Houseplant of the Month: August

Houseplants: like the perfect man... long lasting, great looking and low maintenance.  

What is not to love?  

Which is why the Flower Council of Holland have launched their Houseplant of the Month Campaign throughout 2015.  Each month they have chosen their favourite Houseplant and given a ton of information on the history and uses of the plant, how to choose a nice healthy one, and how to take proper good care of it.

We thought we'd do you all a favour and follow their lead, condensing the info in our own monthly feature.  

In the eighth part of our series...

August: Mother in Law's tongue

We're a bit early this for this month's houseplant, but we just could not contain our excitement as Mother in Law's tongue is our absolute fave.  



And not just because it has a delightfully kitsch, misogynistic name (*rolls eyes*) depicting the sharp end of the leaf tip, but because these fellas are incredibly easy to look after.  

We mean, INCREDIBLY easy.  

If you manage to kill one of these, please let us know.  And we won't believe you.



The plant does not need to be watered too regularly - the aim is to get the root ball slightly damp.  Be sure the soil dries out before the next water though, as the root ball will rot if it sits damp for too long.

They like some light, but are not too fussy - they can even handle full on sun.  

I've got a Cylindrica variety sitting in a shadey-ish corner of the room which I water once every few weeks and he is happy as Larry.  See?  INCREDIBLY easy.

Groupings of Mother in Law's tongue look super effective.  For all you brides / grooms-to-be, considering planting them in bronze, tin or gold pots and having a group as a wedding centrepiece, which can also double up as favours for your guests.

Mother in Law's tongue grows upright so, combined with the fact that it is easy to care for and an air purifier, it's great for offices and commercial spaces as a decoration, but also as a way to partition spaces.



Readily available at all kinds of shops, garden centres and markets, this guy is an excellent addition to the home or work space.

T H E S E R I E S : T H E N A I L S

So, we found quite a lot of love for Pinterest recently, which has resulted in...

 T H E  S E R I E S 

...a pinterest collection of all super cool things, wedding related. 

We have pulled together oh-so-dreamy, jaw-dropping dresses, the most beautifully designed and delicious cakes, the hippest, hottest suits for the fellas and a whole host of other aesthetic wonders to get you on your way to creating, well, basically the world's greatest party.

Each month on the blog, we will share a new board with you and from that, pick our top five faves.

Next up...

T H E  N A I L S

Inspired by one of our most favourite ever brides, Ellie (off of Ellie and Ryan), who wore a transfer of her future husband's face on her ring finger to make him smile as he popped on her wedding band, this week we celebrate nails, from the classic to the novelty and everything in between....

1.  Sparkling nudes...

Don't want your nails to be the main event?  Go for a timeless manicure.  

But why not jazz it up a bit with sprinkles of glitter to catch the light when you're showing off your rings!

image via dailymakeover.com 


2.  A bit of drama...

Perfect for a super chic city wedding, or ultra lux venue.   

LOVE how the ring finger is decorated with more bling to stand out on it's special day.

image via bloom.com

3.  Ombre nails

A fun way to tie in all the different shades incorporated into your colour scheme, or match your bridesmaids if they are wearing different dresses.

Also, with the ombre wedding trend continuing with cakes, dresses,  table runners etc... this is great way to jump on board without going overboard. 

image via beautyhigh.com


4.  Here comes the night...

The coolest party nails.  

And a creative nod to your first evening as a wedded couple, and that the universe is yours for the taking. 

And the COOLEST PARTY NAILS.

image via beautyhigh.com

5.  Puppy love...

There is nothing wrong with a bit of kitsch on your wedding day. 

 And this is the CUTEST kitsch around.

Guaranteed to make your Tramp crack a smile.

image via buzzfeed.com


More like this on our pinterest...

Proper Weddings: Gus & Lily

Almost exactly a year ago, our very good friend Angus - he of the loud laugh, practical jokes and captivating grin... 



...married Lily - she of the passionate ideals, quick wit and awesome beehive -

In a field on a farm in Kent.

Gus' brother played his guitar and sung as Lily walked down the grassy aisle...

Towards her future husband who waited for her in the shade of the trees...

Together, they walked back up the aisle, arm in arm with beaming faces, while their loved ones cheered...

And they lived happily ever after...

