Happy Christmas 2016!

I would like to wish everybody a wonderful and very Happy Holiday!

God Jul!

Happy Christmas!

Season's Greetings!

Happy Hanukkah!

All the best and lots of love!

xoxo Ingrid

I'm now taking a few days off to spend with family and friends and I will see you again next week!

Creative with Flowers - # 24 - Pink Hydrangea I

This week on Creative with Flowers - I'm featuring some stunning pink and purply blue Hydrangea. They will not be available for much longer - so get some while you can.

This series of blog posts - called 'Creative with Flowers' - are about using flowers in creative ways. It could be about how the flowers are combined - maybe in a little bit of an unusual way. It might be the choice of vase - maybe not a vase at all but a container that could be anything from jugs, bottles, jars, tins or teapots - vintage or new it doesn't matter. 

As always my arrangements will be quick and easy - and there will always be lots and lots of colour!

The flower heads are huge - they should be firm to the touch - NOT spongy. Firmness is a sign of freshness! 

I have only four stems - but that is more than enough and again I'm using a large clear glass pickling jar.

Also make sure you recut the stems when you get them home. Hydrangeas need a lot of water to stay fresh. 

I have used a dotty tablecloth with an abstract pattern adding to that two different napkins both with dusty pink patterns. 

Another interesting contrast is the two vintage bowls and silverplated serving spoons and the 1970's flower pot with hand painted stripes and lines. 

A selection of old and new makes an interesting and contrasting mixture. 

I love playing with different sizes and putting a mini vase with just a few single flowers next to the big container makes a surprising contrast. 

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous and floral Wednesday!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer'. I will be back later in the week. Hope to see you then.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

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FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Flowers and Candles

The theme for FLOWERS this week is 'Flowers and Candles' - very appropriate for this time of year and it being so close to Christmas.

Christmas can come in many different colours - here are some inspirational images using quite colourful flowers and fabrics - mixing new with vintage and some subtle hints of Christmas! 

This first pink arrangement has a mix of tulips, hyacinths and Ranunculus in a metal container.

For each image I have included - some flowers or foliage in vase or container, a contemporary patterned fabric and a candle holder that is either a candle stick or a tealight holder. This very simple arrangement consists of grey-green Eucalyptus foliage in a white Bertil Vallien Kosta Boda vase.

I have of course also included some small Christmas decorations - such as a couple of different wreaths in the background, some vintage golden Christmas tree baubles, as well as some new silver mini baubles.

Even this black and white fabric has snowflakes on it! 

The flowers are some dark pink Anemones in a matching pink glass vase. I have used this arrangement in a previous post - but here added the pink tea-light and vintage baubles.

This last arrangement has some Hyacinths on their own in a vintage zinc coffee pot.

I hope you have enjoyed my little bit of a different or alternative way of decorating for Christmas. There really is no wrong way of doing it - it's whatever takes your fancy and whatever makes you happy that is the most important!

Please, go over to Titti's blog and take a look at how she has interpreted the theme this week. Here is the link to her blog HWIT BLOGG.

I will be back on Sunday with another Florets - floral quotes by flower lovers.

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a great floral day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and Photography: © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]

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A Bunch for the Weekend - # 24 - Dahlia and Agapanthus

This week on - 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring some gorgeous bright pink Dahlias and some huge striking late-flowering Agapanthus - still in bud.

I wanted to make just one dramatic arrangement with these two flowers. They both have huge heads so they need a lot of space. The Dahlias were fully open but the Agapanthus were not. I love the shape and colour of the buds - so I really didn't mind them not being open.

You'll need:

- 7 stems of brightly coloured Dahlias 

- 3 stems of Agapanthus

- a medium sized vase in a neutral colour and with a wide opening - to give the flowers space

- some white fabrics with a lot of texture

As always - condition the flowers by removing any leaves that would end up below the water line in the vase. Cut the stems at an angle - to increase water absorption. Put in a clean container with tepid water and leave in a cool place over night or at least a few hours before making the final arrangement.

Start with positioning the three Agapanthus and then slip in the Dahlias between the three giant heads. The Agapanthus comes without leaves and the Dahlias has very few left once you've removed the the lower ones. Keep any top leaves or buds that you feel suit the arrangement. I have kept a few but you could also make it minimalist and remove them all.

I love vintage fabrics that has a lot of texture to them - like these old grain sacks and the knitted kitchen towel. When I found the towel in the basement at my grandmother's house, it was just a dirty, brown rag and I almost threw it away as I couldn't be bothered to spend the time cleaning it. But what made me keep it was that it was knitted and somebody had spent so much time on a towel, something that was just going to be used on a daily basis to dry your hands on. I don't know how old it is - but I love how much time and effort was spent on it.

The vintage grain sacks are from my grandfathers old country store in the south of Sweden - also amazing that they are still around - as they held the grain or corn shipped to the store from the other side of the world. 

The Dahlias and the Agapanthus are grown by Cel Robertson at her organic flower farm Forever Green Flower Company in Norfolk. I buy her flowers at my local farmers' market where she and her husband Robert have a stall every Saturday morning.  

