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Susan Jane May
Susan Jane May
MBFA
Wedding Florist
The Busy Florista Blog
The Busy Florista Blog
Putting Pen to Paper...
Putting Pen to Paper...
How we React to Things...
How we React to Things...
I recently had a situation happen to me that comletely knocked me for six, floored me, upset me beyond belief and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it. Nothing.
My website provider switched my site builder from one day to the next, completely reformatting my website. The first I knew about it was when I clicked on my site and thought it didn't look right and definitely not how I left it last time.. Different fonts, mis-aligned text, different colours...
All the hours of SEO work that I'd learnt how to do had gone. Nothing there. Removed. Blank sheet. From 21st October 2020 this was, effectively, a new site on the net. Old stats gone. Tools I'd relied on since first building my site in 2008 gone. Just gone.
About two months ago I did receive an email about upgrading the site at some point. No date given and no communication whatsoever since. No heads up on the change over date - nothing. I had no chance to screen shot info or key words and there's no tutorial on how to use the new builder. Do you laugh because it's nuts or do you cry... I cried.
I felt like I'd lost a huge part of me - a bit silly maybe but there you go, that's how I felt. I liked to look back to see what visits I'd had from where and see how my site had done over the years. I was really proud of the 80% SEO mark I'd managed to get by tweaking a word here, adding a different phrase there, making some words plural and others not... all these little things make the difference and it was a fair bit of a learning curve for me - I've got none of them saved , of course..
So... Anyways... Deep breath...
I recently treated myself to a lovely book - The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy. A truly beautiful book.
On one of the pages it says " One of our greatest freedoms is how we react to things ".
So very true..
Can I live without all that archived data? Yes, of course..
Can I learn how to use this new builder? Yes...
Will it take me hours to re-do the SEO work? Yes!!! :(
But can I do it? Oh yes...
Um... Is it easier to write this blog post in the new builder format...? Yes.
Does my website now have that lovely little secure padlock icon? Yes.
Might I learn to love this new builder? Oh probably...
There's a cherry in here somewhere - I just have to find it...
And find that pesky, invaluable SEO analyser... now where on earth has that gone???
Best get Coffee and Carry On
Happy Sunday Everyone
Catch You Next Time x
My Blog
Blog
Flowers and a Maroochydore Sunrise
| Posted on 12 September, 2020 at 11:41 |
comments (12025)
|
So I thought I'd do a little blog post today about - amongst other things - what's happening at the Flower Studio.... Because there's still the nasty Covid out there and the studios aren't that big, I've decided to keep them closed to the public for now. But I am currently taking orders, either for local delivery or safe collection from here, for flower tributes or smaller weddings that just need bouquets and buttonholes and maybe Top Table flowers. I'll be open for these kinds of orders for the rest of September and all of October, closing again once the clocks go back. For now there are still some gorgeous, Summery flowers to be had and the weather is kind enough that they're happy to open beautifully in the natural light of the studio. Last week I had a special tribute to make and used some stunning Meijer Four Seasons Roses combined with a lovely purple/blue Clematis and some deep blue Gentian - a really lovely mix of Country Garden style flowers. This, I have to say, is my favouritest colour palette in the whole world...  On the art side, I've managed to get some of my finished tapestry wallhangings listed in both my Etsy and Folksy shops - and I've popped photos of them on my website too. Admin - it can take a while - especially when 'help' arrives.... Would you just look at the size of that paw stretched across the keyboard! There was no way Harls was wanting me to be doing what I was doing right then - he wanted attention!!  And I've started a new weave - this time it's a Maroochydore sunrise inspired wallhanging. The colours are incredibly vibrant and I've been spinning a fabulous, naturallyTurmeric dyed, Merino Wool & Tussah Silk blend to add to the sunrise colours. The majority of yarns I weave with I now spin myself - wool, silk, egyptian cotton, Ramie (nettle fibre) and, very soon, Alpaca.  I also managed to get hold of the most beautiful raw fleece from a Teeswater sheep whose name is Amethyst - it's now hand washed and dried and the locks are just perfect for this weave..  You can see just how beautifully it works with the colours in the pic below ... and there's the inspirational photo in there too, "borrowed" from an Insta post put up by Laurel Resin Art (who you can find at the Eumundi Markets, QLD - and you know how much I love that place!)  If you want to see how this weave is coming along then have a look at my Insta page or the Studio2Artwork Facebook page - there's links to both on my website's home page. Have a lovely weekend! PS. Any comments with links in are now, without exception, being rejected before they're even published. |
