It seems to me the beginning of a New Year would be an appropriate time to highlight my accomplishments, and more importantly, to thank the people responsible for my success.
~ July 2009: I was thrilled to be selected as one of twelve "finalists/semi-finalists" for the position of Chief Flower Designer at the White House.
~ August 2009: I traveled to Europe for my friend's wedding, and to take a flower design course at the Judith Blacklock Flower School in Knightsbridge, London. It was absolutely charming!
Everywhere I went, I learned about European flower design. So...o different from the flower designs here. In Switzerland, my friend took the simplest, yet most beautiful, hand-tied bouquet as a hostess gift for a late-night dinner in Geneve. Unlike any hand-tied bouquet I have seen, it was encased in a metal holder. I went to 3 florists in Lausanne, and was unable to find one. Here, it's impossible. I haven't even seen anything close. The hotel was beautifully decorated with, believe it or not, sunflowers! I peeked to see how they were secured. In London, I had the pleasure of taking Judith's course, sampling delicious chocolates, and seeing Tower Bridge open late @ night!
~ October 2009:
I was the only flower designer to participate in Great Falls Studio "Studio Tour." Five of us were at the Great Falls library. It was a memorable experience for me, as the other four artists were wonderful to me! In addition, I had incredible support & help from my parents and my husband!
I created a pair of silk flower designs for Prima Hair & Day Spa in McLean, Virginia. The flower designs sit at the entrance of the salon!
~ November 2009:
One of the four Great Falls Studio artists commissioned 3 flower designs, as Thanksgiving gifts for 3 of her closest friends. Each was an exclusive, limited-edition, custom-made design, hand-delivered by the designer (Me!) with a hand-made card. It generated so...o much excitement from the recipients... A new concept was born!
~ December 2009:
The 1st snowfall of the year is always on my niece's birthday. This year was no exception. I delivered her birthday card & a hug, and as I was leaving, my sister asked whether I could create a hand-tied bouquet as a hostess gift the following Saturday. I was thrilled!!!! I gathered together vases, flowers, supplies, and books, but in the end, I think I knew what I wanted to do all along. As I took the curly willow & bent it into an armature, I knew I had the design I wanted.
While I spent several more hours refining the design, in the end, I knew what I wanted it to look like from the beginning. An armature of curly willow with red gloriosa lilies tumbling out, and a purple vanda orchid as a focal point. This is not to say I did not run into technical issues. How to give the gloriossa lilies a water source w/o using stem bottles. Impossible!
But, the design was a success, and my sister and brother-in-law commissioned 7 more, as holiday gifts. Apparently, they all got "rave reviews."
~ January 2010:
I finished the final 2 designs for my sister and brother-in-law, created this design for my mom's birthday (commissioned by my Dad), and another one (commissioned by my Mom) the next day, as a hostess gift for a close family friend.4 designs in 1 week!
On Tuesday, January 12th, I gave a little demo for a Great Falls garden club on "forcing" branches that I cut from my garden. A little difficult to cut dogwood, forsythia, and pear amidst the bitter cold & the snow/ice, but I decorated the bare branches w/orchids (tumbling out of the branches like the gloriosa lilies), put on a slideshow of my flower designs... and, it was a success!
Thank you to everyone who has made all of this possible! Stay tuned for additional images.
