I had a great weekend in Wichita, Kansas. However, I was delayed for hours both going into KS and returning home to GA. Storms rolling through the southeast had our planes grounded. Guess I should have clicked the red shoes I was wearing three times. It worked for Dorothy!
I presented a holiday design program at Valley Floral Wholesale on behalf of Teleflora. Suzie Kostick, editor of Flora Magazine and I were the guest speakers for the presentation. I presented designs arranged from permanent botanicals (silk and dried materials) and Suzie designed arrangements using fresh floral product. We shared a great audience and were available to them for questions. Jerry and Kelly have a great staff to work with. Kerry Sallabedra AIFD, their design director does a fantastic job organizing their design events – including the recent wedding of their youngest daughter. Gorgeous! Ask to see their photos….
For the design event, local designers were offered the opportunity to participate in a Valley Idol contest. I have attached a few photos of some of the entries. One segment of the contest was designing a wreath, and another area of competition was creating an arrangement in a cornucopia. I left for the airport before the winners were announced.
With the autumn season approaching it’s a good time to think of late summer / early fall flowers that we can enjoy in our homes. Luckily, many flowers whose color and texture reflect the season are long-lasting ones as well. Here is an idea for a quick DIY arrangement that you can enjoy for table for a ‘late summer supper’.
Drop by your local florist and select some stems of lilies in orange or yellow as your form flower. This gives body or form to your design. Choose some tall grasses, cattails, or curly willow tips for height, creating the line of your arrangement. If you want to add mass to your form you can add a few stems of small flowers like miniature mums or fall leaves as filler. Ask to purchase a small amount of fresh flower food to add to your vase. Re-use a clear glass vase from home, choose a mason jar, or even use a glass pitcher. Gently place river rocks or polished stones in the bottom of the container. Fill it with 4 or 5 inches of lukewarm water and add the flower food. Strip the foliage from each stem that would fall below the water line to prevent a build-up of bacteria. Re-cut each flower stem with a sharp, slant cut for better water absorption, before placing it in the vase of fresh water.
View these cornucopia photos from the Valley Idol contest to get other ideas of color combinations and flower selection. Ask your florist to make suggestions of flowers you can enjoy using at home. Create. Design. Enjoy!
Celebrate life with flowers!
Sharon
Flower-Savvy Design Tips 