Under The Laurel Tree

Another blank canvas. Another mounting and art work process begins. Bringing another bouquet back to life ... #botanicalart #driedflowerart #preservingmemories #weddingkeepsake... #lovelydeadcrap #craftswoman #flowerstagram #preservedflowers #flowerpreservation #underthefloralspell #weddingbouquetpresevation #weddingbouquetpreservationni #weddingbouquetpreservationireland #nibride #nibridetobe #irishbride #irishbridetobe #bridetobe2020 #bridetobe2021 #caughtfloralhanded #floralinspiration #ihavethisthingwithflowers #myfloraldays #foreverflowers #everlastingflowers #forflowerlovers
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First butterfly to be spotted in the garden this year! The mesmerising peacock butterfly, scientific name Aglais io... letting the dandelions grow allowed me to get this shot as it hung around so long on them! Don’t usually spy them around here so hoping they’ll keep visiting! Letting dandelions grow is so good for pollinators. Don’t think of them as a weed, they’re really a natural wild herb, are completely edible and have a huge range of health benefits ... never mind what they do in helping save the bees and butterflies #peacockbutterfly #aglaisio #keepthedandelionssavethebees #underthelaureltreegarden #savethepollinators #savethebutterflies #savethebees #savethebees🐝

Good morning all. I hope everyone has been keeping as well as they can be through all of this. We’ve been soaking up all the extra time we’ve been given with our little lady who’s just turned 18 months. There is so much more we’re getting to witness in the emergence of her adorable little personality and new skills and words are appearing at a rate of knots! So much we wouldn’t have got to see first hand in normal times... The sun rising behind the @underthelaureltree this mo...rning. The blossoms are out in full force now... they have the most heavenly scent close up. A certain wind and temperature can gather it straight to our front door at times which is just intoxicating but have yet to experience that this year. This outburst of blossom usually heralds the beginning of such a busy season with all the wedding bouquets starting to arrive. I’ll admit I’ve got next to nothing done regarding work with having my hands full with the wee one the last couple of weeks. Hubby has now been furloughed though so getting stuck in again this week so there will be plenty of beautiful finished floral artworks sitting waiting for their new homes when time allows for them to be picked up. Praying that will be so much sooner than what is being anticipated 🙏 Keep taking every care everyone and stay safe xx #cherrylaurelblossom #botanicalart #driedflowerart #preservingmemories #weddingkeepsake #lovelydeadcrap #craftswoman #flowerstagram #preservedflowers #flowerpreservation #underthefloralspell #weddingbouquetpresevation #weddingbouquetpreservationni #weddingbouquetpreservationireland #nibride #nibridetobe #irishbride #irishbridetobe #bridetobe2020 #bridetobe2021 #caughtfloralhanded #floralinspiration #ihavethisthingwithflowers #myfloraldays #foreverflowers #everlastingflowers #forflowerlovers
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The first laurel blossoms are opening out fully!!! Some more beauty to focus on rather than the horrible stuff! I had to take some down time (big time!) the last couple of days, so haven’t managed to keep up my #spreadthelovenotthefear. But have been doing it in another way... between my good neighbour Sue and I we’ve been dropping a wee note around all the houses in our vicinity. Just reaching out and saying hello and if anyone needs any help in the next few weeks/ months th...ey can just shout. We’ve set up a Facebook group too and the response has been so lovely with so much gratitude from those who are living alone and self isolating ... just knowing that there are people who care close by. We’re even planning a street party already for when this is all over!!! The comradery that is already being established is so heart warming and uplifting. Crazy that it takes a global pandemic to get to know all the people in your neighbourhood! But at least another great thing that can come of all this #spreadthelovenotthefear #wereallinthistogether #gettoknowyourneighbours #gratitude #spreadthelove #stayathome #helpothers #communityspirit
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Still going with my daily #spreadthelovenotthefear and shouting out about wonderful businesses! I may not be recognisable here but I promise it is me 🙈 with this lovely lady who is an absolute master in her artistry @bykerribridalmakeup . It’s a bit of a roundabout story how Kerri came to do my makeup for my wedding, uncannily we had actually crossed paths before! My face is usually lucky if it gets a bit of moisturiser on the best of days 😂 so the main thing for me was that ...it all remained super natural... Kerri couldn’t have fulfilled my wishes any better and not only was she a magician in actually making me like my face, she had such a calming energy that morning and helped on so many other levels than what she was there to do! True gem of a lady and I personally can’t recommend her enough! Image by another magician @fraserstewartphotography but that will be another post 😉 #spreadthelovenotthefear #wereallinthistogether #supportlocal #supportlocalbusinesses #supportlocalni #supportlocalnorthernireland #belfastbusiness #supportsmallbusinesses #smallbusinessni #smallbusinessireland #smallbusinessnorthernireland #letshelpeachother #businessnorthernireland
