Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIY. Show all posts

Creative with Flowers - # 19 - Two Pink Chrysanthemums


Let me set the scene. You are just home from a long day of being on your feet - kick off your shoes, grab a cup of herbal tea and a good book. Sit down in a favourite chair - made even more comfortable with a cushion and a warm blanket - and NOW you can also enjoy the flowers you made earlier!


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!


What could be simpler than two different pink chrysanthemums in an old apothecary jar. The jar is a little chipped and the lid is missing but that has never stopped me making use of it. 


I've used two pink colours - but twice as many stems of the darker colour with just a few of the lighter pink to lift the whole colour scheme.


The chair is a Lloyd Loom chair from the 1930's - in it's original colour! The cushion is made from a vintage patchwork quilt. Both the cushion and the chair are almost perfectly matching the flowers.


The book is by Nessa Buonomo and is called Tables fleuries. Nessa is a florist and she writes the blog La Mariee aux Pieds Nus. This is her third book and if you are wondering - and yes, it's only so far published in french. She makes lovely flower arrangements - a little wild country style and very beautiful.


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.

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Floral Media - Video - Make Your Own Autumn Flower Arrangement




Here is a short little video from Martha Stewart's YouTube channel. It's her Senior Garden Editor, Todd Carr showing us how to make a quick and easy autumn flower arrangement.

He is using a bunch from the supermarket and transforms them into something a bit more special. The flowers he is using are a couple of different Chrysanthemums as well as some Golden Rod also called Solidago.

Todd uses a gold coloured vase that matches the colour of the flowers. He starts with the larger Chrysanthemums and then fills in with the smaller ones and the Golden Rod.

I hope you'll enjoy this short video! Have a fabulous and floral Monday!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back later in the week with more floral delights.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

[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:

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A Bunch for the Weekend - # 83 - Late Summer Grass, Seed Pods, Dark Foliage and White Alstroemeria


This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' it's not just one bunch - but three! Well, they are to be displayed together to form a whole.


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.


Late summer is almost here and a few different colours, textures and shapes are available to buy or if you are lucky to have grasses and flower seed heads growing in your garden - NOW is the time to use them as cut flowers.

All the plants I'm using here are from Forever Green Flower Company.


I have used very few colours and instead focused on different shapes and textures. The love-in-the-mist seed heads and the delicate grass, Panicum, gives varied textures and adds lightness and movement. 

The dark foliage, Physocarpus opulifolius 'Diabolo', gives contrast and works as a background for the green. The white trumpet shaped Alstroemeria has a totally different shape and texture to all the other plants as well as adding freshness. 

The three little arrangements are linked by using clear glass containers as vases and as a base a marble table and an off-white linen table runner. 


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 a floral quote by someone passionate about flowers. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

[All flowers, grass and seedheads are from Forever Green Flower Company.]

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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Supermarket Flowers in Jam Jars


A lot of different supermarkets sell bunches of flowers for a very reasonable price - but they often lack a bit of imagination. 



I think we can do better than this! Don't you think so too?


Start off by taking the bunch apart. Condition the flowers by stripping off any leaves that will end up below the water-line in the container. Trim the ends of the stems at an angle and put in fresh water as soon as possible.

Then separate the flowers and foliage by colour or type of foliage, so that you can see how many stems of each you have.

This bunch consisted mainly of pink roses, pink spray chrysanthemums, purple stock, purple trachelium and freesia. 

Nice colours and the flowers were fresh but I wanted to do something drastically different.


I wanted to use some recycled jam jars as my containers. They are quick and easy to make as they are small in size. As an added little extra I have tied a pretty ribbon around each jar.

I used all the flowers in the bunch and I didn't substitute with any other flowers or foliage. So choose carefully when you pick out the flowers in the supermarket.  


I made two jars using mainly pink flowers. They are similar but a little bit different. I used two different ribbons both are light grey in colour - a nice contrast to the pink. 

The third one has three different purple flowers. There I used a dark grey ribbon as a contrast to the purple.


You need to cut the stems quite short. Measure against the side of the jar. Be generous with the amount of flowers in each jar. You want it to look full and abundant not stingy in any way.

Little jam jars can be used for almost all occasions and for most rooms in the house. The added ribbons from Jane Means' collection, also make it all look a little bit more special.


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 'FLOWERS by ingrid and titti'. The first FLOWERS, from Titti Malmberg and I, after a break over the summer. 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

[Ribbons 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:

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

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DIY Flower Tips and Inspiration - # 16 - Pink Chrysanthemums and Stock with Cream Roses



At this time of year it's not easy to know where to go to get fresh cut flowers. There might be a few winter flowering branches and some foliage in the garden if you are lucky. Buying flowers from the florists can be quite expensive and anybody selling flowers at farmers' markets are taking a break because they don't have anything to sell at this time of year. I often buy from a local street flower seller, but he is also taking a well deserved break after the very busy holiday period and even my local florist is closed for the month of January.


Well, I've decided to do an experiment! In the next few weeks I will buy most or maybe even all of my flowers from the supermarkets. I have a few around where I live - Waitrose, Sainsbury, Tesco and Marks and Spencer - so I do have quite a good choice of stores to choose from.  


I first went to Marks and Spencer but I didn't like the look of the flowers they had. They all had a 'Best Before' date on their labels but a lot had pollen showing and bruised petals so I left without buying any and went to Tesco instead. There I bought two bunches of pink chrysanthemums and a mixed bunch of pink stock and cream roses.

As usual I conditioned the flowers as soon as I got home and left them in a cool place for a while. I wanted to show off the pink flowers against a fairly neutral background and picking up the colour of the roses I choose some cream coloured vases, a vintage bowl with pink flowers and some lace .


I also decided not to mix any of the flowers but to keep them separate in a way that showed off their individual beauty. 

I think many of us look down on buying flowers from the supermarkets of even worse the petrol stations - but choose carefully, look after them well and you'll be pleasantly surprised at how even a bunch from the supermarket can make a beautiful and long-lasting flower arrangement at a very reasonable price!   


Enjoy Your Flower Arranging and 
Have a Fabulous Floral Wednesday!

I'll see you again on Friday with another Bunch for the Weekend.

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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

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