Flower pressing, a Gucci launch, our friend Louise Stokes & more...
We are covered in craft glue & creative bloom work this week ...
This week, we show & tell how to flower press as we did, bring you to the Gucci Beauty launch we dressed this week, we chat all things inspiration with Louise Stokes, learn what we should be doing in the garden & with paper, & see what talented illustrators made for Showstudio, come on you know you want this coffee read this Friday morning. X
A HOW TO : FLOWER PRESS
We show you how we made the beautiful cards above :
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
It’s loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness.
‘Endymion’ – John Keats
I think that most of us possessed a flower press as children. I can still see mine, a wooden hexagon with green wording, a star birthday present that I loved. I used to pick buttercups, poppies and blossoms from my granny’s tree and press them for weeks before creating bookmarks to beat the band.
And then, so many years later during the first pandemic Spring, my love of pressing prettiness was called back into action. We couldn’t access any fresh flowers for the first months so I started to press blooms from my garden and from the near roadsides to keep me in tune with the floral seasons before supply restarted again. Those pressed flowers are now a memory of a changing time in our world but they also illustrate how their life is extended too.
Herbariums are collections of pressed and dried flowers, mounted and labelled carefully. They were founded pre-photography by botanists who created pressed plant collections to catalogue all plants – in fact, all Seed Banks now insist on a pressed specimen to accompany a seed so that we can have recordings of all of our nature elements forever. Flower pressing is an ancient craft invented to aid our protecting of our plant and flora worlds.
Aideen & Amy of The Publicity Loft contacted us to see if we could preserve flowers & produce cards to accompany a Gucci fragrance launch and because we love a challenge, we took on their idea and started to gather all we need to produce pressed flowers at the start of February.
We gathered in my kitchen aptly on Bridget’s Day to start the process - it takes several weeks for flowers to dry in the presses and we had three weeks to ensure that they were preserved perfectly. Lallie, Rachel & myself snipped flower heads to suit each fragrance and laid all along the table where it resembled a dried flower stand at a Moroccan souk. Presses were borrowed and found and then we started the delicate dance of spacing flower heads on paper and sandwiching them between sheets.
We started by laying down flower press bases flat and then we used a rhythm of card, then 2 blotting paper sheets, and spread out petals and leaves to look as flat & natural as possible. Each layer was pressed down. After the last sheet of card was completed, we fed the top of the presses onto the screws and tightened the wings so each press felt secure and even. The standard advice is to store the pressed blooms for 5 days somewhere dry and warm…so we placed Ultan’s heavy weights & many flower and garden book tomes on top to ensure our blooms would beautifully preserve.
THEN :
After 5 days, we opened each press. Each layer of paper was carefully peeled back from each petal, the blotting paper sheets refreshed to prevent any mould appearances. Wingnuts and screws were tightened again.
5 days later, we repeated the process and continued as so until we had to make the cards ready to rock for their starring appearance at the Gucci Beauty launch.
Note : Flowers are happy in the press until you need them. You can keep them in a drawer separating with tissue sheets. As they dry they become more brittle so keep them flat until they are need for use.
MAKING THE CARDS :
Using a tweezers, we lifted blooms onto the flat card & with a small paintbrush, applied a thin layer of glue over & under the specimen. Once we completed each card front with the chosen flower heads, we cover it with greaseproof paper & weighed down with a heavy book overnight until the glue dried. And the following day, our delicate spring pressed flower cards were ready to give.
THE TOOLS WE USED:
A flower press with blotting paper and card – we have a beautiful Irish Chestnut presses from The Flower Press Company and an antique press too.
Blotting paper (available in art stores)
A sharp floristry scissors
Pencil and masking tape to label press contents
Small head painting brushes & Modge Podge matte glue / acid free craft glue.
FLOWERS WE USED :
We used seasonal early spring flowers including hellebores, butterfly ranunculus, clematis, larkspur, mimosa, astrantia…
FLOWERS WE LOVED TO MAKE :
- a diary of events, bunches & happenings we made for this week.
We loved the blooms we made and pressed this week. As mentioned above, our friends The Publicity Loft were launching 3 x Gucci Beauty Floral Fragrances with Brown Thomas in Wilde at the Westbury Our brief brought us back to our ‘arts and crafts’ phases as we had to create cards with the pressed flowers for each event guest.
