Of Spring and Summer

Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group - Roses

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 19 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I am continuing the theme of 'Unusual Containers' - and this time the flowers are Roses.

I wanted to show a very traditional flower like the rose being arranged in some unusual containers.

Roses are the world's most popular flowers and there are so many of them that you'll find one for every taste.

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

"There are roses for every soil and position. There are roses for tropical climates and roses that will flourish in the Arctic Circle. Most roses bloom non-stop until the first frost of winter; in warm climates, they flower for 12 months of the year. They tolerate neglect, but respond generously to extra care. For the lazy gardeners - and busy people with little time to waste - roses cannot be beaten."

[From The Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopedia of Roses.]

Image by Jessica Enig at Such Pretty Things

Image by Tricia Breidenthal Photography

Image by Loreta at All the Beautiful Things

Image by Ingrid Jansen at Wool and Wood Stool

Image by Kathryn at Secrets of a Butterfly

Image by Ingrid Jansen at Wool and Wood Stool

Image by Maryam Montague at My Marrakesh

Image by Sabine Wittig at Azurweiss

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

All images are from my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage - and they all link back to Flickr and the photographer's blog or web site.

If you enjoy taking photographs of flowers in combination with vintage - join Flowers and Vintage over on Flickr.

I'll be back later in the week with another couple of posts.

Ingrid xx

Florets - Floral Quote by Shane Connolly

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sat, 18 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"Fact: you can never have too many containers. The containers you choose for plants or flowers are almost as important as the plants or flowers themselves. A container can emphasise peculiar natural qualities by holding the stem in a particular way; or intensify a flower's subtle hues with its own lustre.
Containers also link the flowers to their environment and help them look like part of a particular décor. They can also help create a mood or theme for special events."

~ Shane Connolly ~

[Shane Connolly - florist, designed the flowers for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's Royal wedding in 2011 and author of A Year in Flowers.]

[Quote from A Year in Flowers.]

[Phlox in vintage clear glass jars.]

[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Voyage Magazine - Food Edition

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I found Voyage Magazine on my travels around the internet - it's not a magazine about flowers, flower arranging or even vintage - but about food.

I love looking at cook books and food magazines and find the photography in them a great inspiration. So when I found this one I was so delighted that I knew I wanted to share my findings.

It is created by three women - Marte Marie Forsberg, Britt Chudleigh and Ann Whittaker. They are all food lovers, Marte is a food/lifestyle photographer and stylist and she also writes a blog, Ann is a graphic designer and a blogger and Britt is an award winning wedding photographer.

While travelling through Norway and Italy they kept a journal documenting the local cuisine with images and words. In Norway they spent time cooking and eating with friends and in Italy they visited lots of restaurants in Rome and Milan.

In the back of the magazine you can find a mix of Norwegian and Italian recipes. There is also a guide to restaurants and cafés in the two countries.

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

For the next few weeks I will be posting fewer posts - I am having a little break and spending time with family.

Thanks for visiting and making such lovely comments.

See you soon!

Ingrid xx

Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group - Lilacs

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I love lilacs of almost every colour and when lilacs are flowering - to me that means that spring has arrived. They are also of great sentimental value as they remind me of my childhood in Sweden. We had a huge pink lilac next to the steps our house and the scent was incredible!

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

"Lilac season begins in April and continues through May, filling the landscape with its ineffable perfume that stirs up memories and fills us with nostalgia. Few can resist the beauty of lilacs, which make extravagant spring bouquets."

[Quote from Bringing Nature Home by Ngoc Minh Ngo]

Image by Loreta at All the Beautiful Things

Image by Kinga Błaszczyk-Wójcick at Cintamani

Image by Sonja-Ksu

Image by Emily Anderson at Good with Style

Image by cafe noHut

Image by Marne at Hey Lucy

Image by Cheryl at Yarn Bee

Image by Hilde

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

All images are from my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage - they all link back to Flickr and the photographer's blog or web site.

If you enjoy taking photographs of flowers in combination with vintage - join Flowers and Vintage over on Flickr.

I'll be back later in the week with another couple of posts.

Ingrid xx

Florets - Floral Quote by Enrica Stabile

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sat, 11 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"Fresh flowers bring a room to life. Anything home grown will encourage a comfortable country feel: mixed flowers in a pretty jug, or large terracotta pots of daisies set on the floor look effortlessly relaxed. Old-fashioned roses strike a timeless note."

