Category Archives: Botanical Couture

What’s coming up during American Flowers Week

25 Thursday Jun 2020

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2020, Botanical Couture, Botanical Installations, Floral Design, News & Events, Promotional Ideas, Slow Flowers Summit

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We have live and virtual events, installations, interviews and demonstrations for you to enjoy!

For the sixth annual American Flowers Week, we have all sorts of free programming to share with you. Here’s a quick recap of what’s to come, beginning with Day One, Sunday, June 28th. Check the Calendar Tab in the menu above, and follow #americanflowersweek for more news and inspiration in real time!

DAY ONE: Sunday, June 28th

Kim Herning of Northern Lights Peonies

Join our Facebook LIVE interview with Kim Herning of Northern Lights Peonies in Fairbanks, Alaska, creator of one of our American Flowers Week botanical couture looks for 2020!

Join Debra Prinzing on the Slow Flowers Facebook Page during her LIVE interview to meet Kim, see her flowers, her peony fields, and more.

Kim will also share the incredible mechanics that she employed to design a peony frock with thousands of her stems.

Save the Date! We’ll announce the time to join us soon. We will also share the playback video of the interview.

DAY TWO: Monday, June 29th

Virtual tour and visit to Filoli Historic House & Garden, site of Slow Flowers Summit 2021

Join our Instagram LIVE tour of Filoli Historic House & Garden and enjoy a floral design demonstration from the Filoli Cutting Garden.

Emily Saeger and Niesha Blancas

Slow Flowers social media manager Niesha Blancas of Fetching Social will be LIVE at Filoli, location of our upcoming Slow Flowers Summit, rescheduled for June 28-30, 2021. Her special guest is Emily Saeger, Filoli’s lead horticulturist and manager of the cutting garden.

We can’t be at Filoli in person next week, but thanks to Niesha and Emily, you’ll get a flavor of what’s in store for next year’s Slow Flowers Summit.

Emily has promised to design an arrangement on the live-stream, showing us the amazing selection of flowers, foliages, herbs and other botanical ingredients that flourish at Filoli.

Save the Date! We’ll announce the time to join us soon. We will also share the playback video of the interview.

DAY THREE: Tuesday, June 30th (1 p.m. Pacific)

Join Debra Prinzing on a Facebook LIVE interview with Slow Flowers member Tammy Myers, of LORA Bloom, an online platform for local floral delivery with an eco-friendly mission. 

Learn how Tammy and several of the florists involved in LORA Bloom have created buzz around their studios and shops with an American Flowers Week Sale.

A portion of the sale of their beautiful summer arrangements will go directly to @solid_ground_wa in Seattle. Solid Ground works to end poverty and undo racism and other oppressions that are root causes of poverty.

Debra has invited Tammy and the Slow Flowers florists in the LORA Bloom network to join her on a Zoom conversation that will stream live to the Slow Flowers Facebook Page. See their floral arrangements and hear their stories!

Save the Date! We’ll announce the time to join us soon. We will also share the playback video of the interview.

DAY FOUR: Wednesday, July 1st

Join Debra Prinzing on an Instagram LIVE interview with Kelly Shore of Petals by the Shore and The Floral Source, as they “unpack” the special American Grown at Home Box that Kelly has curated for American Flowers Week.

For American Flowers Week 2020, Kelly’s special Red-White-And-Blue Floral Box features an assortment of blooms and foliage from CamFlor and also red charm peonies from Alaska Perfect Peony. 

Kelly and Debra will connect in IG Live to open their floral boxes and talk about the varieties of US-grown blooms. After the big reveal, they will take a break to design with the stems . . . and then return later in the day to show each other (and YOU) what they have created with these beautiful flowers.

Save the Date! We’ll announce the time to join us soon. We will also share the playback video of the interview.

DAY FIVE: Thursday, July 2nd

We’ll be following along with Detroit botanical artist, Lisa Waud, as she creates the final floral installation in her six-week series “Big Flower Friend.”

Slow Flowers is sponsoring this final, July 2nd installation for American Flowers Week, in support of Lisa’s artistic endeavor to promote Michigan flower farms and raise awareness in her community around racial justice.

Lisa has promised to give us a behind-the-scenes peek at her beautiful installation, which we will share via Instagram.

Save the Date! We’ll announce the time to join us soon. We will also share the playback video of the interview.

