Of Spring and Summer

Purple Tulips and Blue Patterns

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:32:00 +0000

In the Ottoman Empire the tulip was the emblem of true and perfect love.
Today the tulip is loved and appreciated all over the world.
They say that tulips are the world's third most popular flower after roses and chrysanthemums.

Tulips has been around for about 500 years, so they have a long and rich history, they are originally from the Middle East and usually found on rocky mountain slopes, hot and dusty in summer and bitter cold in winter.

The tulip was brought to Italy by the Romans in the sixteenth century and by the seventeenth century they had spread to Holland. The mania for tulips in Holland only lasted for three years, the price for a single bulb was very high. People made great fortunes but some also lost everything they owned. Many books have been written on the subject.

Today many billions of tulip bulbs are grown in Holland.

Most of them are exported to the rest of the world and most tulips as cut flowers come from Holland.

Tulips are easy to find, cheep and easy to arrange.

You need a medium size vase, condition the flowers when you get home and leave them for a while in water. They will keep growing in the vase so you can be quite generous when you cut the ends off.

What you do with the leaves is personal taste. You can strip all leaves off for a more minimalistic look or you can leave a few to contrast the colour of the flowers.

When making this arrangement I was looking for contrast and lots of patterns.

I love the contrast between the purply-pink flowers and the deep dark blue colour of the floral vintage vase and the retro blue dotty fabric.

The broken bits of china is just for fun. No, don't worry I have not smashed any china! They are bits that I have found in the garden and on Hampstead Heath. I have never been able to find an explanation to why there is so much broken china in north London, maybe landfill from the Second World War, I really don't know.

I hope you have had a great start to 2012.

Take care and have a great Monday!

xo Ingrid

Red Vintage Haberdashery and Washi Tape

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:22:00 +0000

I have always loved the word 'haberdashery'. In the Oxford English Dictionary it gives a British and an American definition. The British is: a dealer in dressmaking and sewing goods, the American is: a dealer in men's clothing. I am sticking with the British version.

I come from a long line of weavers, spinners, dressmakers, milliners, knitters and my grandmother made crocheted lace.

My grandparents and great-grandparents also owned a country store with a haberdashery department. As a little girl I spent many happy days helping out in the store.

I think I know where my love of both vintage and new haberdashery comes from!

The red wooden pin is a hatpin for knitted hats.

I grew up with rickrack trimmings and I loved how many of my homemade clothes were often decorated with the braiding.

With all the red vintage haberdashery I have added another favorite of mine: Japanese washi tape. A re-usable paper tape that can be used for almost anything. I am sure you all have heard of it by now.

If the grandparents and the store were still around I am sure they would be selling washi tape!!

Have a marvellous day!

xoxo Ingrid

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 18:21:00 +0000

Happy New Year!!

I would very much like to thank all of you who visited my blog this last year.

I loved all the kind, supporting, fun and encouraging comments that so many of you made.

I hope 2012 will be a creative and inspiring year for all of you!!

Many warm hugs for the new year,

xoxo Ingrid

Happy Christmas!

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:10:00 +0000

I would like to wish everybody a wonderful and very Happy Holidays!

Happy Christmas!

God Jul!

All the best and lots of love!

xoxo Ingrid

White and Silver Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:47:00 +0000

I was inspired to do a white and silver Christmas flower arrangement. It all began with a collection of small vintage Christmas baubles that I found on Ebay a few years back.

I also wanted to use a white and grey flower palette. Many of us love the white on white colour scheme even for Christmas.

The white Chrysanthemums are from the Farmers Market, the grey Eucalyptus comes from a local florist and the variegated Pittosporum is from the neighbours garden. While out in the garden I also found some mature ivy seed heads and decided to try them in the arrangement. The almost black berries were a bit dark for my colour scheme but I rather liked the contrast so I kept them in.

