first bouquet from my garden

Hello! Ok, maybe I can't really call it a bouquet. So let's call it a mini-bouquet, or miniature bloom.  Those campanula muralis are the last flowers in my garden and they look really cute in a little vase.  My garden need a lot of work and I will see how much I will manage before the frost. It is so humid at the moment and I am alone with Ella, so it is a bit difficult to work in the garden, but I will still be planting some flowers to be able to make some bouquets with FLOWERS FROM MY GARDEN - Yeah! in the spring. I wish you all  a great day!  Speak to you soon with some Christmas inspiration. Elodie

we are in France!

Hello everyone!

Just a quick note to tell you that we are in France now. Safe and sound.  The move has been pretty challenging and we are still living out of boxes, but we are happy and I am trying to work out how I will arrange the garden. I found a pretty little flower shop around the corner, and I will be back on the blog more regularly soon.  I am going to my first French blogging event in Paris this afternoon. I will be showing you the pictures on the blog and on Instagram soon.

Have a great day everyone!

Elodie

#2flowergirls - flowers for inga

Dear international readers, I will write this blogpost in German exceptionally. My dear friend Inga Lorig from the blog glomerylane lost her fight against blood cancer last week and I am writing this post in her memory -for her, her family, her friends, and her readers who took part in our little #2flowergirls project in the past 2 years. 

Hallo Ihr Lieben,

wie viele von euch schon wissen, hat uns unsere liebe Inga letzte Woche verlassen. Es macht mich unendlich traurig und sie hinterlässt eine sehr grosse Lücke. Inga war eine sehr lustige Person, die das Leben geliebt hat und ihre Pläne unbedingt verfolgen wollte.  Sie wollte zum Beispiel unbedingt, dass #2flowergirls weitergeht, auch als sie im Krankenhaus lag. Ich habe immer gesagt, dass das digitale Leben warten kann und dass sie sich aufs Gesundwerden konzentrieren sollte. Für mich hätte #2flowergirls ohne Inga keinen Sinn.  In den schwierigen Zeiten haben Inga die Blumen und die schönen Sachen im Leben unglaublich geholfen und Mut gegeben. 

Wir haben stundenlang über Skype gesprochen als ich in Elternzeit war und uns über Blumen unterhalten. Mir war es sehr wichtig heute fröhliche Blumen auszusuchen, die Inga gefallen hätten und so möchte ich mich an Inga erinnern. Sie war ein unglaublich positives Wesen und hat sich über die kleinen Dingen eben gefreut und hatte eine wahre Leidenschaft für Blumen und Planzen, die sie über Ihren Blog und über #2flowergirls teilen wollte. Das letzte Mal, dass wir uns trafen, als sie im Juli nach Hamburg kam, hat sie viel gelacht und sich über Ihre neue Duftkerze, die sie in ihrem Hotelzimmer anzünden wollte, gefreut. 

Ich werde jetzt nicht stundenlang über diese furchtbare Krankheit, die mich sehr wütend macht, schreiben. Ich möchte mich nur von meiner lieben Freundin verabschieden und ihr diese paar Blumen schicken. 

Inga, diese Blumen sind für dich, ich habe an dich gedacht als ich die im Garten von meinen Eltern am Sonntag gepflückt habe und diesen Strauß für dich komponiert habe.Das sind die letzten Worte, die Du mir geschrieben hast, eine Woche bevor Du gegangen bist: "Ich kann nicht glauben, dass Du bald "weg" bist. Wobei eigentlich bin ich schneller in Paris als in Hamburg." Ich habe diese Worte 1.000 mal seitdem wieder gelesen und die haben einen so bitteren Geschmack, jetzt dass du "weg" bist.

Ich werde versuchen ein paar unsere Geheimpläne umzusetzen und immer mit einem Lächeln an dich denken. Ich habe Kapuzinerkresse und Dahlien für dich ausgesucht, weil ich weiss, dass Du die so gern mochtest.