Weddings, Art and Covid 2020
| Posted on 20 August, 2020 at 7:09 |
comments (577)
|
Weddings, Art & Lockdown 2020  So, it's been a very long time since I wrote a Blog Post but I feel that the time is right now and so I'm sitting here, in the sunshine, drinking my coffee and about to have a public chat again.. It's also been a long, long time since my studio looked like this - full of wedding flowers and buckets.. Like so many wedding florists my year has become empty with wedding dates all being moved forward to next year. Next year already had it's own bookings in place so that's now looking super busy, which is good isn't it but there are still many months to go before we get underway with season 2021... And so, this year has given me the time back, during the enforced lockdown months, to concentrate on my first love, my art. I have always been a creator / artist and am, without doubt, an introvert who is very happy spending endless hours in the artroom / studio. This recluse florista has been painting progressively larger canvases full of flowers using oils and acrylics and learning to hand spin natural yarns with which to make tapestry wallhangings.  I've always had a great love of textiles - I did embroidery for A Level - and have baskets of lace and organza, silk and satin here for brides to choose from for their bouquets - but, oh my, what I really love are the natural fibres - wool, plant fibres and SILK!!  This is weaving is becoming a bit of a passion and I've recently pushed the boundaries on the spinning front by hand spinning some 100% Egyptian cotton... a Diva of a fibre for sure with extra short fibre lengths and so fine that the breeze coming in through the window separated the fibres at one point but it's a lovely yarn and I was pleased to spin it. And I've openeed an Etsy shop - but more on that next time.. Bye for now..  |
Why are there No New Blogs?
| Posted on 4 April, 2019 at 5:34 |
comments (852)
|
Why are there No New Blogs? Well, let me tell you... I'm really not sure any more about putting up photos I can't protect... And... I am totally over hundreds of people leaving 'comments' with loads of links in them trying to sell their own stuff on the back of my posts. So.. Come find me, my cats, my artwork and my flowers on my Instagram page okay? See you soon!  |
Birmans, Bouquets and Days Off 
| Posted on 16 September, 2018 at 15:32 |
comments (996)
|
And so another week has passed here in the blink of an eye! Whenever
did time get to move sooo swiftly? I’ve
had a Fab day today meeting, amongst others, a February wedding couple over at Hengrave
Hall, Bury St. Edmunds to discuss amazing flowers…and Trees… ooh, I Love those!
Soo
looking forward to this one – there’s Lots of creative collaboration going on
here! Can’t wait! xx xx So,
now, back to the present… Our
Lilly… well she’s a whole lot better Hooray! Back to the AHT tomorrow to see
the neurologists but… She’s
been jumping up onto the small sofa again all by herself –  And… Enjoying
snuggles on the bed (alright…which she can’t quite jump up onto by herself but,
hey, can now get down from with no trouble bless..)  And
Harls?? Well
he’s been REAL busy here this week… as you can see…  #ChilledBirman # Workinghardintheoffice  #Sundaymorningsnoozing  I
think I might be in agreement with #WinstonChurchill here and decide to come
back as a cat ha! And
talking about cats… So sorry, I can’t get this pic to go the right way round! ...  We have a local pussycat who’s just
lovin’ the studio vibes at the mo… And
is quite colour co-ordinated too ha! Lucky
for this little puss, our Big Blonde has never mastered the art of fence or
tree climbing… (Yep, I know, it’s an indoors-mainly- temple-cat-Birman-thing) So
if he snuggles up on the warm roof QUIETLY Harls never knows he’s there… Shhh… And
me? Well here’s what I’ve been up to on the Floristry side of things… Bouquets
and Buttonholes…   Tackling
thorny, but Gorgeous, Vendela Roses….   And getting
very excited about creating new designs for Indian Wedding and Celebration Garlands… And
prepping for a Day Off!! HOORAY!! Tomorrow
I’ll be giving myself some new Henna Tattoos…  When
you work all weekend, Mondays are off right? xx
Happy Monday Everyone xx |
Meows, Mandaps & Metatone...