While I was stripping off the lower leaves of the Eucalyptus branches I was left with a lot of pretty coloured leaves that I did not have the heart to just throw away - so I put them in a clear pressed glass bowl - vintage of course!

I feel it ended up looking very nice and fresh and really is an arrangement that would work all year around.

My very precious and very fragile little baubles also ended up in a pressed glass bowl this one has a foot.

I love the bauble with the little smiling face and the ones that looks like pine cones are pretty cool as well!

To soften the whole arrangement I wound some ribbon around the container that I used as a vase. I used double sided tape to hold the ribbon in place. I also put a white crocheted doily under the container and under that a table mirror to spread reflections of the whole arrangement.

Have a good day!

All my very best to you!

xoxo Ingrid

Pink and Green Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 21:56:00 +0000

I love the traditional colour red for Christmas and I have to admit that most of my Christmas decorations are red, many made of wood and from Sweden.

Red decorations on the green branches of a Christmas tree looks lovely. Maybe because they are complementary colours.

This year I was ready to try something else, so here is a bit of experimentation.

The old trustworthy Chrysanthemums in a deep pink and the lime green small button type is mixed with dark green holly leaves and some variegated Arum leaves.

I dug out some old Laura Ashley fabric from the 1980's mixed with other old and new fabrics. Ribbons are from my very favourite ribbon lady Jane Means.

The fresh, glossy holly leaves has lethal spines but looks fabulous with it's shine and light edgings.

Vintage baubles in pink and green adds some shine and interesting reflections.

The fact that they are old, faded in colour and a bit scratched just adds to the charm.

What colours are you using this year to decorate your tree and house?

Have a great time!

xoxo Ingrid

Mollie Makes Magazine Review

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 21:51:00 +0000

Mollie Makes is a new British craft magazine that started this year and issue eight has just arrived in the post. The first issue came out last May and they are publishing thirteen issues a year. It is a magazine for those who love anything handmade, whether you like making things or just enjoy surrounding yourself with handmade treasures.

There are four key words on the spine of the magazine: Making, Thrifting, Collecting and Crafting. That covers quite a wide range of subjects and Mollie Makes does just that very well.

Every issue is full of information and has masses of suggestions for shops, blogs, books, classes, websites and places to visit. There are also craft projects, knitting patterns, sewing and embroidery projects, but it is not a fully project based magazine - so it will appeal to a wider audience.

The blogging world is well covered; many of their feature articles are about well-established bloggers who also make beautiful handmade things.

In issue one is an article about Tif Fussell who writes the charming blog Dottie Angel. Tif sells her granny chic textiles on Etsy and has just published her second book .

In issue six another blogger, the Norwegian Jeanette Lunde has a five page spread. She writes the very successful blog Fryd + Design, she also publishes an online magazine called by Fryd and in the last issue of Mollie Makes Jeanette has designed a very pretty calendar for 2012 that comes with the magazine.

There is an article about the stylist, blogger and photographer Pia Jane Bijkerk, the author of three books Paris: Made by Hand, Amsterdam: Made by Hand and her third, My Heart Wonders, a memoir of her life and travels.

Happy Harris who writes the blog Happy Loves Rosie, shows over seven pages in the last issue how she does vintage style Christmas decorating. Happy also sells vintage on her online shop.

Leslie Shewring from A Creative Mint does wrapping with recycled grocery bags, lace, string and washi masking tape. Leslie is a wonderful and talented stylist, blogger, photographer and teacher.

Jane Brocket from Yarnstorm shows quilting and knitting from two of her books The Gentle Art of Quilt-Making and The Gentle Art of Knitting. Jane has written nine books; her first was the very sucessful The Gentle Art of Domesticity.

Mollie Makes also shows a lot of homes in a shabby chic or granny chic style. They are all fun and quirky using vintage treasures from personal collections, thrift stores, flea markets and junk shops.

