Winchester Cathedral Flower Festival Blog - Aug 18

Taken from the poem 'Chelsea Flower Show' by Ernestine Northover

  Come and see the flowers in bloom,

Heavenly scents to fill a room,
Elaborate blossoms, in every hue,
Looking up, the sun to view,
Summer's here, and what a show,
Endless varieties for you to grow....

Hermoine here, part-time BellaCrafter, full time flower lover, not so good at keeping them alive however, haha!  

One of my favourite things about our British summers are the array of beautiful blooms that can be found all around, from walking in the park to the stunning hedgerows and fields, filled with an abundance of flourishing flowers.

At BellaCrafts, we love the versatility of flowers, they can be used for almost any occasion and we get very excited when our friend Clare from 'Bloomin' Clares'  treats us with her wonderful displays in our Bridal Open Days, she even popped in recently to run a floral crown workshop, just stunning (this would be worn by myself just popping to the shops, it's that pretty.

I remember a florist friend once saying that she is always saddened a little once flowers are cut from the ground as they cease to grow, of course they are turned in to much loved bouquets and arrangements but we chatted at length about the preservation of flowers, whether it be pressing or drying them for keepsakes, using the petals to add to perfume and soaps or making pot pourri. One of my personal favourites is pressing little forget- me -knots in books, I love the idea of them falling out of the pages unexpectedly when someone else is reading a much loved book.

Now, books do make for a different type of flower and one of best loved mediums here at BellaCrafts, the paper flower!! We love running these workshops and they are gaining popularity so keep your eyes peeled on our website and Facebook page for upcoming dates. If you can't wait, and for further inspiration, follow our Pinterest page, we have a whole board devoted to this wonderful craft!!  Fabulous Flowers

So, with our slight obsession with crafts and flowers, you can imagine our absolute delight when we were asked by our friends at Winchester Cathedral to be involved with their upcoming Festival of Flowers, promoted from their own website: Illumination - A Festival of Flowers

'Winchester Cathedral Flower Festival returns from 5-9 September 2018 with a stunning array of flower arrangements inspired by the magnificent Winchester Bible, the largest and finest surviving 12th-century English bible. Immerse yourself in a riot of colour as the Cathedral is transformed by striking and fragrant floral displays evoking the Bible's exquisite illuminated initials and elaborate decorative schemes'

In collaboration with Winchester Cathedral, we have designed a flower kit for an amazing competition they are holding alongside the festival.  Kits cost £2 and can be purchased at The Barn or via our online shop or at the Cathedral entrance. Including 50p donation towards Winchester Cathedral. 

The kit includes your background paper to create your flower plus a selection of crafty embellishments to decorate!  Just add: glue, scissors and feel free to add bits from your craft boxes at home.   

For further inspiration, we also wanted to share with you some steps below to create your very own unique blooms!  Warning, this has the potential to become very addictive!!

• To make a 5 petal flower:

1. Cut five large petal shapes, this could be from matching card or two or three different patterns

2. Roll each petal over a pen or pencil from the base to the edge to give a 3D shape

3. Cut a small circle of card to create the centre and glue each petal into place to form the flower shape

4. Use embellishments to decorate the centre or see the ideas below

Top Tip: Try adding an extra layer by repeating steps 1-3 with smaller petals & gluing onto the larger petals!

• To make a layered flower:

1. Begin with two square pieces of card or paper

2. Fold in half and half again, this will leave you with two folded edges

3. Hold your square at the corner which is folded and cut two half petal shapes along the folded edges 4. Do not cut the corner which you are holding, this will be the centre of your flower

5. Unfold the shape which will leave you with a flower with four petals

6. Repeat with the second square of paper and stick together at an angle to give you a flower with eight petals

Top Tip: For a more layered effect, cut a smaller half petal shape inside the petal shape that have already been cut, making sure to leave a large enough area at the base where you are holding to keep the two joined

Please do also take a look and follow us on Pinterest, we have an entire board devoted to the world of paper flowers, and a blooming lovely world it is too!!  Fabulous Flowers

Also remember, we are here 7 days a week for your crafty needs, advice and supplies so pop in, call us, email or send us a message on facebook, we'd love to see you!

And if you get the chance, pop along to the Flower Festival at Winchester Cathedral between 5th and 9th September, it will take your breath away.

Right, I'm off to purchase my own flower kit to be in with a chance of winning a Flower Festival Cream Tea! Who's with me?

Until next time my BellaCrafts friends,

Hermoine

Bloomin Clares