Tussie Mussie- a Goodbye Lie favorite

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Tussie Mussies         see our Tussie Mussie shirts and more goodies at our T shirt shop   A tussie mussie, also known as a nosegay (doesn’t that conjure a delightful image of sweet-smells?) is a small bouquet of fresh, artificial, or dried flowers.  Sometimes it has a lace, paper or greenery collar, tied with a bow.  The flower stems can be inserted into a silver filigree or ceramic holder for carrying or wrapped with stretchy florist tape and covered with ribbon.    If a suitor is particular in his choice of flowers, the tussie mussie can convey special meaning when presented because each flower may represent distinct emotions.  Usually handheld, a tussie mussie is sometimes pinned to the bodice of a gown.  According to the language of flowers, if centered at the bosom, it suggests friendship toward the giver.  Should it be pinned over the heart, it stands for undying affection.  And the Flowers Spoke has a detailed explanation of the language of flowers.     This is  the first novel in Amelia Island's Goodbye Lie Trilogy set in the 1880s  and available where books are sold.     Excerpt from The Goodbye Lie:    Eager eyes were fixed on the entrance to see who arrived with whom and in what fashionable garb. As Trip removed her black velvet cape with burgundy satin lining, Breelan's friends found her. Tonight, she wore the prettiest dress she'd ever possessed. Her mother and grandmother had created an entire gown of horizontally sewn rows of ivory lace. The drop shoulders were edged with four-inch white fringe, which allowed her upper arms to peek out. Pink and gold silk rosebuds intertwined in a vine of ivy leaves to diagonally cross the bodice. More rosebuds sat atop pale bows scattered over the drape covering an underskirt of ecru satin. An oval coral brooch outlined with tiny seed pearls and pinned to her mother's string of pearls, was positioned at the base of her throat, her earbobs matching. White gloves only long enough to cover her forearms, an amethyst ring on her right hand overtop the glove, and a tussie mussie of small pink poinsettias in a lace cone completed the picture of loveliness that she was. The women touched her gown, admiring its grandeur and the beauty of the woman who wore it.   To make your own Tussie Mussie, you’ll need:   Silk (artificial) or fresh or dried flowers - enough so that when gathered together, they will form a 3 inch to 6 inch diameter bouquet 6 inch paper doily a roll of green florist tape 1/2 inch satin or organdy ribbon in a coordinating color scented floral air freshener (optional)   Method: Cut an X shape approximately 1 inch wide in the center of your 6 inch doily.  You will insert your floral stems through this.  Cut the stems of your flowers approximately 4 to 5 inches long.  Gather them into bouquet, artfully arranging them in your hand for balance and color. Wrap the stems lightly with florist tape.  Slide the flower stems into your doily so the doily touches the bases of the flowers. Wrap the stems with ribbon, covering the florist tape. Tightly tie a ribbon into a bow just beneath the doily to secure your bouquet. If desired, spray artificial or dried flowers with the floral air freshener.  Fresh flowers, such as roses, need no spray.  Mother Nature has done her part already.   Present the tussie mussie to someone special or tie it to a package as a favor or use it as a lovely “sit about” for any room in the house.  If you’ve made your tussie mussie from fresh flowers, let it dry naturally and it will keep indefinitely.  Remember to handle dried flowers with care.   PS I made s slew of tussie mussies as favors for my daughter's wedding reception and the female guests seemed to love them.  I used roses from my garden picked all spring and summer and gathered bunches with rubber bands, hanging them on a wooden clothes drying rack to dry.   This Tussie Mussie article is copied from my website, GraciousJaneMarie.com- http://www.greenlightwrite.com/tussiemussie.htm, so readers realize this blog is only part of our Goodbye Lie world on Amelia Island, Florida.    Hugs and Blisses!    jmm