Indulge your senses and embrace the outdoors with these four, fun summer flower crafts that everyone can enjoy

Nature bursts to life in summer, and is abundant with colour, texture, and fragrance – a sensory delight. We can harness this power to awaken all our senses through crafting with flowers, and children will love to join in!

Here, we look at four beautiful, summer flower crafts that celebrate the season, and make the most of fallen flowers.

Secret Messages

Did you know that you can write secret messages with dandelions? The trick is that dandelion stems contain sap. This is clear while it’s wet, but turns brown when it dries, so you can use it to write secret messages.

You will need:

• A dandelion
• A piece of paper

Method:

1. Pick a dandelion flower at the base of the stalk, where it meets the plant. You should be able to see sap at the end of the stem.
2. Hold the stalk like a pencil, and use the sap end to write your message on a piece of paper.
3. If your sap runs out, snap a little bit of the stem off. The new end will have more sap on it.
4. Your paper will look blank at first, but once the sap dries your message will be revealed!

Flower crowns

Flower crowns are a thing of beauty, and as lovely to wear as they are fun to make.

You will need:

• Flowers with long stems
• Leafy foliage, such as ivy
• A pre-made natural willow twig wreath (optional)

Method:

1. Start with two long-stemmed flowers. Give them a dip in fresh water so they will last longer. Make a slit in the stem of one with your thumbnail, and thread the other stem through.
2. Keep threading through foliage or flowers until you have a piece that’s long enough to fit around your head, then knot or twist the ends together to make a circle.
3. Once you have your basic circle, you can weave more flowers, leaves, and treasures of nature into it.
4. For an easier flower crown, use a pre-made natural willow twig wreath, and simply tuck your flowers and foliage into it.

Hapa Zome

Hapa Zome is a traditional Japanese art of ‘bashing’ flowers and leaves into fabric, so thei

Do you want to start a yoga practice, but have no idea where to begin? We ask Hannah Barrett, one of the UK’s leading online yoga and meditation teachers, some common questions

Hi Hannah, what are some of the benefits of yoga?

Yoga has a host of benefits, including reduced stress and anxiety, increased strength, flexibility and mobility, enhanced self-awareness, and improved sleep quality and immunity.

Is yoga good for mental health?

Yoga is a holistic way of life, nurturing both physical and mental health.

It teaches us connection and gives us the opportunity to study ourselves both on and off the yoga mat. Yoga invites us to tune inwards, giving us space to reflect on our behaviours, beliefs, habits, and practices. Over time, it helps us connect with who we are, our values and what’s working and not working in our life.

What beginner yoga poses would you recommend?

One of my favourite poses when I was starting out in my yoga practice was child’s pose as it gave me a moment of calm and quiet and allowed me to really connect with my breath. I also loved warrior III and downward-facing dog. Both of these poses are excellent for creating strength, length, focus and stamina.

Starting a yoga practice:

Do I need a yoga block?

A yoga block can be really helpful for beginners, however, there are other ways to modify your practice if you don’t have access to a block, including cushions and rolled-up blankets. And if you haven't got a strap, you can use a dressing gown tie.

Do I need to be super flexible?

Yoga is about mindful movement linked to the breath. The physical postures are designed to purify the body and provide strength, flexibility, mobility and stamina. It’s completely OK if you can’t touch your toes; you’re still performing a forward fold! Flexibility comes over time as a by-product of yoga, not as a requirement.

What if I’m not strong enough?

Like with flexibility, you will build strength over time with a regular yoga practice. Pretty much every posture can be modified to suit your body and level so please don’t let a lack of strength put you off. In my new book Yoga Happy, it was really important to me that the flows within the book were accessible to all. I include a detailed appendix including ways to modify each posture to suit what you need.

Yoga Happy by Hannah Barrett (Quadrille, £20) is available in all good bookshops. Follow Hannah on Instagram, and YouTube or visit her website hannahbarrettyoga.com.

Read more

Taking care of yourself and finding a moment for mindfulness isn’t always easy, even for those who’ve practised it for years. Here, columnist Grace Victory shares her own struggles to refill her cup, and offers four simple ways to bring mindfulness into your everyday life – even when it’s tough

It’s actually ironic that I’m sitting here writing this piece when my own everyday mindfulness practices are the worst they’ve been in years.

I just can’t seem to find my flow or motivation. Life is full-on right now, with big personal things (and some professional), so I know I need to find pockets of peace to benefit my overall health, but it just feels too hard.

I barely get a chance to pee by myself at the moment, and any ‘alone time’ I’m lucky enough to find, I sleep, put on some washing, or cry due to feeling stressed. It’s a vicious cycle I’ve been in for a while, and I guess potentially the result of prioritising the wrong things and giving too much of myself to everyone – except myself.

I know this, yet I’m still here?!

I know the washing can wait, the vacuuming doesn’t have to be done right now, and I can cancel dinner for the second time with my friend because my toddler is teething, but the shame and lack of control over my life takes over.

Maybe a part of me still wants to have it all. Maybe a part of me is still grieving pieces of my life before I became a parent. Maybe a part of me wants to be a little bit more selfish, but recognises just how much her tiny human needs her.

I’m mindful of my thought patterns right now. They are darker than usual, and, if I’m honest, I spend a lot of my days trying not to spiral into a black hole that I don’t have the energy to crawl back out of. Previously, I relied heavily on rituals and spiritual practices that kept me grounded and afloat at the same time, but lately… I can’t seem to grasp them (mainly due to a lack of time, and mental and physical capacity).

