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Jesicca Howarth had to give up her dream job when she became allergic to flowers... but her paper creations have led to a new career, she tells
A FLORIST who developed such a severe allergy to flowers that she ended up in hospital has set up a new business creating handcrafted paper blooms after making her own paper flower wedding bouquet.
When Jessica Howarth started to fall increasingly ill every time she went to work, she had to make the heartbreaking decision to turn her back on the career she loved.
While planning her wedding, bride-to-be Jessica started researching what alternatives she could have to real flowers in her wedding bouquet and was inspired by the paper flower creations of American designer Tiffany Turner.
Jessica, who married neuroscientist Max Ahmed, 37, in October last year, used lockdown to teach herself how to make flowers from beautifully coloured crepe paper.
She made her own paper wedding bouquet and flowers to decorate her wedding venue.
Now she has set up her own small artisan business, Paper Stems.
She hopes her creations will appeal to other people with flower allergies and to those who want their beautiful blooms to last forever.
Jessica, 34, of Edinburgh said: “Floristry has always been a passion of mine – I loved it. So to find out I had a flower allergy was really awful and I felt totally heartbroken.
“Now something positive has come out of it.”
Jessica, who had spent more than 10 years working as a designer florist, discovered she had an allergy to flowers after becoming so ill she had to attend her local accident and emergency department.
She said: “I’d started working as a florist when I was 19 as a Saturday job and it grew from there.
“I went off to art college, but loved my job so kept my foot in the door.
“For years I had no problem working with flowers, I kept skilling up and enjoyed what I did but then my body started to react.
“I’m told a florist becoming allergic to flowers is more common than you might imagine.
“The same thing happens to hairdressers – they become allergic to hair dye, and I’ve got a friend who worked in printing who became so allergic to print dye that she ended up in intensive care.
“I started to swell up at work, including feeling my throat swell up, which got pretty scary and I ended up in A&E. It was terrifying.” Jessica was advised that she may be able to continue working as a florist if she was prepared to take a daily dose of steroids. She decided against the powerful medication and had to step away from her career working with real flowers. She said: “I’m at an age where a lot of my friends are getting married and I feel like a prima donna when I have to let them know that I can’t be at a table with real flowers, but my reaction could be severe. “A severe allergy to flowers is very different to someone having hayfever. “I’m fine with any flowers outdoors but I can’t be around real flowers in enclosed spaces. “When Max and I were planning our wedding I was gutted at the thought of not being able to have real flowers, so started to have a look into fake flowers but I didn’t like anything I saw in terms of silk
I started to swell up at work, which got pretty scary and I ended up in A&E. It was terrifying
flowers. I continued looking and I discovered America is really big when it come to paper flowers. “There is an amazing artist over there who became my inspiration. “In lockdown I had loads of time on my hands, so I did lots of practice. “In the end I made all the flowers for my wedding – putting them in vintage vases on the tables and in my bouquet.” Jessica, who also makes jewellery, uses specially designed crepe paper from Germany and Italy which she stretches, cuts and sculpts to resemble different flowers ranging from roses and poppies, to daffodils and thistles. She also uses different inks and washes to dye them.
She said: “Having been a florist gives me a good eye for each flower’s design.
“My training as a jeweller also helps.
“At my wedding everyone was so complimentary about my flowers that I was encouraged to set up my own paper flower business.
“I know I’m not the only person who is allergic to flowers, but you certainly don’t have to have a flower allergy to want a paper flower bouquet.
“Most hospitals now don’t allow real flowers to be given to patients, so paper flowers are ideal.
“And paper flowers are also something that you can keep.”
As well as accepting commissions for paper flowers, Jessica plans to run flower making workshops in the future.
She said: “I think it would be a fun hen day activity to help the bride make her wedding flowers, or just learn how to make a beautiful display.
“I’m hoping my paper flower business will bloom.”