Creative with Flowers - # 27 - Pink Tulips

This week on 'Creative with Flowers' - I'm featuring a bunch of bright pink double tulips. A great flower for this time of year especially if you don't keep them too warm.

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!

The two main colours in the colour scheme are pink and blue with a bit of grey mixed in. There are also a mixture of vintage and new. Contemporary with just a small selection of old antiques. 

Tulips will last longer if you are able to put them somewhere cool at night and during the day in the house keep them away from radiators, fires, electronics that generate heat and out of the sun.

The small cups that I'm using as candle holders for some tea-lights are by the Swedish potter Lotta Zerrander. Whenever I'm in Sweden I always visit her workshop in the south of Sweden in an area called Österlen. In conjunction to her home and workshop she also has a shop and a beautiful gallery. It's all converted from an old Swedish farm that is lovely and very charming.

Not only can you use her little cups as candle holders but also as cups for tea or coffee or at this time of year for hot glögg. I also often use them as vases for small bunches of flowers.

Tulips continue to grow after they are cut, so to allow for the change in height you can cut the stems a bit shorter than you would normally do. Then just enjoy the growth and seeing the flowers opening up is a pleasure to watch.

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer'. I will be back later in the week with more floral delights. I'll 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 and an email will come right into your inbox.

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A Bunch for the Weekend - # 92 - Purple Limonium and Grey-Green Eucalyptus Foliage

In this week's 'A Bunch for the Weekend' I'm featuring two plants that florists mostly use as fillers in their flower arrangements. 

We are talking about Eucalyptus and Purple Limonium - two very easy and reasonably priced plants.

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 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.

Purple Limonium is also called Statice or Sea lavender. They can last for up to two weeks - not bad going. This is a small version of the larger Statice that you often see dried and that comes in many different colours. 

Eucalyptus foliage also lasts for ages. So a win, win situation when using both plants!

Both are also strong hardy plants and straightforward to condition before making the arrangement.

Florists use filler and foliage plants in addition to the bigger, more important and often more expensive flowers that make up the flower arrangement.  

Here I wanted to show that "secondary" flowers or foliage can make beautiful flower arrangements just by themself.

I made up one large mixed arrangement and two small side arrangement. All three containers that I have used are vintage apothecary jars - clear glass and white china. 

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 with another Florets - a floral quote by someone passionate about flowers. 

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 - # 128 - Ngoc Minh Ngo

"From palace to cottage, the chrysanthemum is a flower of great antiquity. It is to autumn what the rose is to summer. Many cultivars bear flowers the colors of autumn; bronzy orange, mauve, russet, and copper. in the long years of its existence, there have been a multitude of changes to its character and form, but the chrysanthemum remains a jewel in the autumn garden." 

~ Ngoc Minh Ngo ~ 

[Ngoc Minh Ngo: New York based photographer, landscape designer and author of two books Bringing Nature Home (2012) and In Bloom (2016).]

[Quote from: Bringing Nature Home by Ngoc Minh Ngo.]

[Flowers: Bronzy orange and russet Chrysanthemums.]

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

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer - I will be back tomorrow with another Floral Media - this time it's something creative and very dramatic using ice and flowers! 

Remember to visit again tomorrow to have a look. See you tomorrow.

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 and an email will come right into your inbox.

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 with Flowers - # 23 - Red Dahlias

It's hard to believe that it's the first of November and one of my favourite flowers are still flowering and available to buy at farmers' markets in London. 

This week we are taking a look at some gorgeous red ball Dahlias.  

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!

Ball-Dahlias are described as - "fully double, ball-shaped, or slightly flattened at the top". The little florets are spirally arranged and the tips are rounded or blunt. 

I have made a very easy arrangement - straight in the vase or as in this case a large vintage pickling glass jar.

Remove any leaves that would sit below the water line in the container. I have kept any above that on the stems as well as all the unopened buds - just to add some interesting green texture.

As always I add a few props - that either match in colour or have an interesting contrast of colour.

This time I have also used a vintage basket - bought in Sweden at a 'loppis'. The Swedish version of flea-market or car boot sales.

I filled it with old garden tools - some were my father's and I also have a few that belonged to my grandmother.

In the background hangs a kilim rug in beautiful faded colours. 

It's November and the evenings are getting longer. I light lots of candles every evening at dinner. It adds some light and a welcoming warming glow.

I love these little beaded tea-light holders that I found in a charity store. The small coloured glass beads adds a bit bling and sparkle to any dark evening.  

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.]

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.

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

FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Autumn Lovely Autumn

Autumn is such a lovely time of year - it's a new beginning just like spring - only in a different way. And that is what this blog post is about. So just bear with me and I will get to it!

There is an abundance of gorgeous autumn flowers at the flower markets and flower stalls.  

A lot of them in golden or burnt orange colours. Yellow is also prevalent with a few touches of rusty red and burgundy.  

I stayed within that colour scheme when I picked out my props - a beaded rusty red necklace, a vintage child's hanger wound with orange silk thread, a bowl of beads and two spoons. 

The funny looking animal is from South America and was a gift from my dear in-laws bought on their travels. I've never been able to figure out what kind of animal it's suppose to be - but it always puts a smile on my face.

The pale yellow ribbon is from Jane Means' Ribbon Collection.

The fluffy vivid orange flowers are called Safflowers or Carthamus. They resemble a thistle but are much softer to the touch.

The vintage sugar bowl is from the 1930's  and comes from my grandmother's house in Sweden. 

The bright yellow fluffy flowers are called Golden Rod or Solidago. Good value for money and a great filler in bouquets.

Here is a close-up of the red necklace, the amber coloured beads and the patterned little vinyl spoons.

The dark berries are St John's Wort or Hypericum. They are great to use as a contrast and will complement and look good with lots of different flowers.

Orange and yellow contemporary fabrics works well with vintage cutlery and china.

What I now would like to announce is another new beginning. Titti and I will be taking a break from FLOWERS. 

Titti and I have collaborated for quite a while now doing what we've called FLOWERS - floral themed projects that we posted on our blogs. One post by me in London and one by Titti in Sweden - same theme but two different interpretations. 

It's been lots of fun, often challenging, never boring, lots of colour, many unusual containers and let's not forget lots and lots of flowers!! 

We are now both working on new ideas, work is on the way to go down new paths, new projects and of course they are all floral!

Both Titti and I will continue to blog as usual on Of Spring and Summer and HWIT BLOGG.

I would like to thank you for being loyal visitors and many thanks for all your sweet comments. I hope that we have been able to inspire you in making your own flower arrangements.

Big hugs from Ingrid and Titti

Pop over to Tittis blog, HWIT BLOGG and have a look at what she is showing.

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 another Florets - floral quotes by passionate flower lovers.

~ xoxo ~ 

Ingrid

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