Friday, October 14, 2016

Last Flowers of 2016 + Botanical Inspiration - A New Book + Giveaway

We got frost a couple nights ago. My zinnias that have been blooming so bountifully are gone. 


The morning glories are gone too. 


The sunflowers have been over for a while. The birds and the squirrels have been fighting over the seeds. 



There are a few bits of flowers that didn't get frosted but flower season is pretty much over. Now it is the turn of the autumn leaves to fill our lives with color. 

Last week, I wandered around the garden as the sun was setting with my camera. The colors were so lush and rich. 

I couldn't get enough of these magenta colored Amaranth. The strands looked like wooly pom poms. Some of the blooms are over 36" long.



I looked up into the sky and the clouds were this gorgeous shade of peach and gray. Stunning. It didn't last long though. 



Here is the exterior of the newly re-done Garden Shed. I planted Morning Glories to grow up the railing in the front part of the porch and over the archway. They did just what I envisioned.  



The frost held off until after my photo shoot was over. That was so lucky.



You all know how much I love flowers. Really - is there anyone who doesn't? That's why I was curious about a new book called Botanical Style: Inspiration Decorating with Nature, Plants and Florals. It is written by British stylist Selina Lake and photographed by Rachel Whiting. Selina is no stranger to writing books - she has authored seven beautiful books on decorating and styling. She has a strong interest in DIY. (I have two of her other books - Homespun Style and Bazaar Style). Each book gives easy ideas for uncomplicated, easy to make projects. You would think she would run out of ideas by now but she keeps making books. I wonder what her next will be.  



Botanical Style is absolutely lovely. It is divided into 7 chapters: Botanical Inspirations, Vintage Botanicals, Boho Botanicals, Industrial Botanicals, Tropical Botanicals, and Natural Botanicals. 

The selection of textiles that she features is really great, including many vintage fabrics. Here are some of my favorite spreads from Botanical Style









This is a lush book - full of gorgeous photography. I can only imagine how fun it will be to look at in the middle of winter when I am dreaming of being outside and in my garden again. 

At the end of Botanical Style, Selina includes credits for each photo (most of them were taken in the UK and in Sweden), credits for suppliers of props, and a great source guide. 

Follow Selina on Instagram here

So here is what I have for one of you today..... your very own copy of Botanical Style supplied by the American publisher Ryland, Peters and Small. Here's how to enter....

CONTEST IS OVER. WINNER WAS BELLA. THANKS ALL FOR ENTERING. 

Answer one of the following question(s) in the comments section of this post.

What is your favorite way to decorate with flowers? 
How do you keep flowers in your life when they aren't growing outside anymore? 
OR Tell me about your favorite flower.

Please leave an easy way to get a hold of you - email, blogger id, or Ravelry id. Contest ends Sunday October 16th at 11:59 p.m. U.S. Addresses only please. Good luck everyone! 

29 comments:

Karen said...

Living in the Midwest, I enjoy our native prairie flowers. I have a big photo collage of local flowers I made years ago. I'm also working on a appliqué quilt featuring native flowers.

Unknown said...

My favorite has to be dahlias...all colors, all varieties. I don't have much luck growing them though! I've visited two dahlia farms and have plenty of photos that keep me going through long NY winters!

Knitter512 said...

My favorite is the humble pansy. Purple for sure.

Anonymous said...

Only ONE flower?!? Hmm, never a met a flower I didn't like even the thuggish ones I might not plant. Zinnias were my aunts favorite although she grew some wonderful sweetpeas. I also love peonies. Oh dear I want them all. Helen

Unknown said...

When growing season ends, I treat myself to fresh flowers or a flowering plant.
Flowers = happy me

Anne said...

I adore peonies! Some have such strong, saturated colors, they are so...overblown. They are voluptuous as I was before I became just chubby. Only problem is the extremely short period where they're available!

Auntie Shan said...