| Posted on 9 September, 2018 at 10:24 |
comments (491)
|
Well
here we are – we are here!! We are the other side of the peak-time of an
incredibly busy Wedding Season and we have survived Hooray!! How
are you all? Hasn’t
the weather been Glorious? I’ve absolutely Loved it here being an
Oz-weather-loving kind of person – hot, sunny, hot-hot – ooh Yes Please… So
we’ve had two fans on the go in the studios and Loads of chilled water bottles
in the fridge and have basked in the gloriousness of the warmth of it all. Thank
you Lord for a fabulous Summer x And
the flowers have all been fine too, conditioned up to their necks in cold water
professional solution... There were several days I nearly put my feet in there
with them ha! The
only casualty we had was some Astilbe which, bless it, just evaporated every
drop of moisture into thin air and looked more like a dried flower than a fresh
one from one day to the next. So…
here’s a bit of a catch up on what’s been happening “at the ranch” (
PS. I’m a HUGE fan of The Pioneer Woman… ) Harley’s
had a great Summer – gone blonder than ever – and has perfected how to block
that rather annoying lamp light when he wants to settle down…  Lilly’s
had a lovely Summer too and has been practising her Ninja moves. She carries
out frequent stealth-attacks, circum navigating Harley’s routine and scheduled
nap times and thereby claiming the Prime Position on the preferred bed for
herself… Go girl!!! And just look at
those fluffy paws… Gorgeous or what? #justloveher  She’s
had a bit of a relapse lately but she’ll be okay – she’s off to the Animal
Health Trust with me tomorrow for some tests. She’s the one-in-several-million-cats
that has no immunity to Toxoplasmosis. A few years ago very nearly killed her. Thank
heavens for the AHT and their experts there. She
has relapses – especially after her annual jabs – and that’s what’s happened this
time. We have medication to hand but she’s not responded as quickly as usual so
it’s off to the Neurology Dept. we go… Bless
her, she’s such a little fighter xx Here
she is looking Gorgeous in Studio 1 amongst the Blossom Trees a few weeks ago…  And
#thebusyflorista has been doing this and that… Starting
every day for ages with a bit of a boost ha!  Conditioning,
prepping and looking after Thousands of stems of flowers over the Summer…  Having
the-most-amazing August Bank Holiday weekend FULL of Weddings!! One
of which was a fabulous Indian Wedding – full of Vibrant Colours and a myriad
of Flowers... We
decorated the Mandap…  And
created 25ft of Woodland-Style Ceiling Garlands… Which
required the going up and coming down, and going up and coming down and…well,
you get the idea…of ladders… Which
were at quite an acute angle I can tell you… Cable
tying 4-5ft sections of Beech to poles… Adding flower groups along the way…One
hand on the ladder, one holding the foliage… balance at the top…Position… Cable
tie… Don’t
let anyone ever tell you being a Florist isn’t a physical job, and that all
they do all day is play around indoors with pretty flowers…  I
had my dear friend and long standing work colleague Jane with me and we soon
worked out that we both had to climb up the sides of the ‘A’ frame ladder
provided at the same time or it would
wobble terribly. There were a couple of “Whoop Whoops!!” from poor Jane when I
stepped off my side a few times without thinking bless - haha!! You need to be
Brave to do this job… and fit… After
setting up for this wedding all afternoon my feet were not the happiest bunnies
that’s for sure. Hot, red and glowing just doesn’t do them justice ha! I’m sure
Jane’s were just the same… #hotfeet #notaprettysight #ouchyouch  Early
the following morning – Bank Holiday Monday – I was in the studio creating the
Wedding Garlands. I loved making these, they’re such a special part of the
ceremony. I’m about to promo them for
ordering via my website…   And
my feet? Well they were given some major TLC and new tats and are feeling much
better!  And
I treated myself to some well-earned indulgence at my long standing and totally
Favourite Hair Salon and had a wonderful experience with their new range of
colours from the States – and a cut and style too. So a BIG Thank You to Michelle at M Hair & Beauty in Long Melford –
you nailed it girl!! Made me feel like a million dollars Xoxoxo  And
last but not least at the end of a busy day I have a hug and lots of purrs from
my Harls…  Happy
Sunday Everyone xx |
Hot Days, Hot Feet, Hot Florista!
