In the gentle days of April, as the first flush of spring stirred the hedgerows and scented breezes danced through the air, we gathered for the first in our series of Nettle Revolution workshops: Sensing and Creating with Nature’s Gifts.
Thank you to Make it Better CIC and The Active Looking Project for hosting us at Tehidy Country Park.
This workshop was an invitation to slow down and reconnect, to awaken the senses and see the natural world with fresh eyes, open hearts, and curious hands. It wasn’t just about walking through nature, but about walking with it.
We began our journey outdoors, letting the scents and textures of the season guide us. Fragrant herbs from my garden, including bay, rosemary, lavender, and sage, were shared at the start, inviting us to slow down, heighten our awareness, and anchor ourselves to the moment.
As we wandered, we gently foraged for small natural treasures: a feather caught on a bramble, a twig curved like a question mark, and a wildflower shyly peeking through the grass.
Each person’s collection was unique, a reflection of their personal noticing.
Back at the workshop table, these humble findings became part of a thoughtful and symbolic creation: the Tussie-Mussie. This small, hand-held bouquet has deep roots in Victorian tradition, once used to communicate secret messages through the language of flowers. In our workshop, it became more than a historical curiosity—it became a mindful, sustainable act of creation.
We honoured tradition, but reimagined it for today.
Rather than using moss to hold the stems (as was customary), we upcycled used teabags—already steeped in their own gentle stories. This sparked rich conversation about waste, beauty, and how small everyday items can be transformed into meaningful art. Our Tussie-Mussies became gifts with a difference—symbols of care, healing, and the power of paying attention.
Some chose to wear theirs proudly in a buttonhole, others tucked them into hats, gifted them with handwritten notes, or planned to frame them as lasting mementos. As we shaped our bouquets, we also reflected on the deeper history of these herbal posies—how in medieval times they were carried to ward off illness during the plague, filled with protective, fragrant herbs believed to purify the air.
Each Tussie-Mussie held layers of meaning—personal, historical, and environmental.
As the workshop came to a close, participants left not just with a creation in hand, but with something far more lasting: a renewed sense of connection. To nature. To creativity. And to the quiet joy of making something beautiful with care, intention, and respect for the Earth.
This workshop reminded us that in a world often too fast, too digital, and too disposable, we can choose another way. A slower way. A rooted way.
A nettle path, a natural force of nature.
