Simple Vases - Natural Wrap

Bored of using the same old vase? Looking for a way to add a little rustic touch to your wedding? Wrapping your existing vases with fabric or string, in natural materials like hessian (burlap), linens and cottons is a super quick way to give your tables a country feel.  

You can either cut out a template and glue onto to a cardboard gift box and pop a vase or plastic container inside the box, or glue your fabric directly onto an old straight sided vase.

Would you rather skip the glue? - you could just wrap and secure with string. Stand your vase on your fabric and allow enough fabric all the way around your vase to cover the sides, plus 2 or 3 inches excess. Gather up around the vase, and tie at the neck. 

If you find the string is slipping, you could pop an elastic band over the neck of the vase before you wrap it - this helps avoid slippyness. Also tying on a corner point or just above the neck helps.

Think hessian alone is a bit plain?  Add a band of lace, cotton, wool or ribbon to pretty things up a little. This simple combination works really well, and lightens the rustic fabric.

Another cheap and easy way to DIY your own vases is to wrap them in string. I love brown garden string or twine but you could use wool, yarn, jute, or lovely thick macrame cord.

Knot and leave a long string when you start winding. Once you've built up enough string aim to finish up near your long string and tie firmly in place. Trim the ends and tuck out of sight. Again, if the string is slipping try double sided tape or elastic bands to help things stay in place. 

These are a nice alternative to low wooden container boxes for wedding tables and would work really well for outdoor or woodland decorating schemes. If you're holding your reception in a barn or throwing a posh picnic lunch these natural wrapped vases would be fab. They're just perfect for country bumpkins.

Images: RitzyBee, Elizabeth Anne Designs, Michaels, Apartment Therapy, Style Me Pretty, Justin Marantz, Shelterness

Woodland Weddings

Etsy is great for finding really unique vintage and handmade items. There is so much stuff out there, it can be a little overwhelming. So now the good people at Etsy have launched Etsy Weddings to help you navigate through the reams of suppliers and resources available.

There are sections on all the latest trends, diy tips and advice on planning your big day. There's even an etsy registry so you create your own etsy gift list and start dropping a few hints to your nearest and dearest.

Inspired by the idea of a rustic woodland wedding, above are a few cuties I spotted and put together in an etsy treasury I'm calling Wild in the Woods. Follow the link to the treasury to find the individual item details and shops. My favourite has got to be the little deer cake toppers. So cute.

What do you think of Etsy Weddings? Do you have any favourite shops? I'll be sharing a few more of mine in the weeks to come, do stop by and have a look xx

Eat your greens

Ok you might not want to eat these greens but I think they're rather scrummy all the same.

Its fairly common to meet a customer or bride who doesn't want to use a lot of foliage but don't be too hasty to dismiss greens altogether.

Greens are like the flower equivalent of the onions in the casserole or the spread in your sandwich, they bring everything together, blending and enhancing other colours and shades whilst at the same time giving them space and distinction.

One of my early mentors used to say you had to leave room in an arrangement for the butterflies, room for them to flutter around. Sounds naff I know, but I see what she meant.

Actual space and/or foliage and greens create a visual break in an arrangement. Because they're a sort of neutral colour in flower arranging, they allow your eye to rest and mean you can appreciate the other components and colours all the more. They can be both soothing and subtle, vibrant and peppy.

So while they might not be your first choice, they are always a lovely addition to any flower selection. Here are just a few great limey greens to look out for..

Shamrock/Anastasia Chrysanthemum blooms - A curly multi-petalled bloom that lasts forever. Well almost. A multi purpose flower, perfect for tight modern groupings.

Alchemilla Molis- Sweet, delicate and a tad fluffy, its like a lime green Gypsophila, and yet I love it. Works really well with jam jars and in country or rustic themes.

Kermit Chrysanth - These lime green flat buttons are a floristry mainstay. They're long lasting and are perfect for covering a base and adding texture.

Bupleurum - This little filler is a combination of lemon and lime hues and has a lovely lightness to it. It can give your arrangements a touch of softness and movement.

Draceana and Cordyline foliage - Great for a zesty pop of colour, draceana will lighten and brighten any arrangement. Consider using it with purples, which can be a bit flat on their own.

Midori Anthuriums - For striking modern displays these distinctive blooms will add a touch of the exotic to your wedding flowers. They look fab mixed with other tropical flowers like Orchids, Helleconia and Birds of Paradise.

Viburnum (Guelder Rose), Hydrangea and trailing Amaranthus are a few more that are definitely worth checking out.  Ask your florist for advice on what would work with your favourite flowers and I'm sure you too will soon be hooked on greens. 

Gypsy Wedding

Gypsophila is having a bit of a moment. Images of Baby's Breath have been cropping up all over the net for the last year or so. This hand tied bouquet is really sweet and stunningly simple, but I have to admit this trend has been a real slow burn for me.

Its got a lot to do with the 80's, when fluff and frill and flounce were everywhere, from the ra-ra skirts and frilly blouses to austrian blinds and ruffled bedding.

Flowers followed suit and were frilly and fluffy, and Gypsophila (or Gyp as I have always referred to it rather dismissively) was used to excess (this was the 80's after all) with masses of carnations or sold with a few straggly roses in your local boozer!

Now I'm slowly coming round to the idea.  Used on its own, its almost cottagey, it looks like it could be grown in a typical english country garden, and cottagey is most definitely a little country, and country is definitely a lotta rustic....so.. yeah I'm warming to it. 

Used simply, on its own in vintage tumblers or mix and match glassware its sweet and subtle.

Used en masse in tall vases it floats like lofty clouds of pretty floral fizz. One thing to note though, and this may be the design stickler in me coming out, in tall table arrangements it looks best in opaque vases as the stems can look a bit straggly in clear glass. 

Its light and airy and yes unashamedly fluffy, but somehow very now.   

photos from here, here, here, and here