Chanel - Making of the Spring and Summer 2018 Haute Couture Collection

I haven't done a Floral Media post for a while - but when I saw this delightful and beautiful little video - I just couldn't resist. 

The video is just over two minutes long so please take the time to watch it. Enjoy the meticulous cutting, colouring, painting, shaping and stitching of the flowers.

Video from CHANEL
Music: Matthew Herbert: Titles from A Fantastic Woman soundtrack.

McQueens Festive Table Runner

Here is a short video from McQueens showing a very colourful and festive table runner that could be used for a New Years dinner table. 



Caleb at McQueens creates small posies using red tulips, ranunculus, anemones, Skimmia and ivy berries. Both the little hand tied arrangements and the individual stems are put in a collection of low glass vases surrounded by candles. 
Quick, easy and beautiful!
[Video by McQueens.]

Christmas Creativity with Hyacinths

This is a lovely video with the top Swedish florist, Anna Gouteva, showing us how to be creative with hyacinths.
The video is in Swedish but it's still worth having a look even if you don't understand what she says. She shows quite clearly how to make the different arrangements. 

Anna talks about how she loves every part of the hyacinth - the root system, the bulb, the leaves and of course the flowers.
She makes little arrangements on small trays keeping both soil and roots as well as an arrangement using hyacinths as a cut flower under a glass dome. 
She also shows us how to create an unusual table setting using wallpaper instead of a tablecloth. Builds a centrepiece by connecting the cleaned off bulbs with florist wires she also adds other flowers for height as well as some lovely candles.
The last arrangement is a coffee table arrangement in a large bowl with white hyacinths, sedum and pinecones.

The video is created by the Swedish Flower Council Blomsterfrämjandet.
     

Winter Bouquet for Christmas

Here is a short video showing you how to make a very simple winter bouquet for Christmas.



The two main colours are white and grey green foliage.

The flowers are spray chrysanthemums, roses, limonium and single chrysanthemums and the foliage are grey-green eucalyptus and beargrass.

The bouquet is made as a handtied arrangement where all the stems are crossed. You can tie it with some raffia ready to give as a gift or simply put in a beautiful vase like they have done here.

[Video provided by Elle Decoration and design by Interflora. Florist is Nika Wahren from Skillad Floral Design and video by Johan Hedberg.]

Amaryllis - Houseplant of the Month

Every month The Flower Council of Holland choose a Houseplant of the Month and for December 2017 it's the Amaryllis.

All these colourful and seasonal images are from The Joy of Plants.

Here is also a link to The Flower Council of Holland with lots of information about how to use and how to take care of Amaryllis.

Have a happy floral day!

Florets - Floral Quote - #162 - by Irene Schampaert and Judith Baehner

'Florets - Floral Quote' is a series of blog posts where I feature quotes by authors - mostly well known - but you will also find some obscure ones.

All the authors have written one or several books about flowers, green plants, gardening, interior styling or interior design. Many are experts in their field but what is the most important is that they are all passionate about flowers and plants.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both inspiring and be useful while arranging flowers or green plants in your home.

" By the end of the eighties, house plants started to disappear from our homes, simply because they were outdated, no longer in sync with modern trends. Our lives got busier all the time. We no longer made time to care for our indoor plants. This custom is now returning, because we are gradually remembering to value slow-paced lives and experience nature.

We are surrounding ourselves with plants again, creating our own retreat and oasis. This makes us happy."

~  Irene Schampaert and Judith Baeher  ~

[Irene Schampaert: Editor, graphic designer, blogger and co-author of Wonder Plants.]

[Judith Baeher: Freelance editor, stylist, blogger and co-author of Wonder Plants.]

[Quote from: Wonder Plants (2016) by Irene Schampaert and Judith Baehner. Published by Lannoo]

[Cover image: Serge Anton.]

[Flowers: Ferns.]

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

The Joy of Plants: Expose # 19: Christoffers Blommor

I hope you love this video as much as I did! 

I loved the fact that it was filmed in the beautiful country of Sweden.

