The true meaning of Ikebana--the traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement--is the ability to take a few beautiful flowers and plans and tastefully present them in very simple containers to decorate your home. Whether for Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, or a special birthday or anniversary--"Japanese Ikebana for Every Season" simplifies and demystifies this ancient art by presenting 53 elegantly simple arrangements that anyone can create at anytime at home.
The key to good Ikebana arrangements is to understand a few very simple principles--like the idea of "mitate"--seeing old things with new eyes, as well as learning a few very easy techniques of flower stabilization and how to support plants and flowers inside a vase or container. Using simple, common flowers and plants from your garden, from a nearby field or forest, or from your local florist--you can easily create these lovely Ikebana in just a few minutes if you know how.
Authors Rie Imai and Yuji Ueno explain how to select the flowers and the containers by simply using things that are already around you--and then they show you how to turn them into something special. The basic instructions in the book cover a wide range of styles that encourage readers to use their own creativity rather than copying traditional and highly technical Ikebana design concepts.
No matter what time of year it is and regardless of your taste or budget--the arrangements in this book will lend a touch of Japanese elegance to your home

Step into the vibrant world of Crepe Paper Blooms, Bugs and Butterflies with Miss Petal & Bloom, a.k.a. Eileen Lim. In this beautifully illustrated guidebook, internationally acclaimed artist Eileen reveals her secrets to crafting whimsical blooms and insects using 180gsm Italian crepe paper. To begin, the materials and basic techniques are broken down in detail, making this a perfect book for beginners. In the Blooms chapter, you'll learn how to create a host of flowers that will never wilt, including a sunflower, a rose, two kinds of peonies, a dahlia, a ranunculus, oriental poppies, anemones, hydrangeas and a magnificent king protea. Eileen also demonstrates simple ways to transform your handmade flowers into lovely bouquets - perfect as gifts for your loved ones. In the Bugs and Butterflies chapters, you'll be introduced to a collection of quirky crepe paper insects, such as two spectacular moths, two butterflies, colourful beetles, a dragonfly and a chubby little bumblebee, plus a fun range of display ideas. Finally, in the Potted Plants chapter, Eileen shares techniques for making a variety of plants, as well as tips on how to pot them. These include daffodils, irises, orchids, delphiniums, tulips, foxgloves and gorgeous succulents that you'll never need to water. With step-by-step photos for all projects, accompanied by full-size templates, you'll be inspired to give this addictive craft a go, and create beautiful paper blooms, bugs and butterflies for all occasions.

Learn how to grow and dry flowers, plants and herbs to createdried floral arrangements that will breathe fresh life and style into your home without breaking the bank!In this contemporary reimagining of a timeless craft, Ann Lindsay Mitchell guides you through the method of drying flowers in three achievable steps: growing, drying and arranging. This excellent source of practical advice is explored through an encyclopaedic list of flowers and foliage with specific information on how to grow, cut and dry them to best effect. From coffee table posies and large arrangements to hand tied-gift bunches and wedding bouquets, beautiful photography accompanies guidance to creating arrangements with your newly dried flowers. Filled with delicate watercolour illustrations alongside stunning photography of both simple and elaborate floral arrangements, Forever Flowers is an exceptional guide to growing, drying and arranging. Suitable for both experienced professionals and hopeful newcomers to the art of drying flowers, the information in the book is an invaluable resource for all to reference and return to. Anyone can create everlasting arrangements for friends, home or occasions that can be cherished for years to come.

The ultimate color-by-color flower reference guide - from New York's pre-eminent floral designers, Putnam and Putnam Planning a wedding, a dinner, a birthday party, a romantic evening, holiday entertaining, or just arranging flowers for the pleasure of having them, more often than not your creative process begins with thinking about the color of the flowers that you want. To help you find what you are looking for, Flower Color Guide is the first reference book to organize flower types by color, with an emphasis on seasonality and creative color schemes - and the results are stunning in their sheer variety. What Pantone is to color, Flower Colour Guide is to flowers. Showcasing 400 flowers at their peak, with stunning photography taken by Putnam & Putnam in their Brooklyn studio, this guide includes an appendix featuring perforated pages, with tips on flower care, notes on how to prepare vessels and a list of suggested color schemes. A great gift to give, or to have for oneself, the book speaks to the most seasoned flower enthusiasts as well as those just beginning to explore the possibilities of arranging flowers. Michael and Darroch Putnam have built a reputation for romantic, dramatic floral arrangements and installations using color as their guiding principle - here, they share their knowledge with readers worldwide: "This is the book we wished we had when we started doing flowers."