MORE TO COME: We’ll be posting more details soon. If you have an installation or event, please be sure to list it in our Calendar via this link:

American Flowers Week at the grocery store

16 Tuesday Jun 2020

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2019, American Flowers Week 2020, Botanical Couture, Floral Design, Promotional Ideas

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Flowers at Town & Country Market on Bainbridge Island, Washington (c) Grace Hensley

Town & Country Markets, a six-location chain of neighborhood grocery stores in the greater Seattle area, has been one of our most consistent partners for celebrating American Flowers Week each year.

Led by Melanie Cherry, floral category manager, each floral department across the company put their personal spin on decorations and displays, all with the goal of driving sales and engaging shoppers who are inspired by local, Washington-grown flowers.

The flower & garden department at T&C’s Central Market Poulsbo

Here is how two of the floral managers created buzz and excitement in 2019. We asked Grace Hensley, a local photographer, blogger and container design expert to stop by and capture these photos at T & C’s Central Market Poulsbo and at Town & Country Bainbridge Island. Kudos to each manager, who I’ll mention below. Can’t wait to see what they create for 2020!

T&C used photography from one of Slow Flowers’ American Flowers Week botanical fashions to create in-store signage. The dahlia quilt was designed by Tammy Myers of LORA Bloom and photographed by Missy Palacol.

Josh Hessler, floral department manager at Central Market Poulsbo, shares this background:

At Poulsbo, we got excited about British Flowers last year and the floral couture gowns and dresses we saw during that time in the weeks earlier in preparation for American flowers week. Our thought was to do something similar for American flowers week while highlighting our local flowers from the Northwest. As we began to dig into our various ideas we honed our ideas down to two main thoughts:

A flag-inspired apron worn by a mannequin, with cheery sunflowers peeking from the pockets at Central Market Poulsbo

The first was summer-Americana, including the flag, and some red, white, blue themes along with bright sunflowers and other pops of color.

Floral-decor on summer garden hats, as part of the American Flowers Week displays.

The second was to create some hats with flower-craftiness creating some creative pops of floral high fashion on our display.

The result was a display that was fun to create and highlighted our regional and hyper-local flower offerings! Customers loved the end results as well.

Americana accessories to highlight locally-grown blooms.

Many offers to buy the floral hats, and the American flag apron (worn by one of the mannequins) came in even though we weren’t offering them for sale! This interest led us later in the summer to offer a free interactive clinic on flower crown crafting for customers, which was a tremendous hit and is still ask for regularly!

The T-shirt reads: “Bikes & Beer & Beaches & Bainbridge.” It pairs beautifully with a leather jacket and a charming floral skirt at T&C Market on Bainbridge Island (Washington).

Sarah Swalley, floral department manager at Town & Country Market – Bainbridge Island, and her team put the flavor of island living into their displays:

The fabulous floral fashion look (left); manager Sarah Swalley (right), at the floral design counter.

The department displays featured a vintage-inspired bicycle, decorated with local flowers, and a mannequin dressed in a popular local T-shirt.

The floral department greets shoppers who enter T&C Markets on Bainbridge Island, Washington, during American Flowers Week.

Customers selected from lush, seasonal hand-tied bouquets, wrapped in kraft paper with the American Flowers Week bouquet label.

Here are some other inspiring design ideas from these talented floral teams:

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND:

POULSBO

Order Your American Flowers Week Bouquet Labels Here. Labels are a Slow Flowers member benefit.

Unveiling the American Flowers Week 2020 “Botanical Couture Collection”

26 Tuesday May 2020

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2020, Botanical Couture, Floral Design, Promotional Ideas

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BACK TO NATURE
Five designers showcase botanical couture in a collection celebrating the sixth annual American Flowers Week

Now, more than ever, florists have an important story to share with their community and customers. It’s all about connecting more deeply with the mindful floral consumer, ones asking how their purchases support sustainable values.

Adaptable and resilient floral entrepreneurs are returning to basics, especially during the uncertain time caused by stay-at-home and no-contact policies. They are pivoting to what’s “essential” and engaging with their customers more transparently than ever before.

It matters that we connect consumers with their flowers in new and thought-provoking ways. It matters a lot. How we communicate makes a difference between whether flowers are viewed as relevant and essential or whether they are dispensable and unnecessary.

