It would appear that we are officially stranded! No boats have managed across the water today as the wind is pretty fierce. It is pretty cold as well. As winter tightens its grip on the island the islanders prepare for many days when the boat won't sail. It isn't a problem if you don't need the boat but I am waiting for much needed supplies to arrive so that I might be ready for Santa Sparkle on the 30th November.
Putting that out of my mind Pete delivered the last of the coppiced willow and I set about the last of the wreath base making. My hands hurt now from all the twisting and weaving but it has been worth it. I have a lovely collection of wreath bases ready for sale while holding some back to decorate for those who would rather purchase a ready made wreath. I have the house to myself as the boys are all out doing various sporting activities and Pete is at work. It is not often this happens but I do love the quiet.
Making wreaths for the past four days has allowed for quite a bit of thinking and planning so I have taken a swift hour to record it all in my journal. There is a feeling that we are poised on the edge of exciting times on the smallholding and next year promises to be busy but highly rewarding. The interest in the willow has been fabulous so plans are underway for more willow products through the year. The focus will remain the wreaths but I have discovered that I am a terrible one for fiddling. While slumped on the sofa after a whole day of willow weaving I then pick up the bits left over and create new things. Last night I created some heart bases ready for decorating next week so we shall see how they are received.
I have managed to put up some of our Christmas 2013 Collection on the With Love from Arran facebook page so that off islanders can see what it is all about. I have also listed the prices for wreaths which we are happy to post out where possible. The mail order wing of Whimsical Wreaths is not launched until next year but we have had such lovely requests that we couldn't say no.
Thanks to facebook and a very lovely friend we have finally decided on a name for the wedding flowers bit of the business. Now all we have to do is get some flyers ready to hand out at Santa Sparkle before contacting all the wedding venues on the island. We hope that by offering some island grown flowers brides will want to include us in their special day. Of course, it is not just weddings that we will be able to cater for. We last offered occasion flowers when we lived in Derbyshire but since moving back to the island we have concentrated on establishing the smallholding. Growing our own flowers and herbs was at the centre of the ambition. It is fair to say that we would never be able to offer all the flowers but we will do our very best. I used to love the wedding consultation process and I look forward to meeting prospective customers from January onwards. Cut flower and willow yields will be dramatically increased next year so we feel confident to open our order book once more.
Someone has already emailed and we are in discussion. I am putting together a style book that reflects what we will be able to offer. I come to floristry with experience as a grower and, I think, that reflects my style. I love arrangements that look natural and I also love using the hedgerows to help achieve this look. I am a huge fan of seasonal flowers for weddings as they place your day in a time of the year. I also don't like buying in flowers grown in hot houses because of the incredibly high carbon footprint. Buying roses from UK growers will be my priority as it was back in my Derbyshire days. Beyond that, I put fragrance at the centre of my design. There is nothing worse than a flower with no fragrance.
So, as we pedal like mad to be ready to accept bookings we want to thank our lovely friend Clare for coming up with the name. We decided that we could get away with a name that would speak to the locals and then add a comma and the word Arran for marketing off island. So our little venture is stretching its wings and preparing for flight....
Until tomorrow. xx
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