Es gibt einen Weg, Betroffene von der Krankheit zu helfen und zwar indem man sich bei der Knochenmarkspenderdatei registrieren lässt und zwar hier. Inga hatte im Juni dazu einen Aufruf auf dem Blog von Steffi gestartet und sogar zwei Spender gefunden. 

Wer mag, kann auch eine Spende überweisen, die nach Inga's Wunsch einer Stiftung zur Erforschung des Louis-Bar-Syndroms zukommt. Kennwort: Im Gedenken an Inga, Sparkasse Neunkirchen, IBAN: DE80 5925 2046 0034 2121 83, BIC: SALADE51NKS.

Wenn Ihr Lust habt, mitzumachen, könnt Ihr es gerne tun und den Link zu euerem Beitrag hier eintragen. Ich werde auch die Sträuße hier sammeln. Hier könnt Ihr auch gern Blumenfotos auf Instagram ab heute mit dem Hashtag #flowersforinga und #2flowergirls posten.

Viele liebe Grüße

Elodie

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red garden roses

Hello everyone!The days are getting colder and shorter here. The time of dahlia has come. But today I wanted to show you this beautiful roses, and you can arrange them in small vases and glasses to make a little charming composition.  I really love making mini bouquets and grouping them at the centre of the kitchen table or on top of cabinet. I also love using mini bouquets to decorate a table for a dinner and putting one bouquet next to each guest's plate. I wish you all a great week end! I will be back next week with some exciting news! Talk to you soon, Elodie

#flowersonmyway - Give Away!

Hello everyone! When I started my Instagram Photo Challenge #flowersonmyway in February, I never thought, you would love it so much and post so many beautiful flower pictures from all around the world. As of today you have posted more the 900 pictures, are the ones in the collage above are just examples of the amazing variety and floral inspiration you all put out there! Thank you so much! To say thank you, I have teamed up with the German decoration brand Räder, and we are giving away a beautiful vase from the same collection as my badeteich vase.  To take part in the give away, continue posting the flowers that cross your way on Instagram with the hashtag #flowersonmyway until 30. September, and I will publish my favourite image from September on the blog at the beginning of October, which will at the same time be the winner of the vase.  I wish you all good luck! Talk to you soon! Elodie

baby's breath for my baby's first birthday

Hello everyone! My baby is turning one today! This first year has been a great adventure and I am so happy to be her mum!  This special event inspired me today's bouquet. Gypsophila is also commonly called baby's breath.  This flower is not often used alone, but as part as a big bouquet. I love it as a stand alone flower. I love it's airy structure and fluffiness. I think gypsophila is so tender and sweet.  This bouquet is for you my baby, my sweet little Ella!

The end of summer - beginning of Autumn bouquet

Hello everyone! How are you doing today? I bought some flowers last week at my favourite flower shop, choose them all with long stems and decided to make two versions: One tall bouquet in a transparent vase and a small one in spotty red vase. The tall one has a autumnal touch to it, with the warm red colours. The small one with the playful red dots looks more summary. I just wanted to show you that you can get two very different results with the same flowers.  I haven't been using the spotted carafe as a vase in ages, and was very happy to use it again! Like an old you haven't met in a long time, and you suddenly realise that nothing has changed!

So! What do you think about the two bouquets? I will never want to hear agin:

"I don't have the right vase for those flowers!"

My tips are:

1- Be creative (use carafe, tea pots, glasses, etc... as vases) 2- don't be afraid to cut the leaves and shorten the stems 3- never try to stuff a vase to much, give your flowers room to breath. If you realise you bought or cut too many flowers, just make a mini version of the same bouquet, or two bouquets.