It is a UK based magazine that you can subscribe to and they also offer overseas subscriptions. All but one back issue are sold out and you can already find them being sold on Ebay. You can also buy the old issues as a digital E-magazine and read online.

Mollie Makes takes the craft magazine into the 21st century and has a fresh, new and fun outlook on craft and the love of handmade.

My only criticism is that there is not enough flowers - but I guess you can't have everything!

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Have a wonderful day!

xoxo Ingrid

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Happy Thanksgiving

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:39:00 +0000

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful holiday!

xoxo Ingrid

Jane Packer - Floral Tribute

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 22:01:00 +0000

I was very sad to hear that the London florist Jane Packer died last week.

I had the great pleasure of meeting her a few years back. I was attending a 3-day Fresh Flower arranging course that was held at the Jane Packer shop in New Cavendish Street in London. Jane was very charming and friendly and she spent a lot of time helping and talking to the students as well as signing books. I became a great fan of her and her style of flower arranging.

The image above is from the latest issue of Wedding Flowers. Jane featured in an article called Floral Masterclass making floral wedding arrangements.

Over the years I also bought several of her books. Throughout her career she wrote thirteen books on top of working as a florist, having flower schools and shops all over the world, creating fragrances and designing a range of vases - she was also a wife and a mother.

She was a role model and an inspiration to a lot of women, florists and flower lovers worldwide.

These images are from her latest book At Home with Flowers published in 2011.

Jane had the ability to take everyday flowers and make the arrangement look natural and stylish. She aways said that her inspiration came from nature.

She will be greatly missed by everybody in the flower world.

** Jane Packer 1959 - 2011 **

Complementary Colours

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 12:03:00 +0000

Yellow and violet are complementary colours and opposite each other on the colour wheel.

I have made a flower arrangement of bright yellow Chrysanthemums and fluffy yellow Solidago or Golden Rod flowers from the Farmers Market combined with cut branches of Cotinus coggygria 'Royal Purple' from the garden. Cotinus or Smoke Bush is a shrub that is very easy to grow and it has deep purple leaves that turns an amazing colour in the autumn.

I have used four violet vases, a small glass bowl, a dark purple Finnish Vuokko fabric and purple flowers in an old vintage book to add to the violet and purple theme.
Vuokko Nurmesiemi is a Finnish designer who in the 1950's started out working for the Finnish design company called Marimekko. She was responsible for most of Marimekko's fabric patterns. In 1960's she left Marimekko and set up her own company called Vuokko named after herself. She produced incredible minimalistic mostly abstract fabric patterns and clothes that was light years ahead of their time. Vuokko is still working and has a shop in Helsinki.

Three small violet vases one filled with the yellow Chrysanthemum flowers the other two left empty.

Coloured glass looks lovely when the light from a window shines through the glass.

This little pin cushion already had the combination of violet and yellow. I did not even have to do anything. It is a little treasure I found many years ago at an antique market in London. It is probably from the late 1800 or early 1900 judging from the style of the embroidered flower and leaves.

Have a wonderful day!

xoxo Ingrid

Autumn Picnic

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:58:00 +0000

Now is the time to taking advantage of warm autumn days. Pack a basket with warming soup, crusty bread, cheese and some fruit and you are set for an autumn picnic. Wrap up warm and bring some wool blankets. What could be nicer then to enjoy a crisp autumn day in the garden or the park.

In the UK most Chrysanthemums are available all year around and then I am not talking about imported flowers, mind you they are obviously grown in greenhouses.

I am grateful for the choice at the farmers market as I love to have fresh cut flowers to work with at a very reasonable price.

Fresh locally grown apples are also amazing at the moment. You know the saying - "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." It will be one of your five or nine or however many fruit and vegetables you are suppose to eat a day. I just read that there are over 2000 varieties of British apples. One of my favorites is 'Royal Gala' a sweet and juicy apple perfect for eating and juicing.

