I Love You Mum

If I bought my Mum the biggest and most wonderful bouquet of flowers that money could buy, I still don't think it would be enough to say thank you for all the love and support she has given me over the last how-ever-many years!

Any Mum, whether she has had 30 plus years of experience or is a brand new Mum with all that excitement in front of her, deserves something every day to remind them how special they are and The Flower Studio has so many lovely designs for you to choose from, as well as a wide variety of funky houseplants and luxury handcreams and toiletries.

This Mother's Day (Sunday 3rd April), our dedicated team of drivers will be delivering all over the Isle of Man on the Saturday and Sunday, so whatever treats you have planned for your Mum, we can add to her day with a beautiful floral gift.

Our shop at Tynwald Mills is open on Saturday 2nd April and Sunday 3rd April from 9am until 5.30pm, so why not call in and choose your gift.  Alternatively, we can take orders over the phone on 01624 800061 or through our website

And if you are still looking for the perfect Mother's Day card, have a look at Boho Wedding & Events Blog for some unusual and bespoke designs. 

We're walking on Sunshine...

As I said in the last Blog post, I am not biased towards pink flowers, so as promised, I have captured part of the other end of the spectrum for you to gaze at.

And what a beautiful sunny day to share these cheery flowers with you, well here on the Isle of Man it is anyway.  If you are not blessed with this glorious Spring weather, then just focus on the following pictures, and pretend you have you own personal piece of sunshine!

Which is your favourite?

The bobbing heads of Craspedia, or the papery petals of Tanecetum...

Pale Narcissi 'Minnow' or bright and cheery 'Tete a Tete'...

Big bold Helianthus 'Sunrich Orange' or the delicate peach and green tinted petals of Rose 'Cosima'... a girl's name which appropriately means 'beauty'.

So this week there is sunshine inside and outside our shop... why not come down and take a piece home for yourself?

Warning - This shop contains gorgeous blooms and delightful scents....

We should have that on a sign outside the shop....

I love it when people walk through the door and gasp, then take another deep breath and are surprised that they can smell the beauty as well as see it.  Even the men are doing it!

So for this Blog post I thought I would let the flowers do the talking.  All you have to do is imagine the smell.  Or you could come and visit us in the shop, we would love to see you!

Ranunuculus 'Cappuchino'

Pussy Willow and Cherry Blossom

Rose ' Upper Secret'

Rose 'Glorious' - isn't it??

Yes, more Ranunculus, but I love them.  This one is called 'Pauline'. Pretty isn't she?

I seem to be in a pink mood today, which isn't unusual. But I now feel sad for the little yellow Narcissi that I have overlooked.  I will share them with you soon, I promise.

My Heart Belongs to You....

So, to celebrate the start of our working week (!) I thought I would show you how to make one of our popular heart designs from The Flower Studio.  The beauty of this design is that it can be made to any size, for any occasion and using a wide range of materials... so you can either follow the instructions to the letter, or make the design more unique and personal to yourself.


Ingredients:

Twigs - we have used Birch, but any can be used, so long as they have a bit of bend in them!

Scented foliage or herbs, such as rosemary and eucalyptus

Twine, or string

Ribbon or raffia

Butterflies or other cute accessories

Silk Flowers- you can use real, but don't expect them to last much longer than 1 or 2 days.

1 - divide the twigs into two even(ish) bundles

2 - tie the two bundles at one end to make a 'V' shape

3 - Bend over one side of the 'V' and tie to the lower half of the other side

4 - repeat with the other half of the 'V' to make your heart.  If you are using bushy twigs, you might need to bind in or snip off any loose ends - depends how neat you want your heart to be!

5 - tie or wedge in small pieces of your foliage around the edge of the heart

Make a bow for the centre of the heart and a loop to hang it up and then attach the butterflies and flowers to the outside.

This design has been used quite often for weddings, but can also make a gorgeous gift for a loved one... and with Mother's day less than 3 weeks away, we think you should get those creative juices flowing!