In its sixth year, a social media campaign like American Flowers Week (June 28-July 4) is one important tool that returns the floral marketplace to its roots.

At its heart, American Flowers Week focuses on the origin of each beautiful stem, where it comes from and who is the grower behind that bloom. The campaign also shines a light on floral design, promoting domestic flowers and foliage as a desired product category, inspiring professionals and consumers alike with a new aesthetic connected to locality, seasonality and sustainability.

Orchid opulence representing the state of Hawaii, designed by Alison Grace Higgins of Grace Flowers Hawaii for American Flowers Week, as featured on the cover of Florists’ Review

Our media partner Florists’ Review published the collection in its June 2020 issue, released to subscribers on May 25th. Designed by members of the Slow Flowers Society, the 2020 botanical couture collection for American Flowers Week presents cut flowers re-imagined as a wearable art. These floral fashions combine fantasy with reality, imagination with technique, inventiveness with grit. Flowers are fleeting, yet sensory and evocative, inviting us to view the natural world as a true art form. American Flowers Week captures imaginations and sparks curiosity. It is a true celebration of the artists who grow flowers and the artists who design with them.

Click here to read the online article. Let’s congratulate the five creatives — florists, farmer-florists and growers — for their beautiful and engaging take on America’s iconic blooms.

ALASKA Peony Princess

Kim Herning of Northern Lights Peonies, based in Fairbanks, Alaska, returns to share her second couture look expressing the unique character and beauty of the peonies she grows. “Creating the dress was like ‘play day’ for adults,” she says. “The kind of enthusiasm we all felt generated so much energy and laughter, second only to seeing my fields in bloom.” There is a fairy-tale quality to the styling and the setting that evokes an imaginary storyline of old.

FLORAL SOURCE: Northern Lights Peonies, @northernlightspeonies

CREATIVE CREDITS
Design: Kim Herning, Northern Lights Peonies
Models: Kendra Underwood and Andrea Reisdorf
Hair and Make-Up: Kendra Underwood and Andrea Reisdorf
Photography: Claire Granger and Kristina Mulready

HAWAII Orchid Opulence

In 2018, Alison Grace Higgins of Grace Flowers Hawaii in Honokaa, Hawaii, and her team created stunning male and female garments for American Flowers Week to highlight the vibrant diversity of Hawaii-grown flowers and foliages. For 2020, the designer chose a quieter botanical palette of all white petals. Her look is highly feminine, reflecting the deep attachment between Hawaii’s landscapes and orchid breeding and production. “We often use dendrobium orchids for lei-making but also for petal scatters instead of roses, because they are local,” Alison says. “I don’t know what I did wrong with the math, but this dress happened because I over-ordered for an event by tens of thousands of stems of dendrobium blossom heads”.

FLORAL SOURCE: ACK Flowers LLC, Papaikou, Hawaii

CREATIVE CREDITS
Design: Alison Higgins, Grace Flowers Hawaii, graceflowershawaii.com, @graceflowershawaii
Dress styling: Kamaehu Duldulao, Grace Flowers Hawaii
Dress construction: Alison Higgins and Jade Woolford, Grace Flowers Hawaii
Bouquet: Nicole Cordier Wahlquist, Grace Flowers Hawaii
Model: Jasmine Kume Amari
Makeup: Kali Rose
Venue: G.B. Hajim’s Farm, Birdsong
Photography: Sarah Anderson

MAINE Petal Patterns

The prolific trial gardens and flower fields of Johnny’s Selected Seeds in Albion, Maine, a location for an American Flowers Week look in 2019 have inspired a new guest designer for 2020. “Having the opportunity to host a floral fashion designer has been a true highlight for the JSS team,” says Hillary Alger, product manager for herbs and flowers. “To pause from the busy work of trials and catalog production to participate in something so out of the ordinary stretches our brains in really fun ways.”
Designer Michelle Rech of Electric Flora, based in Portland, is a studio florist known for her avant garde style and custom art pieces. She eagerly partnered with Johnny’s Seeds, where she felt like a “kid in a candy store,” thanks to the abundance of late-summer blooms being evaluated for future seasons’ seed catalogs. “I was literally in a daze of happiness for months after creating this dress,” she says.
“Michelle gets full credit for designing and constructing the dress,” Hillary continues. “Our team, including Joy Longfellow and photographer Kristen Earley, get to play as art directors, dreaming backdrops and props. We wanted to compliment Michelle’s vision of playful, bright and modern, while using the research farm as the setting.”

