Summer roses and milk glass

It has been a wet start to summer, but the first of the roses still manage to look and smell divine! 

I snipped these beautiful old roses from my Dad's garden over the weekend, and I carefully nursed them in a mug of water on my lap on the drive back to the city. The lengths I go to...

Each variety has a subtly unique fragrance. The smaller milk glass vase is on my bedside table, and is a soothing sight and scent to open my eyes to in the morning. 

The large blush flower I believe is 'Albertine', an old variety raised by Barbier. Dark salmon coloured buds open out to large blush pink blooms, and occasionally a pale apricot bloom will appear. It is a rambling rose producing many flower heads. 

The small white rose in the foreground (above) is either 'Albatross' or 'Kiftsgate'. It is a prolific flowerer, smothering its branches in small, delicate, single-layered white blooms.

As usual with mother nature, photographs don't do these roses justice.

I have also brought back with me a large armful of mint, rosemary, lemon balm, sage, marjoram and thyme. And stalks of silver beet and rhubarb. Dad's place is better than a farmers market.

Kate  x

Styling and Photographs by M o s s & V i n e

Thrifted

October is BUY NOTHING NEW month. I am currently on a year-long mission to refrain from buying any new clothing items; the only new items going into my wardrobe as of June 1st 2015 will be thrifted and gifted. It's working out fine, I already have more than enough clothes anyway- most of us do. The impact of cheap, fast, and disposable fashion on our environment and society is horrendous. The 'buy less, make it last' movement should be a standard mantra, but sadly it is not in our modern world where status and materialism reigns supreme. It is crazy, especially when you can find the things you need- or the things you think you need- through other avenues. Make do, borrow, thrift. Sustainability is everyones responsibility. In the FLOWER INDUSTRY too.

I have always loved thrifting for vases. Some of my best buys have been found in charity shops and on market stalls. I thought I'd put together a post to illustrate the beauty brought to my home through thrifted vases. I've chosen four of my favourites.

What: Vintage depression era glass,

Where: from a market stall,

Featuring: pink and blush ranunculus,

Cost: I can't really remember the cost of this one, but under $20 certainly, 

it was bought for me by my Mum a few years ago now.

See it filled with stunning roses HERE.

What: Vintage brass bud vase,

Where: from a collectables store in Robertson, NSW,

Featuring: my favourite blue hue of hydrangea,

Cost: from memory I paid $17 or $18 for 2.

See the pair of them filled with sweet smelling stock HERE.

What: Vintage milk-glass vase,

Where: a retro collectables store called S t o n e C o t t a g e in Berridale, NSW,

Featuring: creamy white ranunculus,

Cost: this was $15 (I got a small discount because I know the lovely owner).

See it filled with garden-cut spring blossom HERE.

What: Vintage milky-green agate vase,

Where: charity shop in Crows Nest, Sydney,

Featuring: may bush,

Cost: this was $13 or $14.

See it with blush tulips HERE.

It is also possible to create beautiful displays just with what is already in your cupboards, or growing in your garden, like I did HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and even HERE. 

Of course, buying second hand vases isn't saving the world. But applying this approach to all of the purchases you make, goes some way to ensuring that you are treading more lightly upon the earth. When it comes to flowers: choose in-season flowers, buy direct from the grower if possible OR take your snips into your garden to see what might be available, invest in good quality artificial flowers, avoid imported varieties which are sprayed with an array of chemicals in order to pass quarantine, take your vase along to a florist and ask them to create directly into it rather than wrapping your flowers in waste heavy packaging, and limit the flower food you use- clean water and freshly cut stems should be enough.

 Below are helpful links with information about sustainability across many aspects of everyday life:

GOOD GUIDE

THE TRUE COST

FRIENDS OF THE EARTH

1 MILLION WOMEN

+1 Million Women (Australian Climate Coolers) 

Kate  x

Styling and Photographs by M o s s & V i n e

The tulip series

When they were tight and fresh, the colour of these tulips looked so promising, I had to buy them. Unfortunately that beautiful pink blush colour faded as the days went on. I have enjoyed their presence in my home none-the-less. Fading flowers also have a certain charm.

Day 1.

Day 3.

Day 5.

Tulips continue to grow even once they've been cut. It can be necessary to keep cutting the stems so they don't outgrow their vase (cut flowers should be re-cut every other day anyway), but just quietly, I love what I call the 'drunken tulip' look that happens when they start to tumble from the vase. 

How stunning can yellow tulips en masse look? VERY stunning.

My favourite variety of tulips? LA BELLE EPOQUE.

See them this spring at TULIP TOP GARDEN IN HIDDEN VALLEY.

Kate  x

Styling and photographs by Moss & Vine

Another reminder, my personal suggested links are CAPITALISED, lowercase links are not designed and embedded by me. You may, or may not find them useful.

Best, Kate  x