The Floral Madam

Brown Paper Packages....

2010-03-16T18:16:00.002Z

The new stock arrives and is ready to brighten up your homes for the sunny days ahead.

Enjoy taking a look online and let me know your thoughts:www.thefloralmadam.com/shop/products_new.php

I can't resist the lovely Sophia White Creamer to display a lovely spring scented posey. Daffodils, Mascari, Tulips, Anemone and Hyacinth .......... heaven.....

New Season Delights

2010-01-11T18:03:00.009Z

With all this snow it's nice to remember that Spring is on it's way! Along with that we get all the nice new stock designed for Spring/Summer.

Green Gate have released their lovely new catalogue and we are soon to view the collection and make our order.

Here is a preview of whats to come......... Not long now and it will be available online for you to purchase for your summer days ahead.

Open Days

2009-12-01T12:41:00.004Z

Pop in for a free glass of mulled wine!

The Unit/ Workshop is not finished yet and I realise December is a time when you are missing the shop. So I have made arrangements for the first of The Floral Madam Open Days.

Anyone is welcome to pop in for their much needed supply of candles, gifts, cards, wrap, ribbon and flowers. We will also be showing our beautiful new range PiP Studio that you can see for the first time.

Open Days 11th & 18th Dec

12-5.30pm

Wycliffe Cottage
The Street

Egerton

Kent
TN 27 9AH

Flower collection of pre-ordered bouquets on 24th Dec

Order Line 0800 13 13 988

The Country Living Fair Nov 09

2009-11-18T21:12:00.009Z

Wow! What a lot of work! I am only just recovering!.......

We didn't have a huge stand but as you can see, we did what we could not to disappoint & cram it full of lovely things for you to buy. We hope you all enjoyed the Fair and managed to push your way through the crowds to see our stall.

It was the first year we have exhibited at The Country Living Fair and we really enjoyed meeting new customers. We tried to talk to many of you but it was hard to keep up!

You may be able to see more of our stock from the photos. Remember, if there is anything that you regret not buying, you can order it now online at http://www.thefloralmadam.com/

Thanks to all who visited our stand, we hope to see you again.

We've moved!

2009-11-18T19:16:00.010Z

Sadly, after 3 happy years running a shop in Charing High Street we were faced with the end of the lease! Due to the growth of our website and the high outgoings with renting a shop, we decided not to re-new.

On Friday 6th November we had our last day trading in Charing. Once the news was out, many of our local customers expressed their sorrow that they could no longer just pop-in. It was sad to think that this chapter of serving my customers (friends) was over but it's really exciting looking forward to a new way of working.

As of now The Floral Madam is based in Egerton, where we have a Flower Workshop and an Online Shop for Gifts.

Charing was a great place to be and I will miss being at the heart of such a lovely village. Thank you to everyone, young and old, who visited the shop. You all really helped me learn and build the business, thanks to your much needed support and feedback. I now know my customer well and my customers know me and my products. If feel this is what is needed to have a successful online shop where confidence in the retailer is essential.

As promised, you can now look forward to a better website, more mail-outs and catalogues with your favorite items at better prices. The time, energy and expense of running a shop can now be turned to different things. More 'vintage and collectable' pieces that have often been enjoyed and bought in the shop will soon be available online. As will a range of the much desired furniture that dressed the shop. The Floral Madam looks forward to exhibiting at more fairs, wedding shows and organising our very own 'Open Days'. Most importantly of all, I will have the needed time to focus much more on our brides and corporate customers for 2010.

To be kept informed with any of the above, please join our mailing list by emailing sales@thefloralmadam.com.

Press : Cosmopolitan Bride

2009-11-18T18:17:00.006Z

What 'bride to be' doesn't go out and purchase a copy of Cosmopolitan Bride?

Many brides that walk in the shop and approach me for flower quotes are grasping a tired looking copy full of post-it notes. Often they have fallen in love with one of the featured weddings and want my help to re-create 'the look'. This is obviously great fun but means even more when one of the weddings was actually one of ours!