| Posted on 16 July, 2018 at 14:25 |
comments (570)
|
Hi Everybody! How are we all Enjoying this Fabulous weather? We're just lovin' it here in the House of Floristas.. It's been such a joy opening up the stable door early morning and looking out at the garden and the Studios and seeing Blue Skies and Sunshine! However... we have had some Hotty-Footy-Moments when a certain Florista wanted to pop her feet into the Buckets along with the Flowers...  And then me and Harls had a bit of a long-hot-day-melt-down the other day...  Ooh, Yeah - you an' me babe - just chillin'... And as for the Double Bir-flops due to the heat... (It's a well known phrase amongst all the Birman-owning humans out there Ha! ...) Well, what can I say? #Lillycat'sgottafabtailpose #HarleyPussisrockin'agoodcurve... I've been doing a lot of this...  Resulting in a lot of that...  And a touch of this too...  And... Poor old Mousie??? Well, our Lillycat's been lookin' after him nicely, thank you, in all this Heat... Ha!  HAPPY SUMMER TIME!! PS. I'm Posting this Real Quick before the VP system 'loses' it ha! #thesnappyflorista xx |
T'is the Season....
| Posted on 10 July, 2018 at 15:02 |
comments (926)
|
I
know, I know – l o n
g time no Blog but, really, it’s
been totally bonkers here for weeks! It’s
the WEDDING SEASON already, okay? And
does the rest of my Life stop and Pause a while so I can get on with all my
Flowery stuff? Absolutely NOT ha! So
we’re doin’ the all the normal, everyday Mumma stuff here… The school runs…
Teen support….Organising the Husband… Forgetting to defrost Supper… Not
Hoovering (as always)… Remembering the family Birthdays (thank God for
Moonpig!)... Housey-Washingy stuff… NOT Ironing (haven’t done that for almost
two decades now ha! #result… Having some fairly major dentistry done
(ouchy-ouchy on the £££’s)… Organising a
new Laptop for my son after his old one stopped working, again.. (ouchy-ouch-oucheee
on the £££’s #gottahaveaTerabiteofthis #gottahaveani5somethingofthat… And
don’t even get me started on the Garden….. PLUS… All
the Busiest Florista Stuff you can imagine!!... Up early mornings to get on the
Dutch websites and get those Flowers.… Fending off the growing Paperwork pile
and totally NOT succeeding.… Being there for last minute Bride requests… Being
there for new and excited Brides wanting to book in.… Going
on lovely venue visits with new Brides – Yep – Love that too… Ordering
lots of lovely new stock! I do enjoy that bit but sometimes I get carried away…
new ribbons, new wrap, new lace… velvet…satin… Tissue Paper! I LOVE tissue
paper… vases and votives… garlands to add to the Silk Blossom Trees… I
could go on but I won’t :) Anyway,
let me give you a little pictorial “Catch Up” of what’s been happening… Lilly
Cat’s been chillin’  Harley
Puss has been chillin’ too  (PS.