Rachel & myself dressed the long lunch tables with vintage glass posy vessels filled with seasonal blooms that represented the 3 x fragrances in style and scent. We used anemones, lisianthus, mimosa, asters, camomile, lilac, ranunculae, larkspur and more in loose placings along each table length centre. The idea was to create a floral runner using glass and flowers amidst the perfume bottles and candied candles.
A photographic backdrop is always interesting to dress for purpose. In order not to drown the branding, we placed 2 enchanting displays filled with climbers like clematis and ferns tumbling purposefully as if they posed too, snapdragons, alliums, anemones & ranunculae looked radiant and hinted at summer’s hopefully imminent arrival. All guests stopped to stare as they were snapped with their new Gucci scents.
It was a joy to chat through the production behind the pretty cards with everyone who came.. As we always love to give back by giving flower knowledge, we showed everyone how to press flowers & educated about the process so that everyone could give it a go at home. Laura of Calligraphy by Laura then inscribed each card with a message of delight for each attendees Mum for Mother’s Day, her flourishing pink ink looked divine on the other side of our cards.
Oh what a beautiful day & here’s to more pressed flower prettiness soon.
A million thanks to The Publicity Loft for bringing ourselves and our flowers both fresh and pressed along.
Lots more footage & films to see on our Instagram page too…HERE
NATURE STUDIES : BLÁTHANNA X LOUISE STOKES, LOULERIE
- where we take turns different weeks to interview our favourite folk about their botanical favourites or to switch it up & chat about current happenings in the floricultural world.
Louise Stokes is the owner & creative director of Loulerie. Her mantra is that her jewellery celebrates the individual. Her store and her online stories showcase such a creative business filled with design and integrity and so we were curious to find out where Louise’s inspirations come from …
1. What are your favourite flowers & what do they evoke for you?
I dont really have a specific favourite flower I adore flowers of any kind, I love anything white and a bit wild, if i had to pick it would be hydrangeas i had them at my wedding and have them in my garden now which I love, i remember my grandfather had them too in his garden.
2. How do you like to display flowers at home and what is your favourite vessel?
I love flowers. They bring me such happiness. I love that it brings some of the outside inside, for me nature is very calming for my mind. I use lots of different things, I have a tall vase in my room with a mix of branches which I absolutely love. I love to display flowers on my hall table so you get the scent and see them as soon as you step inside I use a white Royal Copenhagen vase for this. I also love to use Louise Roe from Nordic elements. The Appassionata Tray of Blooms are genius. I use them for everything, when i have a bouquet, I keep the dried pieces and pop them in the little jars. During covid, we had a Christmas at home so I cut some sprigs from the garden and put them in little jars on my dining table, the bathroom and around the sitting room. It just feels really cosy, I like simple unfussy displays.
3. What is the most important element for you in having flowers at home?
That they make me happy and add a sense of nature to the inside. I think flowers of any kind in a space breathe new life into it. The most simple flower display can instantly transform a space bringing a feeling of warmth. I really look after my flowers when I have them by changing the water, using ice, and spraying with water to keep them as fresh as I can for as long as possible. I also need them to reflect my taste so they have to be minimal, simple and a little wild like you just picked them from the Garden. I find being in a calm space with simple things and minimal clutter helps calm my often overactive mind. The Danish style has had a huge influence on how I think of flowers as I spend summers there with family. They have a lovely simple way of using flowers. It could be even a few sweet peas in a jam jar in the bathroom that just adds that lovely little homely touch. Also from my work trips to Paris you often see people on their way home from work on a Monday with fresh baguettes and flowers under one arm I love this way of thinking of flowers they are part of everyday not just occasions.
4. When creating a table for a gathering, what do you like to set & how do you like to use flowers amidst your setting?
I am having people over this weekend. I like to keep it super simple so everyone feels relaxed. I am not amazing at cooking so I do simple food, love a sharing board on the table for everyone to help themselves. I use Royal Copenhagen plates and napkins from LNH Edit, usually white and blue. I adore candles so I will always have some t lights down the centre of the table and then I fill my Appassionata jars with fresh flowers down the centre of the table so people can still see over them and they just add that sense of occasion to a dinner party. I love to mix white flowers with foliage, moss or even little branches.
5. What elements of nature would make up a perfect vase display for you?
I love anything to do with the sea it's a huge inspiration for my designs so anything in terms of shells or even little rocks I love organic raw shapes. I adore moss we had it at our wedding and have used it in my window displays many times its so lush and grounding it really brings a sense of the connection to the earth. I love branches for height and foliage too for mix of texture and of course flowers the wilder the better.
