Meet Mama Bloom
Sarah Hoffman, the owner of Mama Bloom, spends her days weaving dried flowers and greenery into works of art. Knowing that her pieces are treasured in homes and workplaces across Aotearoa is part of her motivation. “That feeling is indescribable. It gives me a real sense of pride and purpose.”
Sarah’s postnatal experience following the birth of her son was the spark that ignited her creation of Mama Bloom. Formerly a corporate HR partner, exploring a slower pace of life and working creatively was a personal challenge for Sarah – but one that she felt an immediate affinity for and gave her purpose and drive.
“It gave me the flexibility to be at home with my family while doing something that I found therapeutic and fulfilling. It allowed me to grow and bloom into the new person my little person needed me to be.”
With a passion for design, sustainability, and supporting local, Sarah is committed to investing in Kiwi-made. She frequents her regional flower market and sources 90% of her flowers from New Zealand growers to avoid the air miles attached to imported flowers. Once they arrive, Sarah dries her florals by hand to ensure they remain healthy and safe for her customers. “I like to dry most things myself to be in control of the process.”
Create your own floral letter
In the video below Sarah walks us through creating a gorgeous dried flower letter. This simple craft will be so much fun to make and would make a great gift.
Press pause at any time to follow along at your own pace. Written instructions are below.
Materials
- Wooden letter
- Hot glue gun and glue
- Scissors
- Dried floral moss
- Dried flowers and seed pods (those with a flat back tend to work best, like strawflowers, rosebuds, ranunculus, bunnies tails – anything that will lay flat on the letter)
Instructions
Step one
Begin by attaching the floral moss to your letter with hot glue. This moss base ensures that the letter will be completely covered with foliage, so don’t hold back with your moss application.
You can also trim the excess Moss from around the outside of the letter too. Sarah notes that it’s important to watch where you place your fingers during close-quarters hot glueing.
Step two
Select a range of locally grown dried flowers and remove their stems. Flowers with a flat back are best for this craft.
One at a time, spread some glue on the back of a flower and position it on the letter. Keep your flowers bunched tightly together to completely cover the letter surface.
Sarah likes to work on one small section at a time to slowly piece together her design and carefully consider each colour combination.
Step three
It’s time to fill in the gaps. Sarah uses tiny flower heads, glueing them into any small gaps between her dried flowers. This will give your letter a full, complete look.
Sarah used statice flowers for this craft. Small and dainty, they’re the perfect way to finish this letter craft. Because you’re hot glueing small details, you might choose to use a pair of tweezers for these tiny details.
Step Four
Congrats! Your dried floral creation is ready to brighten up your décor with a pop of joyful colour and texture.
Hang it boldly on a wall or rest it on a shelf to add visual interest. If your letter doesn’t have pre-cut hanging holes, some load-bearing 3M tape on the back will let it sit flat against the wall.
You can learn more about Sarah and Mama Bloom at mamabloom.co.nz
