From the Archives - 26 December 2014 - A Bunch for the Weekend

This post is part of a brand new blog series called 'From the Archives'. It will be previously posted blog posts that I feel are still relevant for some reason or another. 

It will always be a post from the same calendar month as we are in or it could be some of my favourite flowers from the same season - that still lifts my spirit. 

Flowers are so ephemeral - but their beauty caught on camera never fades.........!!

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' - I'm featuring a bit of an unusual plant as a cut flower and it's called Skimmia japonica 'Rubella'.

We have just passed the shortest day of the year and flowers in the garden are in short supply, flowers in the florist shop during the winter season often come from far away and can be expensive.

There are some lovely potted plants around at this time of year - such as Poinsettia, Cyclamen, Paperwhites, Hyacinths and Amaryllis.

All these flowers are lovely and delightful - but I have already used all of them at least once in the last months - so I decided to try something a little bit different this week. 

I'm using a low-growing evergreen shrub called Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' and both my local flower stall and greengrocer were selling it as a cut flower.  

It has short stems but has these clusters of little, round, tight flower buds in a deep, dark, red colour and it has thick oval dark green leaves.

You'll need:

- about 7 stems of Skimmia japonica 'Rubella' - they will all have 2-3 flower heads on each stem 

- a medium size vase or container in a neutral colour - I have used a vintage zinc container

- a jam jar to put inside the main container 

- 3 grey and 3 white tissue paper poms poms - in three different sizes

- 3 Kosta Boda glass Snowball votive lanterns with tea-lights

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.

With woody stems you also need to make a vertical cut up the stem to increase the area for water absorption. 

The container I have used can not be trusted not to leak and I also don't want it to get any more rust - so I'm using a jam jar filled with water inside.

The Skimmia stems are not very long so the arrangement will be fairly low and wide. The side of the zinc container flares out so the flowers will sit very nicely in a loose and natural arrangement.

The red flowers sits perfectly against the grey zinc and the grey is also picked up in the grey pom poms in the background.    

The grey and white tissue paper pom poms are all piled up in one corner and I have positioned three Snowball candle holders at the other end - both round and a little festive to fit the season.

Have a Happy Floral Friday and a Great Weekend!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Floral Media # 14 My Feature in Gatherings Magazine - black + white florals

This is my feature in the latest issue of Gatherings Magazine. The winter and Christmas issue is always called The White Issue and the theme this year is Celebrate Scandinavia.

I'm the floral stylist on the magazine and a contributing editor.

I'm also very happy to tell you that the above image was the cover of the magazine.

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black + white florals

Eucalyptus berries have a wonderful texture and colour and works brilliantly in a white setting. I have continued with more texture and used an interesting ceramic vase designed by the Swedish artist Bertil Vallien in the 1960's. 

The votive candle holder is from the Finnish company Iittala. It'is called Kastehelmi, the Finnish for 'dewdrops' and refers to the bubbles in the glass. 

The cushion in the background is made from vintage French linen and has a beautifully monogrammed 'E' on the front panel. A seasonal little parcel and bauble complete the picture.

  

The Viburnum tinus has small round almost black berries and the Symporcarpus or Snowberries has bigger plump round white berries or fruits. With the stems cut very short i have used little white vases with black drawings called Caramba, designed by the Swedish glass artist Ulrica Hydman Vallien for the glass factory Kosta Boda in the 1980's.

Snowberries are very versatile and can be used with their stems cut short and used in small vases or left long and used in large arrangements. I have also seen them used stripped of all their leaves giving them a dramatic look with pure white berries on dark stems. Combine them as here with a votive candle and a little wrapped present.
Ribbon is from Jane Means collection.

"Five Gold Rings" just like the words in the Christmas song 12 Days of Christmas - the five gold rings in this case are two kinds of Swedish brass curtain rings; I have added some extra seasonal sparkle with gold glitter twine and a vintage Christmas bauble.

Candles and candle holders are very much part of Swedish interiors adding a sense of warmth during the long, dark, cold winters. Here are four black wrought iron candle holders with tall, slim white candles. For the holiday season I have mixed them with vases of seasonal berries, vintage Christmas tree baubles and a little Christmas present wrapped with white tissue paper and bakers's twine.

Scandinavians often combine the modern with antiques in unusual and clever ways and they take pride in their heritage and traditions. Here are some antique cups with gold decorations and some vintage Christmas tree baubles on a pile of antique psalm books. Both the cups and the psalm books are heirlooms passed down through several generations.

  
A white on white theme - white Gypsophila or Baby's Breath in a white vase with ridges, five silver coloured baubles on a white fabric and a white painted wooden background - simple and effective.

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Gatherings Magazine is available in both printed and digital versions from here.

[Styling and photography: © Ingrid Henningsson for Gatherings Magazine.]

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Have a Lovely Floral Day!

Back soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Fusion - White, Pink and Grey

My inspiration for this weeks Floral Fusion comes from the June issue of Elle Decoration.

There are some lovely features all with a light and summery feel to them. There are among others two homes from Copenhagen in Denmark and two chic Parisian apartments. 

A favourite feature is one about the Italian interior designer Enrica Stabile and her shop in Milan. I came across Enrica back in 2001 when she published her books Comfortable Country and Open Air Living -  books that still sits happily on my shelf and I still find inspiring. I was very happy to see images of her collection of antiques and her shop based in converted saucepan factory hidden away in the backstreet of Milan. 

The collection of vases that I have used are all in the white and grey tones. The taller vase in the back is a Hornsea slip-ware vase made sometime between 1962 and 1973 - the stamp on the base identifies it from that time - I found it in a charity store not so long ago.

In last weeks Floral Fusion I showed some red dice and joked about that I must come from a long line of gamblers - well here are some more white vintage dice. Maybe they weren't gamblers - people just played more board games back in those days. 

The round rings balancing on the empty cotton reel - are curtain rings and in the front are little piles of vintage game markers.  

Two vintage necklaces - the bottom one is an Art Deco necklace and the top one is from around 1900.

The fabric is a vintage French linen sheet - thick and very heavy - with a hand stitched seam in the middle and all the edges are also hand stitched. The seam in the middle tells you that it was woven on a narrow loom and then stitched together to make a wider sheet. 

Three flower arrangements - all pink flowers but one type of flower in each vase - and then grouped together for more impact.

The pink Ranunculus makes a wonderful contrast with the grey 1960's vase. I love the dark band across the middle and the squiggly white lines.   

The pinks are massed together in a little textured handmade vase - the scent is fabulous! 

The tulip season has been longer then usual this year - spring came late and it's been so cold and I have loved having access to an almost never ending supply. 

These pretty pink tulips I put in a Swedish white ceramic vase with an interesting textured pattern made by the Swedish glass artist Bertil Vallien.

I'll be back on Sunday with a Florets - my Floral Quote by a florist or other flower lover.

Ingrid xx

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.]