Sunday 31 July 2011

Floral

 One way or another my life has been constantly influenced by flowers ever since I first began to notice them as a child, and especially when I went to art college and began to draw them as part of our design training. I have loved them in my garden ever since I had my own garden, and tried very hard to grow all different kinds ....with varying success...
 I always enjoy floral commissions...for embroidery, illustration, applique, patchwork or anything I'm always happy  to create something new whenever the word floral is mentioned ...this is a quick mood board for a future commission that I'm slowly and happily going to work on, around my other work and commissions....
 ...I love making these scrapbooky boards, sitting on the floor with a big pile of clippings and magazines and my trusty scissors, snipping away and seeing how it looks .... does it capture what I have in my head for someone else to get what I mean?? .....usually the answer is yes...
 ...in my actual garden things are not looking quite so rosy this summer, it has to be said...the pots are fine...
...the sweet peas growing up their wigwam are fine (thnaks to Mr P remembering to water both them and the beans each night)....but the rest of the garden is looking more green than flowery and very parched...I think we are paying the price for our hot and sunny weeks now...but at least the pots look pretty and colourful and provide lots of snippets to make posies with, and further down the garden things like mallow, cosmos and daisies give us some colour.... 
 ...these are a set of thrifted coffee cups...sooo cheap and how I love the rosebuds....
...So, I'm going to have a little look through these garden books tonight, and get some more floral inspiration...and also get on with my grannie blanket which is GrOwInG quite fast, as some of you so kindly predicted!! I hope your flowers are growing happily and they and you have just enough rain but not too much, and you have a lovely week....thanks for dropping in to see me here....back soon xxxxx

30 comments:

Annie said...

The word 'floral' has much the same effect on me! Love the mood board :)

Ali said...

Aah a lovely post - loving your sweet peas - mine are a bit feeble I was told the more you cut the more you'll grow oops maybe I cut a bit toooo much not got many flowers coming now :-) x

Jewel said...

Beautiful flowers! I love both the jugs! Especially the polka dot one! x

petals and vintage said...

Hello Helen, I am madly floral and have always loved flowers. They have always been a big part of my life too! Love your images and your boards. Inspirational.
Pam x

Teresa Kasner said...

Helen, we have a love of flowers in common. My Spring profusion has settled down too -- I have some Asian lilies budded out, though. We go on a camping trip in mid August and I always leave home seeing the buds and come back home to them spent! Poo!
((hugs)), Teresa :-)

Teje Karjalainen said...

Hi Helen! I enjoy always seeing your beautiful flowers and other sweet things with flowers! My garden is now a little bit DRY! Where we water, there is green but this summer I haven't put flowers because it's just so difficult. So thank you for sharing your beautiful garden!
xxx Teje

KC'sCourt! said...

Like you I just love flowers!
Julie xxxxxxxx

Cindy said...

I love all things floral also. Right now we are not getting any rain, so we are watering daily. I can't stand to see them sad looking. I like your mood board. I have never made one, though I do cut out pictures and put them in an inspiration notebook. I love to look through the notebooks for ideas.

Unknown said...

Pretty pictures, although my house is not so floral, I still love it, vintage or modern. Kx

Tammy@T's Daily Treasures said...

Your mood board is a work of art in itself. Very beautiful and inspiring! Sadly, we have nothing blooming now. I have two balconies and only container plants. While away for 10 days, all the plants on one balcony burnt to a crisp. The succulents on our second balcony fared much better; they also only get the morning sun which isn't quite as hot. Actually, I guess that's stretching it -- at 11:30 pm, it is 102 degrees out there. Who am I kidding? It's always hot! :/ I love to cross-stitch but haven't done much of it in so long. Guess I'll just have to keep visiting you for more inspiration. Have a great new week. Happy August! Tammy

Lemon Lane Studio said...

I ventured out in the garden long enough to plant a few rudbekia but headed indoors just as soon as the work was done. Everything is looking hot and bothered...kind of like me these days! I am ready for the cooler days of autumn Your photos are lovely and refreshing to look at today.

Jane said...

I am never happier than when I'm in my tiny garden Helen, I totally agree with your "floral" thoughts. What gorgeous mood boards you have and I love the antique vase with the sweet peas. We too have had a lovely sunny weekend and I have been happy out in the fresh air. Have a great week,
Jane x

Crafts @ Home said...

Flowers have always meant a lot to me as well, my parents loved there plants and passed this onto me.... sadly I don't think my older children 'get it' having just returned from two weeks away to a brown, crispy garden and lots of dead plants :(
I love the huge hydrangea in the jug, as well as the mood boards, you always do everything so beautifully :)
Sue Xxx

greenrabbitdesigns said...

