In this week’s Florist Friday blog post, I’m thrilled to feature an interview with Susanne from The Blue Carrot about her Californian Garden Workshop, which took place last November. Many thanks too to photographer Sarah Falugo for the stunning photographs.
Susan said: ‘I must confess that when Rona asked me for a little write-up about my San Francisco class, I felt slightly intimidated by the prospect of writing. This kind of thing really doesn’t come naturally to me. But thinking about it a little longer, I came to the conclusion that if anything, I really owed it to all the fantastic people who made this event happen.
Jill from Studio Choo put me in contact with Katie, who was just in the process of setting up her business, Eothen. Together we came up with the idea for this class and she was just the best person for the job of organising everything. I really couldn’t have asked for a better partner. (Below: Left – Susanne | The Blue Carrot & Right – Katie | Eothen)
Katie and her team sourced a fabulous selection of late autumn flowers and foliage and we visited the San Francisco Flower Market the day before the class to add some last minute treasures. We had about fourteen students making their way from as far as Montreal and it was so good to finally match some faces to social media friends.
It was such a joy to demonstrate a bouquet with such amazing ingredients including locally sourced Cafe au Lait dahlias and garden roses, including the exquisite Koko Loko.
Later, the students had free rein to help themselves to whatever they wanted to create their own bouquet. I did bring a selection of my friend Mari from This Rugged Coast‘s gorgeous hand dyed silk ribbons for the students to use.
The atmosphere on that sunny afternoon was so relaxed and genuinely sharing. I was just blown away by the talent and kindness of everyone involved. Last, but by no means least, there was of course the fantastically talented Sarah Falugo to capture the day. Her unfussy and natural style was perfectly matched to the atmosphere of the class. I can’t wait to return to sunny California and maybe some more teaching out there…’
Thank you so much to Susanne for her lovely words and to Sarah for her breath-taking photos! I feel so honoured to be able to share the workshop with you on Flowerona. If you’d like to discover more about The Blue Carrot and Eothen, here are links to their websites: The Blue Carrot | Eothen.
(Images : Sarah Falugo)
I came to floristry late (when I was 50 …I’m 55 now) and occasionally, just occasionally, on the odd difficult day, when I have had little sleep in the last 72 hours because my only ‘help’ is off sick, it’s 1am and I still have all the ‘fiddlies’ (boutonnieres) and ‘thank-you’ bouquets to do before I deliver all the wedding flowers at 9am, I wonder if I’m too old for this business……
But then I read an article like this one, or I see breathtaking photos of the most beautiful floral work and I get that first little telltale flutter in my tummy….before long it’s like I’ve got one of those child’s bubble-making machines inside me, millions of bubbles fizzing and popping, fighting to get free. My heart starts thumping with excitement, my head is full to bursting with plans and ideas and my fingers are itching to touch those dreamy petals…… that’s when I know I made the right career move.
Amanda Nutt (Beaurose Country Garden Flowers)
Hi Amanda. Your comment has made my day. So happy it inspired you what I do. Here’s to the bubble making machine inside of us. It’s what’s keeping me young (I totally get what you say about being in your 50’s as I’m turning 53next week) thank you so much and have a fantastic season
Thanks Suzanne, Here’s to us 50 Something’s then….:)
Thank you Amanda for such a heart-warming comment! I love how you’ve described your feelings with the image of bubble-making machines! And long may you continue your important role in the floristry industry, bringing happiness to so many people with your floral creations… x
Lovely words… thank you, Rona x
Oh so beautiful! Really loved reading this, and further proof of what I’ve heard, that SF flower market is one of the best in the world… The selection of blooms is so inspiring! Hope I make it there one day! Thanks for this lovely post Rona, & to Susanne for sharing. X
It’s a great flower market, loved it so much. We also had fantastic locally grown materials from farms close to the city. The roses and dahlias were still going strong in November ????
Thank you so much Abigail for your lovely comment…I’ve been so excited about featuring Susanne and Katie’s workshop with Sarah’s photos. So heavenly…sigh…! 🙂 x