Creative with Flowers - # 8 - Pink Peony Tulips and Ranunculus

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 usual my arrangements will be quick and easy - and there will always be a riot of colour!

This week on 'Creative with Flowers' I'm a very lucky girl. The lovely Cel Robertson who runs the organic flower farm in Norfolk - Forever Green Flower Farm, had the most amazing pink tulips. 

The tulip is called Tulipa 'Aveyron' and they are an early double peony flowering tulip. The resemblance to peony is striking. It's a deep rose pink colour with white and green markings on some of the outer petals. 

The ranunculus are in three different shades from pale pink to really dark almost wine coloured.

I have combined over-sized pink tulips with gorgeous pink ranunculus - but instead of mixing them in the same vase - i chose to give them each their own container. 

I accidentally broke one of the tulip stems so I gave it's own little glass jar.

I got these cute little acrylic spoons a few years ago - they are from the French company Sabre Paris.

All the little arrangements sits on a Swedish pink and white rag weaving and in the background are four newly made cushions made from off-cuts vintage fabrics and patchwork quilts. 

Two pink but very distinctly different flowers - that here shows off their beauty in separate vases but positioned next to each other.

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

I'll be be back on Friday with another 'A Bunch for the Weekend'.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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Flowers and Ribbons - # 4 - Jars with Ribbons - Part 1

Over time you have probably noticed that I often feature beautiful ribbons. I'm part of a team of international bloggers who use ribbons from Jane Means' ribbon collection. Jane provides us with ribbons and we use them in some of our blog posts. 

I'm now doing a regular series of blog posts called 'Flowers and Ribbons' where I use Jane's ribbons in combination with flowers and foliage.

This month we are taking a look at a simple way of creating stunning little flower arrangements using pretty flowers, ribbons and re-cycled jam jars as vases. Quick and easy and for very little money!

Old jam jars are perfect for making low and compact flower arrangements. Cut the stems quite short, let the flowers rest on the edge of the jars and fill the jars with as many flowers that will fit.

I have kept to a tight colour scheme using pink double tulips and pink and white ranunculus in one jar.

In the other one I have used the same pink tulips again with some pure white single tulips and and a green and white parrot tulip.

The ribbons are from Jane Means' ribbon collection - one has pink stripes and the other has pink stitching, in two different pink colours, along the edges.

The two arrangements work very well together on a coffee or side table as well as perfect side by side on a mantle piece. Or use them separately with some colour coordinated props picking up the colour in the flowers.

Have a lovely floral day!

I'll be back next month with another 'Flowers and Ribbons. Before that I'll see you later in the week.

[Styling and Photography: © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
[All ribbons shown are from Jane Means' Collection of Ribbons.]

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A Bunch for the Weekend - # 60 - Colourful Dahlias

This weeks 'A Bunch for the Weekend' is very colourful! Well why not, we all need a bit of colour at this time of year.

HOW TO:

You'll need:

- 7-9 stems of brightly coloured Dahlias.

- colour coordinate with a few vases and containers in contrasting or matching colours. In this case I have used some vintage green bottles, vases and containers in different sizes in contrasting colours. 

- I have also picked a painting as background showing bottles in similar colours and a vintage rag rug - also picking up the same colours.

- a handful of painted clothes pegs

- a gingham green and white ribbon

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- a pair of florists scissors

- a florist bucket filled with fresh water

Condition the flowers by removing any leaves that would end up below the water line in the vase. This is to reduce any growth of bacteria from deteriorating leaves. Also remove any broken or bruised leaves.

Cut the stems at an angle - this is to increase water absorption.  

Put in a clean container with fresh water and leave in a cool, dark place over night or at least for a few hours, to let the flowers absorb the maximum of water, before making the final arrangement.

You might have to re-cut the stems while making the final arrangement to suit the size of the vase or container and to get the right proportions.

 Method:

Dahlias usually has very few leaves - leave them on if you like the look of them or take off some or all of the leaves. 

I have taken off all leaves as well as any buds - I feel it makes you focus on the big beautiful flowers - but I also sometimes leave them on - it all depends on what kind of look I want. It's only on the flower in the tall bottle where I have kept the two side buds - where the stems makes some interesting angles.

Fill the containers one third with fresh, clean water. Trim the stems so that the lower leaves rests on the edge of the vase. The flowers in the bottles need to be in proportion with the bottle.

Change the water every 2-3 days and if possible re-cut the stems. The flowers lasts for about 5-7 days. 

For a very temporary but fun little arrangement I have filled a vintage flower pot with loose Dahlia petals.

Also for a different effect I have scattered some petals around on the Swedish rag rug.

The pretty little gingham ribbon in sage and white is from Jane Means collection of ribbons. I have tied it on a painted clothes peg - something you can do to fix place cards in place for a dinner party.  

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a great floral day!

I will be back on Sunday with another Florets - floral quotes by people passionate about flowers!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

You can also find me on:

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

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

FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - A Profusion of Tulips!

The theme on FLOWERS this time is called 'A Profusion of Tulips!'

Sometimes it can be a bit scary to use a lot of colour - especially if you use a lot of it and mix it all up - like I have done here.

I decided to go for colour and not hold back! A mix of different coloured tulips - but mixed with plain green foliage. Here I have used Pistacia - that has small green leaves and two small date palm leaves.

I put the arrangement in a blue glass container - put that on a ceramic blue and white plate from Spain and underneath it all a very colourful Swedish rag rug.

Lets pretend its spring and go for colour all the way - absolutely no holding back!