Warm apple cider is a perfect drink for this time of year. Heat gently with a cinnamon stick and serve in mugs. You can also make a more elaborate version like this one.

This sweet little carved and painted bird has followed me from Sweden. I am not sure what kind he is though!

As much as I love colour I also love texture. This combination of textured leaf and hand knitted wool jumper is rich and warming.

I think the textural combination of a basket, a pine cone, an old handwoven blanket and an autumn coloured leaf from the vine Vitis coignetiae is magnificent.

Have a perfect autumn day!

Warm hugs,

xoxo Ingrid

Pink Dahlias and Chrysanthemums

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:13:00 +0000

I love the combination of all the different pink Dahlias and Chrysanthemums in contrast with silver grey and a few stronger colours as accents. The Dahlias and the chrysanthemums are grouped tightly together in an old galvanized zinc container for maximum effect.

I have also used two different chrysanthemums. A light pink with a dark centre and a deeper pink matching the dark centre of the lighter one.
Dahlias and chrysanthemums are perfect to use for the dining table, the living room or the hallway. Remember to condition the flowers before arranging them and strip all the leaves off below the water line.
Chrysanthemums can last for two weeks or longer and the Dahlias lasts for about a week.

The show stoppers are two large pink Dahlias.

The beauty of flowers are often in the details.

A girl can never have too many pink beads!

A hurricane lamp to brighten up the autumn evening.

The pretty design of leaves and flowers is on the cover of a book of poems by Charles Baudelaire.

If using the flower arrangement for a table setting you can use matching or contrasting colours. I have used darker shades but kept the pink and grey theme with a few contrasts.

The two fabrics are both vintage, one is from Sweden the other English. The grey fabric with a floral pattern in the weave is old ticking from Sweden and the pink is an old Laura Ashley fabric that I have saved for twenty five years! You know the thinking - "Just in case, it might come in handy one day."

Have a wonderful autumn day!

Love,

xoxo Ingrid

Last of the Summer Wine

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 20:37:00 +0000

The heat wave and Indian summer last week brought out the summer clothes and the cool drinks in the garden.

Well, it only lasted for a few days and soon everything will be back to normal.

It will not be long now that the warm socks will come out, winter duvet on the bed and central heating on.
It actually sounds quite cosy.

In the mean time lets enjoy a few images from warmer days.

I put some gorgeous white and pink Snapdragons in an old white jar and put a pink bow around the top. The lid to the jar is missing and it has a chip on the bottom but I like it anyway.

The botanical name for snapdragon is Antirrhinum from the Greek for nose or snout in allusion that it looks like a snout of a dragon. The name Snapdragon comes from the fact that when you press the sides of the flower it opens up like a dragons mouth and when you let go it snaps shut.
Snapdragons are relatively easy to grow and lasts for for about 7-10 days as a cut flower.
Sarah Raven sells seeds.

I used a small pink quilt as table cloth and my usual peeling old door as backdrop.

The cooling drink in the glass and jug is elder flower cordial. It is one of my favorites and with added strawberries and mint, who could resist on a hot day.

The added additions of fresh strawberries and green mint leaves makes it look lovely and colourful.

Served on a pretty floral vintage plate adds some extra colour.

This is the closest I have ever gotten to owning a cat. I think he/she is rather sweet but maybe a bit too much for most people. I have to admit that I own a collection of small animals similar to this. They are all perched in a row on a brick wall in the garden.

Oh, dear what ever happened to my Scandinavian minimal roots?

Have a joyful day!

Lots of love,

xoxo Ingrid

Chrysanthemums for the Autumn.

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 16:56:00 +0000

It is soon the end of September and autumn is on the door step.

Colourful and gorgeous flowers are still available to buy from the Farmers Market.

In the photographs are a mixture of light purple Asters and two kinds of Chrysanthemums. I love the small lime green pompom chrysanthemums that contrasts beautifully with other colours.

