Boutique and Unique - McQueens

In my previous life as a TV producer I was lucky enough to meet and film with Kally Ellis of McQueens. Their designs were trendsetting at the time and revisiting their website they clearly still are today. From early on they were feted and flown to LA to decorate the Vanity Fair Oscar bash. 

And of course part of the reason for blogging about them today is because it's Valentine's Day.  And McQueens have themed their bouquets with the names of romantic films including Love, Actually, An Affair to Remember, The Age of Innocence and From Here to Eternity.

When Kally Ellis set up McQueens in 1991,she had one aim in mind. “I wanted to sell simple, stylish flowers, beautifully presented, to the London market. And I knew people would love it.” Kally drew on her business experience working in the marketing team of a large international French merchant bank. With a strong sense of colour and design, and a genuine passion for flowers, it has proved to be a winning combination, establishing McQueens as the premier name in the UK flower market – and beyond.  “It never fails to surprise me when I receive calls about our flowers from Hollywood and Japan,” says Kally. “It’s amazing to think that from a small shop in Clerkenwell, we’ve built a reputation for quality and innovation that’s known the world over. Yes, I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved.”

I have always loved flowers and did nurture a dream that if I won the lottery I'd set up my own shop but I've settled for making the odd display including arrangements for my sister in law's reception and my own altar piece at my wedding. But nothing as impressive as this by McQueens.

I have always meant to treat myself to taking a course (I don't think the visiting florist to our guide company when I was about 12 was enough, although I did learn about the rule of using triangles which has probably long gone out the window!).   

So although I doubt I'll be able to make it to McQueens in London, I'm sure that there are some great courses available to me locally and to you where-ever you live in the UK. So get googling and find yourself a course now.

But of course I did make my own flowers of a fashion and can make up a bouquet of lilies, roses and tulips.  You can see them here and buy them from our website too.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk

Play Days and Day Trips - Shaftesbury Snowdrop Festival

Possibly best known for it's famous Gold Hill, there's something else brewing in Shaftesbury this half term.

And despite moving away, it's lovely to have an ongoing connection with Dorset. So as you can imagine we were thrilled to be asked by the organisers of the Shaftesbury Snowdrops to supply some of our gorgeous hats and clothing for their festival this year.

You may have seen them on The One Show a couple of years ago when they asked for help with their challenge to plant thousands of bulbs.  To date they have now planted over 120,000!

Their aim is to create Britain’s first ‘Snowdrop Town’ with a series of free and accessible Snowdrop walks within the publicly open spaces and along the pathways throughout the town. 

Making snowdrop lanterns for the festival

And to celebrate, each year they hold a festival in February, details of which you can find here.  As well as a free trail through Shaftesbury, there is a host of other activities taking place: talks, films and workshops including wood turning, calligraphy, floral design and scrap booking.

And of course, don't forget to pop in to their pop up shop where you'll be able to buy all things snowdrop related, including our hats, T-shirts and aprons.

And if you can't make it, you can always buy something from the snowdrop range online from our website.

www.cobwebknits.co.uk