Cut, place and embellish. With the easy 3-step technique and design guidelines in Easy Ikebana, making an extraordinary flower arrangement is that simple! You don't need exotic flowers or expensive vases to create a stunning floral arrangement. Even a single flower from your garden or local market, combined with a simple container that matches its size and shape, will result in a uniquely beautiful addition to your space. Water, a pair of scissors, and maybe a few leaves, sprigs, or wildflowers are the only other items you'll need to complete your arrangement. With Easy Ikebana, even the most inexperienced beginner will: Become familiar with different types of seasonal flowers, what they require and how to handle them Develop a sense of proportion to create a balanced arrangement Learn how to choose and use greenery in your arrangements, whether you're placing one flower or several Pick up tips for making cut flowers last longer Discover ways to make a strong statement using very few components These arrangements show how striking understatement can be--not to mention how affordable. The gentle lessons in this book will make flower-arranging a relaxing and satisfying activity season after season, and the stunning photos will inspire practitioners at all levels with the beauty and power of simplicity--the heart of ikebana.

Church Flowers by Judith Blacklock is the essential guide to arranging flowers in Church. Printed in full color throughout, the book contains step-by-step instructions on creating perfect large-scale mechanics. The book also demonstrates how to design beautiful floral arrangements for Weddings.

As natural door and wall decorations, wreaths are more in demand than ever. No wonder, because they can be designed in a variety of ways and entirely according to your own wishes. Whether your choice of materials includes flowers, fruits, twigs or ribbons, this book offers numerous inspirations for every season and explains the various techniques in detail. With instructions in text and images even inexperienced users can follow suit in no time at all.

It's all about light, texture, color, shape and balance! Filled with inspiring images of unconventional flower arrangements, this new book by Japanese Ikebana master Yuji Ueno shows you how to use light and position as well as color, shape and texture--of both flowers and vessel--to make inexpensive floral arrangements that convey a Zen sense of simplicity, calm and balance. Ueno's arrangements are informal, but authentic and true to the original wabi-sabi spirit of Ikebana practiced by Zen Buddhist masters of the art. In this book you'll receive: Tips on how to select flowers and foliage, choose a vessel to harmonize with the available light in and design of your spaces, and more Inspiration to utilize the beauty of a flower's many stages, the imperfections of leaves and branches, and the design potential in old and unusual vases A sense of connectedness to the seasons of the year and how to translate that into seasonal arrangements using found and foraged foliage An appreciation for simple and imperfect components and a slow, mindful approach to arranging your flowers Ueno's unique approach makes it clear that you don't need special training, expensive equipment or store-bought flowers to create beautiful arrangements. All you need is an open mind, a sense of awareness--and a good set of clippers--to create Ikebana that are truly unique, expressive and uplifting. The Zen art of flower arranging is now accessible to everyone!

From field to forest and stream to sky, capture the harmony and beauty of the natural world with just some paper, flowers, leaves, and twigs. Creating stunning yet fleeting works of art, artist Vicki Rawlins of Sister Golden defies the notion that art should be permanent. Using only the natural world and its gifts as her medium, Vicki forages for her materials and arranges them into stunning works of art. Equipped with just scissors and tweezers, and using gravity as her glue, Vicki creates magical scenes and detailed portraits out of twigs, leaves, and flowers. After documenting her finished piece with a photo, she gifts her materials back to Mother Nature, or repurposes them in her next creation. The process is therapeutic, and the possibilities are endless! A charming exploration of imagination and possibility, The Power of Flowers offers a window into the creative process behind these natural artworks and abundant inspiration with a striking kaleidoscope of art pieces, including: Famous faces, like Frida Kahlo, John Lennon, Einstein, Diana Ross, and more Whimsical scenes featuring blooming gardens, moonlit forests, seaside cottages, and woodland animals. Seasonal pieces inspired by the magic of the holidays Contemplative art reflecting love, inner strength, and positive energy. With her uniquely imaginative artistic vision, Vicki takes you deeper into her world by sharing her process, her sustainable approach to art, and anecdotes about what inspired her to create. Let yourself get lost in The Power of Flowers.

