Watch as Kelly Perry of Team Flower uses three materials to create a little extra magic for the bride and groom on their special day. Notice how quickly something sweet and elegant can be fashioned, and how little stress and skill it requires. Now, go grab your wire and your ribbon and forage a flexible vine to make one on your own!
In this episode, we are discussing everything destination weddings! Alicia of Bows & Arrows Flowers is sharing the story of how the company became known for destination weddings, and how they have strategically and continually moved their business in that direction. We’re talking about the obstacles they’ve overcome, sourcing flowers internationally, and helpful tips on being a successful destination floral designer.
We had a seemingly thriving business, but we were approaching burnout. After a while, each time I dropped off an order, I had a sinking feeling that the wholesale stem prices we were getting just weren’t enough to justify the amount of hard work, expense, and time we had put into growing them. It was time to re-evaluate our business model.
We need to be an everyday philanthropist in our local communities and world. One step at a time, we can accomplish big things. Teamwork makes a difference.
In this video, Kelly begins a creatively inspired design made from ingredients from her garden. While she is purposefully designing something unique and professional, she is allowing herself freedom in expression - both in design and in color - as she chooses her ingredients and places each bloom.
This creative journey began with delicious ice cream and sweet smiles in a cozy living room in Boone. The group of 7 ladies entered into a two-day bouquet designing spree with open hearts and laughter. They encouraged and challenged one another creatively, and they found great delight in one another's company. During the two days of the workshop, attendees created every style of bouquets: round, cascade, garden, hand-tied, pageant, etc. Their individual personalities shone beautifully as they arranged the farm-grown flowers into uniquely designed bouquets that any bride would be lucky to hold on their wedding day!
In this video you'll hear how Kelly approaches bridesmaid bouquets. Typically, the bridesmaid bouquet is a scaled back, smaller version of the bride’s more intricate bouquet. While often times the bridesmaid bouquet uses many of the same ingredients as the bridal bouquet, there are instances where the bridesmaids only utilize greenery so that the bride’s flowers pop even more. Ultimately, that decision is up to you - the designer!
In this episode of the Team Flower Podcast, we are joined by floral designer and mother, Myca Sturtevant of Whirly Girl Flowers. Myca is sharing her heart behind her designs and the obstacles she faced moving her business from a big city to a small town.
Arranging flowers can be a very methodical process. There’s a wonderful rhythm to it. You can develop muscle memory and go extremely quickly with excellent results. As a wedding florist, it’s an important part of the profit margin process. But to cultivate creativity…I think that might be different…slower…Today I’m sharing three ways you can cultivate creativity in your life.
As flower people, we are always on the lookout for fabulous containers to showcase our designs. Accent Decor is one of the leading companies in creating and providing compotes, urns, votives, and more for all of us in the floral industry. They've been kind enough to share their favorites with us! Take a look at what's hot at Accent Decor.
This clip offers a sneak peek into the Team Flower How to Photograph Flowers Class. Heather Payne of Heather Payne Photography takes you behind the scenes when choosing a backdrop for photographing a flower arrangement. You’ll learn about using a simple paper backdrop, and how choosing various colors brings out the colors of the flowers in the design. Heather and Kelly discuss lighting, reflectors, and diffusers. Watch to receive tips on how you can take a simple yet great quality iPhone photo.
Lauren Wiebe of Stone House Creative joins us on this episode of the Team Flower Podcast. Lauren began working in the wedding industry for a bridal magazine and then moved into wedding coordinator position for a local flower shop. She started Stone House Creative in 2014 after attending the first Team Flower Workshop, and her business has grown exponentially ever since! Lauren launched her sister company, Stone House Consulting, this year where she works with creatives in the wedding industry to help them grow their businesses and reach their ideal clientele.
Companion planting for soil health and crop vigor has been done for centuries, and in the age of high producing monoculture farms, the basics of companion planting seem to have fallen by the wayside. However, just a few carefully chosen plantings can make a big difference in your cut flower garden. Companion planting is generally done for two reasons: pest control and soil health. In this article, I am going to share with you the amazing ability of flowers to improve nitrogen availability, decrease nematode destruction, and that dandelions should be your new favorite weed.
The ladies that attended the Team Flower Workshop in July were in for a shock when that sweet mountain breeze turned into a flat out wind, and the temperature didn't rise above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Sweaters were shared, blankets became an essential clothing item, and the sunshine was sought out at all costs! The weather didn't stop the attendees from learning and creating beautiful arrangements full of color and farm-fresh flowers. May their work be a breath of refreshing mountain air in your dry and arid spaces.
In this video we are going to make a late summer, three-level bouquet! Watch to see how Kelly implements design principles with each layer in the arrangement.
As you work through this exercise, you will develop a sensitivity to sense the profound effects of the presence of negative space. Will you be drawn to it in your first arrangement? Like the way it appears? Maybe not and that's normal. Keep at it. New things can take a little time to adjust to.
I believe in the importance of finding the deeper colors and hidden rooms of your soul. One of the reasons why I fell in love with floral design is that it creates space for just that kind of work. It is kinesthetic, engaging your body with your mind and your senses. And because it is creative, it reveals preferences and beliefs you hold subconsciously and puts them on display in the piece you design.
In this video, Kelly shares the story behind her own design philosophy and challenges us to find our own flower story. Something inside all of us drives how we design, and ultimately determines the message that we send when we share our love of flowers with others.
On this episode of the Team Flower Podcast, we are joined by Lou and Andrea Gagnon of LynnVale Studios. Lou and Andrea are sharing their roles on the farm, and how they play into their strengths to run the farm with excellence. Lou is talking about his passion for art, how he uses it to teach others, and the importance of looking at your work objectively and exercising imagination. Andrea is diving into the obstacles she faces as a grower, - both external and internal - and how she’s overcoming them. Whether you’re here to be encouraged in your farming process or to be challenged as a designer, you’ll find it all and more right here on the Team Flower Podcast.
“It’s ok to grow while others are blooming.” I don’t know if Kelly Perry knew just how much I needed to hear those words when she shared them at the Team Flower Conference in March. For me, the message was two-fold: part invitation to trust that we each grow and flourish at different rates and part cautionary reminder to beware of the slippery slope of comparison.