Yes, we have been featured! Very excited to purchase a copy and turn to page 60-62 in the Dec/Jan 2010 issue. 'Bold & Beautiful', the lovely summer wedding of Tom & Thalia.

Thalia wanted fragrant floral displays, full of colour, spilling out of many of our own jugs, teapots, cups and saucers. It gives me a nice feeling to think that this wedding will now inspire many more brides planning their dream wedding for 2010. It was an added bonus too that the photographer of the wedding was Jodie Chapman jodiechapman.com. She always captures every detail and more, providing me and you with some great flower shots to enjoy.

Rock 'n Roll Bride

2009-11-08T18:09:00.008Z

Really pleased to see our wedding flowers featured on Rock 'n Roll Bride. Many brides use this blog for inspiration, and I feel this wedding really deserved a mention. It was such a great theme and a really fun wedding to be involved with. I thought everything together worked so well and more importantly, it looked so original.

I was lucky enough to create the bouquets for the bride and the bridesmaids. Tara wanted it bold and bright, with a mix of colours, her favourite flowers were Gerbera and Hydrangea. I thank both Lawrence & Tara for choosing The Floral Madam, as I really enjoyed creating the flowers for their special day.

To read more about this wedding, take a look at the full article
http://rocknrollbride.com/2009/10/caught-the-light/

PiP Studio

2009-10-29T14:03:00.010Z

We are lucky enough to introduce this new and exciting range of products to the UK retail market, as we are one of the first stockists I am very excited.

PiP Studio is a high quality, great value range of home ware, including bags, bedding, and kitchen ware and bath products. They also do a gorgeous stationary range which is coming soon. I first fell in love with PiP Studio two years ago and have since been working hard to be a UK supplier. It's NOW IN STOCK, http://www.thefloralmadam.com/ and I can’t wait to show you the gorgeous new range.

About PiP:
Taking its name from the brand owner and Dutch product designer Catherina Van Der Endt, who was nick named 'PiP' as a young girl.   PiP designs products that she would like to buy herself, if she could find them. Her design principle is very straightforward - products need to be so good that you want to keep them for yourself. 

Let me know what you think? My favourite are the Fancy Woven Towels and the Shabby Chic bedding and quilted throw! It's so refreshing to see something new and different. Time to start collecting......

Liberty

2009-10-26T18:32:00.005Z

Liberty of London http://www.liberty.co.uk/ Who doesn't love Liberty and their lovely designs/prints!

I want to let you know of a new gorgeous, beautifully made stationary range I have in stock of Liberty printed journals, card boxes, address books etc. Unfortunately, I have not got product photos to upload just yet but I am working on it.

They are just one of the new collections that I am launching at The Country Living Fair Nov 11-15th. They are sure to sell fast! Really excited to see customers response as I really love them and can't wait to show them off! They will also be added to our web shop soon, along with lots of other brill things ;)

Here is a preview of the prints....

Country Living

2009-10-16T14:13:00.005+01:00

The Country Living magazine has given me much pleasure over the years. I love to read about little shops like mine all over , seeing all the new and exciting creative ideas for the home and garden.

I have also visited their lovely fairs for a great day out. This year, I will be having my very own stall there .....very excited! (currently ordering new stock to tease you with). So if our shop has been too far away for you to visit and you are planning a trip to the show, please pop by. The show is Nov 11-15th and our stand is in the Village Green D7.

Ticket details can be found on the link below. Book quickly to avoid dissapointment, as it is very popular. Hope to see you!

http://www.countrylivingfair.com/xmas/page.cfm/Link=56/t=m/trackLogID=286827_34039FCF21

Fabric & Oilcloth

2009-09-17T15:24:00.009+01:00

Green Gate always design stunning Oilcloth & Fabric. Shame it's just so hard to get hold of! Still in stock don't miss out....