~ Enrica Stabile ~

[Enrica Stabile - Italian Interior designer, founder of the shop L'Utile e il Dilettevole and author of Comfortable Country and Open Air Living.]

[Quote from Comfortable Country by Enrica Stabile.]

[Pink ranunculus, tulips and pinks with box foliage in vintage enamelled jug with willow ware pattern.]

[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Floral Fusion - White, Pink and Grey

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

My inspiration for this weeks Floral Fusion comes from the June issue of Elle Decoration.

There are some lovely features all with a light and summery feel to them. There are among others two homes from Copenhagen in Denmark and two chic Parisian apartments.

A favourite feature is one about the Italian interior designer Enrica Stabile and her shop in Milan. I came across Enrica back in 2001 when she published her books Comfortable Country and Open Air Living - books that still sits happily on my shelf and I still find inspiring. I was very happy to see images of her collection of antiques and her shop based in converted saucepan factory hidden away in the backstreet of Milan.

The collection of vases that I have used are all in the white and grey tones. The taller vase in the back is a Hornsea slip-ware vase made sometime between 1962 and 1973 - the stamp on the base identifies it from that time - I found it in a charity store not so long ago.

In last weeks Floral Fusion I showed some red dice and joked about that I must come from a long line of gamblers - well here are some more white vintage dice. Maybe they weren't gamblers - people just played more board games back in those days.

The round rings balancing on the empty cotton reel - are curtain rings and in the front are little piles of vintage game markers.

Two vintage necklaces - the bottom one is an Art Deco necklace and the top one is from around 1900.

The fabric is a vintage French linen sheet - thick and very heavy - with a hand stitched seam in the middle and all the edges are also hand stitched. The seam in the middle tells you that it was woven on a narrow loom and then stitched together to make a wider sheet.

Three flower arrangements - all pink flowers but one type of flower in each vase - and then grouped together for more impact.

The pink Ranunculus makes a wonderful contrast with the grey 1960's vase. I love the dark band across the middle and the squiggly white lines.

The pinks are massed together in a little textured handmade vase - the scent is fabulous!

The tulip season has been longer then usual this year - spring came late and it's been so cold and I have loved having access to an almost never ending supply.

These pretty pink tulips I put in a Swedish white ceramic vase with an interesting textured pattern made by the Swedish glass artist Bertil Vallien.

I'll be back on Sunday with a Florets - my Floral Quote by a florist or other flower lover.

Ingrid xx

Decorate by Holly Becker

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 07 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Most of you are probably familiar with Holly Becker's best-selling book Decorate. It was co-written with Joanna Copestick, published in 2011 by Jacqui Small and the photographs are by Debi Treloar.

It's a brilliant book that has - "1,000 inspirational design ideas for every room in your house." My blog is about flowers and floral styling so I am going to look at the parts of the book that covers flowers, vases, table settings and outdoor areas.

The chapter on flowers has a sections on how to display flowers and another on how to choose containers.

Throughout the book are brilliant examples of different kinds of vases and other kinds of containers - sometimes displayed empty like here as a small collection of glass vases in blues and greens.

This is an effective and stylish example of how a collection of identical containers works visually even without any flowers.

I love these two images - the single pink rose in a round glass vase filled with silver sequins floating in the water and the blue scabious in inky blue glass bottles of different shapes and sizes. Brilliant!

Throughout the book you'll find quotes on almost every page and there are some great ones in the flower section.

Here is another example of containers of different shapes and sizes - all white and with no flowers - but contrasted with a green jug overflowing with flowers. What a beautiful arrangement for a shelf or mantelpiece.

This is a beautiful image of a simple arrangement of one type of flower in a clear glass vase - contrasting with a very light coloured dining area.

Holly says that flowers are the costume jewellery of the home and she's not kidding if you look at these brightly coloured vases and flowers. Great stuff!

There is a short chapter called Outdoor Living showing some examples of how to effectively use containers in outdoor areas.

The last image is from Leslie Shewring's California studio showing not only lots of colourful roses and poppies in galvanized containers, but also lots of other containers that could be used for flower arranging, on the shelves behind.

All the ribbons are from Jane Means collection of ribbons.

Thanks for visiting and I'll be back later in the week with another Floral Fusion.