;-} Funny that you should be bringing up Flowers *today*... As I've just picked up a BIG bouquet worth of FAKE [but still rather nice looking] ones for my Mom while at MICHAEL'S earlier. - They were on sale... Flower-"arranging" and collecting chintzy fabric is really as Botanical as I get! My Sister was the one who got the GARDENING-GENE from both Grandmothers in our Family! - No doubt whilst I was getting "picky" with the fake-flowers, she was likely getting "MARTHA"-esque with her garden in preparation for the small dinner party that she's hosting tomorrow! [She *lives* to "entertain"!]
However, as to choice of blooms... I'm a huge fan of blue and purple flora... Irises, Orchids, Violets, Lilacs... And any teeny flowers in those colours. And, although I like the colour of Lavender, I'm actually allergic to the smell! :-[
Meanwhile though, EVERY time I see a SUNFLOWER, I THINK of YOU!
;-D

Sojourner Design said...

There are so many ways I'd like to respond to your challenge. But I think one of my favorite ways to appreciate the little bouquets of flowers that I pick is to include some vegetables or herbs with them! For instance, two or three small kale leaves, with their crinkled surfaces and deep deep green, provide a perfect background for a handful of zinnias in a simple jar.

Carol Smiar said...

I love Iris, I spend a lot of time in my garden just looking at them when they are in bloom. Unbelievably beautiful. Then there are the roses and yes the peonies are gorgeous. How about the hydrangeas, love them. I guess I love them all.

sandi said...

I always have flowers on my dining room table. It's one of those little grace notes that makes me feel like I'm being good to myself. And my favorites are tulips. There is nothing that makes me smile like a vase of yellow tulips in January.

bella said...

I love to just put a small bud in a small vase on a side table. It is amazing what a difference that makes in a room.

Your garden is gorgeous. That shed. Those amaranth. That sky. sigh....

Brenda said...

I live in Maine, so the growing season is short. When my garden is blooming, I cut and bring flowers inside weekly. I have a large patch of sunflowers and we can't get enough of them! In the winter, I've been known to buy the $7.99 bunches at the grocery store. Tulips are my favorite grocery store buy.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kristin, Your photo of the amaranth in the rooster vase is drop-dead- WONDERFUL!. I've tried about every way under the sun to "preserve" flowers in my life: drying, waxing, beading, knitting/crocheting, pressing - you name it. The only way I can afford to decorate with real flowers is when I can raise them myself, which I do. Here in Eastern Washington state our climate is similar to yours and so the season doesn't last very long. I got my first killing frost on Sept. 9 this year.
Thanks as always for your generous giveaway. It's always fun to see what you come up with. Happy autumn, Roxiesmoxie on Rav
RASmartWay@gmail.com

Teresa said...

I haven't met a flower I didn't love but the first flower that came to my mind was sunflowers. Small ones grow along the roadsides, and there are fields of them that take your breath away in September. They were created in so many sizes, and variations in beautiful fall color that I can't help but collect them on fabric and other mediums to decorate my home, my kitchen in particular.

Lynn said...

I like to dry bunches of lavender from my garden. I have a few bunches hanging upside down on the inspiration board behind my computer, a jug of them in the kitchen, and a few in pretty glass bottles on my desk at work. If I'm having a stressful day, I pluck a few blossoms and crush them for an instant pickmeup. They get me through the winter until the flowers start blooming again! Rav ID lynnberry

Cathy said...

I bought a small bouquet today at the farmer's market...a large dahlia, a snapdragon & a couple others I'm not sure of. When asked how many more weeks she'd be at the market, the woman said everything was in Mother Nature's hands now. Cold weather coming the end of the week, so I'm sure she won't be back much more. so sad...love flowers in the house.

I work in a hospital & a group of us would sit in the lobby at lunch. When the florists would bring in the get well bouquets for the patients, I would comment 'oh....daffodils! My favorite flower!' the next day it would be 'oh...irises! My favorite flower!' The same with carnations, snapdragons. Just about any flower that went past, it was my favorite. I could never pick just one.