6. Do you have any favourite florists or designers who influence your work from around the world?
Of course I love Appassionata. I have worked with the team since I started Loulerie, as an entrepreneur you need to find other creative people who get your vision and can take a project and run with it when you have zero time you need people who really understand your brand and vision. We had an amazing Mignonne Gavigan event years ago and I told the team the brief was bold colourful statement jewellery and they created the most amazing backdrop of jungle themed flowers. I can still picture them to this day, flowers bring so much to an event or jewellery display they bring that connection to nature and depth of texture to really communicate the overall design aesthetic. I worked with an amazing florist last year based in Kerry called Jill she was incredible so knowledgeable about natural Irish flowers, we hosted an event in Killarney so wanted something to reflect the incredible surroundings of the National Park and Jill created these amazing displays with Queen Annes Lace, a carrot flower often seen on the side of roads in Kerry this felt so right to me I always think of the tiny details and loved how Jill tied in the natural landscape for our event.
I adore the Danish way of styling flowers and I also follow quite a few Japanese accounts. I love their simple elegant aesthetic. I also follow an Australian florist who uses a lot of colour and even fruit for bold displays in tall vases and I love watching how it comes together. Watching other creatives build their designs and seeing other creative processes is so important to keeping your own creative vision alive and with a fresh perspective.
7. Do you have any favourite flower or design books?
I absolutely love the Rick Rubin book : ‘The Creative Act:A Way of Being’. It’s not a picture design book but it is an amazing book for any creatives. I have some beautiful illustration books that I often refer to when I’m in the design process for a little bit of inspiration I have some hand drawings by Manolo Blahnik. I have a Chanel book& an old Hollywood book that features old Hollywood film stars - it has the illustrations of the old dresses and the jewellery, and I always look to those when I’m when I’m looking for inspiration and designing.
I also love any of the Scandinavian home design books and I think they have really interesting and really simple ideas like how to maybe use a rock to display or shoot jewellery, or how to bring foliage into a display. I always get really nice ideas and really simple ideas, and again, it’s something that I need to refer to when I’m in a creative design process. It kind of kickstarts my brain and it’s a great way for me to tap into the whole vision when I can see a visual straight in front of me I can then focus in on the attention details needed for jewellery design.
8. What would be in your favourite ever ultimate bouquet?
Whenever I ask for a bouquet for a gift or even when I receive one and they always get it so right because it’s generally white flowers and they can be even berries or any flower but minimal in colour . Maybe hydrangeas and I love branches and mixed foliage in there. I love something to have a wild feel, almost like you found it in the forest and for me foliage and and wild branches add this touch . I love that mix of texture in the kind of raw earthiness, balanced with the prettiness of the flowers and I like I love tall things, I love mixtures of heights, it’s not about how it’s perfect it’s more the lushness and the texture mix that appeals to me.
9. How does nature influence your own designs?
Nature is a huge inspiration for me for the past nearly 10 years. I’ve been designing the wave collection in my Fine Jewellery and the inspiration is to capture the raw power and the organic nature of waves, but reflect them in a very delicate fine Jewellery piece. My phone is full of videos of waves, the beach and seaweed anything to do with waves crashing because the simplest thing in in nature is so powerful because it’s it’s so unique any time you watch a wave crashing, it will always be in a unique slightly different way.
For me also there is a very natural synergy between Flowers and Jewellery. Having a retail space. We have always had a flower display of some description. I feel it really brings life to retail space and takes away the clinical or transactional look. I think Flowers always bring a little bit of of warmth and cosiness to a space. I remember even in Covid, my amazing manager, Tonya grew, sweet peas, so every time we would meet in an empty shop or online studio we would get a little bunch of sweet peas from her wrapped in paper and I would put them in the little jam jars. It’s just these simple little things that are are so important to me and bring life and hope into a physical space or idea. Nature is a source of inspiration in any space .
10. What would be your dream outside day on a sunny Spring Day?
Well that’s an easy one to walk by the sea and I have a favourite beach in Wicklow. It’s really small it’s in a little cove and I just absolutely love it. I love standing at the top and looking down you see all the contrasts of the colours and the power of the sea I think it is always so calming for me and I think whenever you’re worried or anxious or you’ve got a lot on your mind just getting outside into that setting of nature, kind of gives a perspective of how small you really are in the grand scheme of things of the world. Another absolute favourite walk of mine which I’ve done with my family and my parents with the dogs is Powerscourt the river walk and I absolutely love it. I love seeing the seasons change and a little hint of spring and you just always come back feeling rejuvenated so generally any walking in nature has to involve water. I love being by the sea.