I wish you all a great day! Talk to you soon and thank you for your kind words for my interview in Sweet Living Magazin! It means the world to me. xoxo Elodie

#flowersonmyway in August

from left to right and from top to bottom: @23qmstil//@dasrotegartenhaus//
@stylingfieber//@mintlametta

 Hello everyone! we are already in September! unbelievable! So here are my favourite pictures for August. Thank you so much for posting your lovely flowers on Instagram with the Hashtag #flowersonmyway! Already almost 900 pictures have been posted so far. Next month, the winners will winn a little vase to display the lovely flowers they found on their way. Keep posting and discovering beauty along your way. Talk to you soon!  Elodie

Wild Flowers from Umbria

Hello everyone! Those of you who follow me on Instagram, that I just come from a week in Italy with my family. We stayed in Umbria, to be precise, in a village called Massa Martana - I could never remember the name and always said Tikka Massala ;). The house with stayed at is called Casale del Gallo was truly magical and big enough to fit 12 people. I will show you the house in another post. Today I wanted to show you some of the bouquets I made during our stay only using wild flowers growing in the property: sweet peas, scabiosa, queen anne's lace, wild mint, clover. The variety was breathtaking, and I was really not expecting finding so much beautiful flowers in this region especially in August! I wish you a great day! Talk to you soon with more impressions of our italian holiday. xoxo Elodie

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Lovely Flower Blog #10: Linger Flowers

Hello everyone! I am back from Umbria, with a lot of impressions and over 1,000 pictures. I will show you some soon on the blog. I am very happy to introduce a new Lovely Flower Blog today. I discovered Nikki and Andy Shenk on Instagram last May and love her story and how her dream came true. I also love the fact that have been inspired and motivated by blogs and Instagram to start their floral business.

Who are you and what are you talking about in your blog?

 We’re a wife-husband duo, Nikki and Andy Shenk, that fell in love with flowers and decided to start our own business, Linger Flowers, in Cincinnati, Ohio. We focus on weddings, holidays and classes. Andy is a writer, so he runs the blog, where he features both the work we do, as well as other elements of the business and our personal life. Our name, Linger, is very significant to me and Andy and we try to capture our philosophy of savoring each moment in the day through the blog. Flowers, especially, help both of us to linger and appreciate the beauty in our life, which is what we hope to share with our community, whether that be online or in Cincinnati. 

Where does your passion for flowers come from?

 I never imagined I would be a florist when I graduated from college, but after a few years I realized that I was very drawn to floral art—wedding invitations, dresses, paintings—and wanted nothing more than to create those same beautiful designs with my own hands and with real flowers. Flower blogs and Instagram also played a big role in my decision to become a florist. I had never known just how artistic and creative florists could be until I started following them on Instagram. Now, when I look back, it makes sense. My mom was a flower enthusiast and I loved to admire her pretty blooms from the garden, as well as the arrangements she would buy from the florist. And I always loved art in school—I just never thought that it was a viable career option and didn’t connect the dots to becoming a florist. 

What inspires you?

I feel my most alive when I’m surrounded by buckets of blooms and foliage and have all afternoon to craft a new design. It’s intoxicating to be able to create beauty with fresh green stems and tender blooms. I love how flowers feel in my hands and the way that they brighten and fill a room, especially when the light is just right. 

What is your favorite flower?

Hellebores are my favorite, because the colors are so perfect. When I’m feeling wild, though, I go for fritillaria. And I have a major crush on poppies, since I couldn’t get them while Andy and I lived in Russia, where they are illegal! 

Which other flower blogs are you reading regularly?

Of florist blogs, Saipua is my favorite. In addition to being an incredible florist, Sarah Ryhanen is an exquisite writer. My other must-reads are Floret Flowers and Rosegolden Flowers. On Instagram, there are so many talented florists. My biggest obsessions right now would have to be Tinge, BRRCH, Twigss, Honey of a Thousand Flowers and McKenzie Powell. 

Thank you so much guys for sharing your story with us!