Ingrid xx

Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group - More Unusual Containers

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 05 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Here are some more Unusual Containers from my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage. I just love the inventiveness and creativity in the different choices of containers that people have made for their flower arrangements.

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

I particularly like the jug with the Art Deco pattern on the side and the plain galvanized bucket is charming. The French re-cycled 'confitures' jar is also divine.

I also like how even the most simple and plain flower looks so good in a little bit of a different container rather than a boring glass vase. Enjoy!

Image by Barbara Carroll

Image by Heather Anderson at Post Road Vintage

Image by Catherine Grassin Hart at Catherine Grassin Hart Photography

Image by Jill Burgess at Bailiwick Studio

Image by Svetlana Stoyanova at Svetlana Stoyanova Photography

Image by Ivy at Grace & Ivy

Image by Silvia Houben at Cosiness

Image by Sytske 72

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summar

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I hope you have found some inspiration among all the different containers.

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All the images are from my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage and they all link back to Flickr and the photographers blog or website.

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If you interested you are welcome to join my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage. Click on the link - join as a member and submit your images. I have very few rules - the only ones are that the images has to contain flowers and some vintage or retro items.

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I'll be back later in the week with another book review. See you then.

Ingrid x

Florets - Floral Quote by Holly Becker

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sat, 04 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"Experiment with your flowers. Gather a collection of favourite vases, make a list of flowers you are drawn to and the colours that work in each room of your house, then enjoy the process of mixing and matching blooms according to the season."

~ Holly Becker ~

[Holly Becker - American, based in Germany, interior stylist, blogger and author of Decorate and Decorate Workshop.]

[Quote from Decorate by Holly Becker.]

[Purply pink tulips in blue vintage Kosta Boda glass bowl by Swedish glass artist Bertil Vallien and Swedish vintage ragrug.]

[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

At Home with Flowers by Jane Packer

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 02 May 2013 23:00:00 +0000

This is one of my favourite books on flower arranging. It's called At Home with Flowers and was written by the London florist Jane Packer.

While Jane was writing the book she suffered a stroke and after it was published in 2011 she very sadly passed away in November that same year - she was only fifty-two years old.

What I love about the book is that all the arrangements are shown in situ - in the rooms or environment where they were planned to go.

You can see how the flowers work with the shape, size and colour of the container and what room it's placed in and how it works with other colours in the room.

What I also love about the book is the contemporary look and feel of the styling of the rooms and the arrangements - even though there are a lot of vintage and retro containers and furniture featured.

There are about 90 different arrangements featured in the book and I had a hard time choosing which ones to photograph - there were so many that I liked.

Another thing I like is the simplicity of the arrangements - some have an abundance of stems, but often of the same flower - and others will have just one or two stems in each vase - but like Jane says herself, "These arrangements are truly simple and straightforward."

In the book Jane takes you through each room starting with the hallway then living-rooms, kitchen and dining spaces, bedrooms and bathrooms.

There are also a few short chapters on what to look out for when buying flowers, how to condition them, a little bit on Jane's design philosophy and her favourite flowers.

For me Jane remains one of those talented and creative people that has left a lasting impression in the world of flowers.

Here is a link to a tribute to Jane that I wrote and posted on my blog back in 2011.

I hope you have enjoyed my little book review.

See you soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Fusion - Bright Red

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

In the May issue of Homes & Antiques there are lots of floral, gardening and botanical features - especially one called Blooming Marvellous. It's a feature full of flowers, floral vintage china, floral prints and vases. It's also full of vibrant colours - so I was really inspired to do a post with lots of strong colours and red was what I was drawn towards.

Red is the colour of roses, rubies, strawberries, lipstick and Ferraris.

Red is also associated with danger, sacrifice, blood, passion, fire, anger, socialism and communism, and in China with happiness.

So - it's a colour loaded with associations - both good and bad.

I found some bright red tulips at the little local flower market and I already had some red Ranunculus from last week - so I made three little arrangements.

Among my collection of vases I found some red and pinkish red - ranging in age from Victorian through to the 1930's and 1970's as well as a brand new one - the mini bud vase.

From the top are two red vintage Murano glass bowls found at flea markets, two red necklaces both contemporary and a miniature beaded bag that contains a little silver heart.

The fabric is from The Village Haberdashery and is called Bike Path in Dahlia - from a collection called Lucky Penny by Alison Glass for Andover Fabrics.

