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17 September 2011

Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson



The author of Vintage Flowers, Vic Brotherson has been a florist for nearly twenty years. She owns a gorgeous shop in Kensal Rise in North London with the lovely name Scarlet and Violet.  Since she finished her studies in Fine Art, flowers have been her life and she says she would not change it for the world.  

  


Vic worked for many years at Nikky Tibbles’ shop, Wild at Heart, in Notting Hill Gate. She opened her own shop in 2006 and has since been featured in magazines like Vogue, Elle Decoration, Country Living and Living Etc. Many of her wedding bouquets have been featured in Wedding Flowers and Brides.





Vintage Flowers is her first book and it is full of inspirational ideas for making romantic and seasonal floral arrangements. The flowers are displayed in quirky vintage containers such as enamel jugs and buckets, perfume bottles, urns, coffee pots, jelly moulds, marmalade pots and lots of floral patterned china jugs. Most of the containers are collected from charity shops, car boot sales and antique markets. Vic gives a list of her favourite haunts at the end of the book.



The photographs are taken in different locations by Catherine Gratwicke, a London based photographer who has worked on two books with the florist Jane Packer. Catherine has a passion for texture and colour which is clearly evident in the book.


Vic uses a lot of flowery descriptions and her chapters are charmingly and delightfully given names such as: Rosy and Random, Blossom and Blousy, Herby and Homey and Blooms and Bonkers. In the different chapters she shows how to make different arrangements according to season, budget and occasion.


Her arrangements are creative, painterly and sophisticated and many of them look as if just picked from the garden. Both small and simply arranged single stems in tiny glass bottles en masse, or they can be textured and blousy in larger arrangements. She shows old fashioned charm with modern aesthetics. 


There are two quotes on the cover that I feel describe the book appropriately. One by Nigella Lawson, who says; “Vic Brotherson does beautiful bunches of wild flowers and roses the colour of parchment, tinged with the palest of pinks.” The other quote is by Sophie Dahl, who says: “Vic Brotherson is a floral goddess – she knows what she’s talking about, and she does it in an irreverent, original and stylish way.”


Have a wonderful floral time!

xoxo Ingrid 



29 comments:

  1. Nu har jag kikat runt ett tag på din härliga blogg och fångas så av dina fina foton och färgerna i dessa. Tack även för boktipset. Ska absolut kolla upp den.

    Ha det fint

    Hälsar Åsa

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  2. Hej Ingrid

    What a wonderful book...
    Thanks for sharing ;-)
    Will just have to pop to Amazon now to investigate & treat myself.
    My mum loved her garden & nature.
    Thank you for your kind words.
    Have a lovely weekend
    LOVE PEACE enJOY
    Julie
    x

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  3. Oh my stars!!! What a fantastic book, I absolutely love it. I hope I can find it here in the States. Thanks for the beautiful post!!!

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  4. Wow, this is going on my list instantly! Thank you for the in depth review, Ingrid. It's inspiring to see that, no matter how many floral books there are, there can always be original and interesting and gorgeous new ones.

    Happy Weekend! xo - g

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  5. Dear Ingrid,

    this books seems to be the right one for me ...sooooooooo beautiful !!!

    Thanks for showing it to us ...

    Have a nice sunday,

    best wishes, Sanne

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  6. Åh, den boken skulle jag kunna köpa bara för de vackra bilderna...
    Ha det bra
    Kram

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  7. Det är så roligt att bläddra i böcker....antikvariat kan ibland gömma guldklimpar.

    Kram//

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  8. Well Ingrid, I think you know how much I admire your very own ways of showing us original ways of styling photographs of flowers. Surely, we might soon see your own book published?

    Meanwhile, let me say that Vintage Flowers does look very beguiling. Every photo that you've shown us makes me want to add to my own collection of vintage china, and to start growing more flowers in my non-existent garden. What inspiration indeed!

    xo

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  9. I want this book! It looks amazing!!! Thank your for letting us know Ingrid!

    Have a lovely new week,

    Madelief x

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  10. Your website is amazing! Your photos are stunning. I'm also a flower, photography, and vintage lover.

    Thank you for brightening my day, and I look forward to future posts.

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  11. Dearest sweet ingrid, that book looks really beautiful and inspiring! A wonderful collection to book lovers. Thanks so much for sharing. Happy monday and happy week! Love to you!

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  12. Wow - thanks for this helpful freview of such a lovely-looking book! I'm going to put it on my Amazon wishlist now!

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  13. Welcome back:)
    I love the book and have to check if I can buy it online. She does what I would love to do if I had a talent to do that. Pictures makes me drool:)
    Kram
    Henrietta

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  14. I ordered the book from Amazon, thank you darling for letting me know about this:)

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  15. What a lovely book! The photographs are dazzling and the floral arrangements so stylish. Thanks for the recommendation.

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  16. Verkar att vara en underbar bok//Britt

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  17. Such a lovely book..thank you for sharing. I must find it over here in Canada.
    Thank you for visiting me the other day...I love your sweet blog! Happy day to you.

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  18. Just my opinion Ingrid, but I think you should be doing a book of your own!! Trust me, I would wait in line for it.

    Thank you for sharing this here. I am definitely off to check it out!

    lisa. xo

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  19. Interesting book (with those photos and collages) and an interesting florist, I didn't know her!

    Thanks for sharing,
    kisses
    fàtima

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  20. So beautiful! Såna böcker går man verkligen 'i gång på'..som candy!
    Önskar dig en fin vecka
    Eva

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  21. beautiful book! I like the flowers ...
    Good day!
    Silvia

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  22. Hej Ingrid!

    Oh, vilken fantastisk bok det där verkar vara!!! Precis sånt jag gillar. Tack snälla för tipset och för intressant inlägg om boken. Ska genast kolla upp var jag kan beställa den.

    Ha en toppendag!
    /Charlotte

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  23. Thanks for sharing this book dear Ingrid!
    Have a nice WE!
    Monica

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  24. Vilken fantastisk bok! Tack för tipset! Ska definitvt kika efter den!!
    Hoppas din Internet-problem fixat sig nu?!

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  25. Ingrid,
    Thank~You for the FB Invite~ You have such a Beautiful Blog which I signed up to follow. I have got to find this Lovely Book here in the States, maybe Amazon, it's Gorgeous. So much Inspiration comes to me through Florals!

    Huggs, Nancy
    coeurdalenegifts.blogspot.com

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  26. Hello Ingrid, this book looks incredible! I am very happy you suggested it. I am going to look for more information. Thank you very much! - Barbara

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  27. All incredibly beautiful! I love the white blooms in the cast iron(?) planter & also the hyacinths.

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  28. What a wonderful book!
    Thanks for sharing :)
    Anna

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