FLORAL SOURCE: Johnny’s Selected Seeds, Flower trials

CREATIVE CREDITS
Design: Michelle Rech, Electric Flora, electricflora.net, @electricflora
Model: Kristina Alofaituli Hair: Kristina Alofaituli
Makeup: Michelle Rech
Photography: Kristen Earley, Johnny’s Selected Seeds

SOUTH DAKOTA A Prairie Gathering

A first for the American Flowers Week botanical couture series, with a new state and a new look: A prairie-inspired creation from Moníca Pugh of Floras & Bouquets LLC, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A farmer-florist, Moníca also teaches floral design through the local school district and she is a regular floral guest appearing on local television. “Flower farming is new to South Dakota,” Monica says. “I’m really hoping that (my participation in) American Flowers week will help get the word out about what’s happening with local flowers.”

FLORAL SOURCE: Floras & Bouquets LLC

CREATIVE CREDITS
Design: Moníca Pugh, Floras & Bouquets LLC, florasandbouquets.com, @florasandbouquets
Model: Echo Bettelyoun
Hair and Makeup: Echo Bettelyoun
Photography: Patty Solis Rivero

WASHINGTON Designer Dahlias

Sarah Pabody of Triple Wren Farms lives and breathes dahlias at the farm she operates with her husband Steve Pabody in the Northwest corner of Washington State. As a farmer-florist, she also runs Triple Wren Weddings, a wedding and event design studio. After seeing how popular the farm’s dahlia fields were with local photographers and their portrait clients, Sarah fantasized about what it would look like if the people having their photos taken wore dahlias rather than only standing among the flowers. Her idea took hold and now Sarah teaches Dahlia Dress Master Classes for designers and floral enthusiasts who want to create, wear and be photographed in dahlia couture (details at triplewrenfarms.com). Beyond fantasy, the garments are thoroughly alluring, but also accessible, prompting others to imagine themselves wearing a dahlia dress of her own.

FLORAL SOURCE: Triple Wren Farms, triplewrenfarms.com, @triplewrenfarms

CREATIVE CREDITS
Floral design: Sarah Pabody, Triple Wren Weddings
APRICOT FROCK
Model: Taylour Aarons
Hair and Makeup: Beauty by Elizabeth Marie
Photography: Katherine Buttrey
TRIO OF DAHLIA GOWNS
Models: Simcha Heiser, Aspen DeGolier and
Taylor Moncrieff
Hair and Makeup: Beauty by Elizabeth Marie, Crowns
of Gold Styling, Kenna Balvanz, Brooklyn Matthysse
and Kennedy Lee
Photography: Ashley Hayes and Sarah Joy Fields
GIRL’S DRESS
Model: Chloe Wren Pabody
Photography: Abigail Larsen

AMERICAN FLOWERS WEEK 2020
Here’s how you can participate!

American Flowers Week takes place June 28-July 4 and you’re invited to join in the campaign! Here are some resources for you:

Download our American Flowers Week Logo and Branding Artwork for 2020 by artist Tamara Hough

Download and post one or more Social Media Badges featuring the botanical couture you see here

Down load and print our free coloring sheets, including the USA Map and all 50 official state flowers

Photograph and share your flowers — red, white & blue is recommended. Use the tag: #americanflowersweek when you post on IG, Facebook or Twitter. We’d love to see your American-grown flowers, fields, vases and tabletops.

Remembering the Sunflower Gown with floral artist Amy Ly

11 Monday May 2020

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2017, Botanical Couture, Floral Design

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Note: Amy Ly (formerly Amy Kunkel-Patterson) of Gather Design Co. in Seattle created the unforgettable SUNFLOWER GOWN for American Flowers Week in 2017. She recently posted about how she produced this exquisite floral garment, along with her recipe and techniques. Here is an excerpt and link to her full post and the full gallery of Anna Peters’ beautiful images.

Amy Ly's Sunflower Gown
From the 2017 American Flowers Week Botanical Couture collection, our first wearable floral fashion series. Designed by Amy Ly (c) Anna Peters

The Sunflower Gown

I am the kind of person who always says yes to an outlandish idea, even before I know how I might make it happen. This dress came from one of those conversations, that went something like this:

Debra: I am starting to think about images to promote American Flowers Week 2017.

