Design time: Greenfield florist gives workshops on home decor

Dawn Walsh, left, shares a laugh with a class of community members learning how to create their own floral arrangements at Penny’s Florist in Greenfield.

GREENFIELD – A local florist is giving the community a chance once a month to design their own floral centerpieces and home decor.

Penny’s Florist in Greenfield gives people behind-the-scenes tips on decorative creations. Dawn Walsh, senior designer, jewelry coordinator and class instructor, says she’s excited to give anybody the tools they need to create their own unique pieces while having fun with their friends or family.

“We want the students to know, ‘Today, you’re the designer. Come back behind the scenes,’” Walsh said. “We just go right at it, it’s a lot of fun, people learn a lot.”

Do-it-yourself workshops are not necessarily new to Penny’s, but they’re being offered more often now. Walsh said years ago, Penny’s had a tradition two or three times a year to teach classes but through the pandemic it kind of went by the wayside.

“Once we got over here to the new building (at 80 W. McKenzie Road), we had a plan,” Walsh said. “We know how much fun it is to do classes, and we know the community loves it. We wanted to bring it back, and bring it back seriously.”

Dawn Walsh, right, shares tips on floral arrangements with Mandy McDivitt, left, and Ena McClane.

Debby Johnson was pleased with how her flower arrangement turned out; Johnson just moved to New Palestine and was glad to be able to create something for new home.

So, in recent months they’ve had classes on succulents, string art, Christmas centerpieces, Mother’s Day tea cups and more. The August class had participants create floral arrangements emerging out of purses.

Debby Johnson said she was pleased with how her purse turned out. She’s new to Hancock County and enjoyed her first workshop.

“We’ve been so busy moving and everything, and I haven’t had time to do anything crafty,” she said. “This was really fun, to have some camaraderie.”

The handbag design placed fresh flowers in a wet block, and the flowers can be sprayed and kept fresh for about a week. Several of the participants planned to put their pieces immediately on their dining room tables when they got home.

Mandy McDivitt, who works at Penny’s but attends workshops regularly with friends, brought Ena McClane along this time.

“It’s fun, you learn something new at each class and the hostess here is really super nice,” McClane said.

“It’s great for anybody to do with friends, sisters, mothers,” McDivitt added.

The classes, approximately 90 minutes, offer instruction and the take-home craft, but also the know-how and confidence to create it again, Walsh said.

“It’s everything needed to complete the project as well as instruction; once you’ve learned how to do it, you can take that information to do it again as many times as you like,” Walsh said.

Both men and women have attended, and in the future Penny’s would be willing to dip into classes for children as well as corporate DIY events to build camaraderie.

This month, the class will be in partnership with the Wooden Bear Brewing Co. and participants will create a summer garden arrangement in a beer glass.

Walsh said those who attend are generally people who want to explore something new and learn a new skill.

“They want to get some hands-on learning, and it’s always fun to take home a successful project,” she said.

For more, visit pennysflorist.net or call 317-462-5863.