It was our first in house meeting of the year this month. We had a lovely practical evening on Tuesday when our very creative members made foam free arrangements around a twig frame. This was followed by a Bring & Share Supper which was delicious. It is always good to get ideas/learn from others and have a little more time to socialise than we have on demonstration evenings. Thank you to everyone who helped to make it a success.
Another really enjoyable evening , this month with Alison Suffolk. On a Spring evening we were transported to our holidays with her demonstration ‘Oh So Nautical’ – we sailed off on a boat, we dropped anchor, we appreciated the fish and the beautiful colours under the water, there was driftwood on the sandbank and we could see the greenery ahead with ‘Land Ahoy’. All the arrangements were beautiful and very different, using many different flowers, foliage and techniques starting with a parallel design and finishing with a monochromatic handtie. Throughout the demonstration Alison kept us entertained with her stories and also provided us with hints and tips along the way. Thank you Alison for a great evening and for allowing us to share pictures of your lovely designs.
A wonderful first demonstration of the year when we were delighted to welcome Emma Remington back to Bedford. Her presentation ‘Tricks of the Trade’ certainly lived up to its name as she provided us with interesting and knowledgeable tips and hints throughout her entertaining commentary. Beautiful colours in beautiful creative arrangements which included a very varied selection of flowers and foliage. The stage looked stunning at the end of the evening. Raffle winners were delighted with their arrangements and we were so pleased a couple of visitors won a prize! Thank you Emma for a great evening and for allowing us to publish photographs.
We had a lovely festive evening at our December meeting when Lynne Sharpe visited us to present ‘Christmas Car Boot Collection’. Beautiful arrangements all accessorised with items Lynne had collected from car boots – the stage looked spectacular at the end of the evening. To tie in with the demonstration, we had a Car Boot sales table of donated bric-a-brac to raise funds for the charity we are supporting this year – The Primrose Car Scheme. Mince pies and non-alcoholic mulled wine added to the evening. A few photos are below…
We were delighted to welcome Jacky West to Bedford for the first time especially as circumstances earlier in the year had postponed her visit.
Her demonstration was entitled ‘Language of Flowers’. Floriography is a coded method of communication where different flowers, colours and arrangements have specific meanings and was very popular in the Victorian era to express emotions and send secret messages. Jacky produced five lovely and very different designs; the colour combinations within her all her arrangements were beautiful and emotions/messages represented included celebrations, welcome, admiration and appreciation. Thank you Jacky for a lovely evening and allowing us to share pictures.
We also celebrated 65 years of Bedford Flower Arranging Society / Bedford Floral Art Society with a celebration cake – there were 200 members in the first year and the annual subscription was £1.1s! Times and costs have certainly changed but we look forward to the Society continuing to move forward.
What a great evening of entertainment and floral expertise from Lorena Dyer as she presented ‘Lipstick, Powder and Paint’ at our Open Meeting this month . The stage looked stunning at the end of the evening, filled with beautiful but very different designs ( all associated in some way with the title) using a wide variety of flowers , foliage, containers and accessories. Throughout the presentation, there were lots of tips, interesting stories and facts about lipstick, powder and paint and lots of humour! Thank you Lorena – and for allowing us to use a couple of pictures.
It is always a pleasure to welcome Barbara Collins and we thank her for coming at short notice when our planned demonstrator was indisposed. We also welcomed Anne McPherson, the chair of Home Counties Area to Bedford for the first time.
Barbara started our Autumn programme with her ‘Oriental Moments’ demonstration – she promised us a calm and tranquil ( Japanese traits) presentation using flowers with a muted colour palette.
All arrangements were beautiful using many different flowers – all lovely but especially the different coloured orchids. We were also introduced to green trick dianthus. The designs included a spiral, a crescent and a handtie – all six arrangements including a multitude of different foliages mainly from Barbara’s garden. As usual, throughout Barbara’s interesting commentary we were given many helpful tips and hints. There were lots of raffle prizes so many members went home very happy.
With Oriental accessories enhancing the display the stage looked wonderful at the end of the evening.
Thank you Barbara for a great evening and for allowing us to share pictures of your designs. We look forward to your next visit.
Sadly Jacky West had to postpone her visit to Bedford this month but we look forward to welcoming her later in the year. A quick ‘practical’ evening was arranged when everyone was provided with five or seven flowers and a dish. There was a ‘pool’ of foliage from which to choose and we were asked to produce an arrangement with a midsummer theme. It was an extremely hot evening so a refreshment break half way through was very welcome. Then, members of BFAS have never been so quiet as they concentrated and attempted to plait phormium leaves! A few photos below reflect the evening . A big thank you to everyone who contributed in any way to quickly organise the evening and to members for their commitment and enthusiasm.
We were delighted to welcome Louisa back to Bedford this month. Louisa used a wide variety of flowers and foliage with beautiful colour combinations to create six lovely designs in very different and interesting containers. The six arrangements produced ten raffle prizes so there were many happy members who went home delighted with, to quote a winner , ‘ a very manageable’ beautiful arrangement.
Louisa’s expertise as a National Teacher was evident as she included lots of tips throughout the demonstration. She also told us of the origins, history, legends and meanings of many of the flowers – do you know the significance of the number of red roses included in a bouquet and the age of the oldest growing rose?
Thank you Louisa for an enjoyable evening and for allowing us to use pictures of your designs.
Our May ‘ In house’ evening continued our usual celebrations of national events. This year members were asked to produce a parallel design which, in some way, linked to the 80th anniversary of VE Day . At the end of the evening the stage looked wonderful with beautiful designs. They were all very different, showcasing the talent we have amongst our members – the pictures below give just an example of what was produced.
After the practical session we enjoyed a bring and share supper kindly provided by members and we attempted to complete quizzes and other puzzles! Importantly we also had more time than usual to chat and socialise with other members. ‘ A lovely relaxed evening – thank you’ was a comment from one member as she left.
Thanks go to everyone who helped with the organisation of a very successful evening but most of all to all members for their enthusiasm and creativity.
