I opened the doors to my first workshop as Flowersmith on Saturday. A perfect autumnal day of creativity unfolded helped by guest florist, Marie, over for a visit from France. It was great to see the students at the end of the day happy and clutching their delicate creations on leaving.
I started with a brief talk about floristry today, the new/old style coming back, the reduced use of plastics and alternatives and the revival of dried flowers after a 30 year gap! (Sadly I can remember being very much involved when they were the fashion in1988!!). Also touched on the move towards buying locally grown and seasonal flowers and foliage. I read a wonderful quote from the doyenne of floristry past, Constance Spry, this may become a regular mantra as it is so powerful and honest about how to approach flower arranging.
A quick break for some scrummy refreshments and a discussion on what each person would like to make (and the recipe for the cake), and then we got stuck in so to speak.
You definitely can’t make a dried flower arrangement without making a huge mess, in fact whether fresh or dried it’s a messy business.
So, we made a great collective mess but also some really rather beautiful wreaths and arrangements into the bargain, the classes are small so whether a beginner or not there’s lots of help and encouragement and everyone left with an original, personal and special floral creation and lots of tips and new skills hopefully!
Watch out for more workshops, I plan fun ones throughout the year.
Below some feedback from some of the lovely ladies that came along:~
“What a wonderful morning spent creating our dried flower arrangements. Ruth was an excellent teacher and the delicious cake was a delightful bonus! I’d certainly consider booking again. Elaine”
“It was a lovely way to spend a few hours. I felt a bit out my depth to begin with as the other ladies seemed much more knowledgeable. However, you very soon put me at ease, and I really enjoyed making the wreath! I feel it is a workshop for all abilities. A woodland walk is going to be even more interesting now!”
“Thanks so much for a fantastic morning on Saturday at the Dried Flower workshop. I learned loads of stuff and am keen to get creative! Everyone did so well and I loved the very relaxed atmosphere. The pictures are really good too and its lovely to see how different everyone’s creations turned out. Thanks as well for the cake receipe. I cant wait to try it out.”
“What a beautiful setting for such a wonderful workshop. Relaxed, informative and Ruth is a lovely teacher and host. Her home has many stunning arrangements to take inspiration from and with such a variety of flowers to choose from she makes it easy to get creative. A truely olde world and indulgent experience. Coffee served in pretty china and the homemade cake was sublime! ” Gayle