December Greetings

Good gracious, I can hardly believe December is finally here - we are in the last month of 2014, how did that happen so fast? The Verity & Thyme pop up shop is now open and the final countdown is on to the 25th - what a wonderful time of year indeed.

On Sunday, serenaded by live acoustic music and happy chatter, the first of the Christmas wreath workshops took place at Oh Me Oh My with a lovely group of ladies with a lot of talent. Having mossed the wreath rings, we set about choosing the right foliage for the look we wanted to create (we did both traditional and romantic) and then added lots of french lace, ribbon and flowers to finish off. It was such a joy to see the ladies leave with a fresh wreath and a smile on their face!

Alongside the festive wreaths, fresh floral table centres are available to order in time for the 25th (for collection a few days beforehand) in the soft romantic pinks, greys and whites V&T loves so dearly. I have always found inspiration in Scandinavian design and the emphasis on the beauty of the natural world, and I have added my love of muted pinks and fresh whites to give a feminine edge. Layers of lace and tulle add a touch of whimsy, and there are a few strings of sparkling pearls draped from candles too - it is Christmas after all! Perfect as your Christmas day dinner centrepiece, or as a gift for the host, all you need to do is light the wicks and enjoy the flickering candlelight and scent of winter foliage as you feast...

Fresh arrangements start from £35 and will be available to pick up from Oh Me Oh My on Water Street or The Garden at Fact on Wood Street before or on Monday 22nd December.

If you would like more information on the arrangements mentioned above, please feel free to email Charlotte at verityandthyme@gmail.com, or pop into Oh Me Oh My this December and have a little chat...

xx

Milking it

You know wedding season has well and truly begun when a whole month flashes before your eyes and you have barely had time to stand still and take it all in. There have been multiple birthdays and bank holidays, interspersed with wedding parties and celebrations galore.

I did manage to sneak in a visit back to the shire the weekend before my very own birthday, which ended up being exactly what I needed. We went on countryside walks, ate cream teas watching the cricket (oh how very British) and had such beautiful weather that we ate every meal in the garden - a distant memory today as I watch the rain lash down outside. My birthday bounty included another great big vintage tin bath, a selection of beautifully inspiring wedding flowers books and a LOT of rose chocolate - I was a very happy girl. The tin bath has already been filled with lavender, foxgloves, lettuces and sweetpeas amongst others and I just love it. 

Driving back with a car full of cow parsley from the hedgerows, I spent a happy morning filling up my new milk churns with it at Oh Me Oh My and taking a few photos to show what an impact this simple vase can make. I also spent my bank holiday with the lovely ladies at OMOM preparing for the beautiful wedding of Heather and Ian, with a dreamy palette of white and seafoam green. Using peonies, hydrangea, flowering mint and roses, I filled a selection of vintage bottles at the base of their washing line table plan and to compliment the bride's and bridesmaids bouquets. Please click here for more photos and details on hiring the table plan.

With June on its way, I couldn't help share this lovely little poem from a book I found tucked away in an old bookshop this week. Let's hope this weather cheers up in time for all of June's brides...

' A cloudless sky; a world of heather,

Purple of foxglove, yellow of broom;

We two among it, wading together,

Shaking out honey, treading perfume.

Crowds of bees are giddy with clover.

Crowds of grasshoppers skip at our feet,

Crowds of larks at their matins hang over,

Thanking the Lord for a life so sweet.'

                                             - Jean Ingelow

Charlotte xx