© pictures by LingerFlowers

first dahlia of the season

Hello everyone! I hope you are doing great. I have had quite a rough week last week, with a sick mama and a sick baby and a very hot weather but as I read recently on the Instagram feed of my friend Ricarda, the quieter the online, the louder the offline life!  The good thing about this short break, is that I managed to go to the market on Friday and found some awesome free range dahlia. It isn't uncommon to find dahlia at the beginning of August, but they are particularly early and beautiful this year. I bought enough flowers to make three beautiful bouquets and I only paid 10 €! I often that flowers are expensive on the market, but I think, they are usually much cheaper than in the flower shops especially when locally grown. So - I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do. Have a great day and speak to you soon! Elodie

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A red bouquet: Lupin, peonies, aquilegia

Hello everyone! I have been wanting to show you this bouquet since the beginning of June. I made it when I was in France, staying at my parent's in law. They have a beautiful garden, which I already showed you there. I especially loved working with the lupin, as I really like their ombre colours.  I hope you will like this few flowers. I wish you a great day! Elodie

bouquet of mini roses, globe amaranth and black berries

Good morning everyone! I hope you had a lovely Monday. After a bit of a rough few weeks, I am feeling better and I when I feel good, I like to be surrounded by flowers. I made this little bouquet a few days ago, with some beauties I found in one of my favourite flower shops. I think they work really well together because:

1- the blooms are all roughly the same size. 2- the colour palette is very elegant, from pink to dark blue. 3- It's always a good idea to mix fruits or vegetables in your bouquet, to make it visually interesting.

Voila! I hope that you will find this bouquet inspiring and that it will bring you a little bit of happiness too! Have a great day and talk to you soon, Elodie

Roses of Picardy

Hello everyone! I haven't been posting that much as I am going through quite a lot at the moment. Among other things, I started working again recently and Little Miss Ella started going to the Kindergarden. All is well, and we managed a complete week without bringing any germs home! Let's hope we are heading to another successful week. I was browsing through my pictures yesterday and I realised, that they are still a lot of flower pictures from my French holiday, I haven't shown you so far. Those pictures are roses pictures. I took in my parent's garden in the region called Picardy. My home region is well known for its roses that have been sung by Mr. Frank Sinatra for instance, and my mum's garden is full of them!

Roses are shining in Picardy,
In the hush of the silver dew,
Roses are flow'ring in Picardy,
But there's never a rose like you!
And the roses will die with the summertime,
And our roads may be far apart,
But there's one rose that dies not in Picardy,
'Tis the rose that I keep in my heart.

I hope that you like roses as much as I do and wish you a great start in this new week! xoxo Your Elodie

Vase Story: Badeteich from Räder

Hello everyone! I have been making bouquets in this vase for a while now, but never found the time to take pictures for the blog. I found this one so lovely that I had to share it with you.  First, I would like to say a couple of words about the vase. This middle size vase is from the German decoration firm Räder and is called Badeteich {swimming pond} {€ 24.95} and as you can see, there is a little swimmer looking out of the vase. I love the fact that you can tell a new story with each bouquet, by creating the surprise of having a little woman hidden in the vegetation of your bouquet. The little golden fish printed on the vase are also very cute.

For this bouquet, I used:

• Scabiosa
• Clematis
• and Wild Asparagus

I hope you enjoy it! I wish you all a great day Elodie

PS: I would like to thank Räder for sending me this beautiful vase. 

#flowersonmyway in June

from left to right and from top to bottom: @stylingfieber //@leene_e//
@ahoijudith//@leckersmeck

The #flowersonmyway contributions on Instagram for June have been so beautiful! Thanks so much! Flowers are everywhere at the moment and it makes me happy! Does it also makes you happy guys? Have a great day! Elodie

A tall bouquet of lilies and delphiniums and a floral give away

Today I am writing this post in German in combination with a give away open to my German readers only. {see English version below} 

Hallo Ihr Lieben!

