Christmas Wreath Making

CHRISTMAS WREATH WORKSHOP

For Readers Eager To Unearth Their Creative Side And Decorate The House This Christmas, Blooming Haus’ Christmas Masterclasses Will Help You Achieve Just That!

Yes, it is only September and I am already talking about Christmas, but this is thanks to an invitation from Blooming Haus in Battersea to trial their Christmas Wreath Making Masterclass which I attended in August, so I am already one step ahead of the Christmas game as I already have a beautiful wreath ready to be either hung on our front door in a few weeks’ time, or to be placed on a table with a candle in the centre, and you too can have a lovely, homemade wreath ready in time for Christmas, as Blooming Haus are running several courses over the next few weeks. However, if you are unable to make any of the publicised dates on the next page, Blooming Haus are happy to come to a venue of your choice and host the masterclass from there, and I can guarantee everyone will have great fun, as well as creating a beautiful Christmas Masterpiece!

The courses are run by founders Master Florist Michal Kowalski who ran our class, and has a bold, brave and incredibly cultured blend of experience, and a flair for creating immersive, striking and sustainable floral experiences, born from both his upbringing and his floristry studies in Switzerland, Austria, the UK and his native Poland. Michal’s business partner, Michael Dariane, is driven by an ambition to create and operate a zero-waste, sustainable and eco-friendly floristry business, and it is this passion for sustainability that has become central to the Blooming Haus approach, where together they seamlessly blend the artistic and creative with the ethical and sustainable to deliver an exceptional, holistic brand experience.

Besides the pioneering and original designs that are created, one thing that is key in their work is their respect for the environment. Steering away from nonrecyclable materials that are commonplace in the industry, the course will provide sustainable tips that will ensure budding floral designers can enjoy a guilt-free ecofriendly hobby.

On arrival at the studio we were offered a delicious coffee and the largest chocolate croissant I have ever seen – good news for those working at or visiting the American Embassy, as the shop it was bought from is a stone’s throw from the Embassy and the new train station that is due to be opened shortly.

Once all the introductions were made, and the croissants had been devoured, we were taken into the studio where we sat and firstly listened to Michal explain how the products we were using were sustainably friendly, and what to look for when buying the items required, including sizes of frames and materials that are required to make the perfect wreath. The plant material, flowers, soil and other materials they work with are their major source of waste and it is all sent to a composting facility. They avoid using materials that are not compostable, such as floral foams, and opt to use floral frogs, mesh and organic structures as well as dry plant material that they can reuse. Flower buckets and storage items are returned to their suppliers and replaced at every delivery. Carton boxes and all other recyclable packaging in which they receive their supplies are recycled. Their team ensures that no waste which can be recycled, recovered or composted is sent to landfill. They also clean their studio and tools sustainably and hygienically using no harsh chemicals, thereby reducing these reaching our waters and affecting aquatic ecosystems. Instead, they turn to probiotic cleaning products, with a bacterial flora, which not only ensure cleanliness but also leave no chemical residues. When they leave their studio after a long day of work, the beneficial bacteria fight all the harmful bacteria and viruses, as well as dirt and grime and leave their surfaces clean and keep them, their employees, their guests and the environment safe. Great news for us, especially after 18 months of a global pandemic!

The process of making Christmas Wreaths takes a lot longer than we had anticipated, but once we had watched Michal demonstrate how to attach the moss to the frame we then followed the process ourselves, and once the moss was firmly secured to the frame we then attached fern to it giving it the body it needed to then adhere and adorn all sorts of baubles, stars, and shiny items (if you head the way I went), or feathers, cinnamon sticks, dried apples, oranges, cones, and other natural products if you choose the more traditional wreath like the other ladies on the course did. My advice would be to add quite a bit of the fern, as this is what you will be sticking your items of choice on to, so the thicker it is the easier I think the items will be to adhere to the wreath. The items are adhered to the wreaths with glue guns, which I had never used before, but I ordered one an hour after leaving the course as they are easy to use and incredibly effective. All this was done with Christmas music playing in the background, and glasses of mulled wine that added to the Christmas experience, Et voila, almost two hours later we had our stunning wreaths, all showcasing each individual’s personality, that were then beautifully boxed for us to take home.

Our Masterclass didn’t include the trip to New Covent Garden Flower Market, where Michal and Michael teach you about what to look for when buying flowers, but the Masterclasses on offer do include that, but my cousin Susie and I have already decided we are going to take ourselves there early one morning in December to buy our Christmas flowers, as I am sure it is a fantastic experience, as long as we can get up early enough!

Priced at £150 per person, the Masterclasses will take place on the following dates:

Friday, 12th November - Tablescapes &

Fireplace Decorations

Friday 26th November - Christmas Wreaths

Friday 3rd December - Tablescapes &

Fireplace Decorations

Friday 10th December - Christmas Wreaths And includes the following: • 7.30 am - Meet at Blooming Haus studio,

Battersea • 7.45 am - Proceed to New Covent Garden

Flower Market • 8.00 am - Arrive and tour market • 9.15 am - Group to make their way back to studio • 9.30 am - Arrive back at studio, coffee and festive pastries • 10.00 am - Commence masterclass • 12.30 pm - Masterclass finishes Not only do Blooming Haus run classes on Christmas Wreaths, they also run floral themed workshops and masterclasses, and Michal gave us a glimpse of what to expect when making a floral table arrangement, that he put together in about 20 minutes and looked absolutely stunning once finished!

Blooming Haus believe we all have a responsibility to do everything we can to fight climate change, as this phenomenon poses the biggest threat to our ecosystem, nature, and the world we live in, so if you agree with this philosophy (which I am sure you do), you love being creative, and your love flowers and everything floral, then I can’t recommend this experience enough.

For further information, please visit www.bloominghaus.com

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