in the morning, let alone make jewellery! But in those hazy moments between getting up for night feeds, I would occasionally dream of gorgeous gemstones, twinkling crystals and luscious pearls... And eventually I found an evening class where I could meet up with fellow bead freaks and exchange ideas! Two hours a week where I could focus on something other than nappies, dribbles and nibbles! Don't get me wrong - motherhood's the best job in the world - but we all need a creative outlet now and again!

How life has changed! But in an awesome way.

These days I'm a mum to a baby and a three-year-old - as well as two fur babies (of the feline kind - adopted from the RSPCA) and 20 odd fish.

The nearest beach is almost an hour away, so I don't get much time to surf! But I've definitely developed my love of jewellery making and incorporate my passion for sun, sea and surf into my pieces. I love mixing up handmade polymer clay beads with gorgeous gemstones, crystals, glass and pearls to make bold, bespoke jewellery.

My Etsy shop name - Tallulah does the Hula - partly stems from my childhood nickname, "Tallulah", given to me by my late grandfather - and reflects my love of surfie couture. (You can also find me on Facebook!)

If I close my eyes, I can almost smell the sea salt, hear the crash of the waves against the rocks, see the sun spreading its welcome rays across the sand...

Do pop by and say g'day! ♥ 

Winner of the silly hat competition!

Queen Elizabeth Park on NZ's Kapiti Coast - a place very dear to my heart.