Heute gehe ich mit diesem Strauß aus meiner Komfortzone raus. Ich gehe von mini auf maxi, von klein und süß, auf groß und elegant. Als die Initiative Toll was Blumen machen mich fragte, mich einen Strauß mit Lilien zu überlegen, war ich mir nicht sicher, ob es gut zu mir passt. Das ist das erste Mal, dass ich einen Strauß mit Lilien für madame love mache. Ich habe dann nachgedacht und es wurde mir klar, dass es ganz toll aussehen würde, wenn ich die Lilien mit anderen Blumen mit langen Stielen kombinieren würde. Ich habe mich für blauen Rittersporn in Kombination mit den weissen Lilien entschieden.  Ich mag es, raffinierte und edle Blumen mit etwas ländlichere Blumen zu kombinieren. Ich mag auch den Kontrast zwischen den grossen Lilien Blüten und den kleinen Blüten vom Rittersporn.

Hier sind ein paar Tipps, wenn Ihr einen Strauß mit Lilien zu Hause machen wollt:

1- Sucht euch eine große und stabile Vase aus, da die Lilien schwere Blumen sind. 2- Kombiniert Lilien mit anderen langen Blumen. 3- Entfernt so viel von den unteren Blättern wie möglich.

Für das Gewinnspiel siehe unten.

Hello everyone!

Today I am going out of my comfort zone. I am going from mini to maxi, from miniature and precious to tall and elegant blooms. As Toll was Blumen machen asked me to imagine a bouquet with lilies,  I was not really convinced that it would fit my blog and my style.  It is the first time I have worked with lilies for the blog. I had a closer look at them, and it was clear to me that I had to combine them with another tall and elegant type of flower. I chose pale blue delphiniums to go with my white lilies. I liked mixing a more sophisticated flower with a more rural and simpler one. I also like the contrast between the big blooms of the lilies and the small blooms of the delphinium.

Here are some tips if you want to make a bouquet with lilies:

1- Pick a solid vase that can carry the weight of your lilies, as they are quite heavy flowers. 2- Combine your lilies with other tall flowers. 3- Cut as many leaves from the bottom as you can. 

Die Lilie ist nicht nur auf meinem Blog im Juni zur Gast, sondern ist auch die ausgesuchte Blume des Monats für den Blumenkalender von Toll was Blumen machen und Ihr habt die Möglichkeit eins von zehn Lilienbouquets inkl. Lieferung jetzt zu gewinnen. Dafür musst Ihr mir nur im Kommentarfeld Eure Lieblingslilienfarbe verraten und zwar bis Sonntag, den 29.06.2014 - 23:59. Dann wissen wir direkt, in welcher Farbe wir sie Euch schicken können. Solltet Ihr einen Strauß gewinnen, bin Ich schon gespannt zu sehen, was Ihr damit macht, wenn Ihr Eure Fotos mit dem Hashtag #tollwasblumenmachen auf Instagram und Twitter postet. 

Spielregeln: • Die Teilnahme ist nur unter Angabe einer gültigen E-Mail-Adresse von volljährigen, natürlichen Personen mit Wohnsitz in Deutschland möglich bis Sonntag den 29.06.2014. • Die 10 Gewinner werden per Zufallsauswahl bestimmt und von mir binnen drei Tagen unter der angegebenen E-Mail-Adresse informiert.

Viel Glück! Viele Grüße Ihr Lieben! Elodie

PS: Dieser Beitrag ist in Zusammenarbeit mit Tollwasblumenmachen.de entstanden

Vase Story: My Vietjar from Tine k home

Good Morning everyone!

Today I would like to show you one of my favourite vase: My VIETJAR from the Danish brand Tinekhome. This vase is an old, unique jar from the Vietnamese rivers, made out of clay. Each one is unique and different and you can buy them in three different sizes from XS to XL. They cost between 20 € and 71 €.  They are very rough and irregular, and that's what make them so beautiful and special, especially if you want to make a bouquet with a still life touch.  As the vases are not enameled on the inside nor on the outside, I advise to put a little glass recipient in the vase before you put some water in the vase, in order to prevent it from licking.  I use baby jars as they fit perfectly. Tinekhome is a brand that I really like, and this vase is also on my wish list. I bought this black one, along with my Vietjar in a fabulous interior shop in Hamburg called Eden Living. I wish you a great day! Talk to you soon Elodie

