Floral Media - Make a Simple Floral Arrangement - from The Flower Book

This video features a new flower arranging book by flower farmer and floral designer Rachel Siegfried published by Dorling Kindersley.




The Flower Book explores 60 flower arrangements and features both individual flowers and finished bouquets in beautiful photography.

The arrangement in the video contains anemones, phlox, campanulas, agapanthus, green bells and eucalyptus in beautiful soft green and white colours. It shows you how to make a handtied bouquet in a few easy steps.

I hope you enjoyed the video and maybe it will even have given you some inspiration to make your own arrangement.

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer - I will be back here on Wednesday morning.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[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 and an email will come right into your inbox.

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I have just over 12 000 followers and around 200 boards all relating to flowers, floral 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/

  

Florets - Floral Quote - # 141 - by Vic Brotherson

'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 of them have written one or several books about flowers, 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.

I love books and in my ever growing library I look for quotes that I hope will be both helpful and useful for everybody who is arranging and styling flowers.

" A collection of small glass bottles (condiments or perfume bottles are perfect) is an indispensable quick -fix for a table decoration or an awkward narrow shelf and the best part is they are economical to fill. Top them up with water and arrange on the table to ensure you get different heights and then fill them with a mix of roses.

When filling the bottles make sure all the stems touch the base of the vases, otherwise they can become top heavy (one of my pet hates). Also, try to ensure the stems run cleanly and simply beneath the flowerheads, as this is much more pleasing to the eye."

~ Vic Brotherson ~  

[Vic Brotherson: Top London florist, founder of the flower shop Scarlet and Violet in North West London and author of two books Vintage Flowers (2011) and Vintage Wedding Flowers (2014).]

[Quote: From Vic's first book Vintage Flowers.]

[Flowers: I have used a mix of two different pink tulips - the stems are cut very short. All flowers from my local flower stall in North London.]

[Vases/Containers: A collection of vintage blue ink bottles bought from various London antique markets over the years.]

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

*****

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back tomorrow morning with another Floral Media - a brand new video showing how to make a simple floral arrangement. 

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 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/

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 102 - Rustic Country

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring pink waxflowers, purple Limonium with some good old parrot tulips that you might recognise.  

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

"It's always a pleasure and lots of fun to buy a bunch of flowers for the weekend and this series of blog posts, called 'A Bunch for the Weekend, I will show you how you can make quick and easy flower arrangements for your home. 

Buy the flowers where it's convenient and easy for you whether that is from a flower stall, farmers' market, the supermarket or a florist. 

Always try to buy seasonal flowers - they will last longer and they will be a lot cheaper.

Make sure you condition the flowers as soon as you get home. Remove any foliage that will end up below the waterline in the vase. Trim the ends of the stems at an angle and put in fresh water as soon as possible."

After conditioning the flowers let them rest for a few hours or overnight just to give them time to absorb as much water as possible. If you are able to keep them in a cool place even better.

I have covered the table with a length of hessian fabric - leaving the cut edges 'raw' to give that overall feel of rustic country.

The two rustic terracotta jars are from Turkey. I bought them from a shop selling terracotta pots in all shapes and sizes right around the corner from my house. The shop was closing down and selling everything very cheap.

One has handles and the other one is a bit shorter and rounder and they are both perfect for flower arrangements. 

I bought the little green watering can at Chelsea Flower Show last year - but had not tried to use it for flowers yet. I put it under the tap to fill it with water and instead of filling up it started within seconds to leaking like a sieve. It just made me laugh as it was totally unexpected.  

The Limonium and the waxflowers are usually used as fillers for mixed flower arrangements. I thought they looked lovely together and mixed two bunches of each in the tall terracotta jar.

Filler flowers are usually sold for a lower price so perfect if you are on a budget. Lots of flowers and lots of colour for very little money. A perfect combination and a win, win situation!

Here is another image of the notorious watering can!

The deep pink parrot tulips I had used before in a previous blog post. They lasted for ages and I decided to use them again for this post. 

Here I simply swapped the container and put them instead in a matching terracotta jar. They looked perfect sitting in the background  of my 'Rustic Country' scene.

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Sunday morning with another 'Florets - a floral quote by someone passionate about flowers. 

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

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Styling, photography and text © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
[Flowers: Rich pink parrot tulips, purple Limonium and pink waxflowers.]
[Vase/Container: Vintage rustic terracotta jars.]