(And ate some cake and partied hard in a marquee...)

All photos courtesy of the amazing Iesha Small, who has a website here that we would highly recommend you check - it is wonderful.

HOW TO... Make your own floral delights! Create a wrist corsage

In our latest series, we show you 'How To'...

Make your mam think you're such a good boy by turning up to Sunday lunch all smart and buttonholed; 
Recycle a dress you wore to a wedding last year by accessorising with a fancy hair pin or wrist corsage;
Whack on 6 Music and pretend you're at a festi in the comfort of your living room wearing a floral head crown.

Last year, our absolute fave workshop was the Floral Delights evening where we taught you how to make all the above.  So, we thought we'd break it down for you here in black and white (with some coloured photos) so you can all have a go yourselves. 

This week..

HOW TO... Create a wrist corsage

Ingredients:

Wire of medium to heavy gauge (needs to be malleable but support your stems) 

Floral Tape - the green, plasticky, 'guttering' kind

Stems of choice / Small foliage of choice (bear in mind weight and size - small and light is best.  You can go for big blooms - the same principals apply - but small, hardy flowers are easier to work with and will last longer with all that clapping / dancing.) 
A length of ribbon / fabric of your choice.  Needs to be a decent width to ensure the corsage stays in place.

*You can get any of these speciality floristry items at New Covent Garden flower market and at Amazon (boooooo Amazon, you're so evil and convenient)

Method:

You will only need one wire for a wrist corsage.

Tape down the entire length of the wire.  Keep pulling the tape taut whilst wrapping. 

Shape the wire into a 'figure of eight', wrapping the ends around each other and secure to complete the figure.  

Twist the wire in the middle of the figure of eight so that the centre point has a double twist.  This makes your base more robust.

Tape over where the two ends have been twisted to join, for maximum security.

None of this foundation structure will be on show, so don't worry too much about neatness.

Cut your chosen flower and foliage stems down to around 3cm. 

 For hardier stems or big blooms, you may need to wire these up to make them malleable enough to tape onto the figure of eight.  

See our How to... Knock up a right nice Buttonhole for instructions on wiring up your stems.

Start taping each stem or piece of foliage onto the figure of eight.  

The idea is to cover as much of the base as possible, leaving the 'top' and 'bottom' of the eight clear as this will be where your ribbon threads through.

Keep building up your flowers and foliage in as natural a way as possible - having all your flowers pointing in a similar direction will help with this.

Fill any gaps with foliage.  

We've used alchemilla mollis, however something with larger, closely-spaced leaves may be easier to work with.  Have a root around your garden and experiment!

When you are happy with your corsage, add your chosen ribbon or fabric.

Thread through your figure of eight, leaving space to pop your hand in, double looping around your 'top' and 'bottom' for extra security.

Tie nice and tightly around your wrist in a knot or a bow and volia!

Houseplant of the Month: July

Houseplants: like the perfect man... long lasting, great looking and low maintenance.  

What is not to love?  

Which is why the Flower Council of Holland have launched their Houseplant of the Month Campaign throughout 2015.  Each month they have chosen their favourite Houseplant and given a ton of information on the history and uses of the plant, how to choose a nice healthy one, and how to take proper good care of it.

We thought we'd do you all a favour and follow their lead, condensing the info in our own monthly feature.  

In the seventh part of our series...

July: the Ficus Ginseng

The Ficus Ginseng, often sold as a bonsai tree, is a perfect choice for a high impact houseplant.



Interestingly, this boy is from the same family as the Mulberry, the hop and the rubber plant.  

What a bunch of high achievers...

Ficus Ginseng plants prefer a light position out of full sunlight.  Water regularly (even more so if you have no choice but to pop him in a particularly light position) and don't let the root ball dry up.  Ease up on the watering in winter though.

Remove any yellow or browny leaves and you can prune your plant  (the leaves, not the root) in the winter to keep the bonsai shape. 

Grown predominately in China and Malaysia, the main focus of the growth when cultivated is on the root - the 'Ginseng' - which takes years to develop.  

The leafy part of the plant - the 'Ficus' - is then grafted on to the root to complete the plant and pruned expertly to achieve the bonsai vibe.

And it doesn't look a bit like the creepy ginger root baby from Pans Labyrinth when unpotted AT ALL...