Hello my name is Emma and I'm addicted to ferns.
Is there a proper word for this? There are proper words for other types of addictions. Mine is equally unhealthy, I have over indulged.
Maidenhair, Boston you name it we have it.
They are starting to gather names, like Miranda, Fenella and Percy.
I have taken to wearing ferns in my hair, a sort of homage to Julius Caesar with a few delphinium flowers for a more feminine touch. I think this should be part of my regular wardrobe, sort of a Green Parlour uniform.
Today we have mainly been thinking about cakes, lots and lots of cakes. I have vowed to whip out my whisk and produce something spectacular. Marzipan carrots are sounding like a suitable decoration to a three tiered carrot cake. Over the top doesn't even cover it.
Recipe suggestions are welcome.
Note to self: must buy more hessian.
We’ve been busy filling our flower shop in Pangbourne, Reading, Berkshire with some gorgeous new home ware, hand chosen by us for its nostalgic yet practical twist. Our new range of Beautiful Finds can be found in our online store with inspiration from all over the globe designed to fill your home with quirky unusual beautiful products.
These to-die-for Lustre photo frames have stolen our hearts. Beautifully designed, these silver lustre finish will steal the show on any sideboard, add our Sophia candlesticks or Antique silver tea light holders for extra sparkle! Our Lustre photo frames are available to purchase in 2 shapes:
square measuring 16cm by 16cm (this will hold a picture measuring 9cm by 9cm) and portrait measuring 20cm by 16cm (this will hold a picture measuring 14cm by 9cm).
Click the link to see the whole Beautiful Finds range and buy the Lustre photo frames HERE
We’ve been busy filling our flower shop in Pangbourne, Reading with some gorgeous new home ware, hand chosen by us for its nostalgic yet practical twist. Our new range of Beautiful Finds can be found in our online store with inspiration from all over the globe designed to fill your home with quirky unusual beautiful products.
Transform your dinner party table with our Sophia mercury glass candleholders! These antique feel holders will add an elegant antique sparkle to home, perfect grouped together, or scattered along your mantle piece. Decorated with a gorgeous barley twist design these mercury glass candlesticks will hold a standard sized column candle and are available in two sizes, small measuring 20cm in height and the large measuring 28cm in height. Take a look at our Beautiful Finds range and purchase these beautiful Sophia candlesticks HERE
As soon as we had our first consultation with Samantha and Kevin way back in the deepest depths of winter, we knew this wedding would be right up our street! The brief: country elegance. The colours: creams, ivory and zesty green. The venue: Lodge Park a completely gorgeous National Trust property near Cheltenham. HEAVEN!
Samantha knew from the start that she'd love hydrangeas and peonies to feature heavily, and scent was important too. I'm such an advocate for splashing out a little more for a wedding bouquet with scent. Freesias have to be one of my favourites, their heady citrus scent instantly transports me to a tranquil holiday somewhere in the south of France.
With a rather regal entrance with stunning, uninterrupted views across the Chiltons, Lodge Park needed something to bring a splash of Samantha and Kevin's day to the venue for the ceremony. We toiled with heaps of ideas, but after much deliberation (and a sign from him upstairs) we decided on bay trees, decorated elegantly with white Avalanche roses.
I'm not a pedestal girl, I have never been convinced of their beauty. A vase filled with gorgeous spring and summer flowers ... great! A hefty black iron pedestal stand ... not my bag. Lodge Park needed something light, clear glass and plain unassuming plinths. Just perfect. We filled the vases with scented eucalyptus, white hydrangeas, peonies, viburnum opulus, white delphiniums, and white Avalanche roses in a simple hand tied arrangement, which complimented the stairway perfectly.
The venue: Lodge Park and The Bay Tree
The flowers: Avalanche and Snowflake spray roses, white delphiniums, white hydrangeas, white peonies, scented white freesias, viburnum opulus, scented eucalyptus and ivory stocks.
