Creative with Flowers - # 41 - A Flower in a Bottle

This week in this short and sweet 'Creative with Flowers' - I'm featuring just one single pink Ranunculus in a bottle with lots of "white" props around it.

This is a little "statement" that I add to the post - briefly explaining my thinking behind the posts:

"This series of blog posts - called 'Creative with Flowers' - are about using flowers in new and 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!"

Putting one single flower in its own vessel - you make it look special and almost precious.

I have combined a ravishingly beautiful Ranunculus with a very humble vintage glass bottle. The two, still closed, buds also adds charm and movement. 

The contrast of a simple bottle and a drop-dead gorgeous flower is almost irresistible. 

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 'A Bunch for the Weekend'. 

I'm looking forward to seeing you here then - a new post - new flowers - bright and early first thing in the morning.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Flowers: A pink Ranunculus - from my favourite local street flower stall in North West London.]

[Vase/Container: A vintage pale green glass bottle - from one of the many London antique markets. 

[Other props: A vintage white apothecary jar, a vintage small painted stepping stool, a vintage cushion cover made from reused French linen with a large embroidered E, folded linen fabrics, two apothecary bowls and an clear glass Iittala Kastehelmi votive candle holder - all 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 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 - # 107 - Purple Hyacinths 3 Ways

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring a ten purple Hyacinths as cut flowers - three different ways.

Here is a little "statement" that I add - to briefly explain 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 in 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, easy and most afordable 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."

Three very different containers - a Victorian blue and white floral vase, a vintage clear glass jar and a vintage white china apothecary jar.  

Three different backgrounds - conservatory French doors with small window panes and two different backdrops in off white.

Only two kinds of trays - a Victorian blue and white floral bread plate and a very worn vintage silverplated tray. 

The flowers laying on the tray and the plate are as you can see not in water. It's just me playing around and they will not stay fresh for very long - it's just a bit of fun.....!

The mini secateurs was a gift from our daughter - she thought they would work well as a prop. The handles were covered in red plastic - not a good colour when you take photographs - the eye goes straight to any red colour in an image. On her suggestion I cut it off and voila it's my favourite new prop.......!!    

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 new floral quote by someone passionate about flowers. 

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

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[Flowers: Purple Hyacinths from my favourite local street flower stall in North West London.]

[Vase/Container: A quite big clear glass jar, a blue and white floral vase and a white apothecary jar. All bought at some of the many London antique markets.]

[Other props: Vintage small stool, French linen fabric, round vintage tray, blue and white floral bread plate and a mini pair of secateurs - all from stylist's 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 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/

Creative with Flowers - #18 - Pink and Green Hydrangea

This week on 'Creative with Flowers' we are taking a look at some deep pink and green hydrangea that also has petals with curled edges - so a little bit different. 

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 lots and lots of colour!

I rather like the two toned flower heads and the slightly curled edges of the petals. 

Combining them with a neutral background and a few also neutral bits and pieces - was a must. The flowers themselves are quite strong in colour and I wanted them to stand out.

I have faintly picked up the pink in the flowers by using a cushion and a vintage bowl with some pink in them in the background.
The vintage apothecary jars are filled with mother-of-pearl buttons from my grandmother and the ball of cut and torn rags are also from my grandmother's house. They did that before weaving it into rag rugs. I can't believe this ball of rags is still around!!  

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 some more floral delights. Hope to see you then. 

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

Florets - Floral Quote - # 118 - by The Flower Appreciation Society

"The most common hydrangea that we see at the market is the aptly named mop-head variety. These rounded, voluptuous blooms perch on long straight stems, sitting like upside-down mops in their buckets. There are other types of hydrangeas that we like to use and buy whenever we see them. These include the various lacecap varieties, as well as Annabelle (Hydrangea arborescens) and Pink Diamond ( Hydrangea paniculata). Hydrangeas can be temperamental - sometimes we find they keep their shape even when they have dried (great sprayed gold for Christmas decorations) - other times they wilt almost as soon as they come out of their packaging. We suggest putting them in a bucket of cold water immediately, giving them a good spray (again using cold water) and searing the ends. To sear the ends you can either dip it in boiling water or hold it over a flame for a few seconds."

~ Anna Day and Ellie Jauncey ~

[Anna Day and Ellie Jauncey, The Flower Appreciation Society, British florists and authors of The Flower Appreciation Society - An A-Z of All Things Floral.]

[Quote from: The Flower Appreciation Society - An A Z of All things Floral.]

[Flowers: Blue hydrangea.]
[Containers: Vintage white and clear glass apothecary jars.]

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

I hope you are enjoying your weekend - maybe doing some flower arranging or just spending time with family and friends!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Monday with a 'Floral Media' blog post and a lovely little video - and of course it's all about flowers. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[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.

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

Florets - Floral Quote - # 114 - Shane Connolly

"I can never decide if peonies are a spring finale or a precursor to summer. Perhaps it's because they appear in the flower markets long before they open in the cooler climate of the garden. Either way they gently blur the seasonal edges and I quite like that.

Luckily they look wonderful with the last tulips of spring or with the first flowers of summer. Or, and this is my favourite way, completely on their own.

There are few flowers so completely sumptuous, and quite frankly, as buxom, as a fully opened double peony. A wide range of beautiful colours gives them very different characters but these exquisite shell pink specimens are without doubt the refined, couture-clad princesses of the peony world."

~ 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 (2012).]

[Flowers: Pink double peony.]
[Container: Vintage apothecary glass jar with lettering on side.]

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

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous floral Sunday!

I'm taking a little break from 'Florets' over the summer. I'll be back in the early autumn with more floral delights from Of Spring and Summer.

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.

For more floral inspiration follow me on:

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

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

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

A Bunch for the Weekend - # 78 - Anemones

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.  

This week, on 'A Bunch for the Weekend', I'm featuring some hot pink Anemones. As a vase I'm using a vintage apothecary jar - that normally comes with a stopper. This one has a large enough neck to comfortably fit a handful of 10-15 stems.
  

Around the neck of the jar I have tied a few strands of black and white baker's twine. It picks up the dark and very beautiful centre of the Anemones.

Anemones can be quite delicate so they should be handled with care. They have a hollow hairy stem and should be placed in shallow water. In deep water they have a tendency to rot.

On a little white ceramic plate I have placed a mix of black vintage glass buttons, a pair of black clip-on earrings and a mini belt buckle. They are all from the Victorian era when black jewellery was very popular.   

I love Anemones with their almost black button centre and their frilly petal collar, They can be a little challenging to use as they continue to grow in the vase and the stems tend to bend. But it's well worth it as they come in so many gorgeous colours and they last much longer than you think!  

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

I'll be be back on Sunday with another 'Florets' - a quote from a passionate flower lover.

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.

You can also follow me on:

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

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

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