Here are three gorgeous Ranunculus in a vintage Poole Pottery vase from the 1970's.

I come from a long line of weavers, spinners, seamstresses, milliners and collectors of buttons - nobody ever threw away a single button. So plenty to go through when I empted my mothers and grandparents houses back in Sweden.

Here is a sample of vintage red buttons as well as a little red wooden hat pin. All stored in an recycled Bonne Mama jam jar.

I also seem to come from a long line of gamblers - judging from the large amount of vintage dice!!

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have found some inspiration among all the red!

xoxo Ingrid

Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group - Unusual Containers

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I had so much fun putting this group of images together. I was looking for 'unusual containers' - and I found plenty among the images on my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage.

I found examples of jugs both large and small, coffee cups and tea mugs, all kinds of enamelled containers, baskets of all shapes and sizes as well as teapots.

A basket would have to be lined with plastic if you are going to plant something in it or if you are just using it as an outer container you will have to use a vase or jar of some kind to hold the water before placing it in the basket.

The sky is the limit when it comes to what you can use - so look through your cupboards and see what you can find - instead of a traditional vase - anything goes as long as it holds water.

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

Image by Maria Starzyk at luciaandmapp

Image by Helena Söderberg at craftandcreativity

Image by Kathryn at secretsofabutterfly

Image by Kay Ellen at KayEllendesign

Image by Marso

Image by Helene Høiås Dalen at forelsketilivet

Image by Jessica Enig at suchprettythings

Image by Bebe Mozz

Image by Susana Oliviera at citrusandorange

Image by Emily at artfulvintage

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

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All images are from my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage and they all link back to Flickr and to the photographer's blog or web site.

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The series Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group will from now on be published on Mondays.

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Thanks for visiting and I would love to know what you think of all the different containers.

Till very soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote by Jane Packer

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

" If I have a very decorative vase, I pair it with the simplest of flowers - a single hydrangea head, perhaps, or a couple of arum lilies. By the same token, a large, dramatic arrangement needs a container that won't compete with the flowers.

The traditional rule of using an odd number of flowers in an arrangement still stands. An odd number will result in a composition that's less regimented and has the asymmetrical randomness of nature."

~ Jane Packer ~

[Jane Packer (1959-2011) British florist, founder of the company Jane Packer Flowers and her flower schools, author of thirteen books.]

[Quote from At Home with Flowers by Jane Packer.]
[Pink tulips, lilacs and waxflowers in pink jug.]
[Fabric from The Village Haberdashery, fabric design Pearl Bracelets - Grape Jelly by Lizzy House.]
[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group - Orange Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

The colour orange is a bit like yellow - some people think it's a difficult colour. I have a friend who won't shop at Sainsbury's because their branding colour is orange!

Orange is such a lovely colour especially in the autumn - a season I love here in London.

I often associate orange with pumpkins, crab apples, chrysanthemums, dahlias, rose hips and autumn leaves.

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

There are also lots of lovely orange food - oranges, carrots, apricots, mango and sweet potato to name a few.

What I found interesting was that when looking for images with orange flowers the one flower I found the most of was orange ranunculus - a flower that is available in the spring.

There are so many other flowers in lovely orange shades from tulips in the early spring to roses and many different annuals in the summer through to dahlias, crocosmia and sunflowers in the autumn.

Image by Loreta at allthebeautifulthings

Image by Elena Kovyrzina at elenakovyrzinadesignandphotography

Image by Mirka Wolfova at mirkawolfova

Image by Emma at heiressflowers

Image by Marne at heylucy

Image by Elena

Image by C. Mariani

Image by cafenohut

Image by Ingrid Jansen at woodwoolstool

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

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All the images are from my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage.

All photographs link back to Flickr and to the photographer's blog or website.

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I hope you enjoyed some of the orange flowers and was inspired to do some spring arrangements using orange flowers.

Thanks for the visit and see you soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Matthew Mead's Ultimate Recycled Style Guide

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

When Matthew Mead contacted me to ask if I was interested in writing a review of his latest book I was delighted and obviously said yes. I love recycling and most of my collection of vases and containers that I use for my floral styling are from flea markets and charity stores. I have also been a big fan of Matthew since 2010 when I first discovered his blog.

The book, just published, is called Matthew Mead's Ultimate Recycled Style Guide. It's a book full of projects showing you how to transform flea market finds into fabulous treasures.