Bring the joy of flowers into your home with 30 stunning projects for every season. From spring planters to summer floral crowns and autumn vase arrangements to winter wreaths; life is better with flowers all year round. With clear, step-by-step instructions, expert florist Ashlee Jane leads you through her inspirational ideas for floral designs to bring the calming presence of flowers and foliage into your home. There is something for every occasion here, from small place settings and everyday bouquets to show-stopping displays for a mantlepiece or staircase, and everything in between. Including styling tips, a directory of favourite flowers and gorgeous ideas on every page, you will be inspired to fill your home with flowers throughout the year.

This book offers a fresh take on the Victorian notion of expressing oneself with the symbolic language of flowers. Thinking of You offers a soothing array of blooms with empathetic meanings. Each spread features a flower that "flips up" from the page, a brief description of the flower's symbolism, and its special message for the recipient. When all of the blossoms are popped up, the book can be displayed on a desk just like a vase of flowers.

Everlastings is a celebration of the life of flowers, showcasing the ethereal beauty of dried flowers. Bex Partridge takes you on a journey, starting with practical advice on how to pick flowers both at your home and outdoors, with in-depth descriptions of the many methods of drying blooms, seed heads and foliage, before sharing her favourite ways to style with dried flowers in the home as well as wearable items such as floral crowns and hair clips. The main section of the book features over 20 projects to try at home, all accompanied with beautiful photography. Suitable for both those that have never worked with dried flowers before and the seasoned professionals, the projects span many levels of experience. Bex shares ideas on how to capture the memories and moments of special days, through the gathering and preserving of flowers, to be treasured for years to come. She also shares her knowledge of the ecological benefits of dried flowers, as well as chapters on foraging and thoughts on the meditative benefits of working with dried flowers. Filled with stunning imagery that Bex has become known for online, Everlastings presents a modern take on an age-old craft.

This book offers a fresh take on the Victorian notion of expressing oneself with the symbolic language of flowers. Happy Day features bright, cheery flowers with uplifting sentiments. Each spread features a flower that "flips up" from the page, a brief description of the flower's meaning, and its special message for the recipient. When all of the blossoms are popped up, the book can be displayed on a desk just like a vase of flowers.

A celebration of season, Flower Philosophy presents a selection of beautiful arrangements designed to free readers from the pressures of perfection and instead encourage creative freedom, intuition and original results. Flowers are not perfect, and flower arranging shouldn't be either. Anna Potter, author of best-selling Flower Fix, teaches us how to listen and learn from nature to create something truly original with 25 combinations of stems and foliage. Free yourself from a prescriptive, one- size-fits-all approach and let each unique bloom inspire you with this refreshingly honest and liberating florist's guide. Featuring: A NEW PERSPECTIVE: Start with nature and let this inform your arranging A WEALTH OF PRACTICAL ADVICE: All the basic, essential information on flora, seasons, colour and arranging BUDGET-CONSCIOUS CHOICES: From small humble buds to large luxe flowers eg weed arrangements. Plus foliage, fruit, vegetables, sea shells and anything grown out of the ground. 25 FLEXIBLE FLOWER PROJECTS: Step-by-step, with options/prompts to encourage autonomy, originality, creativity PERSONAL TOUCHES: Author's stories, poems, thoughts, experiences and musings FLORAL THERAPY: Tips to improve wellbeing with nature; tap into its mindful benefits throughout the arranging process A FLOWER THESAURUS: An unorthodox flower index of favourite and too-often-forgotten flowers, ideas for pairings, benefits to the senses and mood, meanings etc. Arranged by season, Anna Potter guides you through the process of creating your own wreathes, bouquets and installations, all using flowers that can be bought, found and foraged from your neighbourhood. Accompanied by stunning photography from India Hobson, this book provides the basic foundations to pick, choose and assemble with unlimited possibilities.

Alli Koch has mastered the art of turning simple doodles into beautifully designed floral illustrations. She shares her expertise in this book, a step-by-step guide that teaches everything you need to know about modern florals. You'll learn designs from classic favourites like the rose to today's trendiest florals, as well as succulents and cacti. 'How to Draw Modern Florals' is an introduction, so no experience is needed!

