This weekend, I was invited to join Frog Flowers in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
I’ve made a really conscious effort in 2016 to get out there more. Talk to other like-minded bloggers, visit events and not be so afraid to shout about this hobby of mine that is slowly but surely becoming a part of my everyday life. So when the lovely Susie from Old Fashioned Susie invited me to join her and some other Northern interiors bloggers for an afternoon of floristry and chatter (actual adult speak and not with the kids!), then I didn’t need any more persuasion.
Now, please excuse the excessive amount of flower images you’re about to see. I’ve gone flower bonkers lately since Spring has sprung (if you follow me on Instagram you’ll know) and the Flowers at Home workshop which we attended has only fueled the fire. So if you’re not into flowerporn, you may tootle off now and I shan’t take offense.
So, the masterclass was held at Frog Flowers. If you don’t know to look for it, you may just miss it but it’s one of the most beautiful little floral shops, tucked away in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.
We were welcomed by the lovely David, who runs the shop, and Susie, who was to teach us her floristy wizardry and I can’t overstate how down to Earth and fun they were. Not to mention the fact that we were welcomed with bubbly and doughnuts which, in my opinion, always makes for a good first impression. Ahem…
Now, for the most part I think a shop is a shop, but Frog Flowers is stunning. Exposed brickwork upon entry, layered in foliage, beautiful whispy leaves, quirky ornaments, tropical prints, terrariums, neon accents. It’s just so gorgeous and a great introduction to their off-beat but really sophisticated offering. As specialists in events, the studio was floor to ceiling covered in amazing vases, coloured twines and kitsch decorations which was right up my street. I must admit, if I’d have known about them before I got married, I may have gone for something so much bolder for my bouquet. But I digress.
We were taken to the basement where the flower schooling happens (the coolness of the basement is far better for the flowers’ longevity, particulaly on a gorgeous sunny Saturday like we were blessed with.)
Against a black chalk wall, flower displays bloomed. From Eucalyptus (which smelled incredible) to lilacs, to ferns, to tulips, to roses and palm leaves. Admittedly I don’t know the names of half of what was there, but it was just gorgeous.
Susie gave us a demonstration first of how to arrange your flowers, how to twist them together, and how to correctly place them into a vase. In fact, her bouquet was stunning from just picking up her selection. It was pinks and purples in a big bubble of feminity, and I guess that’s just her experience in pairing flowers shining through. It showed, and looked so natural when pieced together.
And then it was our turn. We picked our flowers, lay them down on the table and prepared them for arranging. Using our dominant hand we picked a focal flower, added foliage, twisted the bunch inside of a tightly-clenched hand (my thumb muscles got a serious workout), wrapped it with twine to position properly in the vase, and then let them loose to fall into place. Understandably, this is a pretty basic summary of what we did, but it’s the kind of thing I feel most people think they know how to do, but until you’re shown the ‘proper way’ and feel it with your hands, you just don’t!
See that bouquet right there? That was my arrangement not far from being finished. Although a bit wild still at this point – ain’t it gorge? I’m honestly chuffed with how it came out. What I really loved is that everyone had access to the exact same flowers on the day, and yet all of our bouquets looked different, with a variety of styles to really match our personalities – something I never thought would come out of floristry.
Mine was quite dark, choosing the more purple tones and deeper reds and fuschias, with white accents and forest green foliage. My inner teenage goth lives on! And of course, couldn’t resist a selfie with my handywork…
(Who can spot the lovely Antonia from Tidy Away Today putting finishing touches on her masterpiece below?)
And would you like to see how it looked when we got home? Of course you would. It’s taken complete pride of place at our dining table, and apart from a few hiccups where my 1 year old thinks it’s breakfast because the Eucalyptus smells so darn good, it’s been pretty well received by the family.
Look at her, eyeing it up!
Thank you SO much to Susie for organising the day, and for the Frog Flowers team for hosting our little get together. If you’re interested in a creative day or specifically want to learn more about floral artistry, I can’t recommend them enough. What a fabulous day.
If you liked this post, see what some of the other lovely attendees thought of the event:
- Old Fashioned Susie: Frog Flower Manchester Workshop
- Karen Barlow: Attending a floral workshop and becoming even more obsessed with flowers
- Little Birdie: ‘Flowers at Home’ Workshop – Frog Flowers, Manchester
