More About the Tussie Mussie

Hey all!  I am back with another look at one of my old favorites, the tussie-mussie.  I have blogged on this subject a few times before but lately; after doing extra research, I found more information on the subject.

Tussie-mussies are really kind of interesting little bouquets.  I am surprised they do not get more attention than they do.  I have always maintained that the tussie-mussie, now sometimes called a nosegay, is a great thing to give as a gift for May Day or Mother’s Day.  They are just that cute and feminine!

These were the first tussie-mussies I made years ago.  Back then I had done some research and only found the "language of flowers" angle concerning them.  In that first 

post, I admitted that the shape of these bouquets was incorrect to my understanding.  

They should be round in shape I believed. The delphinium made these

tussie-mussies more linear in shape but they were the flowers I had selected and I went with them!  In truth after more research, I found that tussie-mussies can be this shape as well as the mounded round one. It all depends on who you listen to or read. The size seems to be more important. They should be somewhat diminutive in size.

My next attempt at the tussie-mussie on the blog looked like this.  It was a bit more rounded but 

also had those sticks protruding upward.  I think I might have left those out in hindsight.

I thought the stem wrap for this bouquet was pretty.  I liked the fancy detailing.

Also, with my first posts about tussie-mussies, I was under the impression that the first use of these little bouquets was that of conveying messages of special feelings like that of love, congratulations and sorrow.  As time went on, I thought the so called “language of flowers”, where flowers were given specific meanings, such as the rose meaning love, was the raison d'etre for the tussie-mussie.  Soon a practice came where would-be suitors would give their intended a tussie-mussie made up of flowers which expressed the sentiments they wanted to convey. 

As you can see from this book below, you can find publications which print the meaning of flowers.  I can't remember where I purchased this book.  It may have been on Amazon.

These days you can Google the information, too.  You would not be able to look at the beautiful pages of a book such as this but, you would get the information more easily.

And here is a page listing some flower meanings.  The language of flowers is an old concept but is 

 one I find very interesting and fun!

Just recently I delved further into the history of the tussie-mussie and found there is even more to 

these enchanting bouquets than I thought.  Evidently in the 15th century tussie-mussies were made for providing sweet aroma.  It was believed back then that bad odors carried diseases, so people made tussie-mussies, often incorporating herbs, and carried them on their person to ward off disease. During the 15th century the plague spread through England and Europe so you can see why they became so popular.   

It was not until the Victorian era that they became a fashion accessory and were very symbolic,

hence the use of the meaning of flowers.  It appears, at that time, many books were published giving lists on the meaning of flowers, which also offers further evidence of its popularity.

Of the meanings of flowers that have survived over time are:

Rose - Love

Lilies - Purity

Rosemary - Remembrance

Hydrangea - Devotion

Ivy - Fidelity

Sage - Wisdom

As you can see from the above pages of my book, there are still plenty of

meanings to be found for flowers.  I find it to be immensely fun dabbling in this

practice and, again, I encourage anyone to make these for your mom, aunts, daughters, friends,

etc.  They are simply darling!

To further this enterprise, I went to the grocery store and purchased a few flowers.  I am going to do

my best to make a tussie-mussie in the true rounded shape this time around.  Wish me luck and I 

will be back in a bit with the results :).......................................

So here we go!  I just finished this bouquet.  I purchased the roses and the alstroemeria at the

grocery store and supplemented the rest of the flowers and greenery from my garden, such as it is

 at this time of the year.

I think I did make the tussie more rounded in shape this time around.  I like the colors of the

above photo best, however but these are pretty, as well.

I also played around with the stem wrap on this one, too.  Do you like it?

Again, these tussie-mussies are great items to be used as a small gift or

something to accompany a larger one for added oomph!  And as you can see after being

presented with the bouquet, the recipient can place it in a small vase to be kept fresh.

  

Very pretty.

Besides presenting the tussie-mussie as a gift, it would be a great idea to invite a few friends over and have a tussie-mussie party where everyone can make one and bring it home. That would be fun!

For this bouquet I used:

Rose - Love

Alstroemeria - Enduring Friendship, Devotion, Mutual Support, Prosperity

Pansy - Loving Thoughts, Remembrance, Meditation

Asparagus Fern - Sincerity, Friendship, Affection

Thank you for allowing me to post once again about tussie-mussies.  I guess

they are an obsession of mine :).