Sandpiper Arts

28/05/2026

Outdoor Sketching Pop Ups Booking Now www.sandpiperarts.co.uk 🥰

There’s something wonderfully calming about sketching outdoors.
Noticing the shapes of leaves, changing light through the trees, and taking a moment simply to pause and create.

Join me this June for our Art Pop Ups – Outdoor Mindful Sketch sessions with Sandpiper Arts. Gentle, guided sessions designed to help you unwind, connect with nature, and enjoy the simple pleasure of creativity.

No experience needed — just a willingness to pause, observe, and have a go.

📍 Friday 5th June — Saughton Park
📍 Friday 12th June — Lauriston Castle Gardens
📍 Friday 19th June — Saughton Park

⏰ 10:00–11:30am
🎟️ £20 per session
🎨 All materials provided
🌿 Suitable for adults 16yrs+

Please dress for the weather conditions.

Book online:

I’d love to welcome you along for a little creative breathing space outdoors.
— Fiona

LauristonCastle NatureInspired SandpiperArts CreativeCommunity MindfulArt

28/05/2026

There is something truly special about growing flowers to give away.

This week’s bouquet is a joyful gathering of alliums, irises, verbena, fern fronds and fresh lilac foliage, picked straight from the garden and arranged with a grateful heart.

From tiny seeds and hopeful shoots to armfuls of blooms, I never tire of the magic of watching flowers grow. Even better is sharing them.

This bouquet is heading off to a dear friend today, a small gift grown with care and given with love.

Sow. Grow. Give.

Fiona
Creative Wellbeing Occupational Therapist
Member .rcot
Finalist

CreativeLiving SandpiperArts

27/05/2026

A heartfelt thank you to Sarah Raven for a wonderfully inspiring evening in Edinburgh last night, and to Topping & Company Booksellers for hosting such a fantastic event. 🌿💐

It was a real pleasure to hear Sarah share stories, wisdom and practical advice drawn from a lifetime of growing and arranging flowers.

I came home with a copy of A Year of Cut Flowers and can already see why it will become a treasured companion. Beautifully photographed, thoughtfully written and full of practical guidance, it's a book I'd highly recommend to anyone dreaming of creating their own cutting garden.

This morning I found myself wandering through my own cutting garden, coffee in hand, browsing its pages amongst the flowers. Taking a few quiet moments outdoors, surrounded by colour, scent and birdsong, lifted my spirits and set me up perfectly for the day ahead.

As you'll see, my own cutting garden is loving the recent warm weather, with an abundance of blooms ready to pick for the vase. The alliums, foxgloves (handle with care and wear gloves as they can be an irritant), poppies and irises are all putting on a wonderful display, while my beautiful white 'Bride' blooms are currently stealing the show in the posies I've been gifting to friends and family. 🌸 and bringing to my Mindful Watercolour Workshop as our muses 🥰

A lovely reminder of the power of flowers to bring beauty, creativity and wellbeing into our lives.

Thank you, Sarah, for continuing to inspire so many of us to grow, create and connect through flowers, and thank you to Topping & Company for bringing authors and readers together through such thoughtful events.

Fiona Wilson
Creative Wellbeing Occupational Therapist
Founder, Sandpiper Arts
Member .rcot |

GrowYourOwnFlowers CutFlowerGrowing ScottishGardener CreativeWellbeing NatureConnection SandpiperArts FlowersILoveToGrow

25/05/2026

Colour, creativity and a little bit of chaos… 🎨✨

This week’s Mindful Watercolour Workshop was all about Abstract Fun using the wonderfully unpredictable Brusho painting medium. We experimented with highly pigmented colour crystals, expressive mark making and letting go of perfection — allowing the paint to surprise us along the way.

There’s something incredibly wellbeing boosting about novelty, playfulness and stepping outside our comfort zones. A reminder that creativity doesn’t always need a plan… sometimes the magic happens in the messy middle 💫

Huge congratulations to everyone for embracing the splatters, blooms and colour explosions… and somehow managing to stay mostly clean despite the Brusho mayhem! 😂

🐞 Next up: “Ladybirds”
Last few spots remaining!

Remaining Monday Mindful Watercolour Sessions:
🐞 1st Jun — Ladybirds
🍓 8th Jun — Berry Delight
🌊 15th Jun — Surf and Sea
🌀 22nd Jun — Celtic Mandalas

Plus:
🌿 Outdoor Mindful Sketch Pop Ups
💜 Lavender Fields Painting Visit

Booking for Outdoor Sketching online now, Lavender Fields opens online tonight at 6pm.

Book online:
www.sandpiperarts.co.uk

Fiona Wilson
Creative Wellbeing Occupational Therapist & Artist
Member .rcot &
Finalist OT excellence Awards

EdinburghWorkshops SandpiperArts CreativePlay MindfulArt FlowState OutdoorSketching WatercolourArtist FeelBetterCreateMore

17/05/2026

Come join me to sketch outdoors this summer 😃

There’s something wonderfully calming about sketching outdoors.
Noticing the shapes of leaves, changing light through the trees, and taking a moment simply to pause and create.