I put the flowers in one of my favorite vases, the classic Alvar Alto vase Savoy. The vase has an interesting history that you can read about here and here.

Autumn is also the time for change.

I have finally managed to enlarge my photographs on my blog after wanting to do it for a long time. I was determined to do it myself. Going into your HTML and changing things is quite scary - but I did it!

So what do you think?

Have a gorgeous autumn day.

Love,

Ingrid

Macmillan Coffee Morning

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 13:10:00 +0000

Our amazing kids held a coffee morning to raise money for the charity Macmillan Cancer Support.

They raised £176 in just over three hours selling coffee, homemade cakes and jams.

Well done to them and all their supportive friends!

Xoxo Ingrid

Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sat, 17 Sep 2011 21:23:00 +0000

The author of Vintage Flowers, Vic Brotherson has been a florist for nearly twenty years. She owns a gorgeous shop in Kensal Rise in North London with the lovely name Scarlet and Violet. Since she finished her studies in Fine Art, flowers have been her life and she says she would not change it for the world.

Vic worked for many years at Nikky Tibbles’ shop, Wild at Heart, in Notting Hill Gate. She opened her own shop in 2006 and has since been featured in magazines like Vogue, Elle Decoration, Country Living and Living Etc. Many of her wedding bouquets have been featured in Wedding Flowers and Brides.

Vintage Flowers is her first book and it is full of inspirational ideas for making romantic and seasonal floral arrangements. The flowers are displayed in quirky vintage containers such as enamel jugs and buckets, perfume bottles, urns, coffee pots, jelly moulds, marmalade pots and lots of floral patterned china jugs. Most of the containers are collected from charity shops, car boot sales and antique markets. Vic gives a list of her favourite haunts at the end of the book.

The photographs are taken in different locations by Catherine Gratwicke, a London based photographer who has worked on two books with the florist Jane Packer. Catherine has a passion for texture and colour which is clearly evident in the book.

Vic uses a lot of flowery descriptions and her chapters are charmingly and delightfully given names such as: Rosy and Random, Blossom and Blousy, Herby and Homey and Blooms and Bonkers. In the different chapters she shows how to make different arrangements according to season, budget and occasion.

Her arrangements are creative, painterly and sophisticated and many of them look as if just picked from the garden. Both small and simply arranged single stems in tiny glass bottles en masse, or they can be textured and blousy in larger arrangements. She shows old fashioned charm with modern aesthetics.

There are two quotes on the cover that I feel describe the book appropriately. One by Nigella Lawson, who says; “Vic Brotherson does beautiful bunches of wild flowers and roses the colour of parchment, tinged with the palest of pinks.” The other quote is by Sophie Dahl, who says: “Vic Brotherson is a floral goddess – she knows what she’s talking about, and she does it in an irreverent, original and stylish way.”

Have a wonderful floral time!

xoxo Ingrid

Darling Dahlias

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 22:10:00 +0000

It was a nice surprise and such a pleasure to come across bright pink Dahlias at the Farmer's Market this week.

I buy the flowers from a stallholder who has a nursery called Grange Nurseries in Bedfordshire.

The owner, Jamie Harding is a delight to deal with. He always greets you with a smile and some friendly words.

I love a colour challenge, so I combined the pink with a light blue jug.

I use these blue glass ink bottles over and over again.

I never tire of the colour or the shape of these charming vintage bottles.

Last time I was in Sweden I found these old gummed kitchen labels at a flea market.

They could not be simpler in their design and yet so stylish.

Beautiful, shimmering Oriental mother-of-pearl buttons still on their card.

I found them at the Country Living Magazine Spring Fair - and I wished I had bought more. As I am crazy about buttons!

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo Ingrid

Summer Colours

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 18:48:00 +0000

I have been away from my computer and my blogging for far too long.

Sometimes life takes over and it is not much you can do about it.

It has been holiday, travel, friends and family that has taken up my time.