It features the Swedish florist Christoffer Broman and his shop in the oldest part of Stockholm as well as his house in the archipelago. 

Blommor means flowers in Swedish.

His shop in Stockholm's Gamla Stan, that he opened in 2001, is legendary and as he says himself he likes to make flowers look modern but not overly trendy.

There is also a second shop in Södermalm - the southern part of Stockholm.

By some he is considered the best florist in Stockholm.....!

Here is a link to Christoffers Blommor. 

Video by The Joy of Plants.

Flowery Stories with Kally Ellis from McQueens Flowers

This is a lovely video with Kally Ellis who talks about her favourite flower - Anemones.



Kally Ellis is the founder of McQueens Flower Shop and Flower School in East London. She started her business in 1991 and is now one of the top London florists.

[Video by McQueens Flowers.]

Simple Autumn Bouquet

Here is a short video showing you how to make a very simple autumn bouquet.

The two main colours are a beautiful dusty pink and grey green foliage.

The flowers are spray chrysanthemums, roses, limonium and single chrysanthemums and the foliage are grey-green eucalyptus and beargrass.

The bouquet is made as a handtied arrangement where all the stems are crossed. You can tie it with some raffia ready to give as a gift or simply put in a beautiful vase like they have done here.

[Video provided by Elle Decoration and design by Interflora. Florist is Nika Wahren from Skillad Floral Design and video by Johan Hedberg.]

Columbia Road Flower Market in East London

Every Sunday for the last 150 years there's been a flower market at Columbia Road in east London.
Have look at this short video and make sure you visit it on a Sunday morning when you are in London. It's a great experience and lots of fun!

Also have a look at this page on The Joy of Plants were they will give you a lot of background about the market.

[Video: The Joy of Plants]

Autumn Table Wreath by Sarah Raven

Today on Floral Media I'm wanted to show you this real showstopper autumn table wreath by Sarah Raven. She has used many of my favourite colours that are around at this time of year.

I featured this video back in 2014 - but I like it so much I thought it deserves a second viewing - same video but I've written all new text this time. Enjoy!



Sarah's choice of plants are an unusual mix of scented pelargonium foliage, hydrangea flowers and seed heads, hawthorn berries and Chinese lanterns. There are also some unusual little surprises such as ornamental cucumbers and strawberry popcorn. 

In the middle are five flame coloured candles picking up all the colours in the wreath. Sarah has used an oasis base so both spent flowers and candles can be replaced which means that the whole centerpiece will last well into the holiday season. 

Video Introducing Linda Lomelino's Latest Book

I have followed Linda Lomelino ever since she published her first book in 2012. Her amazingly beautiful blog, Call me Cupcake, that she has been writing since 2009, you must have a look at. Her whole focus is on baking and photography and I often drool over both!

She also include a lot of flowers in her images!



Here is a short video introducing Linda's latest book, published in 2017. It is all about pies and called: Lomelino's Pies: A Celebration of Pies, Galettes and Tarts. 

All her four books are published in Swedish and English, some also in German and French.  

Styling with Houseplants - Alana Langan from Ivy Muse

Last week I featured a floral quote by Alana Langan and Jacqui Vidal from their brand new book Plant Style. 

This week I'm back with a short video with Alana Langan talking about styling and working creatively with houseplants. 

Enjoy!



[Video from Godfrey Hirst.]

Celebrate Autumn with Flowers and French Apero - Funny How Flowers Do That

I love the autumn - bright summer colours change to more muted tones. Life slows down after the holiday period. We bring out the warm blankets and light a fire. 

Invite your family and friends and enjoy all the fruits and vegetable that the autumn season produce. Farmers' markets are full of food that are easy to prepare - leaving you time to spend with your guests.


Make big loose flower arrangements using things like branches with berries that you might have picked from your own garden mixed with seasonal cut flowers bought at the local Farmers' Market.

Here is a link if you want to know more about the flower arrangement. 



