Social media aficionado Hazel trawls Instagram

My daughter Hazel has just finished her Business degree and spent a lot of it studying social media. Anyone following my Instagram account @daisyshopuk will have heard all about her! Here is her guest post about UK makers.

Dried flowers are b(l)ooming

For my third-year extended project at university, I studied Instagram in the context of the gift and homeware industry. Dried flowers have become a massive part of this and so I was interested to see the cute and quirky trends popular on Instagram. All the thousands of posts under #driedflowers and #driedflowersuk provide fun inspiration for crafts, homeware, and party decorating.

Before I discuss the specific trends that caught my eye, I wanted to highlight the running theme of bright and vibrant colours. The photo below from @prettyandpampas_ perfectly represents this. I noticed that the theme is massively prevalent, perhaps due to the time of year, and is encapsulated in each of the trends I discovered.

 

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A post shared by Pretty & Pampas (@prettyandpampas_)

Pampas Grass

Instagram is all about ✨ aesthetics ✨. The popular minimalist-modern interior can be seen somewhere on every influencer’s profile with a staple vase of pampas in the corner of each room, effortlessly complimenting the other cream and brown décor. This interior suggests a clean and put together lifestyle – something of aspiration for their 100k followers. In all seriousness, trends come and go; but pampas grass has managed to stick around for over a year despite seasonal changes, probably due to it being cheap and accessible with a simple, easy-to-match look.

Besides the natural dried pampas grass used in beige bedrooms, the trend has inspired creativity and the fabrication of more exciting uses. A fun idea I recently discovered is in children’s bedroom décor. “Rory” the lionhead made by @kanda_and_co uses a mixture of textures with wood and pampas to create a youthful 3D, sensory experience. The company also uses dyed pampas to create a colourful unicorn version!

 

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A post shared by Kanda&Co (@kanda_and_co)

Balloon Arches with added flowers

As a party lover myself, I was intrigued by the surprise upgrade of the classic balloon arch. Acting as a big feature piece, these are perfect as a backdrop for photos. But, if you thought a collation of colourful balloons wasn’t extravagant enough, people have started to add in dried flower arrangements. This white and gold piece made by @decorbyevergreen is the perfect example, adding an extra depth and texture. Now we must pose the question: what is next for balloon arches?

 

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A post shared by Balloon Stylist Glasgow (@decorbyevergreen)

Palm Leaves

Like the pampas grass, palm leaves are not a new trend and are essential for a tropical themed party, however I’ve noticed that people are using them more creatively. As I mentioned, bright colours are somewhat the main attraction in dried flower Instagram posts, with palm leaves acting as a big player in this. Metallics and glitter turn the leaves into fun décor like these posies by @mamie.peaches.

 

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A post shared by Mamie Peaches Floral Design (@mamie.peaches)

Flower Hoops

Multipurpose and detailed, dried flower hoops seem to be the next big thing. They are a summery, boho craft and always unique. I was amazed to see the variety in uses of these: flower crowns, wreaths (like the one shown by @harebellandbee) and on a bigger scale for event arches. These are just a few of many and seem fairly simple, if time-consuming, to create.

 

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A post shared by Shanna: dried flower designs (@harebellandbee)

So get crafting!

Take your bright and vibrant dyed dried flowers, pampas and palm spears and turn them into animal designs, arches and hoops – don’t forget to add the glitter!

Related links

If you like vibrant colours check out our vibrant wedding confetti ideas

 

Or you can read about pressed flowers in social media

 

 

Hazel recently graduated with BSc 2:1 in Business Management from Southampton University UK.

She would like to thank all the Facebook and Instagram users who completed her questionnaires this spring and for the lovely messages of support.

She enjoys all kinds of social media but especially TikTok.

You can connect with Hazel Ridley on LinkedIn

 

She also has an Etsy shop Hazels Choice Gifts