Lovely flower DIY: Using a Kenzan for a shallow vase

Hello everyone!  Today I would like to start a new column and show you some simple tricks to make nicer bouquets at home. The first trick I would like to show you today comes from Japan and is primarily used for the traditional Japanese floral arrangements called Ikebana.  A kenzan, also called spiky frog or flower frog is a specific metallic device used for fixing the flowers in the container. It consists of a heavy lead plate with erected brass needles where the stems are fixed. You can find them on amazon for example and they cost between 3 and 30 € depending on their size.  A kenzan is perfect for arranging bouquets in shallow vases such as bowls or small pedestal vases. It helps keeping flowers with very short stems in the water.  It is a very nice to arrange flowers on a table for dinner party for example, so that you can for instance see the person sitting in front of you. It also works very well if you want to create a vignette on a table in living room. For this bouquet, I decided to mix peonies with garden roses, as I think that they really work well together.

Your bouquet step by step: 1- Place the Kenzan at the bottom of the vase and fill the vase with water. 2- Cut the stems very short and take out almost all the leaves. 3- Pick the flowers one by one in the vase, so that the bouquet is pleasant to look from all sides. (especially if it is for a table centre).

So that's it for today people! I hope you liked this little floral DIY and that you will get yourself a little kenzan for your next bouquet. Have a great day! Elodie

Lovely flower blog #9: Twig and Twine

Hello everyone! I hope you had a nice long week end if Monday was a bank holiday in your country. I am back today with a new interview from my series Lovely Flower Blogs. I was so delighted when the very talented, Los Angeles based floral and event designer Heather Williams from the blog Twig & Twine, accepted to take part and answer some questions for you. I first discovered her work on Instagram. I love her choice of flowers, the way she works with foliage and her vision about her work as a florist: "I like to remind people that I am a designer and that flowers/foliage are my medium. I create using the principles of design I just happen to use something that was once growing in the ground." So true! If you want to read the interview and see some gorgeous pictures of Heather work - click on the "read more" button.  Speak to you very soon! Elodie

 Who are you and what are you talking about in your blog?

Heather Williams, owner of Twig & Twine…both a floral design studio focusing on weddings and events as well as a retail flower and gift shop. My blog showcases my wedding work for the most part. I'm not a hugely active blogger. I find it a good place to post weddings that aren't up to snuff for my portfolio as well as where I can highlight other things like workshops that I have going on.

Where does your passion for flowers come from?

I sort of fell into floristry but it was a jump that made sense in a lot of ways. I grew up with a mother and grandmother who are active gardeners. There were always flowers in the yards that I played in during my youth. I studied fine art and design in college and pursued a bit of that but on a whim was asked to work at a flower shop. I took the job and it was a fairly easy transition for me since I was somewhat aware of the flowers names and their seasons. Additionally my background in the arts helped with the design portion of being a florist. I think a lot of people assume I am a gardener and ask for advice on how to keep their plants alive. I'm far from a good gardener. I like to remind people that I am a designer and that flowers/foliage are my medium. I create using the principles of design I just happen to use something that was once growing in the ground.

What inspires you? Color. The seasons.

What is your favorite flower? I can't choose just one. There are far too many beauties that bloom at different times of the year to choose a single item. Ranunculus are one of my favorites. Hellebores too. And who doesn't love a peony. I will say that I am partial to spring flowers though. Such a wonderful time of year for blooms.

 Which other flower blogs are you reading regularly? I actually prefer Instagram over blogs these days. It's such a quick translation of images and information. Us florists are lucky enough to have a product and end result that can thrive in a forum like IG. I follow a ton of florists. Some of my favorites are Moon Canyon Natalie Bowen Designs Nicolette Camille Catalina Neal (of L&S Design Co) Bows and Arrows….there's so many.

Find Heather also there:

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