Here is a short video and a quote from Funny How Flowers Do That:

"It’s autumn. We’re embracing the season of mellow fruitfulness in a chic way, indoors with friends. We’re thereby dressing the French tradition of apéro in a new, dazzling floral outfit."

Enjoy what the season has to offer!

Here is a short video and a quote from Funny How Flowers Do That:

"It’s autumn. We’re embracing the season of mellow fruitfulness in a chic way, indoors with friends. We’re thereby dressing the French tradition of apéro in a new, dazzling floral outfit."

Enjoy what the season has to offer!

[Video & image from Funny How Flowers Do That.]

Sandberg Wallpaper

Sandberg Wallpaper is a Swedish company that makes contemporary wallpapers. The designers are often inspired by nature and many of their wallpapers are floral. 

Enjoy the beautiful little video - for inspiration.  


Sandberg_Oas-by_Babes-in-Boyland from Sandberg Wallpaper on Vimeo.

While I was growing up in Sweden everybody had wallpaper on their walls. As a teenagers my friends and I wanted to rebel and rejected wallpaper and instead painted our walls either white or in some bright colour. 

Now wallpaper and painted walls are making a comeback. Here is a quote from Sandberg Wallpaper's blog.

"What are we putting on our walls in autumn 2017?

It has been a long time since walls have been in such close focus as they are now.

We are filling our homes with colour. Walls are being papered and painted as never before, and even the furniture is colourful.

We are becoming more adventurous and more aware in our choices, and the material is becoming more important when we decorate our homes. Wallpaper is taking centre stage without taking over.

Three massive colour trends this autumn are dark velvet green, midnight blue and deep red. We see them in all the major stores, including IKEA, Anna Elzer Oscarsson and Rededition.

We love colour. Here are some homes with decorated walls and a wonderful ambience!"  

[Video and images by Sandberg Wallpaper.]

Houseplant of the Month - Alocasia - A Tropical Superstar

Houseplants and botanicals are very trendy and has become more and more important to a lot of people. Creating space for green plants in in your home is beneficial in several ways. 

How do you start building a collection of houseplants? What should you buy if you don't know anything about the plants or how to look after them?

Read on and I will pass on some inspirational tips. 

I grew up with a grandmother, mother, aunts and other relatives and friends who had houseplants on window sills, tables and on little plant stands in the corners. 

One relative would proudly tell anybody who wanted to listen that she had 100 houseplants. That was not very popular with the person that was asked to look after her plants when she went on holiday! 

Obviously over the years I learned a lot about how to look after houseplants and had a few myself. 

Later on when I started traveling and lived in different countries - having houseplants was out of the question. When we started having children - houseplants was not really on the agenda.

Very few houseplants from then on found their way into our house. A few plants given as gifts quickly died but others did survive. I have one that is still going after 25 years!

If you follow me on Instagram you'll might have noticed that more and more of my images has been of houseplants. Well, I will admit that quite a few new plants has found their way into our home lately..........! 

The houseplants you can buy today, many are quite different, compared with those early days back in Sweden. But even back then we all had big Monstera and rubber plants. 

Every month The Flower Council of Holland feature a different houseplant with details about the plant such as origin, different species and cultivars. You'll also find lots of advice on how to look after the plants.



They also feature lots of images showing how to display the plants in your home.

From this month, September 2017 till December, West Elm London store in Tottenham Court Road will display a different houseplant in their windows. 

This month it's Alocasia, in October it will be a selection of Green Plants, in November it will be Cyclamen and in December the plant will be Amaryllis.

Start with one or two plants and see how you get on. Before buying any figure out where you are going to put them. Plants need light, water, air and the right temperature as well as feeding during the growing season.

The trick is to find the perfect place with the perfect light level and temperature for each plant. Then the next trick is to give it the right amount of water - more houseplants are killed by overwatering than underwatering.

Embrace the green trend and above all enjoy! 

Images: The Flower Council of Holland  
  

Floral Media - Make Your Own Autumn Flower Arrangement from Martha Stewart

                                                                                     

It's the beginning of much cooler weather in London and autumn flowers are starting to appear in the supermarkets, florists and flower stalls.

