Times-Advocate, 1987-10-07, Page 8• 15
211 .1
aaa
Page 8
Times -Advocate, October 7, 1987
Working from her home is ideal
Stepping into Thea Wisch's
workroom is like entering some exotic
land. The air is filled with the mingl-
ed perfumes of petals, herbs and
WORKSHOP -- Theo Wisch's workshop is filled with the flowers and
grasses used in her arrangements.
SHERWIfl
wwams
INTERIOR
PAINT SALE
1A99
nss■=n>�ss�
.* 1 i r-J..1U1� 1..
4{ U-• / n 1,= 11 ► -' el- :-.-
-rri -I- ►:p.
-r+ !: II :: 1' -III i•■ q
ll
.11.:61"::,_..4.1.110.1110
IIIIIMMOONiMOWMOONSI
and up 4L FLAT
LATEX
Also on sale:
Latex Ceiling White, Low
Luster, and Semi -Gloss
Finishes
Kem Glo Velvet Flat Alkyd
Low Luster and Semi -Gloss
Finishes
As well as Alkyd & Latex
Undercoats
CLEARING
Sherwin Williams Pre Mix Paint
in stock only 995 4 L. and up
SUNWORTHY
vow YES -YOU -CAN WALLCOVERINGS
Wallpaper
Book Orders
3O0/0 off
Exeter Decor Centre
15 Gidley St: E., 235-1010
Just behind Bonk of Nova Scotia
spices, and the entire ceiling is fes-
tooned with row after row of flowers
and weeds and ornamental grasses,
tied in bunches and hanging upside
down. Purple statice crowds next to.
yellow goldenrod, and 1elicate baby's
breath snuggles up to the more ex-
uberant seed pods of love -in the mist;
perky strawflowers complement
silver dollars.
The walls are adorned with straw
hats and grapevine wreaths, and a
table in the corner is loaded with spice
wreaths, pomander balls, topiary
trees, and floral arrangements in all
sizes and colours.
Shelves stretching along one wall
from floor to ceiling hold ribbons and
cones, styrofoam and wicker, florists
tape. and wire, and myriad other
supplies.
Thea's creative hands have turned
an enjoyable hobby into a satisfying
business. Her artistic dried flower
creations adorn numerous
private homes, and add a graceful
touch to the decor of a number of
public places such as restaurants.
Thea first began, making dried
flower arrangements for herself and
for friends as a hobby back in her
native Germany. She continued after
settling in at RR 2 Kippen in 1981 with
her husband and children on a
350 -acre cashcrop farm.
As more and more orders came in,
her business outgrew the "hobby"
category. Thea applied for her provin-
cial tax licence in 1984. This allows
her to shop wholesale for the baskets
and styrofoam shapes and other ac-
cessories she needs.
The most important ingredient of
Thea's arrangements, the dried
blooms, are produced at home.
A11 seeds are started in a
greenhouse Thea's husband Uwe built
onto the west side of the barn. Some
seeds, like the perennial statice, were
acquired by buying the dried flowers,
then prying them apart to obtain the
seeds.
The flowers - and what we call
MR. AND MRS. CHRIS
VanGERWEN
Connie Dianne Schroeder and
Christopher Joseph VanGerwen
were united in marriage on
Saturday, September 12, 1987 at
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Church with Rev. Gary Goyeau
officiating. The bride is the
daughter of Harold and Jean
Schroeder Dashwood, and the
groom is the son of Harry and the
late Anne VanGerwen, Exeter.
Matron of honour was Leslie
VonGerwen Exeter and
bridesmaids were Jayne Hen-
drick, London and Cheryl Peter-
son, Listowel. The best man was
Dean Boyle, Dashwood and
ushers were Frank Martens,
Crediton and Dennis Schroeder
Dashwood. Soloist was Sue -Ann
Schroeder, Ottawa and Paul
Dietrich, Grand Bend was the
organist. After a honeymoon in
Jamaica the couple will reside in
Waterloo. Photo by Brad
Bayniiam
Marriage is That relation between
man and woman in which the in-
dependence is equal, the dependence
is mutual and the obligation is
reciprocal.
