Simple vases - Single stems

This weeks simple vases could not be any simpler so there's really no need to worry if your flower arranging skills aren't up to much! 

If you ever get a bouquet and don't know what to do with it, or are thinking about how to display flowers for a dinner party or a more formal event, rather than trying to arrange them all in one vase, you could try using stems individually with a group of vases.

I feel a bit like Delia Smith teaching everyone how to boil eggs, but here are some tips and tricks for a pretty group of single stems in simple vases.

• An unusual selection of vases will make an interesting display.
• Bottles come in all shapes and sizes. Look out for interesting necks, curves, and waists. 
• Oil and vinegar bottles, mustard and pickle jars are all great makeshift vases. 
• Raid the drinks cabinet for coloured glass and curvy bottles. 
• Wine goblets, whisky tumblers and sherry glasses are perfect for flowers. 
• Keep old cosmetic and perfume bottles - but wash with diluted bleach and rinse thoroughly before use.

If you want to give your display a little personal twist you could:

• add a little food colouring to the water
• try your hand at tinting glass 
• follow this diy to learn how to paint the inside of bottles with enamel paint.

Using single stems shows off both the bottle and the individual flower, but there is still a bit of an art to it. Try out some of the following and see what difference it makes to the overall look of your grouping.

•  Use large, heavy blooms cut short so that the head sits at the mouth of the container.
• Think about proportions and leave some stems longer - suits tall slender vases
• Give your collection of vases a little space, so that you can appreciate each one.
• Vary heights/colours so that the whole grouping is balanced.

Most of all have fun with it, its not rocket science, its only playing with flowers.

Images via- Desire to Inspire, 100 Layer Cake, Debi Treloar, Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart Elizabeth Anne Designs

Workshop flyer

Working on a flyer to promote my floristry workshops. Got a few nice images, now I just need some words..

Classic Wedding Flowers - Lily of the Valley

A firm favourite of both Hollywood and British Royalty, Lily of the Valley was the flower of choice for the classically beautiful Grace Kelly when she married her prince and last year was used by our own fairytale princess Kate Middleton for her dainty bouquet. 

In honour of Will and Kate just having celebrated their 1st Wedding Anniversary, I thought it only right to shine the spotlight on this little gem and run through some of the different ways you can use Lily of the Valley in your wedding.  

As a hand-tied bouquet its so sweet. This simple style really shows how delicate and exquisite the flowers are.

• A simple posy of 30-50 stems is helped by foliage used through the bouquet to separate and add oomph. 

• Bigger bunches of 100+ stems are fab with the lily's own leaves framing the flowers. 

• Add glamourous details like ivory satin ribbons pinned with antique brooches or cameos.

Kate's shower bouquet (top) used Hyacinth pips and Lily of the valley along with Myrtle, and Ivy all of which would have had to have been individually wired.  This sort of bouquet requires great skill and time to create and prices tend to reflect that.

If you're keen to recreate this royal beauty, bear in mind that out of season they can be extortionately expensive for such a tiny flower and because they are so dainty you need quite a few stems to achieve a similar effect. 

Worth it though, I'd say.  

Alternatively you could always use a few mixed with other seasonal flowers like frilly sweet peas, with trailing fritillary, or dotted through a handtie of peonies.

Be warned though, that with other larger flowers they can get overshadowed, so to avoid this ask your florist to arrange a grouped bouquet, or use them in clusters throughout to add texture and of course a wonderful scent.

• For table decorations use them in little glass jars, sparkly mercurised silver votives, or antique crystal wine glasses. 

• For a little novelty diy pierce plastic cups, thread with ribbon and secure before filling with flowers and hanging from pew ends or chair backs or wherever takes your fancy. 

• Or you could have a go at making a wire heart. Using pliable thick wire available from hobby stores and more than likely your local florist, bind a few stems at a time with reel wire to your outline shape until all the wire is covered. Make a wire loop or hook for hanging or attach with a ribbon. 

It is worth noting, if you are planning to prep any of the flowers yourself, that as with a lot of the most delicate flowers, they do have a short life as a cut flower and are best conditioned by the experts, kept in water and not bought or used too far in advance. 