By growing your own wedding flowers you can add a personal element to your special occasion, while caring for the environment and saving money at the same time. Filled with gorgeous pictures, this friendly, no-nonsense book makes growing and arranging your own flowers achievable and fun. Whether you're growing for a wedding or for a birthday, festival or other celebration, Georgie's cheerful advice takes you through everything you need to know. Step-by-step guides cover: Planning, growing, cutting and conditioning your flowers Spring, summer, autumn and winter weddings Flower craft for special occasions, including buttonholes, bouquets, centrepieces, garlands and flower crowns. From jam-jar posies to elaborate displays, Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers explains how to grow and create beautiful arrangements and make your special day unique, without costing the earth.

This practical guide shows how to grow decorative flowers and foliage and use them to create floral arrangements, plans, plant and maintain a well-stocked cutting garden, and demonstrates how to create arrangements ranging from simple bunches to romantic hanging globes, swags and medallions.

Forget everything you thought you knew about dried flowers! If the thought of dried flower arrangements is conjuring up images of stuffy decor that hasn't seen the light of day in decades - think again. Preserved floral arrangements are cool again, and not only are they beautiful, they'll also last infinitely longer than fresh flowers. This gorgeous book offers a new approach to flower arranging with dried botanicals, exploring ways to preserve flowers' beauty forever through drying and pressing, and then presents a catalogue of 30 flowers that are interesting for colour, texture and sculptural appeal in arrangements. 15 step-by-step projects then give you creative ideas for displaying dried flowers including: Bouquets Wreaths Wall hangings Wall art Flower crowns and buttonholes for weddings Terrariums Candles and more These exquisite floral creations will give a bohemian and poetic touch to your interior decor and everlasting beauty to your home.

"Judith Blacklock's Flower Recipes For Spring" contains over 40 ideas to create simple, yet sophisticated, floral displays throughout the home. This book is the second in a series of four seasonal books, and is devoted to Spring arrangements, using flowers and foliage readily available during the Spring months. The 'How to' section teaches the necessary techniques to achieve these impressive flower recipes.

Create your own elegant greeting cards with the beauty of lifelike paper flowers! Paper Flower Note Cards provides all the information you need. With just scissors, craft glue and a few sheets of colorful heavyweight paper, anyone can create stunning floral gift cards, gift toppers and place cards in no time at all! Emiko Yamamoto's simple step-by-step instructions explain how to cut and assemble each card for flawless results every time. Templates provided in the back of the book are reusable and allow you to reproduce the designs many times. This collection includes more than 30 dazzling designs for creative notes and floral decorations: Pop-up cards with petals that gently splay when the card is opened Decorative cards with three-dimensional flowers across the surface Elegant & subtle floral silhouette cards Cards for specific occasions like birthdays, weddings, baby showers, Father's Day, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day, Halloween or Christmas Seasonal cards that can be customized for any occasion year round At the heart of each design is a beautiful flower, and there are many to choose from Rose Peony Carnation Hydrangea Cosmos Morning glory Sunflower Poinsettia And more! You'll dazzle your friends and family with these handmade works of art!

Funeral flowers are many things - a tribute to the deceased, a comfort to the bereaved and a source of joy for all at a sad time. The challenge is to design sensitive, personalized creations for the client at a competitive price. This book is full of ideas and inspiration for the client to select, for the funeral director to use and for florists to follow. This beautiful and practical book sets out many options for the florist so their funeral work can provide a personalized and thoughtful tribute. It starts with a visual feast of designs, organized by season and colour, and then explains in detail how to make key floral tributes, to best serve the client and to build a successful business. It showcases over a hundred full-colour floral tributes, and demonstrates twenty step-by-step examples of how to make key arrangements. It explains how to create original designs, from initial planning and sketching to final ideas. Finally, advice is given on efficient ordering and costing for profitability and reduced wastage, as well as environmental considerations. Written by a leading florist, it demonstrates tenderness and care in every aspect of a sensitive and emotional final journey, so that funeral flowers can best mark the loss and celebrate the life of a loved one.

This title presents a delightful pack of high-quality flower gift cards and decorative envelopes. A fabulous collection of 20 beautiful flower portrait cards and decorative envelopes. The inside of each card is left blank, to be used for any occasion. Practical instructions on the back of every card describe how to cultivate each plant. Each pack contains 20 greetings cards of 5 designs (each design is shown below).