In the introduction Matthew talks about his and his team's broad view of recycling, he says: "Transforming one thing into another, breathing new life into tired old wares became our mission."

There are 25 chapters with several projects in each one - varying from very easy for the beginner to a bit more challenging for somebody with a little more experience.

I have for obvious reasons focused of the flower arrangements and any floral projects in the book and Matthew had assured me that there was plenty of flowers and I was not disappointed.

Lovely green and turquoise jugs and glass bottles - my favourite kind of vases - wonderful colours to use with flowers.

Lots of vintage container can be used in the garden for planting and in the chapter called Miniature Gardens you'll find lots of ideas for using flea market finds.

Match the colour of the flower with the container - like here with some bright yellow daffodils and a painted old sap can.

Changing the colour of clear glass bottles is easy with a bit of paint - just make sure you use a water tube in the neck of the bottles to hold the water and flower.

Hydrangeas in different shades of pink in a simple clear glass container becomes a colourful outdoor arrangement for a summer birthday party.

Blue and white china is charming to use in combination with flowers - it comes in many different styles and colours and anything that can hold a bit of water can be turned into a vase for an arrangement.

With a bit of inventiveness and know-how you can create some unique arrangements like here: Stack three graduated bowls, fill each level with water and arrange the flowers around the bowls.

A vintage basket with a flat back gets a lick of pink paint - put some pink roses in a watertight container - pop in basket - hammer a nail in the wall and presto - you have a charming and colourful decoration for your wall.

Matthew also made a sweet dedication to me in the front of the book - Thank you Matthew!

I hope you have enjoyed my little review of Matthew's book and I also hope that you'll have found something that has inspired you to recycle some old treasures.

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Thanks for your visiting and till soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Fusion - Here Comes Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I have a lovely book of flowers that cheers me up every time I look at it. It's called Flower Power and it's written by Malin Hidesäter and the photography is by Anna Skog.

Originally written in Swedish - it was then translated and I have the English edition. It was published in 2007 - so it's not a new book but I managed to get it on Amazon Marketplace.

Malin is a well-known Swedish florist and I love all her colourful flower arrangements in the book.

This is not a book review -but I just wanted to tell you where my inspiration for this weeks Floral Fusion came from.

The main flower that I have used is a lovely double orange tulip with green streaks and I'm afraid I have to admit I don't know the name of it.

I used an old re-cycled tin as a vase and I decorated it with a bright orange washi tape - that has four different patterns on it. So already lively and bright - perfect for the occasion!

The other little container that I used for the secondary very small arrangement - is a vintage - ready for this - fish paste jar! I tied a narrow strip of fabric around it's neck as a little colourful decoration.

As my vintage objects I have used a small round bowl from the 1960's that has an interesting orange glaze and an odd little vintage button or decoration of some sort - the holes are around the edge not in the middle - probably from the 1930's - also in unusual colours.

You can also see a strip of the washi tape that I used to decorate the tin with.

The three large vintage letters are part of a small collection of D's - that is the first letter in our son's name and I bought them when he was just a little guy - to decorate his room with. The two larger red ones are wooden and the smaller one is metal with an enamelled yellow colour.

The two fabrics that I have used as background are from The Village Haberdashery in West Hampstead - my favourite fabric store.

The bright orange one with tiny cream dots is called Recess by American Jane Patterns and the lighter one with very small flowers is called Toy Box II is designed by Sara Morgan for Blue Hill Fabrics.

A few more little treasures - from the top: vintage child's hanger with silk thread wound around the hanger and small bits of ribbon, a necklace that my daughter gave me as a present bought in France, orange multi-patterned washi tape, vintage button/decoration and at the bottom a strip of torn and frayed fabric - the same as the background fabric - just to add some texture.

The last image is a close-up of the fantastic orange double tulips in the washi tape decorated re-cycled tin.

Thanks for visiting and for making comments.

Till very soon!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote by Paula Pryke

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"From Easter to the end of May is the best time for cut flowers in my opinion, and there are so many options of colour combinations that you can use. Tulips come in a complete spectrum of colours, the range of hyacinths is good too, and of course I just adore ranunculus."

~ Paula Pryke ~

[Paula Pryke - British florist and author of fifteen books.]

[Quote from Flowers Every Day by Paula Pryke.]