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I hope everyone is having a lovely Mothering Sunday 🤗 my #spreadthelovenotthefear today is dedicated to the nursery we send our little lady to... Helping Hands Daycare, Tullynacross Road, Lisburn. I can’t even begin to relay how brilliant this place is and what an amazing job Norman and Deborah do, along with all their fabulous staff. I was so apprehensive putting Aida into childcare, but any fears I had were laid to rest literally the very minute I stepped into here with the... warm welcome that Nicola and all the girls gave us. Aida LOVES this place and all the brilliant staff that look after her and it breaks my heart that she won’t have the joy of attending now for who knows how long. Just look at all the thoughtful wee Mother’s Day gifts they helped Aida do as well. Such precious little keepsakes to treasure! These type of businesses need all of our support, let’s keep them alive by keeping on spreading the word for when we will be back to better times ahead... Background pic of the wood anemones blooming in the woods close by to us! More on those later! #spreadthelovenotthefear #wereallinthistogether #lisburnsmallbusinesses #keepsmallbusinessesalive #supportlocal #supportlocalbusinesses #supportlocalni #supportlocalnorthernireland #belfastbusiness #supportsmallbusinesses #smallbusinessni #smallbusinessireland #smallbusinessnorthernireland #letshelpeachother #businessnorthernireland
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We managed a no contact pick up today for this #foreverinaframebouquet for @lauramairie today. Thankfully the weather allowed it! Swipe 👉🏻 to see Nowlagh even joining in the effort! Beautiful bouquet originally by the fabulous @leafdesigns1 #spreadthelovenotthefear #wereallinthistogether #botanicalart #driedflowerart #preservingmemories #weddingkeepsake... #lovelydeadcrap #craftswoman #flowerstagram #preservedflowers #flowerpreservation #underthefloralspell #weddingbouquetpresevation #weddingbouquetpreservationni #weddingbouquetpreservationireland #nibride #nibridetobe #irishbride #irishbridetobe #bridetobe2020 #bridetobe2021 #caughtfloralhanded #floralinspiration #ihavethisthingwithflowers #myfloraldays #foreverflowers #everlastingflowers #forflowerlovers
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Continuing my #spreadthelovenotthefear with a big shout out to @railwaycottagefarmshop! This little beaut of a place is just outside my home town of Omagh. Claire and Chris are providing a one stop shop for all the eco friendly products you could think of needing! It’s all about providing an experience these days and that is exactly what you get here... hang out with their adorable pigs and alpacas, all while you do your bit for the environment. One to put on your list to vis...it for when all this mayhem passes! They’re even very kindly offering delivery in the area for Mothers Day Gifts... which has been a Godsend for me as we can’t go see my Mum down there this Sunday 😔 Fab wee hamper of Goodies shown here heading her way!!! She isn’t on social media so don’t worry I’m not spoiling the surprise! 🙊 #spreadthelovenotthefear #wereallinthistogether #ecofriendly #ecofriendlyproducts #farmshop #supportlocal #supportlocalbusinesses #supportlocalni #supportlocalnorthernireland #belfastbusiness #supportsmallbusinesses #smallbusinessni #smallbusinessireland #smallbusinessnorthernireland #letshelpeachother #businessnorthernireland
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This lovely passage seems to be going viral... I came across it a few days ago and it certainly helped kickstart a more positive approach within my head to the current situation... I didn’t know where it came from but have since found out it is from an Irish writer, Kitty O’Meara who posted this from her blog https://the-daily-round.com/…/03/16/in- the-time-of-pandemic/ If you look at my stories I’m setting myself a daily challenge of #spreadthelovenotthefear. I intend to shar...e and spread the word of at least one of the amazing local and small businesses I know off every day from whatever industry. @abigailryanhome have been selflessly giving out advice freely to small businesses in these uncertain times... I for one would not be in the position of strength and calmness that I feel that I am in today were it not for all their amazing mentoring and support over the last wee while. THEY ROCK!!! So check them out if you haven’t heard of them before. They’re also in the process of building "Under the Laurel Tree" a new website which I can’t wait to reveal... hopefully in the summer if all goes to plan! So kicking my campaign off with a huge shout out to them and also to @immeasurable_minds ... I completed an 8 week mindfulness course with Bridgeen when I was pregnant and it is truly the best thing I could have done. I use the tools from it every single day and more so recently with the unavoidable anxiety hanging in the air everywhere. Bridgeen is currently offering classes online, give her a follow too and make the most of the daily mindfulness tips and material that she’s sharing! Let’s help each other in these crazy times... we can easily help increase each others visibility on social media platforms by letting our our followers know each of us exist! Let’s help each other hit the ground running when all this craziness has passed in hopefully the not too distant future... Who’s in it with me?! #spreadthelovenotthefear #supportlocal #supportlocalbusinesses #supportlocalni #supportlocalnorthernireland #belfastbusiness #supportsmallbusinesses #smallbusinessni #smallbusinessireland #smallbusinessnorthernireland #letshelpeachother #businessno