We've been busy filling our flower shop in Pangbourne with some gorgeous new home ware, hand chosen by us for its nostalgic yet practical twist. Our new range of Beautiful Finds can be found in our online store with inspiration from all over the globe designed to fill your home with quirky unusual beautiful products.
This gorgeous owl vase has stolen our hearts! Perfect filled with freshly cut blooms from the garden, this owl vase, measuring 12.5 cm in height and made from white ceramic, it will nest beautifully on your kitchen table. Available to buy online from our new Beautiful Finds range, designed for your home, on our website.
Every girl likes pretty things ... right? I'm head over heels in love with all the gorgeous new vases and tea light holders that have been arriving in the shop over the past few weeks. You may know, I am more than a little fussy regarding tea lights, the clear glass never really rock my boat, candles can have so much more ambiance. Fear not, there are tons of gorgeous holders available to make your tables glow including these to-die-for antique silver numbers available from our online store here
If your after a more rustic look, get collecting! Interesting glass jars and bottles tied with vintage lace, scraps of fabrics and miniature salvaged brooches make perfect tea light holders.
Scatter between small cut glass vases filled with miniature flower arrangements for the perfect table centre for a dinner party or a wedding.
We're looking to expand! with your help and votes we can make this dream a reality ... take a look at our entry into Barclays 'One Small Step' competition and vote for our village florist franchise concept by posting a comment and pressing the like button.
We would love to be able to open another Green Parlour in another village like Pangbourne, so we have entered a competition with Barclays to get some funding...
Click on the link Barclays 'One Small Step' and hit search .. type Green Parlour into the keyword section and take a look at our entry and VOTE VOTE VOTE!
Cakes baked, champagne chilled, trestle tables dusted ... check ... check ... check ...
Sit down with a gin and tonic and prepare for your fancy spruce-up-any-outfit and fit-for-a-Princess street party buttonhole DIY tutorial
What you need:
We're going to show you how to make real buttonholes, forget all of that fiddly wiring nonsense, these are the way buttonholes should be.
First things first, pick out your favourite greenery from your garden - I've chosen mint and rosemary for their heady scent. Place your garden finds flat upon a table and lay your chosen flowers on top. I love large buttonholes so the more flowers and greenery the merrier. Remember when the buttonholes are pinned on your rather Royal Wedding outfit they will be flat at the back so its a good idea to lay your flowers and greenery at different levels.
Tie your buttonhole arrangement at the top using some thin string. Take care not to tie it too tightly, just enough so everything stays where it is.
Cut the left over string using your sharp scissors and cut the end of your almost there buttonhole.
Pick out some rather fancy ribbons to match or clash with your buttonhole and wrap them around to cover your string and tie in a bow. Find a fancy pin and place into a little cup of water until your ready for your public.
My favourite spring bulb has to be fritillaria, their beautiful checkered heads are scattered throughout this spring inspired wedding bouquet which also contains white Avalanche roses, zesty green guelder rose, clematis, black centered anemones and scented eucalyptus.
We love the fresh zing that the guelder rose brings to the brides bouquet, especially when combined with the deep rich tones of the fritillaria, clematis and another favourite of ours - anemones. Bind wedding bouquets in bold ribbons - I love the polka-dot ribbon on this bouquet.
We are actually in love with this bridal bouquet we created this week! As much as we love roses, its so lovely to play with hedgerow texture, allowing us to create this gorgeous relaxed country bridal bouquet - designed to feel as if it has been gathered from the meadow on the way to the church. Filled to the brim with ammi majus and daucus carota, flowering clematis, scented eucalyptus and secured with an antique lace trim, this bouquet is perfect for a country inspired bride.
Miniature lace detailing on the Groom's buttonhole of flowering clematis, viburnum berries and eucalyptus ... perfect!
Large mismatched jam jars finished with antique lace detailing to match the bridal bouquet adorn the centre of the tables.
