Colour Inspiration - Peach, Coral and Gold

I'm really loving peaches at the moment, the colour not the fruit (I prefer nectarines) and I've been thinking about how to put them together with other colours. 

As a florist, and stylist I get excited by colour all the time as I go about my daily life and so I thought I'd share a colour inspiration with you. Today I took my cue from my jewellery box, some habadashery bits and some new stationery and threw together some pretty pics. 

Here are my top tips for using peach: 

• Turn up the volume a little and be inspired by India with vibrant corals and jade greens. 

• Pair peachy pinks with aqua and turquoise greens, and gold.

• Add warmth with a little earthy brown, and muted champagnes.

• Add interest to a simple palette with modern graphic patterns - like spots, stripes or chevrons

This could be the first of a new series on colour. I will look more at flowers, obviously as thats my thing, but wanted to show how if you're thinking about colours for outfits, decor or flowers and how to put them together, if you keep your eyes open you're bound to find inspiration is all around.

Days out in Oxfordshire - Greys Court

Sometimes I forget how lucky I am living on the borders of Berkshire and Oxfordshire. There are so many pretty towns and villages to explore on days off, and lots of grand country houses in and around the area. This weekend, I went for a look around Greys Court.

Situated in Rotherfield Greys, near Henley on Thames with amazing views over the surrounding Chiltern hills, the 16th Century grand house was a family home until very recently when it was gifted to the National Trust. 

Still complete with the original furniture, the decor has been sympathetically refreshed where necessary. The personal possessions, like tapestry cushions, embroidery and patchwork quilts, make the rooms feel really homely and lived-in and the kitchen was a masterclass in how to mix period (tudor/elizabethan architectural features and stone masonry) and modern pieces (like the fab teal 1950's wall tiles).  

Our visit coincided with a NAFAS exhibition. So as we explored the grounds and gardens, built around medieval ruins and a 12th century tower, I snapped a few piccies of the outdoor displays. Was really impressed with how well they had fared considering we'd had some pretty strong wind and rain in the previous 3 days.

The gardens are a real delight and include an all white garden, several rose gardens, and walled gardens hanging with wysteria vines. Borders are planted with peonies and foxgloves, pathways lined with lavender, and clematis hangs heavy from archways. Turn a corner and you'll find a wild meadow area and an orchard. I felt like a big kid exploring, excited to see where each doorway would lead.

The planting and variety of styles at Grey's Court has something for everyone (who likes plants and history anyway) and provides ideas and inspiration aplenty. 

The green fingered leave with plans for planting and those who are more romantically inclined might leave dreaming of secret gardens and moonlight clinches! 

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

Classic Wedding Flowers - Gardenia

Gardenia is a Classic Wedding flower that deserves a bit of attention. An amazing shape with a perfect spiraling centre, they are a creamy white shade and look as if they could almost be made out of porcelain. As well as being incredibly pretty they also have the most wonderful scent. So if fragrance is your thing these unsung heros really should be on your wish list.

They grow on shrubby bushes and so tend to have shortish stems. This means they will often need to wired to be incorporated into your bouquet and because they are quite delicate you're better off leaving these sort of bouquets to the professionals.

That said, they make an amazing hand tied bouquet. You could use them en masse, head to head in a round bouquet, or in a dome shape, softened with a few tufts of foliage around the base to frame.

If you like a stronger, clean look try mixing them with groups of other cream and ivory flowers like peonies, garden roses, and lily of the valley. Grouped clusters of flowers create a neat modern style - always a good option if you don't like fussy or frilly.

Don't be afraid to use greenery in your bouquet because it can make all the difference and it would be a crime to waste their beautiful glossy leaves. Your florist will know how to best to use foliage to set off your flowers.

Personally, I think Gardenia look their best when they're given a little room to breathe, so that each individual flower can be admired in all its glory. Greenery can provide that visual space. See how above, gardenia leaves are used to break up the bouquet, and tufts of fern add movement and soft texture. 

To create interest while still sticking to a mostly ivory colour-way you could mix in silvery greys like textural round Brunia and soft Dusty Miller leaves. I like how the black Vaccinium berries in the top image tie in with the black ribbon wrap on the handle, and love the discrete decorative touch that the Cameo brooch adds.

Keeping things soft and subtle, one way to give the traditional ivory bouquet a little twist is to use a hint of colour. Blush shades like apricot, peach or pale dusky pinks are pretty and understated. Try flowers like Dahlia, Peony, and garden style roses like those by David Austen.

You can even carry the colour through and have the bouquet bound in a co-ordinating satin ribbon. Fasten with a pretty vintage brooch, or ask your florist to incorporate some gems, or special jewellery into the bouquet. This can be a nice way to include a meaningful memento from a loved one.

Another great thing about Gardenia, because they're so light and flat they're perfect for using in your hair, a la Billy Holiday, and they make the most lovely scented corsages. Wear on your wrist or hair and you'll get wafts of gorgeousness all day long.

Images: All my wedding flowers, bouquet-bouquet, martha stewart weddings, mary claire crow.com, the brides cafe, brillliantblooms.blogspot, bouquet-bouquet, dmagazine, ?, iloveswmag, bhldn

Rainy Day Weddings

No matter what time of year you plan your wedding, its always going to be a bit of a gamble whether the sun will shine.  Don't let wet weather get you down, instead plan for all eventualities and make sure you're properly kitted out. 

• Get in some great big golfing umbrellas to keep the rain off. You don't want to arrive looking like a like a drowned rat

• Gather a collection of cheery rainbow coloured brollies and wellies for your bridesmaids. Keep the shiny red Hunters for the you - I would!

• Pool resources and have a stash of brollies ready for guests to use

• Have fun with it and make the most of the photo opportunities. If you're lucky you might even get a rainbow

Images : 100 Layer Cake, Love My Dress, Ruche , Ruche, The Wedding Wire Blog, Style Me Pretty, Hassa Photography, via Pinterest