Atmosphere. Christmas Restrospective

Floral. Arrangements made in November

While in October I didn't spend money on flowers, in November I did. Perhaps I was way too indulgent to myself. However, during last month, I bought two huge bouquets which costed around twenty euros each. For the second I also added some gorgeous branches (red/orange/yellow leaves) that I took from the street, after I went to the flower shop.
I made this bouquets in hand and then fixed them with floral tape. It wasn't easy. I had to stop a couple of times, and start all over again, because I didn't like the result I was achieving. But I think I finally succeeded.
I feel like I didn't manage to capture in the pictures the magnificent presence of both of them. It is always more impressive when you share the room with real vegetation.

Floral. Arrangements made in October.

During the month of October I felt really inspired to make floral arrangements but I couldn't afford expensive material. I took the challenge to find vegetation spending no money. Since October is the most colorful month of the season it wasn't difficult to get interesting stuff. I went to harvest around my neighborhood, shears in hand, taking samples of the bushes and wild vegetation that grows in the surroundings. I did it with care, of course. Trying to cut off just the necessary amount.

I also had the luck of getting a big bouquet from my lovely neighbor who lives below my apartment. She is an actress, so I guess that she receives lots of bouquets when she is invited to events and parties. We found each other by coincidence in the staircase when she gave the flowers to me. She said she will leave for a trip so she wouldn't be able to enjoy the bouquet. I found myself with lots of material to work with.

We had two serious sessions of floral work. Both times my friend Fabia was with me and, during the first time, we also had the company of a friend from Halle called Ravn. He surprised me with his creation. It was the first time he ever did something like that and the result was stunning. It looked like an alien landscape. I loved it.

In the second session, it was Fabia who went to gather the forage. When she arrived home, she placed the branches in water so beautifully that I decided to show them too. The rest is made with floral foam. I hope you like them.

By Ravn

By Fabia

First session

Second session

By me

    First session   

 

  Second session

About. My first floral workshop.

Last Saturday was a very special day for me: I hosted my first floral workshop! 
It took place in a Spanish bookstore/library called Bartlerbly & Co where I go often to pick up lending books. 

Back in December I was there one day to give back a couple of novels when Ana, the owner of the shop, told me that she had seen my blog where I published flower arrangements I made. She said she liked them very much. Suddenly she offered me her space to give a floral workshop. She caught me completely by surprise (Thank you very much Ana for the surprising proposal). 

The great opportunities come like this: unexpected. And if there is something I know it's that catching the unexpected is often the successful path to grow up.
I accepted the offer and started to prepare everything. I designed the content of the workshop and the strategy to put together the materials for a reasonable price.
The fixed date was getting closer while I was getting more and more excited.
Manfred helped me a lot. He gave me strength and support. He also spend that full day with me, carrying stuff and looking for Fauna (and also Deacon). Thank you husband of mine. 

You know what? It was a perfect day. As soon as the workshop started I felt relaxed. I could enjoy every minute and I had a lot of fun. We all did.
We were five persons because the room couldn't hold any more but I think that it was a good amount for the first time. All the girls who came loved flowers but never tried to work with them before. They were complete novices and this was a good thing. What I wanted to achieve was to create a joyful atmosphere were they could delight themselves creating beauty. I gave them some basic and important information about the tools we were using and I offered them some visual inspiration. For the rest, I let them do. And sometimes I gave them some advise. I didn't want to bore them with to much knowledge about design and composition.
When they finished it, each got a little arrangement to take home. One of them did even two. When the class was over I did one arrangement with what was left. Would you guess which is the one I did?

Since that day, my head is spinning around. I am thinking when I will make the second one. What would be the next exercise. Which other ways I can sell my floral work. Etc.
Because there is something sure about this experience: That I want to make a living out of floral work.

Agains the winter, flowers.

About the flowers which inhabited my home during January.