Creative with Flowers - # 13 - Pink and White Flowers

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!

Seven different flowers in seven different clear glass containers. The pink flowers are peonies, sweet peas, spray roses, Gladiolus italicus and Astrantia. The white flowers are stock and Gypsophila.

All the containers are vintage laboratory glass containers in different shapes and sizes.  

I have grouped them together on a tabletop and added a few black props - a Jane Packer apron, two small bowls and two little boxes with postcards from the Design Museum in London. 

Flower arranging does not have to be done in one vase or you don't even have to mix any flowers. Choose a few different flowers within the same colour range, pick out containers that are similar in some way and put one type of flower in each container. 

Group them together on a table or sideboard and you end up with an interesting mix of colours, shapes, heights and textures, it will give visual variation and at the same time have a great impact.  

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I'm now taking a break from blogging to enjoy some time with family and friends. I will see you again in August.

Have a wonderful summer - enjoy the warmer weather and go out and smell the flowers! 

Ingrid 

~ xoxo ~

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Tiny Blooms - # 34 - Pink Peonies and Sweet Peas

This series of blog posts - called 'Tiny Blooms' - are about small flower arrangements. Small - might be the size of the container or it could be the size of the flowers or the amount of stems. 

It can also be that the arrangement is minimal both in presentation and that it's simple, quick and easy to do. Apart from that there are no other strict rules - I'm allowing myself a lot of creative freedom!

I wanted to create a small bouquet this week for 'Tiny Blooms'. One that maybe your grand-mother would have made - a little bit old-fashioned as well as sweet and romantic.
The flower stalls are full of peonies and sweet peas, so what I got was a combination of gorgeous pink peonies and multi-coloured pink sweet peas. 

I used my grandmother's cut glass vase that she gave me many years ago. At the time I was not too keen on it but now of course I love it. You often see similar at flea markets, car boot sales, loppis or charity stores.

The silver coloured jug, coffee pot and sugar bowl are old silverplated items that I've picked up from flea markets. All the silver is worn off and today has very little or no value - but are great to use as props. 

The arrangement is easy to make. I made a handtied bouquet and then put it in the vase. But you can also make it straight in the vase. Mix in the sweet peas so that the little flowers sit between the large peonies. Also tuck a few around the edge of the vase.

This is a wonderful time of year with so many beautiful flowers around - so make sure you take the opportunity to enjoy them during the short period that they flower.  

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

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' - I will be back on Wednesday with another 'Creative with Flowers'.

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 you can follow me on:

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

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A Bunch for the Weekend - # 79 - Pink Sweet Peas

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.
  

This week on 'A Bunch for the Weekend' I'm featuring some beautiful sweet peas. This one is pink but with a few different tones on the petals. It has dark frilly edges and the colours vary from off-white to areas that are blushed with dark pink.

The flower stall where I buy most of my flowers is selling lots of sweet peas in several different colours right now.

Like the peony, sweet peas is one of our all time favourites. These sweetly scented old-fashioned cottage flower are perfect both on their own or mixed with other flowers.

They are available in almost every colour under the sun apart from yellow. 

The flowers you buy from florists or flower stalls have longish stems with no foliage or tendrils. Garden sweet peas will have shorter stems with a few leaves and tendrils. Leave them on to add some interesting textures. 

The botanical or Latin name for sweet pea is Lathyrus odoratus. Lathyrus is from the Greek lathyros meaning pea or pulse and odoratus means fragrant.

Flower arrangements don't need to be big to look effective. It can be like here a simple vintage jar with just one type of flower in one colour or a small posy on your desk to give pleasure while working away on your computer.

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a fabulous and floral Friday and a great weekend!

Thank you for visiting 'Of Spring and Summer' and I'll be back on Monday with another 'Tiny Blooms'.

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 you can follow me on:

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

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FLOWERS by ingrid and titti - It's Time for Flowers!

Here is another FLOWERS from Titti Malmberg and and the theme is 'It's Time for Flowers'. Well as far as I'm concerned it's always the right time for flowers. But spring is a particularly special time of year with an explosion of stunning flowers.

I'm featuring another variation of gorgeously scented stock and sweet peas. This time in beautiful pink colours.

The stems of the flowers were very long and like made for a large and generous arrangement. So this time I used an oversized vintage pickling jar and positioned each stem at a diagonal in the container. The flower went to one side leaning on the edge of the vase and the bottom of the stem to the other side at the bottom of the jar.

I started with the more sturdy stock flowers arranging them around the edge of the container followed by the sweet peas. It's quite easy to feed the narrow sweet pea stems through the stock flowers. You need to be a little bit careful as the stems are delicate and the flowers are fragile and just space them evenly throughout the arrangement. 

As always a few little props - this time a small vase in a matching colour and some books about the very interesting fashion designer Issey Miyake.

In the background is a bright pink watering can - I might add that is has never been used in the garden! I wonder why? Maybe because it would not look nice for very long.

Don't hesitate to use the same flowers over and over again. With a little bit of creating thinking and some variation in colour and size as well as using different vases and containers - you can make the arrangements look quite different. Also think about adding some interesting props that either matches or contrasts the flowers. 

If you go over to Titti's blog you can see her interpretation of this week's theme. Here is the link to her blog. 

Enjoy your flower arranging and have a lovely floral day!

Titti and I will be back in June with some more FLOWERS with new and interesting themes.

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.

You can also follow me on:

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

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