[Hyacinths and waxflowers in white Alvar Alto vase.]

[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group - Flowers in Bottles

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

I am always interested in all kinds of containers that can be used as vases or to hold flowers any which way. As long as it's watertight it's OK with me!

Vintage or just re-cycled bottles are great because they did already once contain some kind of liquid so they will be watertight. They will also probably have a narrow neck so are perfect to be used as bud vases - holding just a few stems.

If you then group a few bottles together - maybe on a tray or platter - you will have an easy and almost instant flower arrangement.

For a more harmonious arrangement choose bottles of a similar size, shape or colour. With containers of a similar kind you then have the choice to use the same flower in all of them or a riot of different coloured flowers - whatever takes your fancy!

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

Image by Kay at kaylovesvintage

Image by Pilli Pilli at abitofpillipilli

Image by Jill Burgess at Bailiwickstudio

Image by Sharon at theteacupincident

Image by Saskia at Knoopjes

Image by Jill Burgess at Bailiwickstudio

Image by Inge at byINCK!

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer

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I hope you have found some inspiration on how to use bottles as vases in some creative ways.

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All images are from my Flickr group Flowers and Vintage - they all link back to Flickr and the photographer's blogs or web sites.

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Thanks for your visit and for making comments.

Till next time!

xoxo Ingrid

Mollie Makes - Handmade Wedding Magazine

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

Mollie Makes has just published a special wedding issue called Mollie Makes Handmade Wedding. I usually never post anything about weddings or even bridal bouquets - but when I heard that Mollie Makes was going to publish a special issue - I went ahead and ordered it straight away - because I knew it must contain flowers and how right I was!

I also knew the magazine would be fun and funky - just like their big sister Mollie Makes. Like the title the emphasis is on 'handmade' - so all the weddings featured has a unique look.

There are several DIY projects - you are shown how to make paper flowers, how to make a silk taffeta floral headpiece and how to make a stitched paper garland.

In this review I have focused on the flowers and the floral styling that was created for all the lovely real-life weddings.

One wedding feature abundant, overflowing vintage containers and they talk about how the flowers had a key role in creating the informal, colourful vibe of the wedding.

I love all the casual table decorations and floral arrangements using jam jars decorated with washi tape as vases.

At one California wedding where the reception was held in a barn they had mainly soft pink and cream flowers in all kinds of vintage containers - all very charming and romantic.

I loved this white seaside wedding where they had used only white flowers. The bride carried an all Gypsophila bouquet and had the same flower in her hair. The tables also had arrangements with Gypsophila as well as some other white flowers in simple glass jars, milk bottles and tins decorated with ribbons, twine and shells.

At a retro wedding they created arrangements in vases and containers from thrift stores chosen for their bright colours and the colourful flowers added even more colour to the table arrangements.

On the last few pages in the magazine you are shown how to make a romantic hand-tied garden bouquet using a white, pink and green colour palette.

Know anybody who is getting married and wants a 'handmade wedding'? Well, if they are in need of some inspiration they will find some in this magazine.

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Thanks for the visit and till next time.

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Fusion - Dark Blue Anemones

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

My inspiration to this weeks Floral Fusion came from the book The Flower Recipe Book by Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo - a brand new book that I reviewed the other week.

In the chapter on Anemones I spotted that the flower heads were arranged across the page and from that I got the idea to float some Anemones in a bowl.

The bowl is part of my floral blue and white transfer china collection and this one has an all-over pattern of pretty pansies and daisies.

To make the arrangement just cut off the flower heads leaving only about 1-2 cm/1" of stem. Just like Hellebores and pansies Anemones looks lovely floating in a bowl of water. It's not an arrangement that lasts very long but is beautiful for a few days.

If you make an arrangement in a vase only add a small amount of water - the hollow stems of Anemone tend to rot much quicker when they sit in deep water.

The three other little containers are all blue and one is English and the other two are Swedish. The coloured glass container is a Victorian fairy light that could hold a candle or be used as a vase.

The other two are Rörstrand Blå Eld part of a dinner service design by Hertha Bengtsson and made between 1950 and 1971. There is a very subtle pattern in the blue glaze that looks like knitting. The Swedish Blå Eld means Blue Fire and this little container were originally made to hold cigarettes. Yes, those were the days when people smoked at the dinner table and I remember helping to set the table with cigarette holders and ashtrays.

