Spring Flowers

Spring has to be one of my favourite seasons. The daffies are in full bloom, and           hyacinths, tulips and primroses make an appearance in the garden. But besides the usual suspects there are so many lovely spring flowers that are not often stocked on the high street but should be on your radar if you’re thinking about a spring wedding, or just looking to cheer up your home. 


Muscari & Paperwhites

I just love these tiny blooms, they’re so delicate. They look great with other spring       flowers, you could combine with some narcissi too, but I adore the cool simplicity of blues and whites. 

Anemone & Ranunculus 

I always think of ranunculus as spring’s mini peonies. They’re lovely and plump, come in an array of colours - I’m loving all the sorbet shades at the mo - and just so pretty with their fine layers of petals. Anemone are great for adding drama to bouquets and arrangements. They come in bold strong colours, and the black polka dot centres really catch the eye - Just check out that dark almost black and white bouquet!

Fritillary & Hellebore 

If flowers have personalities these two might be considered shy and retiring, as both flowers tend to hang their heads and come in a much more subtle palette than other shouty spring flowers! Available in so many different varieties, in wonderfully elegant tones, often with what look like hand-painted markings. They can be challenging to work with, but they are totally swoony!

I couldn’t do a post on spring flowers without mentioning blossom - being a big fan of twigs an’ all! A few branches can make a great display in a big vase and work well in floral installations. There’s so many different blossoms to choose from - although we could argue about which should really be called blossom as the name should really only apply to flowering stone fruit branches. Take your pick from Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Apple, Cherry, Quince, Forsythia, Magnolia, Mimosa & Pussy Willow.

 What are your favourite spring flowers? For more ideas take a look at my wedding       inspirations and spring flowers boards on Pinterest, and if you’d like to know more about Twiggy Thistle’s flowers please get in touch.

Image credits/links in order of appearance - Georgiana Lane, Etsy; The Rose Shed; You&YourWedding; Country Living; Amborella Floral Studio; via pinterest; Flower Power Productions; OfSpring&Summer; Simon Gakhar/Flickr; SullivanOwenforBHLDN; via pinterest; via pinterest; Soil&Stem via Wedding Sparrow; JoFlowers via Flowering; SkonaHem via The Natural Wedding Company; Sarahwinward via Chikaeoh;Sarah Winward Honey of a Thousand Flowers; Thewaveswemake; StudioMondine via Marha Stewart Weddings; Sarah Winward


A vintage love affair

I’ve been a fan of vintage for as long as I can remember. It’s not just the incredible style, craftsmanship, quality materials and attention to detail, but also the hidden   histories of lived-in items that appeals. Imagine the stories that might be told if only these pieces could talk. 

As a kid I loved rummaging through my nan’s costume jewellery and trying on tiny lace and leather gloves. She had such an impressive collection of vintage clothes, shoes, bags, and belts, that she had wardrobes overspilling in nearly every room of her west London home. At 93, Cookie- as she is known to the family- still rocks a leopard print fake fur coat, and totally kills it!

In fact it was my nan who found some of my favourite vintage pieces, including several coats with matching fake fur collars and cuffs unearthed in charity shops in the early 90s, when it seemed that only art students and hippies bought second hand. 

Mum was an absolute style queen too and, luckily for me, a bit of a hoarder. As a   teenager I raided her wardrobe for vintage pieces, whilst listening to her tales of the swinging 60s, and visiting Biba. She introduced me to the vintage markets of London and we spent many a happy weekend trawling the stalls of Kensington and Portobello. 

My love affair with vintage continued. This is embarrassing but true - it was actually the presence of a tiny little vintage store, and the owner who gave me the gift of a felt bowler hat, that swung my decision to go to Uni in Preston! Ridiculous I know, but such a friendly chap. I spent much of the next three years rummaging in that shop. 

Studying Design History at Uni was the perfect excuse to immerse myself in piles of books on key design movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. I especially loved the natural motifs of the Arts and Crafts movements and Art Nouveau, the principles of Modernism, the glamour of the 20s and 30s, and the bohemian hippy styles of the late 60s and 70s.  Whilst up north I discovered Manchester’s northern quarter. Affleck’s Palace and Cafe Pop only fed my addiction to vintage even more. 

Now in my 40s, I would say over half my wardrobe is vintage (lots of pieces found in Frock and Roll - my new local vintage haunt - including the dress I’m wearing on the About page) My home is also chock full of vintage - crockery, vases, fabrics and items I’ve collected over the years for styling.  I sell some of these on my Etsy shop Hedgerow Home, and will soon be adding a page to the Twiggy Thistle website of vintage props to hire. 

