The Silver LiningCranmore Home Winter Workshop
There are very few things that will get me out of bed willingly before sunrise. There are even less things that will convince me to leave the warm embrace of my friendly doona on a 2 degree morning. And yet, on a morning that fulfilled both of those usually dealbreaking criteria, I spritely hopped out of bed and out the door with Jinn on one arm and a hot thermos of coffee under the other. The promise of a day filled with hands on creativity and a chance to meet some of the most inspiring craftspeople in Western Australia filled us with barely containable excitement (and uncharacteristic morning cheer).
We set off up the road, admiring the sunrise through the foggy hills until we reached Cranmore Home, the picturesquely sprawling family homestead of Tracy Lefroy, the host and mastermind behind the Winter Workshop. After some time meeting, mingling, and obligatory caffeination, the workshops were underway! The workshops on offer were:
Ink Drawing
Laura Wortlock of Once Was Lost Studio
Textile Block Printing
Emma Grace Hawtrey of Woodpiles & Wishbones
Home Apothecary
Katrina Snowden of Peaches & Clean
Reclaimed Timber
Spencer and Marie-Clare of Maeker Studio
Floral Art
Rebecca Const of Fox and Rabbit
Tin Flower Making
Natalie Tonkin of Natalie Tonkin Design
Styling and Composition
Meghan Plowman
The workshops gave each of us the opportunity to learn from a local expert and were highly participative! During Rebecca’s floral art class, we traipsed around Tracy’s vast property foraging (read: pillaging) for beautiful foliage and wildflowers, incorporating them into our very own floral masterpiece which we got to take home. Mine is still going strong! All this physical and brain activity was sustained by a regular flow of hot drinks and a sumptuous long (loooooong) table lunch set under the branches of some pepper berry trees and catered for by the culinarily-gifted Jodie Fairclough from To The Woods Cafe and Ferngrove Wines.
What an undeniable success the entire day was! We joked over lunch that it really should be a two day long Cranmore Winter Camp, but we weren’t really joking…I really didn’t want the day to end. We brought home my very own portfolio of ink drawings and a personally arranged vase of some of my favourite flowers, a new Tasmanian oak laboriously shaped, sanded and waxed by Jinn, and a screen-printed tea towel that he literally made with his own blood and sweat (left index finger vs lino cutter). But more than that, we came away having had the chance to meet and connect with a bunch of really great folk who have a heart for championing the local artisan and a huge appreciation of how much work goes into what they do.
A bucketload of congratulations and kudos to the big-hearted and broad-smiled Tracy Lefroy, and of course her indefatigable behind-the-scenes designer, Rebecca Walsh Johnson (edited!). And for all the endless Instagrammable moments, massive applause goes to Meghan Plowman and Bec Tougas for impeccably styling the event. Shout out to Maya from House Nerd – so good to meet you!
Tracy Lefroy / Cranmore Home / Online store / tracylefroy@cranmore.com.au
The Silver Lining 
Ohh this is the best! You guys are too rad 🙂
Aw thanks Bec! 🙂
Xx
Your photos and words are absolutely incredible! Love how you write.
Thank you SOOO much Maya! 🙂
Sarah xx
I definitely want to go to the next Cranmore workshop! Timing wasn’t great this time round due to my little bub. But I’m definately going to make myself go next time. Looks like everyone had a fantastic day. Love your photos!
It was a beautiful beautiful day! Great hands on fun, great food, great people 🙂 See you next year then! Haha…
Sarah xx