Julia has been busy in the studio making a new collection of wild willow wreath using preserved flowers we've been drying over the summer. Using long strips of willow as her base, she carefully wires her chosen flowers onto the hoop, always using the natural shape, direction and form of the stems as her guide.
The finished piece is always different from the next due to the nature of the material, but she is always drawn to a particular combination of sandy poppy heads, dark seeded cow parsley, silvery thistles and my favourite, everlasting flowers.
This particular wreath is one of our most requested designs. Made on a copper wire base, it is densely covered with wheat and dried grasses.
All these designs can be found on our website now, by clicking the image or by looking at our FLINT Makes page..
I've just come back from a blissful two weeks away in the West Country. Days spent hiking along the coast in most weathers is pretty much my idea of heaven but the long walks were made all the more easier as the sun was out pretty much every day. Great gulps of sea air, the wind in my hair, my husband and I started out early each morning, walking the stretch of the West Coast Path from Port Isaac to the rocky outpost called The Rumps.
The path is an undulating, unbroken line that takes you past sandy coves and sea cliffs and the views out to sea are breathtaking. Taking sketch pads, cameras and binoculas, we sat scanning the horizon for minke whales that are sometimes spotted near here and although we weren't rewarded with any sightings this time, we were treated to a mesmerising display as flocks of gannets divebombed into the sea just ahead of us.
The coastal path is bordered by swathes of wild flower meadows that stretch as far as the eye can see. Now mostly dried by strong winds and the late summer, exquisite skeletons of sea pinks, cow parsley and grasses lined our walk, their colours now faded and gone to seed but were no less beautiful for it. I couldn't resist gathering a few. They will look so beautiful arranged together in a vase back home...
With summer well under way, despite the rain, this year feels more positive than the last. As many of you already know, we decided to close our bricks & mortar store in Lewes at the beginning of the year after a long deliberation to set ourselves free to follow a new path. I'm pleased to say that path is unfolding before us in a very postive way, leaving us free to explore exciting new projects, just as we'd hoped. Having been in Lewes for over sixteen years, we'd started to get itchy feet well before Covid struck, and both Julia and I had decided it was perhaps time for a change of scene. A move to the country, not far from Lewes, has brought a new life more connected to nature and in tune with ourselves and this in turn has inspired us greatly.
This spring, we have largely been in the garden here, nurturing our cutting garden of herbs and flowers and have been excitedly harvesting the first of our labours. We also grow plants for our own-label apothecary and for botanical dyes which we've been using on vintage linens and silks to create a new collection of accessories and homeware. The home-grown preserved flowers and posies that Julia was so famous for at the shop, will now be available on our webstore, later in the year.
There are lots of new projects in the pipeline that we are eager to share with you so please stay tuned, either by checking out our future blog posts, signing up to our emailed newsletters, or checking out our Instagram - @Flint_lewes
In the meantime, thank you to everyone who's sent us such wonderful words of encouragement, your messages have been heartwarming to receive. Thank you too for each and every order you place, your continued support means so much to us.
Best wishes as ever, Heidi and Julia x
Never underestimate the simple luxury of a huge pillow. Nothing beats sinking into bed at the end of the day, a good book in hand and a big squashy cushion at your back. Here at FLINT HQ, two new styles have just landed, one in cotton, one in linen, both absolutely gorgeous...so why not elevate your bedtime ritual and treat yourself to a little luxury.
Linen Ruffle Edge Cushion £65.00
Quilted Cotton Cushion Cover £45.00
These exquisitely crafted flowers are made for us here in Sussex, using hand cut crepe paper, curled, furled, folded and painted lovingly by hand.
We like to use them in our gift wrapping as an extra special decorative touch, or grouped together beside the bed in a small vase. Give one to a friend as an everlasting keepsake.. these are charming little tokens of joy.
Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases and more …
© 2024 F L I N T