Jessica said...

I love flowers and florals. I always put one floral print fabric in every quilt I make.

Carol said...

I have a rose bush in my garden that supplies me with hot pink/ white striped roses for about 9 months out of the year. I change the look by using different vases, jars, and empty cans. During flower-less times I rotate my succulents from outside to inside on a weekly basis. I've also just bought some daffodil bulbs that I hope to grow in a pot for the spring.

Anonymous said...

~ My favorite way to decorate with flowers is to put them in old teapots, teacups, glass maple syrup bottles, even vintage dessert dishes !!
For tiny bouquets, for my dollhouse friends or around my house in surprise little niches, I especially like using old glass salt & pepper shakers as the vases. Even one tiny bloom makes a difference in spreading happiness with the loVely variety of flowers.
What a beautiful book. Thanks for sharing, Kristin. I hope I win !!
p.s. your Garden Shed looks amazing !!
Best,
Shell ~
yarnsoup@yahoo.com

Unknown said...

I have an entire wall of vintage botanical prints, flower paintings and floral wall pockets in my bedroom. They keep me company throughout our long Wisconsin winter. Slshokler@uwalumni.com

Patti said...

Wood violet. My grandmother would always have wood violets and they provide many wonderful memories for me working with MoMo in her garden. Wherever I have lived my husband plants wood violets for me, and we've lived many places.

Unknown said...

I decorate my rooms with bowls of dried rose petals that I collect from the many fragrant rose bushes in my yard.

midnight hysteria said...

what a lovely book ... when the winter is upon us, i purchase blooms from the store and have learned that if i use my spritz bottle daily, the carnations, especially, will last for three weeks ... i love them more than roses, b/c they live!!!

thank you for this opportunity ....

darlene
dharrisc at gmail dot com

Anonymous said...

I live in Northern Minnesota and there are some lovely flowers for sure in the summer months (i.e. trillium and iris) but come the frost, it is all done for sure as our next season is "snow/cold". So I do the next best things in the months when you can't even carry flowers between the store and the car and the house: look at pictures of flowers and paint some folklore type flowers on birdhouses to share in the upcoming year. It is my way of seeing beauty beyond the peony season.

Rebecca said...

Living in the sub-tropics, I always have flowers growing! We have a few weeks of chilly around the end of January, but Houston is always green and blooming. Although, now, I have very little time for gardening so I stick with what doesn't truly need my attention. I have multiple crepe myrtle trees in my yard and long grasses running the length of the sidewalk that burst into tiny purple blooms several times a year. I wish I bought fresh flowers for my desk more often. Why don't I? hmm, this week, I will :)
~rebecca
(rebeccavelasquez on Rav)

Kay said...

What gets me through the short days, low light and long darkness of winter is my houseplants. Interesting leaf shapes, textures and colors in decorative pots that highlight each plant. Many flower in winter (succulents), and each blossom is a gift. I have a large collection of amarylis that flower beautifully after their 2 month rest in darkness, and flower at different times, so there are months of color. And I plant species small bulbs in places where the snow 1st melts, and you can enjoy them by the back door or out the dining room window. And I look for Kristin's's blog everyday, because there is always a punch of color!

Vera said...

What a lovely give-away. I love to keep a plain/simple vase of flowers (usually an assortment) on the buffet in our kitchen. In the winter I substitute evergreen boughs/berries/etc.

Sally said...

I doodle flowers in meetings and while i'm on the phone! =) I love moonflowers. They smell so lovely, and they are so much fun to anticipate!

Bella said...

I won! I won! Sending you my address now! Thank you!

Kristin Is Now Writing Over on Substack

Hi All! A quick note to let you all know that I'm now writing a Newsletter over on Substack: Kristin Nicholas' Colorful Newsletter f...