I found these three vintage Bakelite belt buckles from the 1940's when I was clearing out my grandparents house in Sweden.

In among other things I also found a bag of little skeins of vegetable dyed wool. An aunt of mine trained in the late 1930's as a weaver in Stockholm and doing vegetable dyeing was part of her course. These two skeins are as the tag says dyed with cochineal and indigo. It's amazing to see how the colour is still strong even after so many years.

Here is a beautiful ethnic dark blue glass bead necklace - it's quite long and heavy and the beads are different size, they vary a little bit in colour and has a rough surface.

My grandmother gave me a set of 12 tiny silver spoons when I was a little girl and I always thought it was such a sweet and generous gesture and I as far as I know she only gave it to the girls - I have no memory what the boys were given.

What I now like about them are that the top of the handle has a flower and leaf motive and as expected the design is called Rose.

The fabric that I have used as a base is a Vuokko fabric designed by the Finnish designer Vuokko Nurmesniem - who was one of the leading designers at Marimekko.

I hope you have found some inspirational ideas from my mix and match Floral Fusion.

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Thanks for the visit and for making comments.

Till next time.

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote by Rachel Ashwell

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"I have flower all over my house, in all the expected and unexpected places, all carefully placed, and never centered - I prefer them off to one side. Roses, peonies, hydrangeas, sweet peas, and tulips are among my favorites. I particularly like putting oversized flowers such as roses or peonies in small vases and cluster them in groups."

~ Rachel Ashwell ~

[Rachel Ashwell - British/American interior designer, stylist, author and founder of Shabby Chic.]

[Quote from Rachel Ashwell's book The Shabby Chic Home.]

[White and purple sweet peas in vintage blue and white china vases and jug.]

[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]

Flowers and Vintage Flickr Group - White Flowers

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

There is something special with white flowers and I find that most people like them. They can be used as a contrast colour but can also be a bit tricky because white flowers can be quite intense, and unless you have an all-white interior, they can look very bright next to darker colours.

While I was studying garden design we were always told by our teachers not to use white furniture in a garden as the colour would draw the eye to the white of the furniture and not to the beautifully coloured flowers and the rest of the garden.

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.

The trick with using white flowers is how you use them - what colour container, what colour is the background and what colour is the surface where you are planning on putting the arrangement.

Some white flowers don't fade as gracefully as a lot of other colours - but while they are at their best they certainly are stunning.

The images I've chosen all show white flower arrangements looking just lovely in the right setting and the right container.

I was delighted to see that this weeks images also feature many unusual containers used as vases.

Image by Rodastina Bosseva at 79ideas

Image by cafenoHut

Image by Elena Korostelev at Gerbera

Image by Selcensa

Image by Ilaria Chiaratti Bonomi at IDA Interior Lifestyle

Image by Irrinn at Irrinn0215livejournal

Image by Erin Benzakein at Floretflowers

I know this image also has some yellow flowers - but I am a big fan of Erin and her lovely company Floret Flowers - and I thought the image was fun.

Image by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.

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As usual all the images are from the Flickr group Flowers and Vintage that I moderate and all the photographers images link back to Flickr and their website or blog.

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I hope you have found some inspiration for using white flowers.

Thanks for the visit - till next time.

xoxo Ingrid

Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

It's easy to fall in love with this book - well lets get our priorities right - it's about flowers and food!

The book is called Cooking with Flowers by Miche Bacher published by Quirk Books and the photographs are by Miana Jun.

It is also a stylist and photographers delight - it's beautifully styled, the photography is gorgeous and inspiring and every page is a treat for the eye, everything looks tasty and fresh, and I wanted to cook and eat everything in the book.

Miche Bacher is a herbalist, chef and founder of the custom confectionery studio Mali B Sweets based in Greenport, New York.

In the 'About the Author' in the back of the book we are told that Miche has worked alongside some of the world's most renowned chefs and that she continues to seek out creative uses of flowers and herbs in both savoury and sweet dishes.

Miche has created 100 recipes using 18 different flowers as well as 8 different herbs. Some of the more unusual flowers that she has used are Daylilies, Dianthus, Hollyhocks, and Tulips. In the book she covers both sweet and savoury dishes. You'll find cakes, tarts, sorbet and breads as well as pizza, salads and tempura.

