Beauty for Ashes - Workshop .. AT MY ROSE GARDEN

Our Beauty for Ashes workshop is based on the Biblical wisdom (Isaiah 61:3) of exchanging beauty for sorrow, grief or pain.  Working with flowers and natural plants can bring a sense of well-being, particularly for those experiencing emotional pain.   Life can throw up unexpected challenges, so having an opportunity to focus on creating 'something beautiful' using plants from the natural world allows our minds space to heal.  Studies show that engaging with the natural world allows emotional cognition (that churning of negative thoughts) to enter a state of stillness that brings a sense of peace.  

 And underpinning the Beauty for Ashes concept for this workshop was the inspiration of Julia Clements, a post World War II English floral artist.  Despite great personal loss which she briefly details in her autobiography, My Life with Flowers, Julia devoted her life to bringing artistic inspiration using flowers to women all over the world.  She was the impetus behind the establishment of flower arranging clubs world-wide that brought a sense of purpose and joy to women devastated by the effects of two world wars.  

So we gathered a group of eight women together (this workshop works best in groups of less than 10) for the sole purpose of spending a couple of hours creating beautiful garden posies.  Our aim was nothing more than to relax and learn some simple posy tying skills while enjoying the colours, shapes and perfumes of a range of foraged flowers and foliage.  

To these we added sumptuous winter-flowering heirloom roses, mainly Teas, with perfumes ranging from sweet tea through to fuller fruity fragrances.

And once the foraged plants were partnered with the heirloom roses, there were lots of proud 'oohs' and 'aaahs' as creations were finally tied with ribbon.  

Then, of course, each creation was held up and posed for it's own special photo ... 

The posies were all beautiful and each reflected the creativity and artistry of the lovely woman who had crafted it.  


At the end of the workshop, a new skill had been developed, or an old skill honed, with every woman taking home the knowledge that they too can create 'something beautiful'.