Titti Malmberg - my Swedish based collaborator who I work alongside on FLOWERS - has also created a blog post over on her blog HWIT BLOGG - so please follow the link and go over and see what she has done. 

You can see all our FLOWERS posts Here. 

We also have a special board over on Pinterest with images from FLOWERS.

Have a Very Happy Floral Day!

I will see you later in the week.

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid 

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 35 - Pink Tulips

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring two different pink tulips.

I'll be featuring mostly tulips for the rest of January - the florists, flower stalls, farmers' markets and supermarkets have an over-abundance of tulips in every shape, size and colour. 

How can a tulip-loving girl resist that?

This month the tulip is also celebrated in both Sweden and Holland with 'Tulpanens Dag' in Sweden yesterday and 'National Tulip Day' in Holland tomorrow.

You'll need:

- 15 stems of light pink tulips

- 15 stems of dark pink tulips

- a medium size vase or container that picks up the colour of the tulips - here I'm using a bright pink watering can.

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- florists snippers or scissors

- a florist bucket

As always - you need to condition the flowers - remove all the lower leaves that would end up below the waterline in the vase. Cut the stems at an angle - to increase water absorption. Put in a clean container with fresh water and leave in a cool place over night or at least a few hours before making the final arrangement. 

You might have to re-cut the stems while making the final arrangement to suit the size of the vase.

I wanted a really rich and generous arrangement so I'm using altogether 30 stems of tulips - 15 of each colour. When I conditioned the tulips I left as many leaves on as possible - just to add some greenery as I was not using any other foliage. I needed to shorten the stems before putting them in the watering can - just so that they were the right height and so that it was all in proportion. 

The arrangement sits on a pink and white handwoven Swedish rag-rug surrounded by a pair of florist's scissors, a little pink vase, a pink and white fabric, some natural twine and three wooden plant labels.

I very much enjoyed making this arrangement - and it really made me long for spring! 

What about you? Do you also long for spring and some brighter colours?

Have a Happy Floral Friday and a Great Weekend!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and Photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer]

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 23 - Pink Chrysanthemums

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring some stunning bright pink Chrysanthemums.

Chrysanthemums flower from late summer to about midwinter - but you can also buy them most of the year from florists and big flower markets. 

I love these small chrysanthemums - they are only about 3-4 cm across. This pink one has a very dark centre and the colour fades to a pale pink at the edges.  

I've made two arrangements - one large one in a ridged clear glass vase and a small one in a small, also ridged glass vase in dark pink. 

You'll need:

- 10-15 long stems of Chrysanthemums in a bright colour

- a clear glass vase with a narrow neck

- 9 short stems of Chrysanthemums

- a small vase in a similar shape to the big one

- a few fun things in matching colour - in this case a small rag weaving, a piece of fabric, some ribbons, a few spools of cotton and a vintage pair of tailor's scissors.

- a small platter or plate in matching colour

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.

Remove any leaves that will end up inside the vase it looks better with just clear stems and no leaves showing through the glass. With a narrow neck you will also be able to fit more stems into the vase - without any leaves.

I wanted this arrangement to look really full and just have a mass of flowers tightly packed together. So this is an arrangement that you'll need to make in your hand - almost like a handheld arrangement - but not quite - you'll not be putting the stems in a spiral. 

Hold the flowers in one hand and add with the other. Arrange the stems at different heights and fill in where there are empty spaces to make a really full and slightly dome shaped arrangement. 

The stems will end up different lengths at the bottom - so when you are finished putting the arrangement together  - put the vase at the end of the table or counter and estimate at what height you need to cut the stems. Leave a little bit of stem showing with a few leaves at the top - it will make the arrangement look in proportion to the vase. Then cut the stems all the same length and put into the vase. 

I have finish the arrangement off by putting the big vase on the floral platter and placed it on the pink and white rag rug weaving.   

Just for fun I have also added a few fabrics, ribbons and spools of cotton around a pair of vintage tailor's scissors - all in matching bright pink colours. 

The ribbons are all from Jane Means ribbon collection. I'm one of Jane's Ribbon Bloggers - we feature her ribbons in some of our blog posts.   

Have a Wonderful Floral Weekend!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Florets - Floral Quote - # 77 - by Shane Connolly

"I also learnt that exuberance is not autumn's only attribute. It can be subdued, with the calm, gentle colours of fading hydrangeas; the milky white and blush pink of snowberries; the parchment shades of mushrooms or the papery browns and buffs of hornbeam and beech." 

~ Shane Connolly ~ 

[Shane Connolly: florist and event designer, he designed the flowers for the Duchess of Cambridge's wedding in 2011, author of three books - A Year in Flowers, Table Flowers and The Language of Flowers.]

[Quote from: A Year in Flowers.]

[Flowers: Hydrangea and pink Snowberries.]

[Vases: Swedish vintage Gustavsberg jar.]

[Vintage props: Vintage handwoven rag rug from Sweden.]

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

Have a Wonderful Floral Sunday!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid 

Florets - Floral Quote by Holly Becker

"Experiment with your flowers. Gather a collection of favourite vases, make a list of flowers you are drawn to and the colours that work in each room of your house, then enjoy the process of mixing and matching blooms according to the season."

~ Holly Becker ~

[Holly Becker - American, based in Germany, interior stylist, blogger and author of Decorate and Decorate Workshop.]

[Quote from Decorate by Holly Becker.]

[Purply pink tulips in blue vintage Kosta Boda glass bowl by Swedish glass artist Bertil Vallien and Swedish vintage ragrug.]

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