What have we been up to…

Well, what a year, do I need to say more?! I could say all those words we’ve heard relentlessly over the last 6 months (6 MONTHS) – unprecedented, extraordinary, strange, crazy, new normal etc etc…but I won’t…apart from just then! I’m going to focus on our plans for the future and tell you about what we got up to during lockdown.

We managed to have a wonderful Mother’s day, so many people wanting to send flowers out as people began shielding…Pete the delivery was out about with hand sanitiser and gloves.

We then sat down that evening, exhausted, to watch the news…lockdown was officially announced. We were concerned, we had a busy wedding season this summer, we didn’t know what would happen with flowers, would we be able to continue working, would the weddings stay with us?!

Flower deliveries stopped initially, but we could still source compost and seeds…that was the way to go we decided, give people what they need; enquiries for bedding plants then started coming in, it was still so early but with the beautiful weather we were having, people were enthusiastic to get out there planting, so our back garden turned into a garden centre, such a lovely sight to see, although quite tiring bringing everything in and out every day but hey…we couldn’t do anything else!!

Peel St Garden Centre

Flower deliveries resumed and we did contactless deliveries, people were desperate to send out messages of hope and love to their family and friends, people celebrating birthdays, births, anniversaries or just wanting to let people know they were in their thoughts. We also had funerals and sympathy flowers, a time when you need people around you the most and you weren’t allowed them. It was so important to us that we could provide these services for people, as they said their last goodbye or to show their thoughts were with people in need.

And then it was over…ish….

We’ve had a few determined couples who were adamant they were getting married, social distancing or not and they have made us excited for 2021 and all the love that will be on display, with the majority of weddings re-scheduled from 2020 to 2021 our dates are slightly limited so get in touch if you’re considering us as your florist…we’d love to have you! A couple of snapshots from this year below…just to give you a taster!

We have some new gifts in and we’re always on the look out for more exciting stock. We bought in more of our Wild Olive products, including face masks and shower smoothies and we also sourced a range of vegan lip balms…then I went a bit mad and got some different soaps (vegan) and lip balms (not vegan) in as I just LOVE the packaging so much! All British made, no plastic packaging and all made from lovely natural ingredients.

The event at the end of the year…C*****mas is on our minds and we’ve got plenty of stock ideas, including a small children’s range of gifts coming in. We’re not sure about the wreath and table arrangement classes as yet, it’s still so early to know but rest assured we’ll be doing everything we can to get you crafting somehow, someway!

Mother’s Day Inspiration

So, I’m just going to get down to it…Mother’s Day inspiration…

Call us on 01484-844-472 to order or use the Direct2Florist website to order with us online.

We have a range of bouquets available for order or collection – prices start from £12.00 in the shop –  How about a spring mixture of Tulips and Narcissi – a promise that the snow and ice have to leave us alone at some point or a bright bunch of mixed gerbera, perhaps a promise of summer?!

 

We can cater to any colour scheme you desire – red and yellow and pink and green, orange and…you get the picture. Bouquets start from £20.00 and from there you can spend however much you like, we’ll have a range of different styles and prices but if there is something specific then just get in touch and give us the lowdown.

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We aim for all deliveries to be done by 12.00 on Mothering Sunday.

We have plants a-plenty in too, orchids, hyacinth planters, peace lilies, cyclamen, narcissi in cups, coffee plants in coffee cups, funky succulents in dazzling gold pots…honestly, we go ALL OUT!! 🙂 Just a little sneak peek below.

 

 

A little insight…

We were recently sent a little interview questionnaire to fill in for a new floristry magazine, and I thought as I’ve not done a blog post for ages, I’d post the answers here for you all to have a little read! I decided to include Pete too…because he is a big part of the business…even if he’s not as vocal as I am….and refuses to have his picture taken!! 🙂

Enjoy!

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1. What time does your alarm go off?                                                                                    

Rox – Around 8.15 but it can be as early as 5.00 on a wedding day.                                         Pete – The same time as Rox although she sometimes lets me have another hour on a wedding day.

2. Name one person in the flower industry you’d love to meet

Rox – I like to meet anyone who is involved in the flower industry, working on my own can be quite lonely sometimes so as soon as I meet a fellow florist it’s none stop chat!!       Pete – I’d really like to go to Tatton Park next year, I ‘ve got into gardening more this year so it would be interesting to see what’s there.

3. Tell us something that would surprise people about you
Rox – We never have fresh flowers in the house – well, we live above the shop so technically we do…but they very rarely make it up the stairs!
Pete – I enjoy doing floral funeral tributes – letters or special designs – we’ve done a motorbike, a golf club, a Pheasant to name a few.
 
