Workshop in Devon, England (part 1)
It was 18 months ago that my friend Jo Jarvis contacted Tina and Julie at the Academy of Floral Art in Devon about hosting a workshop. I had anticipated this trip for a very long time but we could not have had a better experience! Sid Valley Country Hotel, the beautiful venue where we stayed and taught, is located in a very quiet area near Sidmouth – only 4 miles from the shore.
Upon our arrival we were welcomed with open arms. We were blown away by the incredible selection of flowers, houseplants and textures. Tina and her students had collected woodland treasures for months and I was thrilled beyond words with the fantastic selection that we would be working with.
The next day I prepped most of the arrangements for the demonstrations. Teaching abroad goes hand-in-hand with discovering flowers and textures and plants that we don’t have available here and that is always a treat!
And here are the fabulous designs of students that they made during the botanical couture workshop.
A huge thank you to Katie Collins for all the photographs and to model Lilia Darling.
design: Amanda Randell
design: Susie Edwards
design:Charlotte Smith
design: Dao Thorne
design: Denise Stazake
design: Fiona Perry
design: Genista Copeland
design: Jacqui Hayward
design: Jenny Murphy
design: Kathryn Delve
design Rose Stoop
design: Sheila Haswell
design: Sophie Smith
design: Tina Nordstrom
design: Victoria Turner
design: Tina Parkes
It was a real pleasure to finally meet you, I was thrilled to see you work up close and have a go at creating something lovely under your supervision. I cannot wait to do another workshop with you one day.
Thank you Amanda! It was a delight to meet you and spend time together. Your designs are so exquisite! I will definitely see you in Anaheim next year!