A Bunch for the Weekend - # 85 - Hydrangea and Eucalyptus

I know that I have featured a lot of Hydrangeas lately - but what's a girl to do? A major weakness for hydrangeas? Well, that might be an understatement.... so here we go again....!

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.

These beautifully coloured hydrangeas has a delicate mix of light pink and equally light green petals.

As a little bit of a contrast colour I added some muted grey green Eucalyptus foliage.

In the background is a small 'side vase' with a very, very delicate grass called Panicum. 

I have also made some napkin rings by simply tying a thin ribbon around a folded napkin and then stuck some sprigs of eucalyptus and hydrangea under the ribbon.

The ribbons are from Jane Means' ribbon collection. It's a narrow stitched grosgrain with pink stitching along the middle.

On the little foot stool are two Marimekko Iittala Kivi tea light holders. These two are in clear glass but they come in many different beautiful colours.

The other tealight holder is from Georg Jensen it's called Bloom and is made of stainless steel. I love the simplicity of the shape and the silver colour.

The painting in the background is by my dear and very talented sister-in-law Amy Trachtenberg.

Hydrangeas are only with us for a little bit longer - enjoy them while you can....!

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 floral quote by someone passionate about flowers. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

[Ribbons from Jane Means' ribbon collection. I am part of Jane Means' Ribbon Bloggers Team - who on a regular bases feature Jane's ribbons.]

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Creative with Flowers - # 17 - Purple Lisianthus

Lisianthus is an extremely popular and very pretty flower - and it can last for up to two weeks. Pretty good!

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!

A close up of the delicate flower, some buds of different maturity and a few of the grey-green slender leaves - twisting and turning.

This time I have used three new contemporary vases. They are all fairly small and of three different material and colour. One clear glass, one black and one white. What links them are that they all have some kind of surface texture on the sides of the vases and they are all neutral in colour - not taking anything away from the flowers.

I have tied a piece of ribbon around the narrow neck of the glass vase. It's a dark purple stitched grosgrain ribbon from Jane Means' ribbon collection and it matches the purple flowers perfectly.

To make the most of this lovely flower: handle with care - the petal can easily mark and the stems can easily snap.

So from the same bunch I have made three slightly different arrangements. A low and tight arrangement with the stems cut very short, in the small black vase. A medium sized looser arrangement in the clear glass vase and a taller and compact one in the white vase.

I love how the buds sits above the flowers giving the arrangements lots of texture and movement.

During the summer mix with Scabious, Nigella or Freesia.

Great flower to use for arrangements to be placed on tables, in windows and on mantelpieces. 

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - Titti Malmberg, from HWIT BLOGG, and I will be back on Friday with another FLOWERS. Hope to see you then. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

[Ribbon from Jane Means' ribbon collection. I'm part of Jane Means' Ribbon Bloggers Team.]

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:

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Flowers and Ribbons - # 6 - Clematis and Sweet Peas

This series of blog posts is called 'Flowers and Ribbons' and is a collaboration I do with the ribbon designer and wrapping expert Jane Means. We are an international team of bloggers who use Jane's ribbons in some of our posts while Jane provides us with her ribbons.

I wanted to show how you in different ways can combine ribbons with flowers and make the whole arrangement that little bit extra special.

The flowers that I have used here are purple clematis and two different sweet peas both similar in colour as well as picking up the purple in the clematis. 

I have used ribbons in two different ways. The first one is just simply tied around the container of the main flower arrangement. In this case a grey metal container and the ribbon I have used is a stitched grosgrain in a dark grey colour. The ribbon is almost black so it still show some contrast with the grey colour of the container. 

The second way is around the stems of a mini posy of sweet peas. I have used a narrower stitched grosgrain ribbon but it's in the same grey colour. I also added a purple luggage tag to the ribbon.

The little glasses, with the floral motif, that I'm using as vases are from Anthropologie. 

The clematis that you can buy from the flower stalls and florist shops is different to the climbing clematis that you might grow in your garden. It's cultivated to grow long straight stems that is easily mixed with other flowers. If you can find this kind of clematis - go for it - it's well worth it and they keep on flowering and I love the bell-shaped flowers.

It's always fun to be able to use flowers that are a little bit unusual - using clematis and sweet peas together has worked out to be a great combination. 

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

I'll be back on Friday 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:

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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 - # 72 - Pink Hyacinths and Ranunculus

 This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' I'm featuring some lovely pink hyacinths and a couple of different pink ranunculus. 

It's not always easy to find flowers that mix well with hyacinths - but ranunculus is one of a few that are perfect as a companion to the quite dominant hyacinth.

I cut off the bulb-bit at the end of the hyacinth stems - as I was using a clear glass container where you can see all the stems. 

I'm using a vintage pickling jar as a vase - these have quickly become one of my favourite kind of container to use as vases. They come in all kinds of sizes and flowers looks great in them.

I also cut the stems at different heights to give the arrangement some visual variation and not to look too neat and tidy. 

This time around I did buy a few different pink ranunculus from my favourite local flower stall. My plan was to use the lighter pink mixed in with the pink hyacinths. I then wanted to make a separate small arrangement with the darker pink.

For the small arrangement I used a small green hand made tumbler - I cut the stems very short and filled the container full with a mix of both open flowers and some still in bud. Love the green and dark pink colours together.  

This is a lovely bowl with hand-painted roses on the sides as well as inside - to go with the floral gardening theme. 