Our Flowers

2009-09-10T16:45:00.008+01:00

All flowers are beautiful ....but we have our favourites. Really missing the ranunculus, parrot tulips, anemone and hyacinth!

2009-08-27T17:05:00.003+01:00

This new stock will sell like hot cakes!.......

New! Green Gate Autumn Winter Collection is here. These are just some of the lovely items avaliable at our shop http://www.thefloralmadam.com/

Eastwell Manor

2009-08-15T10:50:00.004+01:00

http://www.eastwellmanor.co.uk/

The ultimate background. Eastwell Manor prides itself on being the perfect venue to host the perfect day, enjoy both the wedding ceremony and reception in one stunning setting! An English country house wedding is impossible to beat and impossible to forget.

We are fortunate to be located near another stunning wedding venue. We enjoy creating floral arrangements for all themes at Eastwell. We have more to add but here is one recent quite simple but modern twist which worked well in gold fish bowls...

Leeds Castle

2009-08-14T16:41:00.012+01:00

What a joy to get an event at Leeds Castle this year! Quite an achievement, as they, like some other amazing venues, have a full time in-house florist.

A good customer of mine was celebrating her Ruby Wedding Anniversary and requested some gorgeous displays to dress a stunning room. She had 100 guests in the Henry V111 Banqueting Hall - what a party! It was a lovely summers day and I heard it was a superb evening.

As I was setting up, visitors to the Castle that day were taking photos. Here are some I took before I left ....... Sadly, I have none with the tables dressed and candles lit but I heard it looked amazing.

Chilston Park

2009-06-25T09:51:00.009+01:00

Being local, we are privileged to arrange wedding flowers for brides getting married at Chilston Park Hotel in Lenham http://www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/hotels/Chilston-Park/?source=bfinest .

Chilston Park hotel is an elegant 17th century Grade I listed country house, set in 23 acres of rolling countryside and dense woodland. A gorgeous venue for a dream wedding. Here is a pretty pastel wedding we had there, which looked and smelt beautiful ....

Another gorgeous wedding at Chilston this year was themed 'Romantic Loose'.

Lovely cut glass bowls were collected for each table, in varied shapes and sizes. My challenge was to fill with summer blooms to impress....

Some weddings this year....

2009-06-23T11:59:00.008+01:00

2009 has been really busy with wedding work - hence the lack of posts!! This is one of the first weeks without a big event, so I have taken the opportunity to give you some highlights :

Wedding Theme : 'Vintage Country Boho'
Venue : http://www.westheathweddings.com/gallery

Wedding Theme : 'Purple'

Venue : www.westheathweddings.com/gallery

Fun at the Fayre

2009-02-25T13:13:00.015Z

Wedding Fayre's are a great chance to meet new excited brides, eager to talk flowers.

On Sunday I was at Eastwell Manor which was great. It was a compliment to be an exhibitor here, as standards are high! Eastwell http://www.eastwellmanor.co.uk/ is a lovely venue for a dream wedding and I enjoy doing the flowers for weddings there.

Here's some pics of my stall...

Thanks to all who chatted to me on Sunday. I had some really positive response which was nice. If you are a bride to be, I would love to get involved with your flowers this year. Please just contact me if you have any further questions.

I told all brides that they are welcome to pop in the shop to create a 'story board' of their wedding flowers with me anytime. We can then photograph it and build the project from there. It is sometimes hard to know what you want at first - so I find this a great way to start and find out your flower tastes. For the Fayre I did this take on 'Vintage Floral'. I love all the antique roses, lilacs, greens, dusky pinks and ivory, next to cut glass and pearl....

All these photos were taken by my talented friend Jodie Chapman, who was also exhibiting that day.

If you are looking for a photographer to achieve all you want and more, become familiar with her style and take a look at http://www.jodiechapmanphotography.blogspot.com/.

Scents of the Season

2009-02-24T14:06:00.013Z

Lavender! This seasons colour.