Are you thinking about using Lily of the Valley in your bouquet, or perhaps you used it for your wedding flowers? It'd be interesting to hear what you make of this little flower. 

Pop back next week for more classic wedding flowers when I'll be chatting all things Hydrangea.

Ta ta for now x

Images from here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here

Which roses for the blushing bride?

Blush shades have been a bit of an obsession of mine lately (see also "peachy keen" and "peaches and cream") and it seems I'm not alone. Personally, I think its just the prettiest way to work a hint of colour into an otherwise fairly neutral theme.

These beautiful roses are called Talea. They are a pale creamy blush with warm peach tones that radiate from within their tightly wound spirals.  In fact their colour is kind of hard to pin down. They're a bit of a chameleon as they take on different tones when put with other colours, which means they're incredibly versatile.

With whites, creams, greens, and silvery grey foliage they appear fresh and elegant. They work wonders with warm russety reds, oranges and corals as they have that underlying peachyness. And because their base colour is a sort of flesh tone they're also lovely combined with pinks.  Raspberry, plums and berry shades would be my recommendation.  

If your colour inspiration starts with peach, raspberry, plum, chocolate browns, sage or olive greens, Talea roses would definitely be worth a look. If you're not sure what type of roses would complement a vintage theme, dress or bridesmaids dresses in any of the above colours, this could be the rose for you.

If you're in need of more blush inspiration pop over to pinterest. There's lots more lovely stuff on my wedding inspiration board and I've just started a wedding cake board too. (I must be hungry!) You can follow me here and there to keep up to date with latest finds. 

Ta ta for now x

Stash in the Attic

It was time for a reshuffle in the shop. I could tell. I was getting fidgety and this only normally happens when I've been looking at the same four walls for too long. So, enlisting a few handy helpers I ripped out the window display, moved stuff hither and thither and got the menfolk to heave a rather hefty old wooden sideboard down from the metaphorical attic.

There was talk of painting it, but actually I'm rediscovering a love of dark wood furniture. Maybe I've just seen so much of the stuff whitewashed for sale in antiques yards lately. Although midcentury sideboards are all the rage at the moment, I think there's still a place for granny chic. Admittedly this may not be it, but it'll do for now. 

Thought it looked rather lovely topped with classical style urns, pots and lanterns and decked with vintage toned blooms. (Just look away from the horrid tiled floor! And, yep, that picture's gotta go too!) Where do you stand on the brown furniture debate? 

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

Simple Vases

As a florist I love leaves almost as much as I love flowers. I think choosing the right foliage to complement your colour scheme and flowers can make all the difference to an arrangement. So this week I wanted to show you some different ways of using foliage in vases. 

How sweet is this little grouping of autumn leaves? Pretty delicate bud vases really show off the individual leaf shapes and colours. Try grouping different types of foliage in recycled bottles. Interesting shaped vinegar and oil bottles are worth holding onto for displays like this. Keep an eye out at antiques fairs and in your local charity shops for vintage perfume and milk bottles.

Large tropical leaves like Philodendron, Monstera, Cycas, Strelitzia and Palms are bold and architectural in shape.  You only need one or two per vase for a striking yet minimal effect.  Use them as a backdrop or let them take centre stage. 

For a softer feel choose branches with lots of leaves in lighter tones. These gorgeous russet shades of yellow and orange stop the arrangement being too dark and heavy.  This would look lovely for a sophisticated take on Halloween or for an autumn wedding. 

 

Show off the natural beauty of leaves by placing one or two length ways in vases of different heights.  Pick variegated leaves and look for interesting textures. Hosta leaves suit this sort of treatment. Some strong foliages can withstand being submerged for a long time, but in general I'd advise using only a little water to avoid foliage turning to mush.

For the more adventurous, make like Constance Spry and experiment with different types of foliage. These kind of arrangements are not necessarily simple, but you'll have a lot of fun playing, and as you can cut stems from the garden, and trim a little here and there on a walk in the woods, they won't cost you the earth.

For the less creative types, masses of one type of foliage, especially eucalyptus, in an urn or footed vase always looks fab. What do you think, could you fall in love with foliage?

images top to bottom from here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here & here

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.