Flower

The Mass Produced Floral Assembly Line (Why Not To Order Mass Produced Flowers For Mother’s Day)

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After graduating from the floral design program at SCROC (Southern California Regional Occupational Center), I pounded the pavement looking for paid work as a floral designer.  You don’t just sashay into a place like My Little Flower Shop and say “I’m here now, show me your centerpieces, teach me your aesthetic and I’ll revolutionize your tablescapes.” You have to pay your dues.  And pay I did.

My first gig was at a big national chain florist, in the run-up towards Valentine’s Day.  The kind with the “official” arrangements available everywhere. The shop I worked at is on a corner best known to hot-dog connossieurs as home to one of LA’s historic hot dog stands.  But my workspace wasn’t street facing.  It wasn’t anything facing.  It was a shipping container. One end was left open, and one side lined with tables.  There were five of us, who stood in the shipping container eight hours a day making “dozen reds” (a dozen red roses with baby’s breath and ferns).  We made them, and then walked them to another shipping container across the alley, filled with shelves.  This started 10 days before Valentine’s, and kept going right through that day. Dozen red after dozen red. Chili-dog smell upon chili-dog smell.

An arrangement for Mom with heart and soul!

When one of our My Little Flower Shop arrangements arrives somewhere, the recipient can see that we are passionate about what we do.  When a girl got a “dozen red” that had been wilting in a shipping containers for 8 days, what do you think she saw?  I haven’t gotten a chance to drive by and check, but I bet dollars to donuts that a shipping conatiner full of underemployed, depressed designers is out there knocking out “Mom Bokays.”  Is that what you want dropped off at your Mom’s house?  Didn’t think so.

So skip the cookie-cutter ProFlowers, FTD, Teleflora nonsense.  Go with a real business who will make a real, unique arrangement with real feeling.  And who would never put a designer in a shipping container.

Live well, and love well.

Dinah

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Wanna see a picture of my wedding? I’ll show you my centerpieces…

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My husband and I will have been married two years in October.  And in many ways, we do still act like newlyweds.  In particular, I want to show anyone and everyone our wedding pictures.  Lucky for me, I write a wedding blog for My Little Flower Shop,  and have been able to splash them all over the place- including blog posts, and a whole Pinterest board all our own.  (And like any newlywed would, I check constantly to see if anyone has ‘liked’ or ‘repinned’ anything). We visited old friends of Stephen’s in Virginia* last week, and some were not able to make the wedding.  I eagerly awaited the moment I get to whip out the iPad and show off our very gorgeous day, brought to us by our parents, and My Little Flower Shop. I got to go back to those days after the wedding when ooohing and aahing was more frequent.  It was delicious.

Looking to oooh and aaah over your own pics again? Shutterfly is running a special on photobooks- 40% off, but only through tomorrow. Use the discount code: BOOK40.

Be well, and love well.

Dinah

* I am not one to send destination brides anywhere but Palm Springs. BUT: Virginia in April is positively heavenly, and an ideal option for East Coast getaway wedding seekers. More on the beautiful venues I visited in upcoming blogs.

A tablescape- each table featured three arrangements
one of our favorite shots
Cymbidium orchids and seeded eucalyptus, dramatically lit by a pin spot
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Gerbera Daisy Crazy! Centerpiece, Bouquet, Invite Daisies To Your Wedding!

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Wedding magazines are full of breathtakingly beautiful flower arrangement photos. Bouquets good enough to eat. And they are, actually. Though stunning, for the price of one of those arrangements, you could feed a family of five for a week.

The magazines sometimes just aren’t in touch with reality when it comes to the fact that there are brides on budgets out there.  And while the trend of all baby’s breath arrangements is very “couture” in the eye of some beholders, it causes allergic sneezing in the noses of others. Besides, there’s no color there whatsoever. What’s a bride to do for centerpieces?

Enter the Gerbera Daisy.  Also known as the Gerber Daisy, these sweet and bright flowers exude sunshine. They come in a wide range of colors, and are reasonably priced.  Don’t be fooled by a florist who tells you they are too casual, Gerberas can be as elegant as you want them to be. Uses abound! The heads are sculptural, and look great in floating centerpieces with candles. The stems are sturdy so they can stand tall. They line up like little soldiers, or can be shaped into soft groupings. All sorts of options for wonderful wedding centerpieces with Gerber daisies.

So get to it! Go crazy with Daisies!

 

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