Courtney I recently took a workshop with Nicolette and Sarah of Little Flower School. I was lucky they were here in California, and I couldn’t pass up the chance to see them in action.
Sarah and Nicolette are known for their wild and romantic arrangements that evoke a fresh from the garden feel. Their arrangements remind me of still life paintings, full of drama and movement, control on the edge of chaos.
When I arrived at the workshop, dozens and dozens of buckets were teaming with fresh, local flowers and arranged by color on the wooden stage at one end of the room. From pale buttery yellows to deep bruised purples, every flower had its own color, texture and shape, and the room smelled amazing!
The girls passed around a sample of each flower, discussing floral variations, colors, textures, seasonality, and properties. I was quickly jotting down notes, sketching petal shapes and inhaling deeply as flowers passed from hand to hand.
Nicolette and Sarah created an arrangement, walking us through their thoughts on composition, color choice and their design process. After some delicious snacks and a glass of bubbly, we were off gathering flowers and creating our own arrangements.
We each built up, then broke down, then re-created arcing arrangements that held lush peonies, delicate stems of scabiosa, hidden groupings of wild flowers and thick towering branches of red pod and olive. As each created, we took turns gathering more and more flowers and walking around a room buzzing with creativity and so many trimmings! These arrangement were nothing short of incredible; every one!
I was so happy with the piece I made, and I took it straight to my Mom’s house so she could enjoy it. It was so much fun to spend an afternoon gathering beautiful blossoms and learning how to create something inspired by nature. I make so many paper flowers, it was nice to work with real ones!
Check out more about Little Flower School and their workshop schedule here. If they come to your town don’t miss out on one of their inspiring classes!