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What crazy and surreal times we’re all facing. Had the sinking realisation really hit home working with fresh flowers yesterday, from bouquets from weddings at the weekend... that these will likely be the last I will have the pleasure to be preserving the beauty of for quite some time. It really made me slow down and appreciate every second of it even more than I normally do. So a positive little lesson for me already from amidst all the chaos. I’ve been reaching out to every...one who has booked with me over the coming months via email this week, just to reassure in advance that I will work with you to transfer your booking to whatever date in the future. I’m already anticipating and planning for such eventualities to be able to accept more bookings than I normally would in shorter time frames. It may mean working around the clock but it will be short term measures to try and keep it all afloat long term. Like many businesses we may all be firing on more cylinders than we can manage further down the line so maybe we could all try and help each other out in some way?! My heart goes out to all of you who should be looking forward to your big day, but who are now instead facing the uncertainty of having to think about postponing. Also to all the other wedding vendors and small businesses alike... we are all in this together so sending everyone positive vibes... we can’t stop or change what’s happening so let’s all get through it together and hopefully come out the other side a lot wiser and stronger! Just like this fungi that seems to be multiplying like mad on logs of trees we had as stools/ outdoor tables. Something always manages to grow out of nothing, we’ll all find our way to survive. Much love to all! 😘 🤗. #supportsmallbusinesses #belfastbusiness #weddingsuppliersireland #preservingmemories #weddingkeepsake #craftswoman #flowerstagram #preservedflowers #flowerpreservation #underthefloralspell #weddingbouquetpresevation #weddingbouquetpreservationni #weddingbouquetpreservationireland #nibride #nibridetobe #irishbride #irishbridetobe #bridetobe2020 #bridetobe2021 #caughtfloralhanded #floralinspiration #ihavethisthingwithflowers
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All the pretties getting tucked away in their drying beds for the next few weeks 😊 #weddingkeepsake #preservingmemories #craftswoman #flowerstagram... #preservedflowers #flowerpreservation #underthefloralspell #weddingbouquetpresevation #weddingbouquetpreservationni #weddingbouquetpreservationireland #nibride #nibridetobe #irishbride #irishbridetobe #bridetobe2020 #bridetobe2021 #caughtfloralhanded #floralinspiration #ihavethisthingwithflowers #myfloraldays #foreverflowers #everlastingflowers #forflowerlovers
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Spring beginnings... there’s limited colour bursting through in #underthelaureltreegarden ... didn’t manage to get any autumn planting achieved 😔 Making me appreciate all of these lil guys all the more #springblooms #springbeginnings #springcolour #ihavethisthingwithflowers #underthefloralspell #florastagram #inspiredbynature #floralinspiration

Anyone come across these fun guys before?! (Funghi... Excuse the pun 🤣) I hadn’t before this morning! Just a random glimpse off the path and they caught my eye in the distance. Sharing them on here as how breathtaking is that natural red and in case anyone might be as fascinated by such things as I am! The @woodlandtrust informs that they are called “Scarlet elf cups” and are also known as “fairies’ baths” 🧚‍♀️ ... “in European folklore, it was said that wood elves drank morn...ing dew from the cups”. Love a bit of magical elven / fairy folklore... “They were also used by the Oneida native Americans to stop bleeding and to promote healing in newborns”... #inspiredbynature #naturesbeauty #naturescolours #beautifulfungus #funghi #scarletelfcup #mindfulwalking #woodlandtrust #explorenature #appreciatenature #naturesmedicine #laganvalleyregionalpark
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Happy International Women’s Day!!! From me and my fav lil woman 🤗 #internationalwomensday #womeninbusiness #womeninbusinessni

Ranunculus, astrantia and sweet little wax flower just out of preservation. The “drying” phase of the preservation process can usually result in a significant amount of shrinkage... meaning that those adorable little wax flowers used to end up preserving into almost nothingness. Finally have the method tweaked to perfection now and those little beauties are now pretty much staying as was!
