Autumnal Abundance Workshop
Waiheke Island Workroom at Woodside Bay
March 2024
With LUCY THE FLOWER HUNTER!
We were so happy to have Lucy the Flower Hunter join us again- this time in the antipodes! Lucy travelled a LONG way to reach our little island- so thank goodness the weather was lovely for her arrival. And the local small flower farmers had certainly answered the call for “autumnal abundance”… so the workroom was laden with lovely blooms and fallen fruit as we waited the arrival of our guests…
As always they turned out to be the most lovely group of women- and the three days were spent flowering, laughing, eating divine food and playing at various crafts…
On DAY 1 we dyed silk ribbons in baths made from lichen, silver dollar and marigolds. As they wafted and dried in the breeze Zoe McIntosh and I demonstrated how to create a hand tied bouquet. Then each guest created a beautiful garden style bouquet- which we later tied with our ribbons. Zoe then modelled the bouquets for us while Laura Tait from Puhoi Farm House shot their lovely work.
In the afternoon local artisan Jane Burn gave us a lesson on coiling- and we made hand built terracotta garden pots with pressed flower decorated surfaces- lots of fun!
On DAY 2 we visited Waiheke Island’s small flower farm- Nourish Gardens- where we all got to wander through the flower fields- and to gather dahlias, garden roses and other late summer/ early autumn blooms to fill our buckets.
Lucy then took her star turn and wowed us with the beautiful urn arrangement she created from the floral bounty we had just gathered. Once again her lovely description of her artistic process- and the dreamy arrangement she created- was a complete highlight for us all- and a total inspiration!
In the afternoon I lead everyone through some tips on painting florals in watercolour…
On DAY 3 Lucy and I demonstrated how to arrange in pottery compotes hand made by potter Jane Burn… then all the guests made a lovely low spilling over vessel arrangement to decorate our final lunch.
Lucy and Laura then passed on some tips to help us capture better photos of florals- and set up a lovely back drop to shoot each person’s vase.
The Final Autumnal Feast prepared by Mark and the team- and with the table decorated with our flowers and my embroidered napkins and runner- was truly divine….