Here are two more versions of the design, this time using fresh flowers.

Have fun!

Handmade + Vintage = Love

The last year has provided us with so many opportunities to be involved with loads of lovely couples big days, and a lot of those weddings from 2010 had a handmade vintage feel.  This trend appears to be continuing into 2011 which I have to say we are really excited about!

So we have decided to introduce our Vintage Keepsake Bouquets, for those Brides who want a wedding bouquet that will last a lifetime (and even longer!).  These pretty posies are made up to include mementos and keepsakes from the couples relationship together, material from the Bride's or Bridesmaids' dresses, champagne cork from their engagement, photographs, old family brooches or jewellery.... anything can be included to make the Bouquet a personal treasure.  And our designers will fill in any gaps with fabric, jewels, vintage buttons and other accessories to ensure the bouquet is perfect for the big day.

As well as the Bride's bouquet, we can also design buttonholes, Bridesmaid's Posies and other accessories.  We also like to work closely with other local artists who also make beautiful handmade items, such as hair flowers and favours.  Two of our favourites are Paperstitch and Manxmiss, both have a gorgeous selection of handmade hairflowers, headdresses, brooches, and favours, all beautifully made with cute details.


If you are interested in having one of our Keepsake bouquets, come in to our shop at Tynwald Mills and have a chat about your ideas!

Monday is for Making Things!

So, if you have been following our little Blog the last couple of days, you will know that we have just celebrated  our 2nd Birthday and this week we are looking at some of the wonderful experiences that have happened in our shop since we opened.


Yesterday I shared some photos from our workshops, and seeing as we have our Flower Design School class this evening, I thought I would do a 'How To' feature so those of you that aren't coming this evening can still join in the creativity and make something!  And if you like this feature, let me know with a comment and it might become a regular Monday post.

Funky Candle Table Centre

Ingredients:

1 Chunky candle, string or binding wire, decorative wire, wool or ribbon, buttons or beads, selection of cut flowers (we have used Rose 'Red Naomi', Craspedia and orange and cerise Germini)

Picture 1:  tie one end of the string tightly around the candle, leaving a length of string to tie off at the end of the design

Pictures 2 & 3:  Holding the candle in one hand, place the flowers under the long end of the string, winding it around the candle and keeping it tight to hold the stems in place.

Picture 4:  Once all the flowers are around the candle, wind the string around an extra couple of times for good measure, and tie off using the shorter length from the start.

Picture 5: Use your ribbon or wool to cover the string.

Picture 6:  Trim the stems of the flowers so that they are the same as the bottom of the candle.

  Place the candle in a bowl or on a plate and add just enough water so that the bottom of the stems are covered.

 Thread your buttons and beads on to the piece of decorative wire and loosely bind around the base of the design to finish.

Voila! Stand back and admire your floral Masterpiece!  

The Birthday Celebrations Continue...

Yesterday was our 2nd Birthday and this week we are sharing some of our favourite moments with you from the last 2 years.

Wonderful Workshops...

Hearts And Stars

Christmas Wreath

Flower Studio Design School

We love holding our workshops and are always open to new ideas... if there is something you would like to learn, come and ask us!  Keep up to date with our workshops and other events on our website Events Page

Coming up tomorrow.... We don't just do White Weddings....

Happy Birthday To Us! 2 Today!

Wow, doesn't time fly when you're having fun?  Today we celebrate our 2nd Birthday and the last two years have been such an amazing experience, full of laughter and meeting some fantastic people along the way!


Over the next week or two, I will be sharing with you some of these experiences and events that have made The Flower Studio what it is today.  And on behalf of everyone here, would like to thank you all for your support and love of all things floral... after all, that is why we do what we do!

In the beginning....

Noel (joiner, shopfitter, painter,boyfriend!) taking a well earned tea-break!)

2 years ago today...

Our doors opened for the first time!

More to come tomorrow!