They don’t yet know they’ve got a VET’S appt for jabs coming up… )I’ve
been doing a bit of this… #homecooking   And
a bit of that… #afternoontea  And
a lot of this… #thebusyflorista    The
Garden’s been looking lovely… Well, okay, I have to say early June was FAB but
it’s been a tad overblown, overgrown and somewhat Blowsy since then ha! But
all my Sage cuttings have survived and we’ve had Strawberries and I’ve grown
Chives! Okay - neither of these want to go round the right way...   Oh
and I must tell you – I knew I’d been doing too much floristry prep when I
caught myself cutting Broccoli stems one evening at a 45 degree angle ha ha!  Oh
now, I’ve got to show you this – This is Harls on a hot day… under the duvet.. Nomad style. What is he like…
#gottalovehimYep - this pic being difficult too.....  Ps.
I’ve noticed a distinct increase in my use of hash tags since I’ve been watching
Love Island on ITV hub whenever I stop for a bite to eat .. I know, bear with me
on this, I’ll be fine again in a few months’ time… But
don’t tell me ANYTHING okay you guys - I’m
still about 5 days behind everyone else ha! So,
here we go into another full on wedding prep day tomorrow – I’ve had some of
the most Gorgeous weddings to do this year, I mean absolutely fabulous couples
and wonderful briefs. Just lovin’ it. Love them all – having a super season! Watch
out for the Insta posts okay? And
if you’re getting married in 2019 or 2020 in Suffolk, Essex, Cambs or Norfolk
and would like a Coffee-Biscuit-Consult with me here at the Studios then give
me a shout – Love to see you! x     Xx
Happy Summer Everyone! Xx |
Napoleon Bona-Cat and the Royal Wedding
| Posted on 20 May, 2018 at 6:45 |
comments (163)
|
Sounds
like a Book I should write someday… Hi
Everyone!! Long time no Blog but, but, it IS the wedding season y’know ha! Bear
with me on this okay… So
– did we all watch the Royal Wedding yesterday? How gorgeous was that and sooo
lucky with the weather. I thought the flowers created by Philippa Craddock were
totally stunning, the scale of them took my breath away. Just Gorgeous. I kept
going right up to the tv so I could see what flowers she’d used - if anyone
else had been here I’d have been getting right in their way ha! Anyways,
enough of all that, let me tell you what’s been happening here… Our
Lilly Cat is doing GREAT but she does, at every given opportunity, like to
point out that she did have to have blood tests done and she did have
to have her fur shaved… See the little footy foot pointedly pointing forward?
Just so’s you know and don’t forget says Lilly….  She’s
found her favourite overnight spot is on our James’s Deluxe Chocolate Fur
Beanbag funnily enough… During
the day both Harls and Lils head rapidly for the first unmade bed they can find
( which isn’t difficult in my house this time of year ha! ) and make themselves
comfy.. especially Harley…nothing like a cool wall, in hot weather, is there eh
for coolin’ yer bits and bobs….  And
when the cushion gets a bit too warm, just fluff up a spare Birman and use that
instead…  On
the Florista side of things I’ve been ordering in lots of new items –
everything from Beaded Lace Trims from the States ( ooh Yum! ) and Natural
Plant Dyed Silk Ribbons artisan made in the UK (Oh LUSH ! ) through to extra vases,
tealights and wood slices. There’s been a lot of labels to soak off but at
least the sun’s been shining and I have a lovely view from the window :)    I
sat outside after one long vase-label-washing-off session with a cup of tea and
a few Oreo’s, as you do, and thought to myself that I could do with a few more
plants for the garden… So
I popped to the local Garden Centre where I had a bit
more thinking to do over a coffee, in the sunshine, about what I was going to
buy... And how gorgeous the flowers were. And how I want to use more rooted,
living flowers in my floral works this year. It’s something I’ve always done
but I’m really thinking I could up the balance a bit more between cut stem
flowers and living plants. I did a wedding a few years ago where we used rooted
Clematis plants in full flower in a balcony display. They looked fabulous and
the couple got to take them home afterwards and plant them in the garden. Love
it.Now,
back to my garden…  A good afternoon was had potting up and planting out and we
thought we’d get out the parasols for the first time since last year as it was
so hot… The Husb bravely delved into the depths of the small shed ( I won’t go
there, too many SPIDERS urgh!! Yuk!!! ) and got them out… Opened them up… And aah..
