I have long held the delusion that I am a crafty person. The delusion being that I never actually start or complete the crafts that I am excited about. Aiding the delusion is my grasp of basic creativity; however, the breakdown comes when I don’t spend the time to actually learn the skills and techniques to execute my visions. I would like this to change!
This past week I attended the monthly meeting of the Quadra Island Garden Club. This meeting differed from the previous informal lecture style of learning and was instead a hands-on wreath making workshop!
The Workshop
We were instructed to bring any materials we wanted for our wreaths, secateurs, wire, and a frame or materials to build one. I spent an hour walking around taking cuttings from salal bushes, oregon grape clusters, deer ferns, a holly tree, and the laurel tree bordering my driveway (the branches of which hit my windshield everytime I leave and I have been vowing to cut down for 6 months). I now realize that I should have focused on finding some cedar or hemlock to use as the base of the wreath as many of my cuttings were prickly (holly, oregon grape) and not ideal to work with.
The workshop facilitator, Bradford Vinson, had a display of incredible wreaths for us to take inspiration from. I regret not taking pictures of every single one, but I was already feeling the pressure to create something even a quarter as impressive! Bradford and Jen (Garden Club organizer) walked us through creating a base out of grape vine as well as scotch broom (hurray - a use for scotch broom!). We were shown some very helpful techniques for placing whatever materials we wished onto the base. We were also provided with additional materials such as cedar, hemlock, and a type of pine among others. Bradford had created a wreath that featured dried Hydrangea blooms and he was kind enough to bring extras for us to use.
The Finished Product
The 2 hours flew by, and before I knew it the time to clean up had arrived. I was initially panicked as my wreath was only half done and barely holding itself together, but that was not the point of this evening's workshop. We were given tips and tricks as well as plenty of inspiration to take home and finish our wreaths. It was amazing to see all the different materials that others brought in to incorporate into their wreaths. Some of my favorites were huckleberry branches, rosemary sprigs, and little toadstools made out of dried orange peels!
To top off an already lovely evening, I ended up winning the door prize that was one of Bradfords wreaths!
As you can see, it is absolutely lovely and I hope to one day be able to create a wreath of this caliber.
The task of finishing my wreath has been added to the growing list of holiday creations, and I will share a photo of the finished project. This is a blatant attempt to use you all to hold myself to account in finishing the wreath… here goes nothing!
A Final Note...
I have found a great sense of community and connection by attending my local garden club. I would encourage anyone who is not already involved with their local garden club to check it out! Below are some links to local garden clubs to get you started.
Another great resource is The BC Council of Garden Clubs.
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