I am a UK Stockist of the lovely brand Green Gate. It is always an exciting moment when we get to preview the new collection. They have released the new Spring Summer Catalogue and it's fab!

'Scents of the Season' can be viewed at http://www.greengate.dk/. It is made up of four collections : Sparkling Spring, Lavender Living, Bellevue Summer and Molly's Garden. Here are my favourites, which should give you the flavor of what is to come!

To avoid disappointment, let me know what you like and I can pre-order it now. Their items do sell out fast so if you love something you need to act now. New stock should arrive mid March, so why not plan a visit and see the new range in full! http://www.thefloralmadam.com/contact.html

As soon as you move it, it goes!

2008-11-23T19:18:00.010Z

I am constantly changing the shop around! Personally, it's enough to make me stop shopping somewhere if it's always the same when I go back.

We are fortunate enough to have some very loyal customers who pop in very regularly, so I try my best to give them a new experience each time they visit. With fresh flowers daily it's easy but the gifts require much more effort. I therefore take a lot of time out to re-arrange and display products in an eye catching way.

All is worthwhile when people always notice and comment. I get a buzz seeing people looking in the window for ages, or they even brake in their cars trying to spot the new product in the window!

Stock is sold & renewed daily, so I like looking back on photos to remember what we had! I always think how I would love to see all the homes of where the stock ends up.

Wedding Day

2008-10-03T11:42:00.009+01:00

We love weddings! Bridal work is obviously a big part of our business and we give it our full attention. We can give as much design support as the bride needs.... the main goal is to make the wedding flowers perfect!

Planning weddings can be stressful so we decided to have our very own 'wedding day' at the shop. Everything was dedicated to brides. The shop was full of design ideas, different bouquets and table settings. Everything we used for display, we sold in our gifts range. Therefore, if brides fell in love with 'the look', we knew we could achieve it on a larger scale. The Floral Madam also offers a wedding gift list service, so couples could also order for their home.

I decided to give it a feel of a proper 'wedding day' so organised a real bridal party to be at the shop. The Bride and her Flower Girl all complete with , bouquet, corsages and head dress. Everyone was invited to pop in and enjoy a free welcome drink. People loved to watch as we made and handed out a variety of bespoke button holes. A wedding car was also outside, decorated with wedding flowers. A make-up artist was giving 'brides to be' free make-overs, a wedding photographer http://www.jodiechapman.com/ was busy snapping away and a travel counsellor was there to talk honeymoons. All availiable to give competative quotes and demonstrations, offering discounts for wedding orders taken on this day.

Our goal was to inspire everyone and prove the effort The Floral Madam puts in to make each wedding day wonderful! If you are planning a wedding and would like a personal appointment, please contact us now. Or is you are interested in hearing about future events please email us as we'd love you there! http://www.thefloralmadam.com/

The Shop

2008-08-04T22:30:00.004+01:00

My name is Katie and I run a florist and gift shop in the lovely village of Charing in Kent. The Floral Madam is open six days a week and delivers beautiful flowers and gifts anywhere in the UK.

I created the shop in Dec 2006 and made it all the things I always wished to stumble across on a day off with some spending money!! It was lovely to get the chance to put all my energy into something creative for others to enjoy and provide feedback on.

I am determined to support local English flower growers, so always stock their freshly cut flowers. These make a lovely addition to the Dutch exotic stems. I enjoy the chance the florist gives me to keep in tune with the seasons. Preparing the flowers and bouquets makes you stop and enjoy the scent and beauty of flowers, which is otherwise hard to make time for.

We also stock many inspirational gifts which include collectable home ware items, fabric, stationary, kids clothes and toys, cards, wrap and ribbon. After years of searching and sourcing new items, it is my hobby to display them with scented posies to make and eye catching gift to be proud of!

This exciting new business is in it's second year and is rapidly building a good reputation for quality products locally. It's now time to share this concept with others.... so I will keep you updated with the direction I want to take this shop and hopefully, with your interest and support we can grow.