4. Name a guilty pleasure
Rox – Having my nails painted, I’m so used to having shabby hands that I take great pleasure in them when they’ve got a bit of polish on!
Pete – Killing zombies on the computer and listening to 80’s music whilst working.
5. If you weren’t a florist what would you do?
Rox – I’d love to be a window dresser.
Pete – I’d love to do up camper vans – especially VWs.
6. Name the flower you like the least
Rox – I’m not a massive fan of lisianthus
Pete – I’m not a fan of Veronica or Tulips
7. Rainbow roses: yes or yuck?
Rox – YUCK!
Pete – Yuck!
8. What trends do you see facing the industry?
Rox – I think people are starting to go slightly over to more modern look again, instead of the DIY ‘vintage’ look. ‘Elegance’ and ‘opulent’ are a few ‘buzz’ words I’ve heard when discussing 2018/19 weddings!
Pete – People seem to really like wild flower styles at the moment.
9. Name a trend you think is best left in the past
Rox – I love the whole ‘vintage’ look but I’m losing sight of what it means anymore, it’s used so often for so many different looks. I’d love to stop using foam, purely on an environmental stance, but that just ain’t going to happen!
Pete – ‘Vintage’.
Rox – Pete obviously isn’t a fan!
10. Best moment of your career so far?
Rox – Getting our shop and EVERY single time someone contacts me after we’ve done some flowers, to say thank you, whether it’s their wedding day, a family funeral or just someone who needed cheering up, it’s such a pleasure knowing you’ve helped make someones day that bit more special.
Pete – Realising for the first time I was capable of running the shop on my own (even though it was very stressful) and being able to do a bouquet that Roxanne didn’t have something bad to say about it (a rarity)!

Christmas time…mistletoe and wine…

It’s here, the festive frenzy that is Christmas!!! The shop has been dressed for a couple of weeks now but I thought I’d give you an opportunity to look around even if you don’t manage to physically get into the shop, how lucky are you?! Come on in…wp_20161203_11_40_03_pro

 

First up, our Christmas windows…no, we didn’t win the window competition this year, Congratulations to Cubecure by the way, (she says, through gritted teeth) with their fabulous wooden wonderland. But, we’re still very happy with ours, despite the torment it causes me every year!! 🙂

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We’ve got some beautiful Christmas gifts stacked around the shop at the moment and that loveliness is only going to get better as we get closer to the big day. Christmas visiting starts as soon as December hits so we’ve got lots of cute pick up gifts ready in the shop, priced from £5.00 they’re the perfect little something!

Next up, we have wreaths for your door, a selection of Spruce or Holly ones…or even, FULL ON GOLD GLITTER ONES!!!

We’ve got some lovely little bulb planters in the shop, Hyacinths/Crocus, all waiting to get into the warmth and bloom for you.

We have city scape candle holders that create a lovely glow sat on your fireplace or window sill and priced at only £4.50/£11.95 they are a bargain!

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Hampers and bags to pop all those lovely goodies in, a few different sizes, big and bulky, small and petite and elegantly slim line (I’m not sure how a bottle bag can be elegantly slim line but it sounds good, sooo…) Priced from £2.50 why not fill them up with other goodies from our village, toys from The Magic Box, Cheese, Biscuits and WINE from Goodness me, some fabulous art from Enjoy Art and other little trinkets from Cubecure!

 

Flower deliveries will commence on the 22nd and we’ll be delivering right through until Christmas Eve! A few examples are below but all our bouquets are bespoke, made individually and designed on the day, feel free to request specific things, Lilies, Amaryllis, Berries, Gerberas, Roses…the list goes on and on (it really does).

 

Table Centrepieces can be ordered now and then collected nearer the time – candles, no candles, flowers, no flowers…I fear I’m giving you too much choice now!

img_2529And with that, I’ll say goodbye, hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year and I’ll soon you in January, hopefully as fresh as a daisy (see what I did there)…if I don’t indulge in too much mistletoe and wine! 🙂

Weddings are upon us…

Look at me, just over a month later and I’m writing again, there must be something in the air! We’ve had a lovely month, a calm month, nothing manic month and now as the middle of the year approaches we’re gearing up to be inundated with Wedding fever.

The first half of this year has been steady (apart from the madness of Mother’s day, Valentines and Easter…ok, maybe not THAT steady) but with weddings every weekend for the next six months we’re getting ready to be busy bees and preparation is key!!

Mid April saw us at one of our  favourite venues Crow Hill for Emma and Richards big day, Emma wanted yellow callas as the main theme and loved a design we had done a few years ago for one of Crow Hills wedding fairs, so, of course, we obliged!

InstagramCapture_8eba9d14-cad0-431b-aad2-73c2dea7150aInstagramCapture_b018f65f-5482-4a44-8be7-aaa926e9d8d0I love the way the martini vases matched the favours on the table!!