Have you ever thought about the meaning behind the flowers in your wedding bouquet? Ranu...nculus symbolises radiant charm... so translating to that of your betrothed. Astrantia symbolises strength, courage and protection, many qualities that will be of great importance in your future commitment to each other, as are those which are represented from the wax flower... patience and everlasting love. The victorians used to communicate secret messages within their bouquets to each other with this #languageofflowers... how fascinatingly romantic. What secret little messages will the flowers in your bouquet convey?
#botanicalart #driedflowerart #preservingmemories #weddingkeepsake #lovelydeadcrap #craftswoman #flowerstagram #preservedflowers #flowerpreservation #underthefloralspell #weddingbouquetpresevation #weddingbouquetpreservationni #weddingbouquetpreservationireland #nibride #nibridetobe #irishbride #irishbridetobe #bridetobe2020 #bridetobe2021 #preservedranunculus #preservedastrantia #preservedwaxflower
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... and straight onto the next in line... for what I can grab of the rest of this Friday afternoon anyhow! Preserved perfection or perfectly preserved? Works both ways 🤷🏽‍♀️ #nofilter #perfectlypreserved #preservedperfection #preservedroses #weddingbouquetpreservation #weddingbouquetpreservationnorthernirelan d #bridetobe #underthefloralspell #botanicalbeauty #driedflowerart #botanicalart

QUALITY CONTROL PHASE! Just another little insight into this whole process while the shiny new website is being built! This is just a sneak peek image of a corner of a frame I’m about to seal up, first full reveal is for the brides eyes only! After several stages of prepping all the delicate dried flower and foliage material etc for mounting over a number of weeks, days will then be spent gradually and meticulously building, layering and mounting all of it into its final desi...gn within the 3 inch depth I have to work with. Then however many more days will be spent staring at each frame and coming back and forth, making even the tiniest adjustments here and there to make sure everything is absolutely PERFECT. Little details that may not be immediately evident to every eye but necessary in my opinion to ensure the optimal overall end result. Then there’s the glass cleaning... I have been known to polish glass in excess of an hour 🤔 Right cloth and right cleaner even took a heck of a lot of trial and error! Then there’s securing the front frame to the box frame moulding (x8 tiny screws) then getting the framing sealing tape applied without putting the frame on its front so as not to risk dislodging any of the material. You can imagine a very twisted version of me underneath the box frame trying to do so neatly - a feat in itself 😂 Then voila, it’s finally all ready to go and the bouquets long but lovely journey with me is over. I have to say I always feel a little emotional letting each and every one go as so much heart and soul and let’s face it, a significant chunk of my life goes into each one. As they say you don’t have to be mad to work here but it certainly does help. Think I’ve got that one covered 😜 #labouroflove #preservingmemories #weddingbouquetpreservation #preservedweddingflowers #keepyourweddingflowers #bridetobe2020 #bridetobe2021 #bridetobeuk #irishbridetobe #niweddings #irishweddings #irishweddingsuppliers #driedflowerart #botanicalart #driedflowerartist #botanicalartist #underthefloralspell
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Reconstructing these little dahlias petal by petal... literally. The only dahlias that I’ve found to hold their very many little petal bases are those that I’ve preserved straight off the plant from the garden. Anyone else in this game have any tips to help them hold together when they come in off the bouquets?! Don’t want to smother them in glue either when they’re fresh so reconstructing bit by bit it is! #labouroflove #driedflowerreconstruction #weddingbouquetpreservationnorthernirelan d #weddingbouquetpreservation #driedflowerart #driedflowerartist #underthefloralspell #flowerpreservation #flowerpreservationireland #driedflowerrenaissance #creativity #inspiredbynature #creativebusiness #needmorehoursintheday