Most of the time no or limited access to the Internet.

Lately it has also been frustrating computer problems.

New computer with "known problem" did not help.

We are now working towards a second new one!

Summer might be over but we can still enjoy some summer colours in flowers and beautiful fabrics.

A bunch of Alstroemeria in an elegant 1930's vase.

I love the sumptuous feminine curves of the vase and the handle.

The matt green glaze is very pretty and the brownish glaze on the edge of the handle is an interesting contrast.

The background is an old curtain fabric from the 1950's with pretty Alstroemeria-looking flowers.

The pin is missing on the old broach but it is still worth hanging on to.

It is just too beautiful to throw away.

The silver-plated tray is left tarnished on purpuse.

Polished it looks too shiny and too many reflections when you photograph it.

I found an old pressed glass container that used to hold sugar.

The green glass has a very distinctive 1930's geometric pattern.

A bit of string and a key is also always useful!

I also have a bit of news to pass on.

I have started a new Flickr group called Flowers & Vintage.

Go to Flickr and have a look.

After only ten days there are over 230 photographs posted by talented and inspiring photographers.

Anybody can join and add their photographs.

Or you can just go to Flickr for some inspiration!

All the photographs are of flowers combined with old vintage.

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Have a wonderful day!

xoxo Ingrid

Symphony in Blue

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 17:32:00 +0000

A summer symphony in blue ..... and green.

The cornflower is a much loved summer flower. It grows wild in fields and along country roads. You can find it at farmers markets as well as florists. It lasts well in an arrangement and the gorgeous blue is easy to mix with other colours. Or like here arranged on it's own en masse.

I arranged a bunch of cornflowers in an old teacup.

The cup has an unevenly spaced patten of blue flowers on the outside.

The pattern is calld Windflower.

I got the cup many years ago at an antique market in London.

I wanted to use as many different blue colours as possible.

I found a very pretty blue and white checked ribbon that I tied onto the handle of the cup.

The whole arrangement sits on a piece of blue and white floral fabric.

On top of that is a white doily, a few light blue paper napkins, two blue ribbons and two different dotty washi tape.

The addition of green was an afterthought. I was in a charity store...again...looking around and my eye landed on an old book with a beautiful green cover. Well, you know the story....

and the little markers are from an old table game.

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While doing my research I came across two beautiful oil paintings by the American painter Whistler.

One is called Symphony in Blue and Pink painted in 1870 and the other is called Variations in Blue and Green painted in 1868.

They both hang in the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington DC.

In both paintingsWhistler uses stunning colour combinations. Inspirational stuff!

I am sure a lot of you have heard of The Rule of Thirds.

A design principal used in design, architecture, graphic design and photography.

Within the art and design world you also talk about the rule of three and the use of odd numbers.

The basic idea of the rule is that details and objects that are arranged or grouped in odd numbers are more appealing, memorable and effective than even-numbered pairings.

Here is my version of the rule of three and using odd number of objects!

Washi tape has quite quickly become my favorite kind of tape.

So of course I had to include some. Both are blue and dotty!

I also would like to show you two other paintings that I came across in my travels in the Internet world.

Both feature strongly coloured cornflowers and both are painted by Russians.

The first one is called Group Portrait with Cornflowers and is painted in 1914 by Igor Grabar.

The second is called simply Cornflowers painted in 1976 by Sergei Osipov.

They are very different, both very beautiful and both showing the intense blue colour of cornflowers.

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I am taking a little break from blogging.

It is summer and time for holiday.

I will be back soon.

Thank you so much for all your kind and positive comments.

You are all amazing!

All the best for now and big hugs.

I wish you a wonderful summer!

xoxo Ingrid

Buttons, Lettering and Poems

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 20:13:00 +0000

An old used sack, some old buttons and an old book.

What so special about that?

Well, the buttons are made from mother-of-pearl, the old sack has some fun writing on it and the book is full of beautiful poems.