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End of April saw us travelling to Todmorden and the fabulous venue of Todmorden Unitarian church, a stunning setting for this gorgeous relaxed wedding!

 

Emma and Joby loved the building and decided to have not only their ceremony but also their reception there. Friends and family provided the food, one or two dishes each; I LOVED this idea, call me sentimental but I felt it really summarised what the day is about, friends and family, supporting and celebrating your commitment to each other, it was almost like they were providing the beginning of the marriage, making that first meal, the wedding breakfast for them, beautiful!!

Emma wanted her bouquet to be simple, textured but with a bit of blowse to it (no, apparently that’s not a word but I think it should be). She loved the idea of succulents, and so did Joby for his buttonholes, Craspedia and Brunia were also firm favourites. I loved the bouquet, I had difficulty handing it over, how I’ll ever make decisions on my own day, I don’t know!! Keep your eyes peeled on our Facebook page for more images of the flowers, the day and Emma’s FABULOUS outfit!!

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This week sees the release of the new Alice in Wonderland film, VERY exciting not only because I’m a big fan but also because we’re doing a Alice themed wedding in July, it’s a biggie and it’s going to look AMAZING, even if I do say so myself, I’m going to have the wonderful Liz Baker taking photos of me setting up on the day so I’ll give you an lovely run down of how I prep on a big day. I can’t wait to show you the results!!!

 

‘A whole new world…’

The title, Aladdin, I thought it very fitting for the first blog of the year…

Welcome, welcome, welcome, where to begin…

So much has happened already, Valentine’s day, Spring Fair, Wedding Fair, even an actual wedding or two!  In February? I hear you ask? Yup, in the good old month of February!

Wedding Fair at Crow Hill was wonderful as always, such a gorgeous place and some really good suppliers makes for a pretty fabulous and inspiring day.

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Spring Fair is a chance for me to get to grips with new stock we could have in the shop (an excuse for a day out too) and to browse lots of lovely stalls at the ginormous NEC.   We’ve found some fabulous pieces, all of which I’m very giddy about, for you to hire out for your wedding or party. Flower carts, wooden step ladders, who knew these things would come climbing and rolling back into fashion (see what I did there…), gorgeous birdcages and some very large lanterns. Pictures coming soon, keep a look out on our website and Facebook page, get in touch in the meantime if you have any questions!

Valentine’s day was fabulous, you old romantic lot you, the cryptic messages are one of my favourite parts and you didn’t disappoint! I myself was treated to some cheese and biscuits from our lovely local vegetable/delicatessen shop Radish, yum!! The shop was filled to the brim with love!

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Wedding fever hit us at the beginning of the year, so many lovely brides getting in touch and wanting to start planning. We’ve got some absolute stunners coming up, pastel shades, bright and vibrant, classic and simple whites and greens and hopefully a few in between. We’ll keep you posted on each and every one and as a special summer treat I’ll guide you through step by step in the process of planning the flowers, from the beginning consultation to the delivery on the day. Here is a few sneaky pictures of the ones we’ve already had…

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IMG_2711 IMG_2727 IMG_2724Yes, before you say anything, that bride did have fabulous tights on, looked just right with those winter walking boots!! 🙂

And next on the agenda…Mother’s Day…get the coffee and lucozade at the ready please 🙂

 

Last week…

Well, last week was a busy one and of course in the midst of the madness I decided to start making a real effort to do the blog even if only for my own entertainment! So, here we have last week in pictures and my ramblings…

Monday – A local business wanted some arrangements for a event they had at their premises. Modern, whites and greens, fresh was the brief, we used Anthuriums, Gladioli to give height and white Roses to give a classic look, plus a few brassica (that’s ornamental cabbages to you). Three arrangements later…IMG_2443

 

 

IMG_2440 IMG_2445  Wednesday saw us going a bit wedding mad, brides and enquiries coming in left right and occasionally centre, 2015 is booking up already, which is FAB!! We’ve also been doing lots of ordering for, shall we say, ‘seasonal’ stock which is very exciting, like shopping but on a big scale, lots of glittery gorgeousness and some really lovely scented candles will be in stock soon.

Plant deliveries and re-arranging the shelves in the shop took up a couple of days, dusting, changing round, etc… We’ve gone for a more natural look as well as displaying some of our glassware (yes, we do sell the vases, we just like to make them look nice whilst they are in the shop). IMG_2446

Alocasia Polly, one of my FAVORITE plants, so interesting looking, thinking he may be a contender for the Halloween window!! 🙂

And of course bouquets, the daily delight of making up bouquets for the lovely customers who come in, phone up or occasionally shout through the door 🙂

Until next week… x

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