Have a Lovely Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Flowers in Baskets

Baskets are very forgiving and can hide many sins and they come in all kinds of shapes, sizes and materials. Flowers that are already planted in pots often come in not so pretty plastic pots. If the arrangement is for a dinner party or you only want to keep the plant indoors for as long as it's flowering - a temporary solution is to pop the whole thing in a basket. 
  
I've been working on this blog post while I'm away from home - so I have not had access to all my usual props. Even so - where I'm staying there are dozens of flea markets every week during the summer and I've had so much fun visiting lots of them.

I found three very different baskets - a large rusty metal basket, a new small tightly woven basket - light in colour and a beautiful vintage one - used and weathered with lots of patina.

I'm staying out in the country where there are very few florists and no flower markets or flower stalls. It has also been very dry so most things growing in the gardens are already past their best.
What you can find is a lot of potted plants and I picked up a beautiful potted pink hydrangea and some blue Campanula.

Both plants can be planted out in the garden once they have finished flowering.

You'll need to protect the base of the basket - so put the pot on a saucer or in a bowl to collect any water draining out of the pot. 

  

The beautiful little blue cup is by the Swedish potter Lotta Zerrander. I love the blue colour of the glaze and the abstract leaf pattern on the side. 

You'll might also need to raise the pots to sit higher up in the basket - use anything that is the right height for positioning the flowers a bit above the edge of the basket.

In the case of the wire basket - I lined the basket with some pretty fabric as well as using a few kitchen bowls to raise the flowers to the right height. Everything well hidden by the fabric and all contained within the basket.

Using baskets is a quick and very easy solution - and can be adapted for all kinds of situations. 

My collaborator Titti Malmberg over on HWIT BLOGG is also featuring baskets - so go over to her blog and see what she is up to.

Here is a link to all the previous FLOWERS Titti and I have done.

You can also find all the images on my Pinterest.

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

I hope you are still having a lovely summer!

I will be back next week with a more normal posting schedule. 

xoxo Ingrid 

Book Review - Decorate with Flowers by Holly Becker and Leslie Shewring

"It is our heartfelt desire to bring you a fresh approach to decorating with flowers through this book, and to remove the intimidation that is typically associated with floral design.

I love this book - it's full of inspirational and creative ideas on using flowers in your home and you'll find over 150 images with beautiful flower arrangements.

"A few delicate blooms in even the simplest of vessels can add a dramatic statement to any room. Don't stress over crafting the perfect  bouquet; often a stem, or a small bundle is all that is needed." 

Every week I create lots of different flower arrangements for my blog and also hopefully inspiring people to be creative with flowers and make their own arrangements. I'm always happy when I find new and creative ways to display flowers and this book does just that!  

"Step-by-step-project - Tied Posy Arrangement - You will need: bud vase, a focal flower, six or seven secondary flowers in various colours and sizes, a ribbon."

The book is written by Holly Becker of the blog decor8 and Leslie Shewring of A Creative Mint. Both super talented ladies in both the blogging and design world.

"When you have enormous heavy blooms like these dahlias, it can be more than enough to group them together without adding anything else. Keeping the stems long, we place them in a crackled glass vase for an effortless and airy look." 

This review is made up of pictures from the book and short quotes by Holly and Leslie. I like the fact that they are telling you in their own words what the book is about.  

"Add contrast in small doses to give a mostly neutral space an unexpected jolt."

It's published by Jacqui Small and the photographs are taken mainly by Leslie Shewring - but there are also photographs by Laure Joliet, Janis Nicolay, Thorsten Becker and Holly Becker.

"We love flowers, and through our work as stylists we frequently bring them into our rooms and vignettes to create a little magic." 

I have used fabrics designed by Leslie as background to my photographs. Her designs are all inspired by living in Paolo Alto in Southern California and are produced by Cloud 9 Fabrics. 

"Shallow, ceramic bowls are transformed into a must-try centrepiece when filled with fragrant blooms and herbs (we love mint!)."

This is a book to thoroughly be inspired by - each of the eight themed chapters has dozens of flower arranging ideas as well as a step-by-step project and some lovely entertaining ideas.   

Happy Floral Reading!

See you soon again!

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Media - # 24 - My Feature in Gatherings Magazine - Florals + Fabrics

This is my feature in Gatherings Magazine's spring Issue 2014 called - Artists + Artisans. 

All the contributors chose an artist or artisan as inspiration and mine was the textile designer Sarah Hardaker.

* * *

The weighty linens printed with the most beautiful pastel colours by designer Sarah Hardaker were the perfect inspiration. They created a natural relationship to my floral styling and blended flawlessly with my vintage collection of little ink bottles and jugs.

* * *

All the beautiful fabrics that I have used are by the English textile designer Sarah Hardaker. She designs her own range of bespoke fabrics and wallpaper and all her fabrics are printed in England using linen woven in Scotland by small family owned manufacturing companies.

Sarah also makes handmade cushions, bags and small gift items using her fabrics and she will often personalise them with names and initials.