I. N Animater
A man cannot be too careful in the
choice of his enemies.
,,.air W,y„ • ame
Bart DeVries
PHOTOGRAPHY
Portraits, Family Portraits taken Professionally
/34 our &flinj flow
"A Very Personal ChriifmaJ 6)//4
137 Thames Rd. East, Exeter
Phone: Bus 235-1298 9:00 - 4:30
�,� / Res. 235-0949 after business hours
U(/
988 ec1clinc1 /3oobinyp now /3ein % Jaren
1
weeds - are cut at the peak of perfec-
tion, just before full bloom. Thea ties
each bunch with both elastic and soft
string; the elastic keeps the bunches
together as the stems shrink.
The bunches are hung in the sauna
to dry in air that is warm but not
damp. Thea checks the drying plants
each day, and removes those that are
ready to hang from her workroom
ceiling.
Thea has successfully dried not on-
ly the varieties we normally consider,
but zinnias, dahlias, bells of Ireland,
larkspur and peonies. The latter are
added to the lavender and rose,petals
in her potpourri mixture, to be made
into aromatic wreaths to hang in
closet or hallway.
Thea is now experimenting with
verdantly green herbal wreaths.
Wherever Thea goes, by foot or by
car, she is always on the watch for
potential additions to her stock. Walks
in the country have rewarded her
with magnificent clumps of plumed
grasses, and the wild grapevines on
her own farm are cut and twisted in-
to wreaths. She once spied some
hydrangeas on the sidewalk awaiting
the garbage pick-up, and asked the
owner if she could take them away.
The man was glad to get rid of the old,
dead flowers, and Thea was delighted
to get them. Some she used au
naturel, and others she sprayed with
gold paint and added to Christmas
arrangements.
Thea uses a glue gun to keep the
flowers and other material on the
basic forms she uses. The spice
wreaths are wrapped first in ribbon,
both to cover the stvrofoam and to
provide a secure base for the glue.
Besides her own creations, Thea ac-
cepts custom orders to fill the
customer's container with an ar-
rangement in specific colours, or a
wreath to match a wallpaper sample.
She notes that "people go by fashion
colours, and peach is in this year".
Thea enjoys her business. As her
workroom is part of the large garage
attached to the house, she is close at
hand when her husband wants help to
plant the corn, or combine the soy-
beans. She does not intend to take on
more than she can do personally. She
wants to maintain the high standard
she has established.
Thea's arrangements are on sale at
the boutique in the Little Inn, Bayfield
and The Field Mouse in Arva. Her
potpourri is available at Old Granny's
Nightie on Richmond St. in London.
Thea's creations will be among the
Huron County craft show exhibits at
the Holiday Inn in London on October
20 when Huron County officials host
the municipal politicians and their
spouses attending the Association of
Counties and Regions of Ontario.
Thea will be exhibiting for the
fourth time at the. Oakwood craft
for farm wife
show at. Grand Bend in late third annual open house at
November, and will be hosting her before Christmas.
home
SAMPLES --- Thea Wische displays some of the dried flower ar-
rangements she makes in her farm workshop. The flower on the
wreath' she is holding is made of pumiSkin seeds.
LITTLE
PEOPLE
Clothing and Accessories
WE KATER TO KIDS
Infants to 14
Ei.1.r, OM.
23!.1117
We would like to take this opportunity to
thank all of our customers for their patronage
over the past eight years.
The name and location of our store and the
quality of our. merchandise will remain the
same. We feel confident that Dorcas and Bren-
na will continue our standard of service.
Many thanks,
Sandra Rowe
Janet Coward
SAVENOW
While Supplies Last
4
Litton -Moffat Model Change
Clearout
Our lowest prices ever
IFFY Micrc-faves
4
II
C.- 0
o
s
Prices from only
$157
Only while supplies last
L
to
Litton- Moffat ory alIJFFA!j
"Generation II" $41
% Litton -Moffat
Full size only y "Go anywhere"
x341
All Microways priced to clear
May not be exactly ns illustrated
CAMPB
E
Sales and Service
63 Main St., Exeter (lower level)
LLS
. 235-1501