Monday 30 March 2009

Bright week: Bright Styling

This weekend I got carried away with my newfound wealth, and splashed out on 3 bunches of daffodils. I've never been a multiple bunch purchaser, but I decided to brighten up my flat with lots of little arrangements to celebrate the beginning of British Summertime. Daffodils are one of my favourite flowers. I also love yellow roses (just in case anyone with any honorable intentions towards me happens to be reading this.)


For £2.98 I bought three bunches, and I feel less of an ethical burden as they are grown in the UK, unlike a lot of flowers which are flown in from Africa (read this if you want to think twice about your flower purchases.)

I assembled a variety of different containers for the arrangements.

First up, the green ceramic jug I bought at this recent car boot sale.

I tend to keep glass jam jars, for all those jars of homemade lemon curd I like to bring as dinner party gifts (number of batches made so far - nil.)

So, I had a large stash ready for a little DIY customisation.

2. Green raffia.

3. Basic string. I love to have a little bunch of flowers in the bathroom, for an extra-girly touch. I asked my friend Lynne to buy me something from the Laura Mercier range for my birthday, just so that I could put it on the shelf (you can't see it that well here, but it co-ordinates perfectly with my colour scheme.)

4. I recently bought this yellow masking tape from Ginko Papers - and had fun playing around with various combinations.

5. My all-time favourite flower vase - an empty milk bottle. Check back later in the week to see an extra-special touch I added later.

6. A teacup - another find from my recent car boot haul. I still not have determined my final teacup policy (ie should you buy a secondhand cup without its saucer?) But for styling purposes - solitary teacups are perfect.

7. A vase I made at a summer pottery course when I was about 14.

I have more ideas too, but I figure that 9 images of essentially the same thing are enough to be getting on with, unless demand proves otherwise. Which is your favourite? Have you any unusual ideas for vases?

24 comments:

ThrtnWmsFam said...

I'm more of a veggie grower, and we don't buy flowers very often. But after a visit by Hubby to his Mom 2 weekends ago, he came home with a bunch of stems from their plum tree - it had flowered. I found a mug we don't use very often. Not decorative, I know, but with a daily checking of water, they are still with us! Vikki at www.survival-cooking.com

Grace said...

What lovely arrangements! It's interesting how different each arrangement looks in a different vessel.

Rachel said...

Excellent splurge! I think the tea cup is my favorite (shocking, right?). All the styling is lovely.

I usually end up using canning jars as vases, for some reason.

Lynne said...

Ooh Rachel - those canning jars sound lovely. Please post a photo sometime soon!

erin said...

these are lovely! thanks for the link to the article, too!

J said...

i love the milk bottle! gives it that sort of countryside feel that is romanticized in my head!


regards,
J
http://regardseveryone.blogspot.com/

nath said...

We've had an abundance of daffodils over the last two or three weeks. They're so cheery, jolly and bright.

When flowers are so cheap and local, it's great to buy a few bunches, I love that they open so quickly and you have a mass of sunshine right there.

I favour an old preserving jam jar for mine, it's got a wide mouth and plenty of height.

Julie [Plums for Breakfast] said...

I adore this time of year; walking to work from the bus this morning, I realized that all of the daffodils in front of our city museum have popped out of the ground--I was quite excited.

I've just started visiting your blog--it's lovely! I also love flea market hopping, so I appreciate all the little treasures you find in such places. I can't wait for summer.

the 6 o'clock stitch said...

They're beautiful. I can see why you couldn't buy just one bunch!

Rachel Follett said...

So pretty! I love the canning jar with the green ribbon the best!

Christina said...

beautiful! i'm liking the vases and jars almost as much as the pretty flowers. these would brighten any room.

Becca McCallum said...

Olive oil bottles - those carbonell ones are just the right size for a tiny bright bunch of thin-stemmed flowers, and have decoration in the form of pressed-glass olives. I have one sitting on my bookshelf just now.

Silvina Bidabehere said...

Just discovered your blog and loved it! I´m an interior styilist from Buenos Aires always looking for inspiration...

Patchwork Harmony said...

Daffs are my fave flowers too, i think its a lot to do with the move from Winter to Spring... flowers filled with a promise of a beautiful English summer! (one can dream!)

Lee said...

Every single one of these arrangements looks gorgeous, but I have a real soft spot for the jam jar with the green string. Your home must look wonderful with all these little dots of yellow flowers throughout.

Thao said...

I adore the daffodils in the teacup! So homey and bright.

Leigh said...

Laura Mercier body souffle cream is so AMAZING, right? Great birthday gift ;)

Miss | A said...

ah...you did the poladroids. don't you just love it. addicting.
:)

Callie Grayson said...

love your glass jars and the tea cup. I am all about tea cups for other uses. I use them for jewelry and soaps and my hair clips in the bathroom. they're very pretty

marigirl said...

ooo, I like the tea cup too. Sometimes for a tea party I use a spare teapot as a vase :) Also, my husband has some beautiful cobolt-blue shot glasses from Mexico that I grouped together as bud vases for a brunch!

RLMEnglish said...

I love them all but I have to say the teacup and jam jar are both great. Perfect for Bright Week!

English Muse said...

Hello ms. co-blog of note!!! congrats to you!

Such lovely pictures...i'm always amazed by the architecture of daffodils. Such a complicated yet simply beautiful flower!

i can almost smell them!

beautiful!
xo

pve design said...

for vases, I love to find old things, I also love glass rocks or pebbles inside. I also like to make things mod by putting arrangements deep down inside a glass bubble bowls, we went to europe and I saw this, it has a way of making the flowers seem all the more precious.

beauty comma said...

I love the combo with the green string! I can't think of any good unusual ideas for vases at the moment, but I enjoyed your suggestions.
Trudi =)