2010 in Flowers

A brief snapshot from the year just about to end; Happy New Year to all my friends, thank you for your support and encouragement throughout this year, may the New Year bring you everything you wish for.

With love, Sue x

The Wreath Lectures or How Much Fun Was That?

What a fantastic way to spend a Saturday, in the company of fun, creative women, lots to talk about, a nice bit of lunch and then doing flower stuff as well!  Like 'Loose Women' with foliage.  I got together with Karen, Dee, Kaly, Ann and Viviane for the inaugural Christmas Door Wreath Workshop.
Even the setting up was fun, putting out all those great decorations, cinnamon sticks, pine cones, oranges, limes..... all the essentials for Christmas creativity.

We did mossing and greening up before lunch...

...progressing to the really fun part after lunch, fortified with a glass of fizz... The results were just brilliant, all quite different and all of them gorgeous. Apparently, we're doing garlands next year.  I can't wait.

That time of year again...

Another month gone and just into November I find myself in the garden making Christmas wreaths.  Slightly premature,you may be thinking... Well, there was some reason to this madness, namely the annual Open House craft fair held by my friend Karen, a very talented producer of beautiful stained and fused glass decorative objects (check them out  at www.heartsofglass.co.uk).

It was a really beautiful day, I was kept company by a robin on the lookout for any insects concealed in the moss.  For some reason I always refer to 'the robin' in our garden, I'm sure there must be more than one...

Anyway, work progressed to the decoration stage, my favourite part.  Any excuse to get the glue gun out.

  Oh and the house smells of pine and oranges and cinnamon and stuff like that already.  Mulled wine, anyone?

Just outside the door...

and amazingly close to home, all the colours you could wish for in autumn.  I snapped these just walking round the block.........

Right, that's autumn sorted, I'm off to buy Christmas decorations. 

Covent Garden Magic

To New Covent Garden on Wednesday, for the Christmas Preview event. I should definitely have set off earlier, given the state of the Finchley Road, but I digress.  I did get there in time for the demonstrations by Judith Blacklock and the fabulously entertaining Ercole Moroni.
Judith created several designs at lightning speed, including this modern twist on the Christmas table decoration.

Ercole went for Christmas bling (well, when else can you truly go for it?) with a side order of ...bling, but it was truly fantastic.

This one was an advent calendar design with something different, divine and diamante in each box.  For a picture of the covers for the boxes, all made with different natural materials, have a look on the Covent Garden website and the pictures of the event.

Other designers demonstrating at the event were Zita Elze and Wild About Flowers, who produced gorgeous and distinctly different designs. Here's Zita's in soft and subtle tones -

The lovely guys from Wild About Flowers did a zingy red and purple table design, the colours of which featured in the workshop I attended with them.

All in all, an inspirational and fun morning; I still get a thrill walking into that market, it has to be one of the best in the world.  To view the (dried) fruits of my labour in the workshop, have a look at my Flickr page.  Here's a couple more of Ercole's creations, totally gorgeous.......

Glad I don't have to empty those vases.....

Country life

A trip to Norfolk on Friday, to deliver flowers for a wedding in the heart of the country at the amazing Voewood House.  More of the wedding at a later date.... but I wanted to share with you the pictures I took of this gorgeous venue, an Arts and Crafts House, lovingly restored and featuring a whole host of beautiful furniture and artefacts.  What a brilliant place for a party...


60s chic in the attic room...

The beautifully decorated and cosy kitchen area (much bigger than it looks here...)

Colours of Autumn

Here it is, from the new kid on the blog.  Autumn; season of mists, mellow fruitfulness and big jumpers.  Bring on the chunky sweaters and log fires.  What's not to love?

The carved pumpkin was inspired by a recent visit to the US, where they really know how to celebrate Halloween (thanks to Martha Stewart for the design).  Fortunately I was restrained from purchasing dog costumes.  The two small furry mammals in our household would not have been amused (although the hot dog costume was really cool).