I have used two ribbons from Jane Means' collection. One dotty grosgrain around the container and the same ribbon around the cutlery. Then I used a narrow stitched ribbon for the mini watering can.

The painting in the background is one I found at a car-boot sale a few years back. The red and pink flowers in the painting looks like they could be roses, peonies, poppies, anemones or ranunculus or just a lovely mix of all of them!  

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous floral weekend!

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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Flowers and Ribbons - # 3 - Wrapped up Flowers

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 time on Flowers and Ribbons I'm featuring four different ways of wrapping bunches of flowers. When giving flowers to someone and they don't come all nicely wrapped from a florist but from your garden or the local supermarket - it's quite nice to make them look that little bit extra special. 

I have simply used different coloured tissue paper, brown wrapping paper and clear cellophane. Then to finish it off nicely I have tied a pretty ribbon around the middle.

The end of the flower stems will be wet from the flowers sitting in water and you might not want the wrapping to get all wet and soggy - so wrap the ends in some damp kitchen towel and a small plastic bag or some cling film and use a rubber band to hold it in place. The flowers should then be alright out of water for a short while and the wrapping will be all nice and dry. 

The first bunch of flowers - are a mix of two different coloured pink tulips and they are wrapped in matching tissue paper and has a purple ribbon in a nice bow.

The second bunch are some deep blue hyacinths wrapped in two different coloured blue tissue paper and on top of the tissue paper I have added a layer of clear cellophane with white dots - around it all is a light blue ribbon.

In the next bunch I have used the same tulips as before - but this time I have wrapped them in purple tissue paper and brown wrapping paper and tied it with a dark grey ribbon.

The last example is a very small bunch of sweet little snowdrops from my garden. I have used white tissue paper and a narrow dark grey ribbon. Very simple so not the take anything away from these little precious flowers.

All the wrappings are very simple and easy to do. You might already have some tissue paper and brown wrapping paper at home that you can use, including ribbons in a matching or contrasting colour. 

That little finishing touch will make all the difference when presenting the flowers as a gift. 

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.]

You can also find me on:

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Flowers and Ribbons - # 2 - Napkins

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 have decided to do a regular monthly series of blog posts where I will use Jane's ribbons in combination with flowers and foliage.

This month I thought it would be nice with some easy tips on how to make your table settings festive - just in time for all the holidays coming up. I have chosen to decorate three different coloured napkins with ribbons and a selection of plant material.

I have used three different colour schemes - purple, black and red. The ribbons are all grosgrain - with off-white stitching down the edges - all from Jane's collection. 

The plant material is selection of berries, hips and foliage - Ilex berries, crab apples, small rose hips and Eucalyptus leaves.

They are all quite tolerant of being out of water for several hours before they start looking a bit sad - so very good for decorating table and napkins.

In all the three colours I have simply used ribbons to tie around the middle of the rolled up napkins and I then tucked a small branch of plant material under the ribbon.

This is a quick, simple and very easy way of making your table look colourful and festive. 

If you make an additional flower arrangement - remember to make it low enough - so that people can see and talk to each other across the table. If you want to make a taller arrangement just move it to a side table when you are ready to sit down. 

Some people also say that you should not use strongly scented flowers in and around the dining table. It's believed that a strong scent conflicts with the aroma of food or wine - so stick to unscented flowers around food.

Have a lovely floral day!

I'll be back next month with another 'Flowers and Ribbons' - but before that I'll be back on Wednesday with another 'Tiny Blooms' blog post.

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

You can also find me on:

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

Flowers of the Month - October 2015

2 October - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Vases, Bottles and Jars

It's the last day of October and I'm back with 'Flowers of the Month' - where I'm featuring all the different flowers and floral arrangements I have posted during the month of October. It's been a good run this month with lots of amazing and colourful autumn flowers available. I've been able to create, style and photograph a great deal so there are quite a few blog posts to cover.

The title of the post under the image - is also a link to the post - if you would like to see it again or you missed it.

4 October - Florets - Floral Quote by Cath Kidston

5 October - Tiny Blooms - Pink Wild Carrot

7 October - The Monthly List - October 2015

9 October - A Bunch for the Weekend - Colourful Dahlias

11 October - Florets - Floral Quote by Shannon Fricke

12 October - Flower Agenda - Lisianthus

14 October - Do-It Yourself Flower Tips and Inspiration - Dahlias

18 October - Florets - Floral Quote by Erin Benzakein

19 October - Flowers and Ribbons - Jane Means' Ribbons

21 October - Do-It-Yourself Flower Tips and Inspiration - Chrysanthemums and Snowberries

23 October - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Autumn on the Doorstep

25 October - Florets - Floral Quote by Selina Lake

26 October - Tiny Blooms - Pastel Pink Tulips and Anemones

28 October - Do-It-Yourself Flower Tips and Inspiration - Dahlias, Crab Apples and Rose Hips

30 October - A Bunch for the Weekend - Pale Blue Grape Hyacinths

I hope you have enjoyed all the flower arrangements from the last month - as much as I have enjoyed created them. 

Have a Great Floral Day!

I will be back again at the end of November with another 'Flowers of the Month'. Before that I'm back tomorrow with Florets and another floral quote from a passionate flower lover. 

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson/Of Spring and Summer.]
[Photo nr 7 provided by The Flower Council of Holland.]

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