Austinmer paper flower maker brings bouquets of everlasting love to expo

Poppies have a special quality, their petals like paper. Actually, on closer inspection, these petals ARE paper. And so are those blousy peonies and those barely opening roses. All of them, in defiance of winter, when the fresh versions are both scarce and pricey, bloom in the hands of Anna Jahjah. 

Under the name Fleurs Excentriques, which hints at her French origins but not at her Lebanese ancestry, the Austinmer local is busily working away in her garage studio preparing for the upcoming bridal expo in Wollongong where her bouquets, wearable pieces (think boutonnières, hat trims, crowns, garlands) and table decorations could pass for the real thing… but last much much longer.

Beginning in China in about 100 BC, paper flower making has a long history from  when floral decorations were made alongside lanterns as temple and ceremony offerings. The craft took off across the globe, from Vietnam to Mexico, where paper flowers have long been traditional decorations in homes and public spaces.

After a career in theatre in France and in Sydney, Anna felt the need for a creative reset and relocated to the South Coast with her partner, actor Gerry Sont. She opened the business in 2017 after teaching herself the basics from books and videos. Her timing, so important in theatre, proved to be perfect.

Fuelled by the appetite for crafting prompted by Covid, hand-made flowers are  enjoying a new boost as a trend, led by prominent artists like American Tiffanie Turner, whose work has featured on Oprah’s media platform and decorated major museums and galleries. Anna now passes on some of her techniques in workshops she holds several times a year with her collaborator Emmanuelle Lacassagne.

"The main thing is patience. It’s slow work," she says.

The basic material is humble crepe paper, purchased from overseas suppliers. The tools are modest: glue, wire, scissors. 

In her hands, the skill is elevated to artistry: not all the flowers in her studio are exact replicas of the real thing, leaving room for imagination when it comes to colour, size and arrangements that enhance nature. "I like the restraint of Japanese ikebana flower arranging, but I also appreciate a more-is-more look, depending on the setting and the client."

Longevity is a bonus: forget that exquisite magnolia that loses its petals after just one day and  those gorgeous gum flowers that droop and shed pollen everywhere. 

"Natives are my signature speciality," says Anna, who has recently perfected strikingly sculptural white waratah flowers and flannel flowers in which every star-shaped petal is wired to allow for individual movement. 

A commission for the Australian Museum in Sydney required her to make a life-size Gymea lily that was three metres tall when the leathery bloom was not in season – and a visitor who saw it bought it, "which was great as I didn’t have to try and get it home!" she says, laughing.

Fleurs Excentriques will be at Stand 46 in the Ballroom at the Novotel Northbeach this Sunday, July 12, 10am-3pm, for Wollongong's Annual Wedding Expo. Entry is free, follow @fleursexcentriques on Instagram or visit Anna's website.