This year, I decided to treat myself with a Christmas present 🎁! And since I wanted to step out of my comfort zone, it was time to participate in a creative workshop. I found the account of La Fabrik d'Ici, a collective of artisans from Mayenne who have a shop where you can buy creations but also…participate in workshops!
I quickly spotted Shirley's Christmas wreath workshop(her Instagram).It has to be said that Christmas is sacred in my house, and in mid-November, I put away all the Halloween decorations to immediately put up the Christmas ones! As I write this, I'm even under a Christmas tree pattern blanket eating cinnamon rolls (total cliché). 🎄
A month goes by and finally the big day arrives for the workshop! I arrive a little early and am greeted by Shirley, a super friendly florist who quickly shows us around, explains what we're going to do, and takes the time to get to know us and joke around…
It's a small workshop: there are 7 of us wanting to make our Christmas wreath, but it's also a good way to get personalized feedback or a helping hand.
For an hour and a half (okay, a little longer, we got a bit of a head start for those who were running late ^^'), we'll be making our Christmas wreath from local products. Shirley works with local producers and she'll share her favorite places and suppliers with us. So, we learn that we'll be working with Nordmann fir which lasts longer thanspruce. Furthermore, we have everything we need to create colorful foliage: red, gold, several shades of green…! 🌼🌿
In front of us are a straw wreath (the wreath base), a hot glue stick, some wire, and small pruning shears. Shirley shows us how to cut the fir branches, keeping only the twigs, and then how to attach them to our straw wreath. ✂️
We all start this first stage with a Christmas playlist playing in the background. And since Mariah Carey has already defrosted as usual, All I Want for Christmas Is Youis obviously one of the first songs we hear! So we cut our branches and start attaching them to the wreath with the wire tightly wrapped around them. We also gather our foliage, and I choose some pretty dried eucalyptus leaves. Following Shirley's advice, I arrange the foliage evenly: two small bunches of branches followed by a bunch of eucalyptus facing outwards from the wreath so it's clearly visible.
After about an hour, we all have a leafy wreath: some with only fir branches, others with orange or green foliage, some asymmetrical, others not…
Then, we get a glue gun to start decorating. And we have a very wide selection: ribbons, local dried flowers in pink, yellow, white, and red (Helichrysum stoechas), des pommes de pin, des sucres d’orge, des oranges séchées, des boules de Noël vertes, rouges, bleues, blanches, violettes, argentées, et j’en passe. Vraiment le paradis pour tous les afficionados de Noël ! 🪵🍊
Personally, I really like tartan -In fact, it didn't escape the notice of the participants because I was wearing pants with that pattern on the day of the workshop ahah-- so I quickly decided to tie bows with the pretty ribbons. My apartment's decor is quite busy, so I opted for something more natural, using cinnamon sticks and pine cones to complete the wreath.
What's great is that we all help each other out 🤝! My neighbor mentions that she's not particularly crafty, so I take the opportunity to show her how to tie a ribbon bow. We compliment each other's crowns, we admire each other's—the atmosphere is really lovely!
At the end of the workshop, this is what my crown looks like:
In short, it was a really great time! A relaxed workshop, just the way I like them, where you can take your time, laugh, help each other, learn… I'll definitely do it again sometime soon, and I recommend that everyone try to find local artisans willing to share their skills! Whether you're crafty or not, whether you come alone or as a couple, with a group of friends, or with family… there's a place for everyone, and making something with your own hands is so satisfying!
Shirley, if you happen to see this, thank you again for the workshop! It was truly fantastic. We learned so much from you, and I loved how you shared your expertise and challenges with us (asymmetry and striving for perfection 😆!). It was a lovely, enriching experience. Once again, it was amazing, and it was the perfect place for my gift. 🎁
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