Last week, The White Company invited me along to a flower crafting workshop in their Marylebone store to get some inspiration for Mother's Day. I was never going to pass up that opportunity because a} I got to have a lock in after hours in one of their most beautiful stores, surrounded by allll the heavenly bedding & candles but also b} because you all know I'm flower mad and always after some new arranging tips, the workshop was by Philippa Craddock, one of London's leading florists. I came away feeling inspired for gift ideas, Spring blooms and some fresh inspo for our new bedroom makeover. 

Flowers & a bike! Heart eyes.

Liking this headboard & hanging light combo.

I was joined by a gorgeous bunch of bloggers and we were split into two groups for the evening. We could either create a succulent planter or learn to create a vase arrangement of cut flowers.

Whilst the succulents were gorgeous {along with that earthenware planter}, I know that my Mum is much more of a fresh flower lover so decided that learning to put together a bouquet would be more useful. Especially because I often buy flowers from flower markets or grow them in the garden/my allotment cutting patch. It's often the styling & bringing them together that I struggle with inspiration wise.

We were each gifted a really good utilitarian apron {here} which I've always wanted - something to wear when potting up plants in the greenhouse or cutting flowers. And this beautiful hand-made vase which make for a perfect gift whatever the occasion {and go with any home decor scheme}.

We focused on greenery and pretty spring flowers. But the same rules apply to any flower arranging. Starting with conditioning your flowers, you want to make sure that you strip the stems which will be exposed in the water to minimise the bacteria & make them last longer. Just strip back any leaves.

Always cut flowers at a diagonal angle to allow them to soak up more water & we were told to cut flowers so that they were the same height as the vase if not taller. I think that's a really good rule of thumb to follow. Often choosing a vase & shape for your display can make a huge difference to the end result.

We started by placing our foliage around the outside of the vase, creating different heights & volume. I really loved the mix of greenery including asparagus ferns, eucalyptus, rosemary & olive branches. 

Then onto our flowers, a mix of roses, lisianthus, paperwhite daffodils, wax flowers & my favourites which are anemone's. Everybody had the exact same flowers to start with yet each person's bouquets turned out very differently {and all beautiful in their own right}. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that anything goes and if you follow a few key steps, you can create something unique everytime. I'm definitely going to be creating my own bouquet for Mother's Day now and I especially like the idea of giving a vase with it as a longer lasting gift too.

The expert showing us how she creates hand-tied bouquets. So mesmerising to watch, I wish I could do it like that.

We were spoilt by the White Company with gifts for ourselves as well as ideas for Mother's Day. 

I know that my Mum would love almost anything from The White Company {and who wouldn't?}. 

But some of my particular favourites for gifting would be;

This new candle in a fresh scent for Spring that she can light on sunny afternoons at home or cosy evenings

This picture frame with a favourite photo in. I think a photo of our Dog would always go down well for my Mumma.

This new Spa range filled with essential oils. Including this hand cream, because she can never have enough.

A pretty soft cotton scarf for those in between seasons days.

You can find some more ideas for Mother's Day Gifting with The White Company here.