Profitable Valentines Day Preparation

Welcome to the flower school .com video library. I'm Leanne Kesler, Director of the Floral Design Institute. Today I'm here to share with you tips for the dreaded Valentine's Day holiday. It doesn't have to be dreaded. It doesn't have to be horrible. It does take massive organization. 

Creativity, talent, organization, but that's not all. You also need help with exposure, marketing and reaching your audience. For that, our friends at BloomNation are fabulous. They can help you with a website, real estate in the internet world, to let people see all the beautiful things you create. 

Crucial to a successful holiday is working in multiples. Planning ahead and making multiples of the same design is so much more efficient. That doesn't mean you have to be boring. It doesn't mean you have to be cookie cutter. In this design, I'm going to work with an armature. I created these with curly willow, bound it with Bind Wire, and then set it down. This could be done weeks in advance. 

Then another week ahead, maybe start doing some foliages. Pick things that will last a long time. I thought eucalyptus would be perfect because that's on trend, and just start weaving it through the armature. Use different varieties because it makes it more different. I've got silver dollar, and then coming back with spiral. Use a central binding point and fill in until you have three beautiful foliage-nested designs. 

As the holiday gets closer, you take the base designs and go back and add flowers. Maybe it's a green trick carnation. With it being Valentine's, the day of love, of course you need some roses. They don't need to be red. It can be whatever color you love, your customers love, or what's on trend. Maybe some beautiful yellow. 

Look at fillers, acacia is so fragrant. Adding that sensory element, also fabulous. Maybe a little hypericum, but notice I'm using all different types of things to continue this interest and excitement to make it unique, special, and you. 

Last, I go back and add the more delicate flowers, maybe things that I want to show up taller over the top. The micro gerberas, how grand, adding that little touch of red for the Valentine's holiday. Determining a height, giving it a cut, and then just sliding it down through the armature, maybe a little taller than the other blossoms, and all the other stems help hold it in place, which makes it easy for delivery as well because it won't shift around. It won't make you crazy going, "Oh, where does it go?" The armature supports it all. 

Then if you want to add something a little more exotic, maybe a calla lily. Tuck that in. Everything just feeds right through the binding point. 

The beauty of working in multiples is speed and efficiency, but also the flexibility. Then as you make a sale, if they are willing to spend a little more money, you can enhance. Go back, maybe adding in a cymbidium orchid. Just tuck it in a tube and then anchor it down into the design, adding a little bit of Oasis Floral Adhesive or UGlu to lock it in place. Maybe you find a treasure like a butterfly ranunculus, something airy and beautiful. Taking that, and just adding it in, letting it dance over the top so you can personalize each and every arrangement. 

It's time now to be doing this and be getting ready for the holiday. I know, too early. These won't last until Valentine's, but do this now and then take photographs. Do it on a plain background so that you can see the purity of the flowers, perfect for a website. Then try it on a more patterned place. Maybe you have a brick wall, possibly you have a wood panel. Maybe you've got some beautiful fabric. So many different backgrounds you can choose from. Use those for social media. But you want your photo collateral and you want that now so that you can show your customers just how talented you are. 

The Valentine's holiday is one of those that is a true love/hate. It's where you can sell the most flowers, but you're exhausted. But with organization, planning, preparation, it can be so much fun. And with help from our friends at BloomNation, your website can be a huge resource to sell your flowers. For more creative inspiration, check out our website at flowerschool.com. If you've got questions, you can reach me there or by telephone at 503-223-8089. And of course, I'd love to see what you create. Take a picture, post it on social media and tag Floral Design Institute. List your website too. That way we all can see your creativity as you do something you love.