March Meet the Maker....

The March Meet the Maker Instagram Challenge was developed by Instagrammer Joanne Hawker, in which a topic related to your business is allocated to each day of the month. I’ve decided to take part this year, and it’s a great exercise as it really makes you think about who you are as a business, and what motivates you. Here’s the story so far (see also my Instagram at Instagram.com/mossandmushroom

Joanne Hawker’s Meet the Maker Instagram Challenge (Instagram.com/JoanneHawker)

Day 1:

I'm a bit late to start March meet the maker, but i'll do a couple of posts today and tomorrow to catch up! Day 1 is favourite make; for me, i just love working with unusual flowers like the amazing king proteas for Aoife's wedding or the gorgeous echeveria I used recently. I also adore wildflowers, and wildflower-style bouquets and arrangements just make my heart sing.

Day 2:

Day 2 of "March meet the maker" (2 days late, but I've never been the punctual type!); how I started. I was working in scientific publishing for years (I have a degree in zoology and a masters in computer science, fact fans), but at the height of the bust my company decided to move all their production to India. Feeling a bit burned by the experience, I decided i wanted to be in charge of my own future from then on, and start up my own business. I always wanted to try floristry, so I used some of my redundancy cheque to enrol with the legendary Kay’s Flower School, and in September 2013, I launched Moss and Mushroom. Here I am on my first day of trading at my stall in Nenagh Indoor Market in October 2013, where I met so many lovely people that I still call friends. It was a steep learning curve, and I'm still learning, but I'm pretty happy with how far I've come since then, and I'm excited for the future ❤🌷

My first day of trading at Nenagh Indoor Market, October 2013

Day 3/4:

I'm cheating slightly by combining day 3 and 4 of March meet the maker, but the topics are flatlay, and tools & materials, and this pic covers both (with the exception of the flowers of course). I took this pic on the workbench in my shed; not the most elegant of flatlays, but a true reflection of my workspace. Pictured are a smattering of my most essential tools; florist tape and wire, ribbon, pins, scissors and knives, florist glue, thorn strippers, gloves, hand cream (vital!), all surrounding the most treasured of my tools, my gorgeous japanese pink teflon-coated carbon steel blade Sakagen florist scissors - these babies may look cute, but they literally MUNCH through the thickest of stems (and make the most satisying sound in the process). They are simply the cats pyjamas ❤

Just a selection of my essential tools…

Day 5, details.
Close-up of some stunning Irish-grown heather and eucalyptus by Irish Green Guys - amazing quality and fab to work with.

Day 6:

Day 6; full-time/part-time? Technically I am part-time, as the sprouts are still young and need me to be around, but if you're self-employed, there's really no such thing as full-time or part-time. It consumes me most of the time; if I'm not actually working on a wedding order, I'm cleaning up after the last one, or I'm planning for the next one, budgeting and doing up flower orders, answering queries and writing up quotes, updating my website/social media/webstore, doing accounts or planning promotions/wedding fairs.
The pic is a close-up shot of one of my fave flowers from last year, a red charm peony from Laurie and Edwards elopement bouquet.

Peony “Red Charm”

Day 7:

Day 7: Less glamourous side. Every florist gets the same line, "oh I'd love to be playing with flowers all day like you!" So would I, if that was all it was! Most weddings frequently involve late nights, early rising, heavy lifting, balancing precariously on ladders, wearing 5 layers in the winter cold or freaking out in 30-degree heat trying to keep your precious blooms from wilting. It's processing bunch after bunch of flowers to make sure they're at their best, stripping stems of unwanted leaves, snipping the ends and willing them to thrive. Scrubbing buckets, sweeping up mountains of discarded stems and leaves and a whole bunch of other stuff you will never see. And it's all worth it to see the look on a bride's face when you present her with her wedding bouquet - you forget everything else. Pic of sprout #3 and some tenacious blooms in my driveway 💚🌷

Tenacious blooms in my driveway - nature will always find a way….