Review: Wreath making workshop at Scent

December 11, 2018 by Ray Morgan

Damp moss, mince pies, and a buzz of anticipation... Last week my colleagues, assorted colleague-mums and I all squished into Scent florist in Leigh after work to get festively crafty. 

I've seen so many people attending Christmas wreath making workshops, and it turns out I am not immune to the call of the mossy, foliage-y fun. We trouped into the florist where we were greeted with plates of mince pies and stollen (and holly-print napkins, effort noted) with Phil Spector Christmas tunes playing in the shop. It was BYO, too, so soon the wine corks were popped (or in my case, the miniature pre-mixed Snowballs were opened) and we stood like good little girls all listening to how you make a wreath.

I don't know about you, but I spend 8 hours a day in front of a computer screen and then what is probably and embarrassing amount of time in front of a phone screen and TV at night, so to have 2 whole hours of uninterrupted crafty time was really welcome. Also, with the garden being less demanding this time of year, it gave me that fix of using my hands, faffing about with plants, and getting creative. It was also the day of the O2 outage, so we were off the grid and at one with the plants instead!

I had no idea how wreaths were made before but Stephen, who runs Scent, gave us the proper traditional method of using damp moss as a base, giving moisture to the stems of fir, eucalyptus, pistachio and pine. How clever! We set to work, chatting away, building the moss layer and then adding the foliage of our choice. 

We then set about attaching dried orange slices, clusters of cinnamon sticks, and pine cones, all using wire cleverly stowed in the leaves and moss. It was so much fun getting moss under our nails and chatting while doing something wholly creative. I can absolutely see why these workshops have been so popular this year. 

Stephen made it so special and cosy for us, and we all got to take our wreaths home and proudly hang them on our front doors. My mum popped in last night to drop something off, and spied my wreath hanging up outside. "Looks great, Rach!" she said, and I felt so proud that I'd made it myself from scratch, with only a bit (a lot) of guidance from Mr. Scent himself. 

Next year, if you want to do something festive and wholesome, I fully recommend a wreath making workshop. Mince pies and Snowballs optional (essential).

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