I have never been much of a flower arranger, just cut and drop, but I have always wanted to know the secrets and how to's of making beautiful arrangements. When I worked at the Manor down South, the Lady of the Manor always did all of her own flower arrangements for the dinner parties and luncheons. Money was really no object, and she created really stunning arrangements every time. She whetted in me an appetite for and a desire to know more. I was recently afforded the opportunity to review a book on the subject of flower arranging entitled . . . My Soulful Home, a year in flowers, by blogger Kelly Wilkness. I was really excited about this as I have been a fan of her beautiful blog for a few years now.
Kelly writes a lovely blog about her Soulful Home, a beautiful Victorian she and her husband are renovating now. You really need to check it out. It is a feast for the eyes, as is this gorgeous book!!
If you are a novice flower arranger, or a well seasoned one this book holds something for every range of experience and aptitude. It takes you through all the back ground information that you might need to know from the basic principles and rules of flower arranging to the whats, wheres and hows of purchasing flowers for your arrangements. . . plus a whole lot more! "Key" concepts that can be applied whenever you want to add a little beauty to your day and your home!
A wealth of knowledge, it also includes 12 complete tutorials for beautiful arrangements to take you through every month of the year . . . complete with pictures and with step by step instructions which I think even I could handle. This book is for you if you are a novice flower arranger, if you love flowers, if you love stories woven in about gardening and flowers, if you love filling your life with beauty, and if you have a desire to make arrangements easily and inexpensively.
The photography in the book is simply breathtaking. No surprise that Kelly took all of her own photographs of the book, and, I believe . . . grows most if not all of the flowers herself! All I can say is WOW!
There is a wealth of ideas and information in the book for so many styles, types, and colors of flowers, whether you buy them at the grocery store or if, like Kelly, you grow your own.
This book covers all aspects of cut flowers, such as when and how to cut, what to grow, where to buy, how to handle, etc. along with her fool proof formula for design, as well as her step by step tutorials. I can't wait for the coming growing season to see if I can't do something beautiful with what I already have in my own garden. It is somewhat limited, but I feel very confident I can do something with what is there with maybe only the purchase of a few others to make up the difference.
With tons of inspiration, beautiful photos and excellent tutorials, this book would make an excellent gift for any flower lover. Mother's Day is only a week or so away here in the UK, and a few months away in North America and I highly recommend this book as a gift for your flower loving mum/daughter/friend, perhaps with an arrangement you have put together yourself! What a lovely gift that would be!
In addition to writing this book, Kelly authors the blog My Soulful Home, is the creator of the app bHome & produces/co-hosts the popular podcast Decorating Tips & Tricks.
MY SOULFUL HOME, a year in flowers
by Kelly Wilkniss
Published by Passageway Press, 2017
ISBN 978-1-223-99908-6
Available via Amazon worldwide, and by order through your favorite book shops.