*****

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 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 - How to Create a Bedroom Floral Arrangement

This week on Floral Media I'm featuring a short video from One Kings Lane - Sarah Ryhanen from Saipua's is showing us how to create a floral arrangement for the bedroom.  



Sarah uses a variety of flowers and foliage such as snowberries, Artemesia, jasmin, Protea and foxtail millet - and makes an arrangement full of fragrance, texture and beauty.

*****

I hope you enjoyed this video and maybe it will give you some inspiration for trying some new flower arrangements for 2017.

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer - I will be back here tomorrow morning with another 'Flowers of the Month' featuring all the flowers I have styled and photographed during the month of January.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[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 and an email will come right into your inbox.

P. S. If you are looking for more floral inspiration you can go over and have a look at my Pinterest boards. I have 12 000 followers and I have just over 200 boards all relating to flowers, floral 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/

Arrange Your Flowers! - Basic Tools for Flower Arranging

Before we know it spring will be here and with spring comes lots of spring flowers.

I have decided to relaunch my series of posts called 'Arrange your Flowers!' - so that we can be ready and know what to do with all those beautiful and stunning flowers. 

Some of what you read you will have come across before. There is very little new in the flower arranging world - apart from all the creativity we can all add to our flower arranging.

But I do have some exciting news to tell you about - since I last wrote on 'Arrange Your Flowers!' - I have trained in floristry and that will be very useful while writing these blog posts.

It makes me very happy to be able to pass on all the inside tips and tricks from the florist world. 

So this is all about arranging your own flowers - it will have do-it-yourself flower arranging ideas, tips and advice. All the advice will be very easy to follow - even if you've never done any flower arranging before. 

It will be very basic and very down to earth.

So let's start from the beginning!

These are the most basic but essential tools that you need to start doing your own flower arranging:

1. A couple of different size containers - they can be plastic or metal. Nothing fancy, it's just a container to put the flowers in after you've conditioned them. Traditionally florists flower buckets were metal - mostly zinc but now they tend to be plastic.

Also remember to keep your containers scrupulously clean! 

2. A pair of floral snippers or floral scissors - like the black handled scissors and snippers in the second image and the bottom image. Buy a pair that is comfortable to use and that will not hurt your hand - if you are using them for a long time. 

It's quite useful to have both a pair of snippers and a pair of scissors. The scissors will be useful to cut elastic bands around the flower stems and for cutting the cellophane that the flowers come wrapped in - it's easier to do that with a pair of scissors. Floral scissors or florist's scissors are a bit more sturdy and have stronger blades than a normal pair of scissors - so are also excellent, if sharp, to cut flower stems. 

In the end it's a personal choice and what you are the most comfortable using.

3. You will also need a pair of secateurs or pruners for cutting thicker stems or branches - like the red handled secateurs in the second image. If you don't already own a pair - get a good quality one - as they usually last a lifetime. 

I hope all my tips will be useful and easy to follow and that they will help to keep your flowers looking good and last longer.

Have a Creative Floral Day!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back later in the week with more floral delights.

[Styling and photography © 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 have just over 200 boards all relating to flowers, floral 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/

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 82 - Pink Hydrangea

It's Hydrangea season and I found some fabulous bright pink Hydrangea with very long stems. Tall flowers are not always easy to arrange. Here is what I did!

It's always a pleasure and lots of fun to buy a bunch of flowers for the weekend and this series of blog posts, called 'A Bunch for the Weekend, will show you how you can make quick and easy flower arrangements for your home. 

Buy the flowers where it's convenient and easy for you whether that is from a flower stall, farmers' market, the supermarket or a florist. 

Always try to buy seasonal flowers - they will be a lot cheaper.

Make sure you condition the flowers as soon as you get home. Remove any foliage that will end up below the waterline in the vase. Trim the ends of the stems at an angle and put in fresh water as soon as possible.

I have three quite large, clear glass bottles with quite narrow necks. Tall containers with narrow necks are not always the best proportions for flowers - so they don't get used that often.

Well, here was an opportunity to try them out on my long stemmed Hydrangea.

I wanted to keep the stems as tall as possible - so these old vintage bottles turned out to be perfect. I only had five stems - so I knew I could only put one or two stems in each bottle.

Tall stems demands tall containers - but they also have to sit right in the container. If the neck is too wide you need a lot of stems and as we all know that will end up expensive. 

The heads of the hydrangeas are also rather big - but tall stems, big flower heads and tall containers with narrow necks turned out perfect. 

I will also later dry the flowers - so they will give me even more pleasure over the autumn and winter months. 

