Last week I shared my philosophy on preparing for AIFD testing. Since then, I've received calls and e-mails asking "What makes a floral arrangement easy to evaluate when testing at the PFDE?"
How do you prepare for the AIFD testing? Great question! Let's start by going to the source. This link will give you the full details on testing. If ever in doubt, refer back to the web site. Everything you need to know is there.
Yellow Floral Sunshine - Nothing says "Spring" like a fabulous bouquet of vivid yellow flowers! From romantic garden roses to dramatic craspedia to luscious ranunculas....yellow flowers are the best.
Valentine's Day Roses - Emergency Care Tips.
You received the most wonderful bouquet red roses for Valentine’s Day. This morning you notice that the blossom heads are starting to droop. Don’t panic. A few simple steps will correct this problem.
Fabulous Garden Roses - Fragrant and fabulous, garden roses are a favorite of the contemporary bride. The lush petals opening into a full rounded bloom are softly romantic.
The 2013 Wedding Show season is here. Oddly enough, the show season for 2012 is just barely over. What was a winter to spring event has expanded to fill the year. Deep breath...time to do it again.
Lifestyle Business - I often hear, "Floral design is a lifestyle business". Just what does that mean? Is the term positive or negative? What lifestyle are we talking about? ? With a bit of research, I have to concur, floral design is a lifestyle business
I love Christmas...more and more each year. Of course, I love most any occasion that calls for flowers and decorations. That said, I guess you could say I love life since most every day demands flowers in my world.
Social Media for the Florist - Web site, Blog, Face book, Twitter, You tube, Pinterest... How do you keep up? What do you need? Why do you even care? Take a deep breath and pay attention. Social media is a fabulous tool for the creative floral business.
Wholesale Flower Buying - Where do you get your flowers and enhancing supplies? That is the question I hear over and over again. As a professional florist, it is one of the most important aspects of the job...knowing the best sources
Beachside Wedding - The life of a florist is never boring…a tad chaotic, but never boring. Recently, I had the grand opportunity of doing a destination wedding in Baja, Mexico in a small town outside of Cabo San Lucas.
Autumn Color Trends - The first day of autumn officially falls on September 22nd. In the flower world, autumn has been happening for weeks already. Mother Nature (with a little help from the farmers) provides such fabulous materials for the professional florist. Flowers, pods, cones, berries and leaves with so many textures and colors.
Back to School - Back to school...these three little words are packed with emotions.
AIFD Symposium - Attending the AIFD Symposium is an annual "must attend" event on my calendar. As I put together my schedule and my budget, it is one of the first things I plan for.
Flower School Success - I recently received the greatest compliment ever. It was told to me but....it was not my compliment. It is truly directed to the fabulous students and staff of the Floral Design Institute...
Preparing for a Filming Day - Making a video to share with you all is grand fun...and a lot of work! I'm often asked, "What's it like behind the scenes?" Those close enough to the Portland Creative Center are welcome to stop by.
Peterkort Tour - Do you ever wonder where your flowers come from and how they get to you? So often, we take for granted the beautiful blooms and forget that there is a lot of hard work involved in getting the perfect rose from bud to full mature bloom.
Mother's Day - Florists are entering the home stretch. The final week of the spring holiday season is here. For many florists, this will be the busiest week of the entire year. If the sales trends continue as they have for 2012, this could be the biggest Mother's Day holiday in years!
A Wonderful Career - 2012 is proving to be quite a wonderful year for those of us in the flower business. At last, we are returning to better sales days. Looking back, the improving trend began in 2011. Thanksgiving and Christmas both brought increased sales to most florists. What a wonderful way to end the year!
Put On Your Happiness - "You must wake up every morning and choose to be happy. You gotta put on happiness like you put on your clothes." This from 14-year-old Khadim Diop. What wise words from a young soul. It sounds so easy but, we all know it takes effort to be happy. Often I hear, "If only...... then, I would be happy." Why wait? Let's choose happiness now!
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