Some very pretty light pink chrysanthemums looked gorgeous in contrast with all the light and dark grey.

I think there is something special about buttons.

I am not sure why and I find it difficult to articulate why I like them so much.

My daughter does not share my love of buttons.

She thinks it is a bit odd to collect so many buttons that mostly look the same.

But we still love each other!

Old belt buckles is another weakness!

These two are charming in their colour and shape.

The old sack has some interesting writing on it.

It is a mix of English and Swedish.

It says: Amerikorn Yellow Flaking Hominy,

Mfd. by Krause Milling Company,

Milwaukee 1, Wis.

U.S.A.

Tree Kronor,

PFS 6519,

Stockholm

After some research on the Internet I think the sack might be from the late 1930's.

The sack was used when importing American corn or hominy to Sweden sometime before the Second World War.

In a local charity store my eye caught this lovely book cover.

It reminded me of climbing plants or seeds and I loved the colour.

It was a poetry book in German, of which I know maybe twenty words.

I was hesitant until the lady in the shop told me it was 50 pence.

How could I then resist yet another photo prop!

The small dark buttons are also made from mother-of-pearl, not white this time but in a wonderful silver grey colour.

The very large buttons are old coat buttons from the 1950's.

A very large pair of tailor's scissors with it's worn metal grey fitted right in with the buttons and the colour scheme.

Wish you all a wonderful day full of pretty things!

xoxo Ingrid

Pink Beauties

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 31 May 2011 11:56:00 +0000

Peonies are often thought of as a cottage garden flower, but they also have an aristocratic and exotic past.

Here and here you can read a bit about the history of peonies.

They are lush and luxurious and their opulent frilled petals are at home in any setting.

I have made the arrangement in an old vintage enamel water jug.

The jug is French and in an unusual dark grey colour.

I love the shape of the jug and the clean lines of the handle and spout.

The grey is picked up in an old Victorian metal grate that I have added as a contrast to the arrangangement.

You can't have enough of small glass bottles. Perfect for using in small flower arrangments.

A small glass bowl with a peony bud sits on top of two books. The top book is Virginia Woolf's

Mrs Dalloway.

It was written in 1925 and I like the first line in the book which is:

"Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself."

I have yet to read the book but I did see the film The Hours. In the movie the book plays an important part.

Have a wonderful day!

Ingrid xoxo

How To - Choosing and Buying Cut Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 22 May 2011 15:12:00 +0000

• When you buy cut flowers, look at them carefully to ensure they are in good condition.

• If you choose your flowers with care and look after them well, they will give you pleasure for longer.

• There are many different places to buy flowers - from your local super market or grocery store to upmarket florist shops.

• You might have access to a wholesale flower market. They are large and busy places and can be a bit overwhelming if you are not used to them but it is worth persevering.

• My favourite are all the local farmers markets. They are more likely to sell flowers that are in season and are usually very reasonably priced.

• Make sure the flowers have their stems in clean water.

• Avoid flowers with wilted, yellow or brown leaves or flowers that are shedding their leaves.

• Avoid flowers with floppy heads or petals that are starting to brown at the edges.

• Flowers that are being sold at a reduced price may not be a bargain as they might not last for very long.

• Look for flowers with fresh green leaves.

• Look for flowers with pert heads and some stems that are still in bud.

• The buds should show the colour of their petals just breaking through.

• There are some flowers that you should avoid buying when only tight green buds are showing such as peonies, poppies, roses and irises as they will probably never open.

• Ensure the flowers are well wrapped for the journey home. It will protect them from any fluctuating temperatures.

• Remove the wrapping as soon as you get home to prevent any build-up of condensation. Also remove any ties or elastic bands.

• Condition the flowers as soon as possible. They have been out of water for a while and the stems will have started to dry out.

• Conditioning your flowers will make them last longer and here is how to do it.