Each flower has it's own chapter and there is an introductory page introducing the plant - covering background, culinary use, seasonality and what preparations that are needed.

In the introductory page about roses under 'Culinary Use' she says: " Roses are sweet and highly aromatic. Color does not affect the flavour of roses, but scent does. The stronger the scent of the rose the stronger the taste. And if it smells good, chances are it will taste good."

This is a cherry clafouti with hollyhocks - a French confection that is a cross between a custard, a pancake, and a puffy omelet.

Here are some little passion-fruit tartlets with candied orchids as decorations.

I had never seen this creative way of serving ice cream using tulips as edible bowls. Maybe something you could do at the weekend when you have a bit more time - but what a fun and pretty way of serving ice cream at a summer lunch in the garden.

She covers quite a few different herbs using them in pesto, shortbread, cupcakes, ice cream, cookies and drinks as well as used as decoration on both sweet and savoury dishes.

I love this last image of a whisk full of cream and flower petals. Just for fun but so pretty - don't you think?

I hope you have enjoyed my review of Cooking with Flowers and that it might inspire you to do your very own 'cooking with flowers'.

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Thanks for the visit and till next time.

xoxo Ingrid

Floral Fusion - Blue Hyacinths and Anemones

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sun, 07 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

In the April issue of House & Garden - the one published in the UK - I was delighted when I found an article that featured the London florist Vic Brotherson.

I featured a floral quote by her here on my blog last Sunday - in the series that I call Florets.

So you will already kow that she owns the charming florist shop Scarlet & Violet in Kensal Rise in North West London.

Her work and her book is inspiring and her shop is like a treasure trove full of flowers and vintage.

Here is my version of mixing flowers and vintage treasures.

The theme I came up with after finding some blue Hyacinths and dark blue Anemone - was you've guessed it - Blue!

The lovely blue floral fabric that I have used as the base is a Liberty fabric.

Going through mine and my daughters collections of jewellery I found lots of wonderful blue bead necklaces. Some ethnic others just M&S.

Walking on Hampstead Heath in North London I found over the years a lot of broken china that was just laying on the paths. For a long time I wondered why that was and the explanation is that during the Second World War they filled bags with sand from the Heath and after the war they filled the holes with rubble from bomb sites. There is a bit of odd history for you!

So the broken china is from Hampstead Heath and the crystals are vintage chandelier crystals.

As you probably know by now I love vases and other odd containers. Here are three blue ones.

The very old jug has a very pretty blue and white floral pattern and underneath it still has a label saying: "Swansea, Woodbine, sheet pattern jug". I bought it many years ago at an antique fair and I still think it's so much fun to use it as a vase.

The solid blue container is a vintage French polishers jar bought last year at the Country Living Fair - it works great as a vase and I love the blue colour.

The small light blue vintage ink bottle is great for using as bud vase for just one single flower cut very short.

At the moment you see a lot of globes in interior magazines. I bought a few of them some years ago from different car-boot sales around London, for very little money. This one was made by a toy company called Chad Valley in the late 1940's and 1950's.

The two flowers I've used are dark blue Hyacinths and very dark Anemone.

I have used odd numbers - nine Hyacinths in the jug with just a few leaves and five Anemone in the jar and obviously just one single stem in the ink bottle.

The Hyacinths are still in quite tight bud so I will be able to enjoy them for some time.

If you use old containers like I have done her - don't put them straight on a wooden surface - old china often leaks so make sure to protect the surface.

Thanks for stopping by and for making lovely comments.

I'll be back very soon with more floral delights!

xoxo Ingrid

Florets - Floral Quote by Vic Brotherson

noreply@blogger.com (OF SPRING AND SUMMER) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 23:00:00 +0000

"One of the luxuries of working with fresh flowers is that they are already beautiful, making it hard to go wrong when it comes to displaying them. I know I am lucky to have a shop full of flowers, but even if your budget is tiny and your flower choices are limited it is always possible to create something beautiful, especially if you have the right container."

~ Vic Brotherson ~

[Quote by Vic Brotherson - florist and founder of the London flower shop Scarlet and Violet and author of Vintage Flowers.]
[Quote from Vintage Flowers by Vic Brotherson.]
[Parrot tulips in blue and green, some new,some vintage, ink and apothecary glass bottles.]
[Styling and photography by Ingrid Henningsson for Of Spring and Summer.]