A lot of Sarah’s designs are inspired by nature and she uses the flowers in her garden for design and colour inspiration.

Sarah says “You can’t beat nature for this, the beauty of a dark pink Gertrude Jekyll rose with lime green Alchemilla mollis – perfection.”

Using Sarah’s fabrics along with my flower arrangements I have created inspirational floral moodboards in two different colours - pink and green.

The flowers I have picked are a mixture of tulips, hyacinths and Ranunculus as well as little snowdrops. In both moodboards I have used a lot of different vintage jugs and small ink bottles instead of traditional vases.

Mixed in with the flowers and fabrics are also an assortment of ribbons - by Jane Means, washi tape, painted clothes pegs, colouring pencils and old postcards.

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

See you soon!

xoxo Ingrid 

FLOWERS by ingrid & titti - Frilly Carnations

Carnations - are often thought of as a cheep, ordinary and out of favour flower. For years you were able to buy them at petrol stations and supermarkets - it's also often used as a funeral flower.

So that doesn't sound like a good beginning - does it? 

Well, the carnation has a rather distinguish past - Shakespeare mentions it in The Winter's Tale and painters like Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Durer often featured carnations in their paintings. Later on Dutch flower painters used them alongside highly prized flowers like tulips and roses. 

Carnations are, according to some top florists going through a revival at the moment.

On the plus side - lets mention that they are cheep, comes in all kinds of colours, are tough and easy to handle and can last for up to three weeks - not bad for such a common flower.
   
Weeks ago Titti and I had decided that we wanted to feature carnations in our next FLOWERS post.

What happened next was that I actually had some difficulty finding carnations - you wouldn't have thought so as I live in the middle of London and have access to dozens of florists and flower stalls just in my area!

The local florists and stall holders told me that they don't stock carnations for the simple reason - nobody buys them.

I'm not one to be beaten that easy - so I decided to get up at the crack of dawn on Saturday morning and head down to Covent Garden Flower Market.

Surely they will have every flower you can think of there.....  

Yes and no - there are hundreds of different flowers - but I really had to hunt around for carnations. In the end I had to ask and only three wholesale flower sellers had any - out of about thirty and then in a very limited amount of colours.

I found some pink multi-coloured carnation flowers that I packed tightly into two pastel blue vintage jugs. I think it's quite fun how the pattern on the fabric echoes the fluffy shape of the flowers.  

I also found some in a darker, richer pink that I put in some old weathered garden pots. I wanted a rough surface  to contrast with the frilly edged carnations.

As these are outdoor pots with drainage holes in the bottom of the pot - I arranged the flowers in a smaller glass container and put it inside the larger one.  

Again packed tightly in the container and again just by themselves - not mixed with any other flowers or foliage. I wanted it to be a solid block of colour to contrast with the container.

How can we have a carnation revival if they are so hard to get hold of? 

What do you think of carnations - love them or leave them?
Are they available to buy where you live? I would love to know.

The other half of FLOWERS - the multi-talented Titti Malmberg over on HWIT BLOGG is also featuring carnations on her blog today. So why not go over there and have a look at what she has created with her carnations.

Here is a link to all of Titti's and my previous FLOWERS posts. 

Have a Wonderful Floral Day! 

See you back here very soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote - # 54 - by Louise Curley

"Use your imagination when it comes to what to put your flowers in. Although you may have a suitable tall plain glass vase in your home, there are so many other containers you could use that will add a touch of individuality and quirkiness to your display. 

The only really essential requirement of a vase is that it is watertight. It is best not to pick something with a wide neck or one that is very big. It will take a considerable number of flowers to fill them, and they will be difficult to arrange and will tend to be quite floppy, because the container will not be able to provide enough support."

~ Louise Curley ~

[Louise Curley: British, freelance writer & journalist, gardener and author of The Cut Flower Patch. She has also been writing the blog Wellywoman since 2011.]

[Quote: From The Cut Flower Patch by Louise Curley.]

[Containers: Vintage bottles and jugs.]

[Other props: Fabrics by Sarah Hardaker.]

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Wishing You A Wonderful Floral Sunday!

Hope to see you back here soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote by Rebecca Tanqueray

"The simplest and quickest way to bring a table to life is with flowers. Not only do they add colour and interest to the scheme, but they will also give a special touch to any occasion and need not cost a great deal of money. For tabletop flowers, large structured bouquets aren't necessary. Something simple and subtle works best, even for a smart dinner. Single stems (or even just individual flowerheads) placed in glasses along the centre of the table are far more modern than a stiff, formal display."

~ Rebecca Tanqueray ~ 

[Rebecca Tanqueray - British, former Deputy Editor of Elle Decoration (UK), writer on interiors and design for newspapers and magazines; author of several books on interior design.]

[Quote from Table Style by Liz Belton and Rebecca Tanqueray.]

[Pink and purple scented stock flowers in vintage glass bulb vase. Fabrics by Lotta Jansdotter's Glimma collection from Windham Fabrics.]

[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]