Join me this June for our Art Pop Ups – Outdoor Mindful Sketch sessions with Sandpiper Arts. Gentle, guided sessions designed to help you unwind, connect with nature, and enjoy the simple pleasure of creativity.

No experience needed — just a willingness to pause, observe, and have a go.

📍 Friday 5th June — Saughton Park
📍 Friday 12th June — Lauriston Castle Gardens
📍 Friday 19th June — Saughton Park

⏰ 10:00–11:30am
🎟️ £20 per session
🎨 All materials provided
🌿 Suitable for adults 16yrs+

Please dress for the weather conditions.

Book online:

I’d love to welcome you along for a little creative breathing space outdoors.
— Fiona
🥰

LauristonCastle NatureInspired SandpiperArts CreativeCommunity MindfulArt

17/05/2026

The Art of Cut Flower Gardening...Foraging Foliage tonight as I cut the last of my sumptuous claret peony tulips, the super tall Alliums just coming into their own and create poseys to gift.

Top finds today.. fresh green Lilac whips, textural Burgundy H**e, Creamy forest flame branches..bit tricky to see on this wee video but I just loved the deep blooms offset by light foliage.

Top tips..fresh greens give zing to a posey for a couple of days but use woodier shrubs for longer lasting foliage. 😃

Wee shout out to Sarah for sharing her flower farming know how..ive learned do much from her not just about growing flowers to cut and give but her amazing tenacity, vision and openness to show us the messy middle ❤️ Well eorth Following Sarah's instagram 😀

17/05/2026

14/05/2026

The Art of Cut Flower Gardening...its that time again when they garden really gets going and I can start to gift my poseys 🥰

Today's Bouquet Recepie..

1 Stem Purple multi headed Tulip
1 Stem Creamy Double peony Tulip
3 Stems Allium
1 Stem Blue Alkanet (Garden Foraged)
3 Stems Lilac Foliage (Garden Foraged)
3 Stems Ferns (Garden Foraged)

Brown paper, tape, elastic band or twine

Cut long, hydrate in water few hours, assemble, wrap ...and gift to a friend 🥰🥰🥰

12/05/2026

Take one daily...a creation a day keeps the Doctor away 😃 we now know that just as exercise abd eating well helps kerp us healthy, so too does taking time to engage in the Arts (whatever your tipple) 🥰

Today inspired by my trip to our megga crafting store with my daughter. I couldn't resist my Wreath Making itch and bought a few faux Daisies and ferns to create a pretty garland as part of my Art Studio Make over.

As you know i'm a fresh home grown flowery gal but on this occasion recycling my old wicker Wreath base and adding weather proof artificial Blooms means it will last for years and give s wee boost to any visitors 🥰

What Arty health boosting activity could you do today ?

Have a fab day
Fiona
Creative Wellbeing Occupational Therapist
Member .rcot
Finalist

12/05/2026

Summer Art Pop Ups Park, Edinburgh

Outdoor Mindful Sketching session at beautiful Saughton Park

Love Saughton park so full of colour, texture and quiet inspiration. The gardens are alive with delicate petals, sculptural leaves, swaying grasses and vibrant blooms — the perfect place to pause, observe and create.

Our gentle guided Outdoor Mindful Sketch sessions are designed to help you unwind, notice the world around you and enjoy the simple pleasure of sketching outdoors. No experience needed — just a willingness to pause, observe and have a go.

Upcoming Art Pop Ups:
• Friday 5th June — Saughton Park
• Friday 12th June — Lauriston Castle Gardens
• Friday 19th June — Saughton Park

10:00–11:30am
£20 per session — all materials provided.
Suitable for Adults 16yrs+
Dress for the weather conditions.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or returning to creativity after time away, you’ll be warmly welcome. Come find your flow amongst the flowers.

Book online via bio or at:
Sandpiper Arts Website
www.sandpiperarts.co.uk

Fiona
Creative Wellbeing Occupational Therapist
Member .rcot
Finalist
fiona@sandpiperarts.co.uk

SandpiperArts EdinburghWorkshops NatureInspired MindfulCreativity SketchbookPractice CreativeCommunity EdinburghLife

11/05/2026

Blooming Marvelous painting today . Today we took a moment to celebrate the fleeting beauty of gorgeous cherry tree blossom in our Watercolour workshop.

It is such a joy to see everyone step into their flow zone and create unique artworks with openness to trying new techniques 😃 Novelty and curiosity grest ways to boost your wellbeing and connection with others over shared experiences.

Next up..25th May- Abstracts week..a chance to try new textural techniques, go large and free and let your inner Jackson Po***ck out 🥰

Last few spots booking now
www.sandpiperarts.co.uk

Have a fab week everyone see you after my Porto trip 🙃

Fiona
Creative Wellbeing Occupational Therapist
Member .rcot
Finalist