Imagine getting to learn floral design from the best in the industry? A select group of flower enthusiasts got to do just that via a master class with the expert team from Amy Osaba Events at New Moon Garden. Attendees were treated to tours of the gardens, lessons in making bouquets and arrangements, a few floral business classes, foraging sessions, and hands-on experience creating a large-scale arrangement. All that and they finished off the two days of floral schooling with a candlelit dinner surrounded by the bounty of their hard work.

Photographer M.K. Sadler captured the beautiful process from inspiration to garden to creation, and today we’re taking a look at the stunning floral arrangements that came out of such a thoughtful process. Read on below for details about the master class from the Amy Osaba team, and stay tuned to their socials for announcements of their next workshop.





What do you look for when choosing venues for your workshops?

When choosing locations for our workshops, we always try to find a venue that has a natural beauty to it - we draw a lot of our design inspiration from the surrounding environment (colors, textures, movement, etc.), so finding a place that has a gorgeous landscape is key.





What made New Moon Garden an ideal spot for your Master Class?

When our team went to tour New Moon Gardens, we felt an instant connection to David (the creative genius behind the design of the gardens) and the garden he had cultivated: we were overwhelmed with creative inspiration by a landscape that felt natural and untamed, yet balanced. Furthermore, the thought behind our Master Class was to create a sort of "getaway" for creatives – giving them space to not only cultivate their craft and learn but also a chance to reignite their creative spark – New Moon Gardens seemed the perfect place to foster that sort of creativity and respite. 





What did you teach students at the Master Class? What was on the fun agenda?

Day one was filled with a tour of the gardens, creating real-life mood boards, learning how to make arrangements, a few floral business classes, and ended with a sunset cocktail hour in the agave garden! We toasted with champagne and enjoyed the lovely furniture provided by 12th Table! Day two consisted of learning how to make bouquets, group foraging, a floral Q&A session with our wholesaler Scott, and learning how to make a large-scale installation in the barn. After the barn installation was complete, we had a delicious, candle-lit dinner prepared by Sun in My Belly with dessert by Tessa Pinner. Students had all of their work by the talented M.K. Sadler. 





Online workshops are wonderful, but it’s also important to gather together. Why is it so important to host these workshops where you can connect with students in person?

In our industry, we are faced with constant imagery overload – from Instagram to Pinterest – so it can be hard to find a source of inspiration that feels authentic and genuine. We wanted our students to be creatively inspired by the world (the landscape, the colors, the textures) around them – to achieve this, we devoted part of day 1 to create "real-life" mood boards. Students were asked to forage around the gardens + pull from a table with random objects varying in color, size, texture, etc. and create a "mood board" that would then be the inspiration behind their arrangements and bouquets. 

Here's a picture of the table they were asked to choose from:





Here's a sample of a mood board that was put together: 





And the arrangement that came from it: 





Having such an extensive network of inspiration (Instagram, Pinterest) is great and has really opened up creative possibilities + exposure yet, they have also lead to design monotony. We loved this portion of our workshop because it reminded us + our students that inspiration can be found anywhere + connecting with your environment is key. Most importantly, being able to see your inspiration, touch your inspiration, etc. is invaluable. 





Tell us briefly about your dinner gatherings at the end of each day. Why is it important to gather around a table after a day of workshops? Did you tell stories? Get to know one another? etc?

Our favorite parts of every workshop are the gatherings at the end of the day – there's always a certain mystery to them, a sort of special chemistry between our team and the students that are truly inspiring! We get to know one another, talk about our business (our successes and failures), and also talk about our families – we truly try to get to know one another. There's something about being surrounded by other creatives and artists who not only share in your love for flowers + design but also in your struggles that fosters a feeling of empowerment – there is a strength that comes from the community. We also always do our "farewell" dinner at a table that has florals designed by our students – there is something wonderful that comes from dining at a table where everyone had a party to play in the beauty of it.





Do you have any upcoming workshops?

We don't have any scheduled right now but we are hoping to have one soon! 





Credits

Venue: New Moon Gardens | Workshop Host: Amy Osaba Events | Photography: M.K. Sadler | Rentals: 12th Table | Catering: Sun in my Belly | Dessert: Tessa Pinner