Before we get started on the resources, here’s a gentle reminder for you, flower friend: If you’re deciding whether or not to try something new and find yourself paralyzed by fear, consider the words of our friend Francoise Weeks:

“When the desire to succeed becomes greater than the fear to fail, I move forward.” – Francoise Weeks

Is it time for you to move forward on an idea? You’ll know if it’s time. Take the first brave step. Who knows where it’ll lead.

Now, back to those resources and ideas…here’s what inspired me this week!

No. 1: Flowering with Purpose with Holley Simmons

Maddie Kaye Photography | As seen on HillRag

Holley, owner of She Loves Me,  is a creative genius when it comes to dreaming up ways to make an impact in her community while providing a fun retail experience. Here are two of her recent ideas:

• She taught a flower arranging class for a group of seniors at a local Senior Center and hung around after class to interview the attendees ahead of Valentine’s Day asking them questions like: “Who is your Valentine this year?” and ‘What advice would you give for building a long lasting relationship?”. She recorded the interviews on her phone with a plug-in mic and then released the segment as a reel on Instagram. The segment got so much attention that she ended up releasing a Part 2!
• She teamed up with a local animal rescue non-profit to offer a Puppy Love Delivery. What’s that? It was a flower delivery + visit with a local rescue pup. The families who had adopted the pups from the rescue went along for the flower delivery with their pup in tow. You should have seen the smiles from the Puppy Love Delivery recipients! And 100% of the proceeds from the delivery fee went to rescue more animals through the non-profit she partnered with!

No. 2: Plastic Pin Frogs

Lightbulb League

Tiffany at Ida Mayes Floral Design House recently shared a mechanic she uses in her designs along with some helpful tips for how it works best in her experience. Have you seen plastic pin frogs? I love the metal US-made Floral Genius flower frogs and had honestly never heard of plastic pin frogs. Here are Tiffany’s insights:

• The plastic pin frogs work well for most things (test them before using in final designs)
• The pins are a little shorter than those of metal frogs
• You need a decent amount of putty to hold them to the bottom of a vessel (the suction cups that come with them are not enough for a solid hold)
• She’s used branches in the plastic pin frogs, but usually uses rocks around the base of the branches for added stability
• Plastic pin frogs are light, somewhat transparent in a bowl, reusable, and won’t rust.
• Click here for prices and more info.

No.3: The Tulip Workshop

Redfield Photography

Linda from Little Farmhouse Flowers (New York) and Emily from von Trapp Flowers (Vermont) have been practicing and teaching the art and science of bulb forcing for years. Through their online course, The Tulip Workshop, they teach farmers and growers how to bring tulips to bloom all winter long!

I’m thrilled to see growers harvesting tulips using the skills they learned in The Tulip Workshop! More local flowers year round for the win! Kudos to:

• Annie at Sasseville Florals who sold her tulips to her community and supplied the Colorado Flower Collective, as well.
• The team at Southside Blooms who grew 18,000 tulips at their Englewood facility using The Tulip Workshop method and used them in bouquets designed by youth involved in their nonprofit and sold to their Chicago community!

No. 4: Book Recommendation

FROM A BB COMMUNITY MEMBER

Bold, modern and more than a little bit cheeky, Flower Porn ditches the traditional floral bouquets for designer arrangements that you can recreate at home. Kai Kaimins, founder of East London florist My Lady Garden, shows you how to fill your home or office with eye-catching, Instagram-worthy arrangements.

No. 5: Tevin Drake Art

I was blown away by @draketheartist‘s colored pencil drawing of a Westminster Abbey Rose sent to me by a friend last week. Then I saw his other flower masterpieces. And then, you guessed it, I was hooked and spent half an hour looking at his portraits of people. You’d be hard pressed to distinguish his portraits from a black and white photograph. So inspiring!

If you have a chance, watch some of his IG reels showing the long extraordinary process behind his drawings. Let’s support fellow artists, y’all! His art would make a great gift!

 

 

Want to see more interesting ideas and resources? Click here.