Isobel Cahill (’14) knows the joy that a splash of floral colour or bunch of native blooms can bring during times of hardship or uncertainty. As part of our ‘Notes from a Pandemic’ alumnae series, Isobel shares her creative and professional journey spanning France, Sydney and central-western NSW.

Isobel created her first arrangements as a child with flowers from her family’s garden. After graduating from Loreto Normanhurst in 2014, Isobel completed a floristry course and worked for a florist in Sydney’s Leichhardt, where she designed for hotels, weddings and other venues and events. Now based in Narromine, Isobel runs her own floristry business, La Petite Fleuriste, while studying nursing.

COVID-19 gave me the time to think about how I wanted to put more effort into my floristry, so I started selling a few bunches of cotton to buyers in Sydney. I called my business La Petite Fleuriste as a nod to the five years I spent in France as a teenager with my family.

This year has been a big one for La Petite Fleuriste. I’ve hosted workshops and created floral designs for weddings as well as made hundreds of bouquets to be delivered all around the local area. I am also studying nursing full time through Charles Sturt University and working casually at the Dubbo Base Hospital.

There is a lot of juggling, but I have been so grateful that during the latest lockdowns, I have been living in Central West New South Wales. I love living on a farm and feel like I’m in a COVID free bubble!

Visit La Petite Fleuriste here to see some of Isobel’s beautiful bespoke creations, many of which feature native flowers or farm-grown crops.