A win, win situation! 

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous and floral Friday and a great weekend!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back On Sunday with a floral quote by a well known British stylist, journalist and author . 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[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.

For more floral inspiration you can follow me on:

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson

Supermarket Flowers in Jam Jars

A lot of different supermarkets sell bunches of flowers for a very reasonable price - but they often lack a bit of imagination. 

I think we can do better than this! Don't you think so too?

Start off by taking the bunch apart. Condition the flowers by stripping off any leaves that will end up below the water-line in the container. Trim the ends of the stems at an angle and put in fresh water as soon as possible.

Then separate the flowers and foliage by colour or type of foliage, so that you can see how many stems of each you have.

This bunch consisted mainly of pink roses, pink spray chrysanthemums, purple stock, purple trachelium and freesia. 

Nice colours and the flowers were fresh but I wanted to do something drastically different.

I wanted to use some recycled jam jars as my containers. They are quick and easy to make as they are small in size. As an added little extra I have tied a pretty ribbon around each jar.

I used all the flowers in the bunch and I didn't substitute with any other flowers or foliage. So choose carefully when you pick out the flowers in the supermarket.  

I made two jars using mainly pink flowers. They are similar but a little bit different. I used two different ribbons both are light grey in colour - a nice contrast to the pink. 

The third one has three different purple flowers. There I used a dark grey ribbon as a contrast to the purple.

You need to cut the stems quite short. Measure against the side of the jar. Be generous with the amount of flowers in each jar. You want it to look full and abundant not stingy in any way.

Little jam jars can be used for almost all occasions and for most rooms in the house. The added ribbons from Jane Means' collection, also make it all look a little bit more special.

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Friday with another 'FLOWERS by ingrid and titti'. The first FLOWERS, from Titti Malmberg and I, after a break over the summer. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

[Ribbons from Jane Means' ribbon collection.]

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.

For more floral inspiration you can follow me on:

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson

Floral Media - McQueens Flower School

Here is a short flower arranging video from the top London florist, McQueens Flower School. It's their head tutor Wagner Kreusch who is creating a large stunning arrangement using three blue flowers - Hydrangea, Agapanthus and Aconitum.

Making a small version of this combination of flowers would be fabulous. Three blue flowers making an amazing riot of colour!

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 with more floral delights.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[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.

For more floral inspiration you can follow me on:

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

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson

Creative Ways with Flowers - # 2 - Colourful Tulips, Ranunculus and Anemones

I love colour - well, almost all colours - I particularly like all the pinks and purples and the blues and lilacs. I often keep a very tight colour palette - that I find easier to work with and I still find it a challenge to combine strong colours from different ends of the spectrum.    

Here I have worked on combining some deep purple and bright orange double tulips - with bright orange ranunculus as well as some extremely dark anemones - they are so dark they look almost black.

All the flowers have interesting textures and colour variation in the petals. I like the fluffy foliage on the anemones and the little green pointy tips of the tulip leaves. It all helps to give a lot of interest to the arrangement.

I have cut the stems very short. All the flowers sit just above the edge of the vase - giving it a low and compact shape - perfect for a dining table, coffee table or side table.

I have used my old favourite vase - the Savoy vase designed by the Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. This one is a mini one just 10 cm tall - but perfect for small, short and sweet little flower arrangements. 

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a lovely floral Wednesday!

Me and Titti from HWIT BLOGG will be back on Friday with another FLOWERS - all about early white spring flowers for your table.

Ingrid

~ xoxo ~

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

For more floral inspiration follow me on:

Instagram - https://instagram.com/ofspringandsummer/

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ingrid.henningsson

Flowers of the Month - November 2014

Ornamental Cabbage

I'm back with 'Flowers of the Month' - where I'm highlighting all the different flowers I have used during the month of November.

The name of the flower - under the image - is also a link to the post where I featured the flower.

Cyclamens

Tulips, Ranunculus and Eucalyptus Foliage

Hydrangeas

Dried Hydrangea

Chrysanthemums

Dried Chinese Lanterns

Dried Miscanthus Grass

Tulips

Hydrangea, Viburnum Berries and Eucalyptus Foliage 

Chrysanthemums

I hope you have enjoyed the month of November in all its autumn floral glory!

Here are links to some of the previous months flowers: 

August Flowers

September Flowers

October Flowers

Have a wonderful Floral Day and I will be back in December with another 'Flowers of the Month' - but before that I will see you again later in the week!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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