I love your French jug with the beautiful hydrangea, so pretty!
I'm afraid there's no chance of my flowers not getting enough rain, we had another wet one today. :(
Flowers give us so much pleasure, don't they!
Vivienne x

Naturally Carol said...

Hi Helen, it is hard to grow flowers in hot, dry conditions, but green is beautiful too..especially summer green! I love flowers too and am intrigued by your mood boards. Happy August!

gillyflower said...

I love the scrapbook boards Helen - they are so pretty - I look forward to seeing the end result inspired by them.
Beautiful sweetpeas and posies in pretty vases as usual - you have such an eye for them Helen!
And I love that French style jug in your first and last pics!
Our garden is the same at the moment, mainly greenery with only the odd pocket of colour - the borders were full of colour during the spring/early summer months, but now all I seem to have left are roses, lynchis coronaria and shasta daisies!
Only one border is colourful with lavender and geraniums, nicotiana and cosmos - i think i need to replant the other borders for next year to get more midsummer colour.
Lovely post and I adore your cushion in the last post!
Enjoy the weather this week Helen!
Gill xx

Anonymous said...

I went away for a few days and had to water everything quick on my return! Mr L was not so thoughtful!
Love mood boarding too - can't wait to see what's brewing...:)

Carole said...

Hi Helen,
Your blog is soooo pretty. The flowers on my patio that are in pots are doing quite nicely too. Except for my clematis pots. I have 2 large pots each with 3 plants growing up wigwams. Both plants are healthy and have plenty of green leaves.One pot is flowering its socks off & the other is just a mass of green leaves. And they have both been treated the same & are in a similar position. Nature eh!?!

Love Carole from Rossendale xxx

Scented Sweetpeas said...

If I look around my home most of my things have flowers or birdies on them. I can spent hours in the garden pottering, taking photos and just taking it all in. Keep an eye out on my blog for some flower inspiration as I may be making a flower photo collage soon on there :-) x

Frances said...

Helen, I've always thought that nature was a very fine artist, and that those of us who study with this fine artist sometimes can learn a bit.

Clearly, you've been a very good nature observer...your creativity simply glows with life, color, grace, beauty. xo

Simone said...

Lovely florally post. I enjoy working with floral themes too! x

Mia said...

I love your board of flowers, I think I am going to copy the idea (thank you!) for the autumn-themes. We have a cooler week-start here (it's still sunny thought) and I am actually liking August!

Wishing you an inspirational week, Helen!

Yours,
Mia

Madelief said...

Hi Helen,

I like your mood board and look forward to see what you will make. There is something about flowers....I couldn't do without them either. They are such a source of inspiration. Only seeing them makes me happy already. Glad to hear your blanket is growing fast. I still have to find out how I can crochet all the squares together. I hope one of the ladies from my choir will show me.

Happy evening!

Madelief x

mynestofyarnandbuttons said...

Hi Helen, What a lovely floral post. Your sweet peas are so delicate and the colors are just so sweet. My flowers have not been the best this summer either, due to lack of watering. Things are drying out so fast. Still on vacation and really relaxing, knitting, swimming, and eating. Take care, xoRobin❤

flowers on my table said...

Hi Helen, love your mood board and your rosy coffee cups! The sweet pea are wonderful too. I am rather pleased with some 'lipstick pink' geraniums that I have in window boxes. I cut some to have inside and they have really lasted very well. My mum's yellow rose is flowering nicely too. I love my garden more and more and would hate to be without flowers of some kind or other, they are so uplifting. Many thanks for your lovely comments. Enjoy your week and your work, love Linda x

Anonymous said...

A lovely, pretty post! Oh how you inspire me! I just love sweepeas! Mandy :)

angelasweby said...

Everything on your blog is blooming beautifully. Even your side panel has wonderful simple but stunning flower arrangements or little cameos bursting with colour.
Your pots look really pretty and each display in it's lovely container keeps tempting the eye to linger. I love the little thrift shop cups and saucers and the mood boards definitely reflect a sunny personality!
Angela
www.picturetrail.com/angelasweby

My Little Home and Garden said...

Hello, Helen. A few summers ago I visited a friend's sister in England. She grew beautiful sweet peas and had small bouquets dotting her home. I had meant to plant some this year. As that didn't happen, I'll enjoy yours instead!

Bumpkin Hill said...

I'm with you loving anything floral, love your mood board, and your sweet peas are so pretty. It's been such fun to visit your blog, Catherine x

koralee said...

Your sweetpeas are adorable my friend....and oh I so agree with you on your boards...I love creating them..so inspiring. Hugs for a great weekend...how can it be the weekend already? xoxo