So today I'm featuring a short YouTube video from Martha Stewart on how to make an autumn flower arrangement.

                                                                                    

Todd Carr, the senior gardening editor, is using spider and pom-pom Chrysanthemums - in beautiful autumn yellow and orange colours. Mixed in as a filler is also some Golden Rod.

Ingrid xx

Floral Media - RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2017 - Sneak Peek

Here is another short video from Chelsea Flower Show 2017 - this one is a sneak peek about what happens on that first day when the press and the Royals are attending the flower show.

The gardens are finished, the designers have been given their awards, the flowers are looking their best, the Queen and the rest of the Royal family visit the show and all the celebrities are invited. Everybody is ready for the cameras and BBC are filming the gardens for everybody watching at home.

*****

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - tomorrow is the last day of May and I will be back with 'Flowers of the Month' - showing all the arrangements of the month.

I'm looking forward to seeing you back here then.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I now have around 12 400 followers and just over 200 boards all relating to flowers, flower styling and flower arranging. There are boards on individual flowers and boards showing how to arrange flowers. Other boards show different ways of using vases and containers. Simply click on the link below and it will take you straight there.

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

Tiny Blooms - # 44 - Pale Pink Cloni Ranunculus

This week on 'Tiny Blooms' I'm featuring Cloni Ranunculus in pale, pale pink with hints of green in the centre.

Here is a little "statement" that I add - to briefly explaining my thinking behind these particular posts:

"This series of blog posts - called 'Tiny Blooms' - are about small flower arrangements. Small - might be the size of the flower or the amount of stems I'm using; or it could be the size of the container. 

It can also be that the arrangement is minimal both in presentation and that it's simple, quick and easy to do. Apart from that there are no other strict "rules" - I'm allowing myself a lot of creative freedom!"

I thought it would be interesting to combine some almost white Cloni Ranunculus, with their many multi layered frothy rows of paper thin petals - and a Victorian metal mini urn depicting little cherubs surrounded by an ornate pattern of leaves and branches.    

I have kept the the backgrounds and table top very simple - using multiple layers of French vintage linen fabrics under the container. The backgrounds equally plain and simple - a white sheet as a curtain and a weathered and aged stone wall.

There are ten Ranunculus stems - cut short enough to just rest on the edge of the container - leaving the central stems a bit longer to make a nice dome shaped arrangement.

Another simple, quick and easy 'Tiny Blooms' arrangement for the long holiday weekend.  

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning - when I'll be back with another 'Floral Media' - a third video about RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Flowers: Pale pink Cloni Ranunculus - from my favourite local farmers' market flower stall in North West London.]

[Vase/Container: Vintage metal urn container with ornate pattern on the sides - from stylist own prop collection.]

[Other props: Vintage French linen fabrics - from stylists own prop collection.]

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

*****

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

*****

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I now have around 12 400 followers and just over 200 boards, all relating to flowers, flower styling and flower arranging. There are boards on individual flowers and shows how to arrange them. Other boards show different ways of using vases and containers. Simply click on the link below and it will take you straight there.

Pinterest:   https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/

Floral Media - RHS Chelsea Flower Show - Building a Flower Show

This week it's RHS Chelsea Flower Show week in London and in today's 'Floral Media' I'm featuring a short video showing you how the pavilion and some of the hard landscaping is constructed.  

Watch this short video of how a blank space is transformed into the most prestigious flower show in the world.

*****

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back tomorrow with another floral quote from a flower lover.

I'm looking forward to seeing you back here then.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

*****

P. S. Did you know that you can subscribe to receive a notification via email whenever I have a new blog post. Just fill in your email address at the top of my blog on the right.

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I now have just over 12 000 followers and around 200 boards all relating to flowers, flower styling and flower arranging. There are boards on individual flowers and boards showing how to arrange flowers. Other boards show different ways of using vases and containers. Simply click on the link below and it will take you straight there.

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/ofspringsummer/