The healing treatments, holistic methods, and wholesome things I used to do just don’t feel like ‘me’ any more. There’s a disconnect from the way I used to practise mindfulness and, all in all, I am struggling – and I’m saying this in the hope that someone else reading this month’s column will be able to relate, and maybe feel less alone? Because writing this, I too, feel extremely alone.

Not to be a total Debbie Downer though, I have mustered up the strength to put together four small-but-mighty ways we (together) can practise mindfulness in our everyday lives. Whether you’re a tired single parent, a stressed out university student, or a person who has yet to find their way with mindfulness, I hope this list helps in some way, and can be applied to your own lives.

1. Take 10 big, deep breaths when youȁ

Social media can seem like a drab place at times, but there are spots of positivity to be found

Most of us are familiar with the difficult side of social media. Whether that be all-hour access to bad news, furious arguments in comment sections, comparison traps, body shaming, or even cyberbullying, these once exciting technological platforms have started to lose their shine a bit.

Though, of course, there is another side. New research from Sky Mobile has found that one in three Brits actively seek out positive content on social media, with each of us spending on average two hours a day searching for uplifting content.

The study found the most popular sources of positivity included animal videos and memes, and posts describing random acts of kindness. Following closely behind was light-hearted ‘when things go wrong’ videos, travel or holiday photos, childhood TV clips, and British pop culture.

“What we consume online impacts how we feel. Even small positive mood boosts can make a difference,” says positive psychology expert Vanessa Kind. “And these don’t just feel good, science shows these can add up – for example helping us be more open to others, more flexible in our thinking, better at creative problem solving.”

• How online communities help us access support
• How to use Instagram stories to combat social anxiety
• How to keep kids safe when sharing online
• Is social media affecting my relationship?
• How to take care of yourself online

45% of respondents agree that when they view positive and inspiring posts online, their mood was boosted for the day – and the research found that Brits love to spread that positivity, with 19% going on to share the posts with friends or family.

“Connecting constructively with people we care about and doing kind things for others are important for everyone’s happiness and wellbeing,” Vanessa continues. “Showing we are thinking of others and sharing positive content online that we think loved ones will enjoy or find uplifting contributes to this.”

While the findings suggest that many of us are actively seeking out positivity, there are many things that you can do to try to create a happier social media feed, to begin with. You can schedule regular tidy-ups of your following list, removing any accounts that might be making you unhappy for any reason. You can also make use of the ‘mute’ button for those cases where you might feel uncomfortable unfollowing someone – for example, if it is someone you know in real life. It is also worth taking some time out to follow pages and accounts devoted to the things that bring you joy in life, like hobby pages, jokes and humour, or fun facts.

“It’s important we’re aware of how social media impacts our mood and manage what we access,” Vaness continues. “We of course need to keep in touch with what’s happening in the world around us, and it’s encouraging t

With the ASICS London 10k due to take place on 10th July, UN Women UK, Stylist Strong Women, and LimeLight Sports Club have partnered to campaign for safety, change, and freedom in London

UN Women UK’s 'Safe Spaces Now' initiative aims to redesign public spaces and people’s behaviours to free them from sexual harassment. Supporters of the campaign will take to the streets of Westminister to raise the funds needed to deliver the educational programmes to inspire change.

Already, solutions are being put in place across public transport, festivals, educational facilities and online platforms to teach the changes needed to prevent harassment, but are yet to tackle the issue faced by women who fear exercising outdoors.

Stylist Strong Women have been inundated with feedback from their readers about experiencing street harassment when out running alone. Collectively, with LimeLight Sports Club and UN Women UK, they are striving to make it safer for women to exercise in public. The goal is to move the conversation from ‘what women can do to stay safe’ to how we can bring about behavioural change as a society.

UN Women UK is aiming to train 10,000 people this year across schools, universities and local communities to prevent sexual harassment in public spaces, tackling the problem from the root cause and improving society’s understanding of consent and gender-based violence. LimeLight Sports Club will be donating £5 from the sale of each ASICS London 10k ticket to the Safe Spaces Now cause. Runners taking part will also be able to fundraise.

“I am so inspired by the passion and power of the thousands of people in the Safe Spaces Now community who are making this change possible. It will bring people together to reclaim the streets they deserve to feel safe in and gain the attention of decision-makers who, together, have the power to influence” - Claire Barnett, Executive Director of UN Women UK.

For more than 10 years, UN Women has worked in some of the most dangerous cities to reduce and prevent violence against women and girls, on a mission to make public spaces inclusive for everyone.

Sexual harassment relates to unwanted behaviours that encompass sexual touching, abusive language about someone’s gender, sharing explicit images without consent, sexual assault and rape. According to research, seven in 10 women in the UK have been sexually harassed and only 3% of 18-24-year-olds said they haven’t been sexually harassed.

The Mayor of London signed up and pledged to change these statistics through the ‘Women’s Night Safety Charter’ which has seen businesses committing to doing more. However, UN Women UK saw an urgent need to scale these commitments and offer guidance and monitoring to create successful long-term solutions. Taking part in the ASICS London 10k aims to increase awareness even further and make this possible.

ASICS London 10k
9:30am Sunday 10th July 2022
105 Piccadilly, London, W1J 7NJ

Hashtags: #ASICSLDN10K #safespacesnow
Social handles: @thelondon10k @unwomenuk @strongwomenuk

If you have been affected by or have been a victim of sexual harassment or abuse and are struggling, speaking with a counsellor or therapist can be really helpful.

To connect with a counsellor, visit