A million thanks Louise X - www.loulerie.com - Loulerie on Instagram
& OUR SIOPA STORIES
- all the latest in news & grooves from our flower store in Cornelscourt
A MILLION HEARTFELT THANK YOUS
to all of you who ordered or who ordered someone to order from us to help us spin more love around the world. Flowers don’t have all the answers but to make someone smile when they receive them is a good start we say. It was so lovely this week to see so many keeping the romance notion alive especially at this time in the world.
And so many thank yous and hugs to our amazing team who worked so hard to create just beautiful things. Your smiles, laughter, lipstick and Katie’s jokes kept us moving and grooving as we bound bouquets to keep love alive - Rachel, Eunji, Veronika, Katie, Lallie, Jen, Claudia, Haine, Ultan & Paul - our flower angels, we are blessed.
And again to you, our community, our growers, our supporters, we are grateful beyond and we promise not to show you red flowers for ages!
BLÁTHANNA GRÁ
- a gathering of all we loved this week as we work our days amidst seasonal blooms :
IN LOVE : Handmade by Sarah Kim
Now that we are post Valentines and settling into our craft zone, we are currently obsessed by the craft flower artistry of Sarah Kim who weekly posts her paper floral creations from her Californian studio. Her paper flowers had the opportunity to partner and feature with amazing brands like Michaels, Salvatore Ferragamo, JoAnn Fabric and Crafts, Martha Stewart, Cricut, Pentel, Getty Museum, MAC Cosmetics, and more!
IN BLOOMS : SHOWstudio present “Flowers:The Exhibition”
As a longtime Nick Knight fan, not only for his fashion & media work but please see his weekly captures of his garden roses on Instagram as they are ethereally sublime.
‘Flowers symbolise a multitude of things; the birth of spring, purity and friendship making up just some of their bountiful offerings. They have also long-provided rich and wondrous inspiration throughout the history of art and fashion with nature’s unparalleled beauty seen in the creations of so many wonderful fashion designers, including Alexander McQueen, Christian Dior Schiaparelli and Rei Kawakubo.’ - Nick Knight
And now, to celebrate the beauty of nature, SHOWstudio proudly announced FLOWERS,a new exhibition reinterpreting the floral form as seen through the eyes of over 70 incredible artists working across a variety of mediums, from the traditional to digital and AI painting.
Showcasing contemporary depictions of flora by some of the world’s leading, cutting-edge fashion illustrators and artists, consider FLOWERS as their way of giving back to mother nature by inviting an ever-expansive network of world-class illustrators to contribute their visions.
Flowers have long provided such rich and wondrous inspiration throughout the history of art and fashion, but what happens when you task some of the world's leading fashion illustrators and artists to depict nature's creations? Welcome to SHOWstudio's latest exhibition, FLOWERS, which does exactly that.
‘As an image-maker, nature has always been central to my work. When I take photographs, I often feel that I see a visual resemblance between the colour, the shape, and the movement of the petals and blooms of flowers with the art of couture and high fashion. In fashion illustration, there’s an unbelievable dynamic energy and an exquisite elegance of form. I am excited to show how this understanding of beauty is applied to nature and flowers through the eyes of this group of fantastic fashion illustrators.’ — Nick Knight, SHOWstudio Director.
IN THE GARDEN : Removing pruning insecurities
If you are like me and suddenly remember it’s time to start thinking all things garden, well this rose pruning guide is a great start. I often get bamboozled by the complicated information in most gardening books. The tips shared here demystify the techniques, I will finally get around to pruning my own roses this weekend and fingers crossed they will flourish again this year.
HOW TO PRUNE YOUR ROSES BY DAVID AUSTIN
IN LIFE : Jill Srigley creates aerial art
Our Number 17 friend Jill Srigley side hustles as an aerialist. She has created a solo show for Dublin’s Scene and Heard Festival, combining her experience of aerial dance and life coaching! If you’d like to see her swinging around from the ceiling check it out on February 28th and 29th at Smock Alley Theatre at 8:15pm. For all the early gym risers, be not afraid… it'll be over by 9pm
UNTIL NEXT WEEK FRIENDS - OUR WEEKLY GLIMMER :
by David Hieatt - DoLectures - Find out more here