Have a wonderful Flower Day!

xoxo Ingrid

Honey and Mustard

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 15 May 2011 15:32:00 +0000

Why does Miel de Provence, Moutarde de Dijon and Moutarde Rustique sound so much more interesting and romantic than Honey from Provence, Dijon mustard and Country mustard.

I guess French just sounds more romantic than English.

Or maybe it is just me coming from Sweden!

I had for many years kept some old jars that at some point contained delicious honey and mustard.
I had obviously not had the heart to throw them away.
Well, when I found them again deep in the loft I was delighted.

Even the writing on the jars I find delightful.

While I was at it I also found a little wooden box with the word "stamps" written in Danish on the lid.
I remember buying the little box at an antique market in Covent Garden in the centre of London.
I was so pleased at the time to find a little box with a Danish word written on it and it quickly became mine for a few pounds.

I thought it would be fun to fill the stamp box with little pink treasures and combine it with the jars that also have writing on them.

In the larger of the three jars I arranged some old fashioned garden pinks.
They are highly scented and lasts for a long time as cut flowers.

I love the frillyness of the pinks and how they come in all kinds of colours from very light to deep and dark.

Some have a dark center others have dark or light frilly edges.
The perfect flowers for little posies.

I put the whole arrangement on an old silver plated tray adding a white paper doily and a piece of lace around the larger jar just for fun.

An old wooden kitchen chair painted pink became a temporary table top and a hand woven pink and white table mat finished it off nicely.

Have a wonderful pink day!

xoxo Ingrid

Sweetly Scented Zinc and Enamel

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 03 May 2011 17:58:00 +0000

It is always a pleasure to find old vintage zinc and enamelled containers at car boot sales, flee markets, Etsy, ebay or loppis.

Some people say you can't have too many! I guess your limit depends how much storage you have.

Old zinc and old enamel are two materials that age gracefully. A few little dents and even chips does not matter too much.

It is a lot of fun to have a few at hand when you want to make a flower arrangement or hide an ugly plastic pot.

Strong colours like these purple Alliums looks great against the matt grey of the zinc.

White Jasmine with delicate pink buds also shows up well against the mellow grey.

I put two different fragrant thyme in the zinc draw.

The beautiful Jasmine went in a French enamel container still with its charming writing on it.

Have a sunny day where ever you are!

xoxo Ingrid

Lily-of-the-Valley, Lace and Music

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 15:52:00 +0000

The bride carried a bouquet with Lily-of-the-Valley. She wore a beautiful dress with lace and they played lovely music.

Well, I can only be talking about the wedding of Kate and William.

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Here is some information about the bouquet from the official Royal Wedding website.

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The Bride’s Bouquet

The bouquet is a shield-shaped wired bouquet of myrtle, lily-of-the-valley, sweet William and hyacinth. The bouquet was designed by Shane Connolly and draws on the traditions of flowers of significance for the Royal Family, the Middleton family and on the Language of Flowers.

The flowers’ meanings in the bouquet are:

Lily-of-the-valley – Return of happiness

Sweet William – Gallantry

Hyacinth – Constancy of love

Ivy: Fidelity; marriage; wedded love; friendship; affection

Myrtle: the emblem of marriage; love.

The bouquet contains stems from a myrtle planted at Osborne House, Isle of Wight, by Queen Victoria in 1845, and a sprig from a plant grown from the myrtle used in The Queen’s wedding bouquet of 1947.

The tradition of carrying myrtle begun after Queen Victoria was given a nosegay containing myrtle by Prince Albert’s grandmother during a visit to Gotha in Germany. In the same year, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert bought Osborne House as a family retreat, and a sprig from the posy was planted against the terrace walls, where it continues to thrive today.

The myrtle was first carried by Queen Victoria eldest daughter, Princess Victoria, when she married in 1858, and was used to signify the traditional innocence of a bride.

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Have a wonderful day!

xoxo Ingrid