Tickets were
priced at £25 each, and this included all the materials we'd need to make three
peonies – we could even choose our paper colours when booking online. I chose
pink, lavender and grey to match our living room décor, as I knew that's where
I'd be putting the finished flowers. As well as the papers, we also received
green wire for the stems, ribbon (to tie the strips together) and a tube of UHU
glue, which we could take home. Everything was in a large envelope – with our
names on the front in the most beautiful calligraphy-style writing.
The workshop
was two hours – and needless to say, I didn't get all three flowers done in
time, but we went home to finish them off afterwards. As usual, Est was sat at
the front and she explained each step, while also folding her own peonies. We went
one strip at a time, and once we had done all the folds for the first strip, it
was simply repeated for the rest of them – so easy to remember. Each peony had
16 strips in all – 12 of one size, and four of a smaller size.
Read more: An Evening of Relaxation with Origami Est
At other
workshops have attended. I've often struggled usually at the assembly stage,
but I found making peonies really quite simple and actually therapeutic. The
assembly was my weak point again, but it was relatively easy, in hindsight. Our
papers were all cut to size, and all we needed to do was fold them all, bunch
them together and tie them with the ribbon, before reversing the folds to
create the petals. Once complete, we glued on the wire and then bent to shape.
I was so
impressed with how realistic they all looked – although Rebecca made me laugh
when she said her grey peony resembled an artichoke. In Est’s book, there are
instructions to make roses, lilies, and tulips – but the peonies are just
stunning!
Due to COVID,
we were two to a table, so well-spaced out. As I’d been socialising with
Rebecca anyway and we were out for dinner together later in the month, I
invited her to our table and while the three of us sat together, there was
still plenty of space for all of us to fold. Another restriction saw no
refreshments being served. At previous workshops, there were an array of sweet
treats, including mince pies at the Festive Stars session, and drinks from the
kitchen. It wasn't a problem that they weren't provided, and we just brought
our own. In fact, alongside the chatting, the snacking probably slowed us down –
and was the reason why we all only managed to complete one flower. I find that time
always flies at the workshops.
Read more: Feeling Festive with Origami Est’s star workshop
As soon as I
finished making my last peony and the glue had dried, I put them in one of my
favourite glass vases, on one of our floating shelves in the living room. They
look great and go so well with the colour of our walls. I’ve had a few people
compliment me on socials too – they do look quite professional! I’ve not seen
Rebecca’s yet, but we're going to Mum's later in the week, so I'm looking
forward to seeing where hers are now that they’re finished.
In terms of Est’s
workshops, I believe that's it now for 2021, but you can find both online and
in real life events on her website for next year. I wish I had blogged this
before Christmas because not only would the workshop make a really lovely
present for a loved one, but there’s also a shop where you can buy her book, papers,
and other supplies – or even ready-made products. Regardless of Christmas being
over, there are some lovely gifts on the website or why not treat yourself!
I would love to
attend a lampshade workshop, but I just know I wouldn't have the patience for
it. We've got one of the lampshades in our bedroom and it looks beautiful. However,
the ‘Fancy Pants’ lampshade is so extra. While I don't think I'll be able to
make one, it’s currently on my lust list for the house.
Love, Lucy xx
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Love, Lucy xx