Inspiration for Valentine's Day

Are you looking for some inspiration for Valentine's Day?



Here is an adorable little video to put you in the mood!
The video is from Funny How Flowers Do That

Here are also a few links to help you on the way. All from Funny How Flowers Do That.

Let Love Grow In Four Steps

Celebrate Love 365 Days of the Year

Bouquet Recipe: A Vase To Fill Your Heart With Joy

Love And Flowers Make The Difference

Recipe: Filo Tarts Inspired By Ranunculus

Recipe: Fennel Salad To Fall In Love With

Recipe: Almond Carnations To Yearn For

Recipe: Tempting Cordials


Have a fun day!!

FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm celebrating Valentine's Day with three floral arrangements - a big mixed bouquet with two different tulips, ranunculus and cherry blossoms. A small arrangement with some rather special and very unusual pink tulips and a tall arrangement with just cherry blossoms on their own.

All three arrangements are just right for Valentine's Day - soft, feminine, pretty and romantic! 

The background in the photographs is a painting that I took off the wall, propped it up behind the flower arrangements and in the process I turned it sideways. I liked the contrast but also how some colours were matching - but I'm not sure the artist would be pleased with me turning her painting around!

The small arrangement with the very pretty pink and white tulips is quick and easy. The stems are cut very short and put in a small container in a contrasting colour. Cut the stems at slightly different lengths so they splay out a bit and don't end up standing straight up. 

Double tulips also called peony tulips are so stunningly beautiful - they almost take your breath away. 


One of my favorites is a pink one called Angelique others with great names are Lilac Perfection, May Wonder, Carnaval de Nice and there is a white one called Mount Tacoma.  

This spring try to find some branches with flowering blossoms. Bring them indoors - help them along by making two cuts at the bottom of the stems - one sharp diagonal and one vertical up the stem. This is to allow as much water as possible to be absorbed and help the buds to open.

If the buds are tightly closed you can help them along to open up by putting them in warm water and in a bright but not too hot place.
Cherry blossoms can be a bit tricky - the flowers are fragile and will quite easily fall apart if knocked by mistake - but once you have arranged them and they have happily started to open their flowers are just stunning. 

Oh, the delights of spring and the wonders of nature. 

Enjoy your flower arranging! 
   

My Swedish collaborator Titti Malmberg over on HWIT BLOGG is also celebrating Valentine's Day - so go over and have a look at her interpretation.

Have a fabulously Happy Valentine's Day! - and I will see you next week with more floral delights from Of Spring and Summer.

Ingrid

~ xoxo ~ 

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

You can also find me on:

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

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

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

Take 3 Flowers! - # 6 - Red and Pink Roses with Green Foliage

I'm back with another blog post in the series 'Take 3 Flowers!'

In this blog series I will show you how to make easy but beautiful and stylish flower arrangements - just using three different flowers. Often one of the three will be some kind of foliage.

Using just three flowers will sometimes be a challenge - but it will also keep the cost down. Cut flowers can be expensive but foliage on the other hand tends to be cheep. You can use lots of it to help fill out the arrangement and to provide support and structure for the other flowers.

I'm using two different roses - a dark red one and a light pink one. Normally roses are not cheep - but these were being sold in big bunches of 10 and 20 roses in each for very little money. I was working on another project where I also needed roses so I went for it.

The foliage is light green variegated Pittosporum that grows in my garden - so all I had to do was to go out and cut a few branches. I use it all the time because it has a lovely green colour that goes well with a lot of different coloured flowers. 

You'll need: 

- 7 stems of dark red roses

- 5 stems of light pink roses

- 5 stems of Pittosporum tenuifolium 'Silver Queen'

- a re-cycled tin/can - washed and with the label removed

For conditioning the flowers - you'll also need:

- florists snippers or scissors

- a florist bucket

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.

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

Put in a clean container with tepid water and leave in a cool, dark place over night or at least for a few hours before making the final arrangement.

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

I often find the roses you buy at this time of year a bit stiff and formal - I don't want to say that I don't like them - because I like most flowers - but I wanted to use them in a little bit of a different way.

So - I choose to use a regular old re-cycled tin or can as the Americans call them. I have left it plain but you could decorate it by painting it, using washi tape or tying ribbons, twine or raffia around it.  

Start off by putting in all the stems of the foliage evenly throughout the container. Measure the roses against the side of the tin before making the final cut and leave them just long enough to rest on the edge of the tin. 

Make a nice dome shaped arrangement with some of the flowers in the middle a bit longer and have the foliage weave their way between the roses and show above the roses to give some texture and height.  

I find the contrast fun and interesting - formal stiff roses and a bit of re-cycling or re-using something that most people throw away.

This could also be an early inspiration for Valentine's Day - because despite using an old tin - the arrangement has everything you want from a Valentine's arrangement - with its sweet and romantic red and pink roses and beautiful foliage.

Have a Lovely Floral Monday!

See you later in the week!

~ xoxo ~

Ingrid

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

Happy Valentine's Day!

 ~  Happy Valentine's Day! ~ 

*****

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

See you soon.

xoxo Ingrid

FLOWERS by ingrid & titti - Valentine's Day

It's Valentine's Day next week so Titti and I thought we start early with some romantic inspiration on our - FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - themed blog posts.

Cooking or baking will always be a special thing to do for a loved person in your life. Or cooking with your family or friends - creating a dish each - it becomes a special occasion. 

Roses can be expensive and sometimes 'less is more' - so just three red roses with a little bit of foliage in a white vintage jug - becomes the perfect simple flower arrangement. 
  

Writing a special message on a little hand printed card is always nice and of course some chocolate - in the shape of red hearts!

The first arrangement was red - so I thought my second arrangement has to be pink - another romantic colour.

I used three different pink flowers - three tulips, three Ranunculus and one hyacinth - in a little sweet vase with pink hearts and I tied a ribbon around the top.

Below is a single Ranunculus in a mini bud vase and some more chocolate hearts - this time pink to match the flowers.

Here is a link to Titti's blog - HWIT BLOGG - so you can go over and have a look at what she has done.

And you can also find our previous FLOWERS - here, here and here.

********** 

[Red sandwich plate from Cath Kidston.]
[Ribbons by Jane Means.]
[Pink polka dot fabric by Sarah Hardaker.]
[Vase with pink hearts from Emma Bridgewater.]
[Vases and vintage props - from' My Prop Cupboard'.] 
[Styling and photography © Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer]

Have a Wonderful Floral Day!

See you back here soon!

xoxo Ingrid