oh… um.. ( by this stage we are Grumpy Husb )… We’ve had a bad attack of the
Mousies! Oh lol, haha, well never mind, I quite like that little patch of blue
sky up there… So…while
all this has been going on a certain Big Blonde has found his way into Studio 2… And
made himself at home on my chair…  Moving
himself around now and then to catch the breeze… And
just look at that little face…  Is it just me or does he look a bit Napoleon
Bonaparte-y? Ha ha! Happy Days :) xx
Have a GLORIOUS SUNDAY Everyone ! xx |
Ninja Cat, Fluff & Divas...
| Posted on 29 April, 2018 at 12:48 |
comments (860)
|
So,
I was thinking to myself the other day why am I not getting any comments back on
my Blog? Maybe
nobody’s found it….. Hmm… Maybe
nobody likes it… Oh… Maybe…
But Hey, maybe I just need go have a search
through my website account and see if I can find them! YEAH!! And there they were, all tucked away in the
Messages SPAM box… So Hi! to you and Thank You for reading :)  And
for waiting so long for the next post – what can I say – the Wedding Season is
upon us! I’m having to get super organised here and schedule in specific things on specific days so I keep on top of everything. Unfortunately
Housekeeping stuff is not included so if anyone visits please don’t look at the
carpet… And especially DON’T wear anything black ha! The
carpet is supposed to be ‘Walnut’ but right now it has a layer of the Big Blonde
Birman Cat fluff all over it (Birman-Spring-Moult-Time) so it looks more ‘Latte’
than anything else… Oh
Dear… Pitty whatty as my lovely xx Nan xx used to say… Here’s
the main culprit sunning himself in the garden last Sunday :)  Now,
with our Lilly cat on the mend, I’d like to introduce you to Mousie.. Mousie
has had a quiet time of it while Lilly’s been poorly but I have to say that’s
all over now. He
gets a bit anxious most days, lookin’ here…  Lookin’
there…  Lookin’
everywhere…Just
waiting for that next POUNCE that can see him In the Water…  And
Out the Water…  Until
the poor thing is just totally shattered…  My
little Ninja Cat is once more Lilly-The-Inscrutable-Oriental-Woman-Cat not to
be messed in any way. This
is the Look she uses to deter weaker minded Humans…  To
finish off on a Florista note, I had the most delicate of flowers to work with
for this week’s wedding. These were home grown Muscari (Grape Hyacinths)
provided by the bride and Dutch Lily of the Valley & Ranunculus. All soft
stemmed and total Divas ha!  Wiring
these into Buttonholes and Wrist Corsages was fun (Read: Tricky ) It was delicate
work but they looked absolutely Gorgeous. I had my moments though, especially
with the Muscari but… Would
I do it again?  Absolutely!x
HAPPY DAYS EVERYONE x PS. Having Technical problems again so the Font's all wrong but Hey Ho - at least I can get it Published...hopefully... x |
Sunday Morning Blogette...
| Posted on 29 April, 2018 at 5:21 |
comments (643)
|
Hi Everyone! HAPPY SUNDAY!! I’ve been so wanting to get a Blog
Post all finished and published but it’s been sooo busy these last few weeks.
My days don’t always have enough hours in them ha! And I’ve got Studio appointments here
today too ~ it’s going to be a Happy, Busy Year this one.. Anyways, so I thought I’d do a little
‘Blogette’ this morning and then get the longer one finished later… In a Nutshell… Lillycat’s doing great…  Can’t say the same for poor Mousie
(more to follow on that one)…  Weddings are going great…  Washing pile’s doing great… Oh Oops...Round the wrong way again ~ Never mind eh... no time to sort it out now and it doesn't look so big from this angle Ha!  The Garden’s coming on nicely at last….  And I LOVE Ranunculus… Look at this little lovely with a touch of Muscari made up for a Wrist Corsage..  Gotta Go! Busy, Busy!! See you all Later :) xx |