Amongst the props available to hire are brown leather suitcases and picnic hampers which are great for gathering gift cards, storing confetti, or displaying table plans. We also have easels that can be strung with flowers and foliage and used for wedding signs, seating plans, and order of ceremonies, wooden ladders, picture frames and a whole collection of unusual vases and containers to add a little vintage style to your big day. 

Looking for a bouquet or hair flowers that will complement a vintage wedding dress or accessories? Would you like to display flowers in vintage china, glassware or vases, or want to hire vintage props for styling the wedding venue? Twiggy Thistle can help you put together a stylish wedding with a nod to vintage or create a whole vintage- themed wedding. 

I’ll be writing more posts about vintage style in the coming months. You can follow us on twitter @twiggythistle and like our Facebook page to get the latest news, tips and inspirations. 

Photos all Twiggy Thistle’s own - taken courtesy of Frock and Roll


Blossoming Star

Back in autumn last year I was asked to be contribute to a fashion shoot for Jungle magazine. I admire the mix of contemporary fashion, photography and music articles that the magazine share on its online platform, and was thrilled to assist with floral styling and set design on a new project for the first print edition, called Blossoming Star. 

Inspired by an abundance of botanical and floral prints coming through for spring/summer 2016, the fashion team would be putting together their picks of the trend. Shooting in a shed in Solihull (ah the glamour!), the brief was simply to bring a little of the outdoors in. Muted shades and greenery were a prerequisite, but other than that I was left to my own devices. 

 So one drizzly grey October morning, I packed up Whisky Foxtrot (my little car) with a bundle of flowers and tons of foraged foliage, and headed up the M40 to sunny Solihull. When the team had gathered,  Hannah and Christiana started on hair and make up, and Daniela and April sorted through mountains of frocks. Our charming hosts showed us out to what would be centre stage for the day, and I began to dress the set. 

 When I say set, of course I mean shed. But this was no ordinary shed - it was more like an outdoor garden room. Hand-made by the owner, with glazed doors that opened on two sides, the interior tongue and groove panelling, had a paint wash in an off-white. It was a great blank canvas, ready for a twiggy transformation. 

Having cleared the space, I began to hang tendrils of ivy, and soft ruscus from the rafters (if sheds’ have rafters!) to create a little overgrown wilderness, as if the garden had grown into the space and begun to take over. Trails of foliage were strewn along dusty bookshelves, moss appeared to grow under a faded wooden bench, and leaves had blown (read - been artfully placed) over wooden floorboards. To mix things up a bit between each shot, I added in woody waxflower, bundles of hydrangea, eucalyptus and mixed foliage in a vintage galvanised bucket. Stems of papery dried hydrangea heads were tucked amongst terracotta plant pots, and a few ferns were purloined from the garden. 

Our model Valeriane Le Moi really showed her steel, braving the cold in some cut-away and cropped pieces that were definitely intended for warmer climes. Photographer Thang LV had his work cut out creating a light summery feel on what turned out to be a dark and damp day. The day wrapped and we all warmed our cockles with homemade soup in the family kitchen. I couldn’t wait to see the finished results in print. 

In March, I went along to the launch party for Edition 01 , of what will be a biennial print magazine, stocked in Harrods & Selfridges no less, and in stores in London, Paris, New York & Tokyo for starters. Held at London’s Malmaison Hotel in Charterhouse Square, it was a chance to say thank you again for having me along, to meet other contributors and to congratulate the team on all their hard work in putting together the finished product. 

Those guys sure know how to throw a party, and after a few Jungle cocktails and a lot of mingling they had everyone dancing and eagerly awaiting editor Ali’s speech. I think its fair to say Ali was nervous about speaking, but he had everyone cheering him on, many with a tear in their eye.  

After a lot of sweat and hard graft this dream team pulled it off, and launched the magazine with a bang. It was a great event to showcase their first edition in print. And what a beautiful tome it is - that fabulous smell of fresh print, hmmm, smooth matt paper, and weighty too. Truly worthy of pride of place on the finest of coffee tables! As you can see from the big cheshire cat grin, I was chuffed to bits with the results.

Twiggy Thistle is available for commercial and editorial styling and floristry, as well as weddings and events. Drop us a line if you’d like to know more.   

Jungle Magazine

Stockists

Photographer - Thang LV

Model - Valeriane Le Moi

Hair - Hannah Williams

Make Up - Christiana Howell

Botanical Styling/Set Design - Chantal - Twiggy Thistle