Amy: Oh, that’s exciting! What do you have in mind?

Debra: Well, I am wanting something really bold. I’d love to take what Susan McCleary did last year with botanical fashion and commission a designer to create something even bigger, like a whole dress made out of sunflowers. I want it to feel like classic Americana, but with a high end design.

Amy: Great, I’ll do it.

Debra: Wait, are you serious? Do you know how to create a dress out of flowers?

Amy: Not yet, but I will soon!

Amy Ly's sunflower gown
Kelly Uhlig of Sonshine Farm, herself a young flower farmer, modeled the dress. It was photographed by Anna Peters at Everyday Flowers, Vivan Larson’s flower farm in Stanwood, Washington

From this initial conversation in mid-August, we compared calendars and talked to the Seattle Wholesale Grower’s Market about when sunflowers would be at their peak, settling on a day in early September. Debra graciously let me choose the photographer for the project, and Anna Peters was the first person I called. I could tell she was skeptical when I explained the idea of a dress made out of sunflowers (I fear she was picturing something like this), but we’d worked together before and she trusted my idea and agreed.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF AMY’S STORY . . .

Amy (right) as she attended to finishing details of the magnificent sunflower gown (c) Anna Peters
Kelly looks divine in the botanical couture ensemble featuring sunflowers and other late-summer blooms from the farms of Seattle Wholesale Growers Market. Makeup by Yessie Libby (c) Anna Peters

Amy’s post concludes with this:

Special thanks to the talented artists that lent their creativity to this one of a kind project!

Model: Kelly Uhlig of Sonshine Farm | Hair & Makeup: Yessie Makeup Artistry | Photography:  Anna Peters | Shoot Location: Everyday Flowers, Stanwood, WA

This shoot was featured as part of American Flowers Week – you can read more of the story behind the gown in an interview with Amy, here.

American Flowers Week 2017, celebrating floral art, American-grown flowers and foliage, and the importance of domestic floral agriculture (c) Anna Peters

Meet our Designers for American Flowers Week 2020

06 Wednesday May 2020

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2020, Botanical Couture, Floral Design, Resources for Farmers & Florists

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For the fifth consecutive year, our Slow Flowers Botanical Couture Collection will feature creativity and fashion with American-grown flowers and foliages — all to celebrate American Flowers Week!

You’ll soon be the first to see our AFW 2020 Botanical Fashion Collection, created over the past year by a talented lineup of Slow Flowers Members around the U.S.

The series will first appear in the June 2020 issue of Florists’ Review, followed by many other platforms and channels. In fact, we’ll soon share American Flowers Week badges for you to download free and use in your own promotion and branding.

Until then, help us thank, congratulate and celebrate our Featured Designers:

ALASKA

Kim Herning of Northern Lights Peonies

Kim Herning of Northern Lights Peonies returns to share her second couture look for American Flowers Week, expressing the unique character and beauty of the peonies she grows. Read more about Kim’s 2019 peony gown here.

Creating the dress was like ‘play day’ for adults. The kind of enthusiasm we all felt generated so much energy and laughter, second only to seeing my fields in bloom.

HAWAII

Alison Higgins of Grace Flowers Hawaii (c) Sarah Anderson & Anna Pacheco

In 2018, Alison Grace Higgins of Grace Flowers Hawaii in Honokaa, Hawaii, and her team created stunning male and female garments for American Flowers Week to highlight the vibrant diversity of Hawaii-grown flowers and foliages. Read more about Alison’s 2018 tropical couture look here.

For 2020, the designer was inspired by a new floral palette – Hawaii-grown orchids – and a feminine, romantic aesthetic.

I’m so glad we could also show the greenhouses where these flowers come from.

MAINE

Michelle Rech of Electric Flora

Designer Michelle Rech of Electric Flora, based in Portland, partnered with our Slow Flowers sponsor Johnny’s Selected Seeds to create a playful dress adorned with flowers harvested from Johnny’s famous trial gardens in Winslow, Maine.

“Having the opportunity to host a floral fashion designer has been a true highlight for the JSS team,” says Hillary Alger, product manager for herbs and flowers.

“To pause from the busy work of trials and catalog production to participate in something so out of the ordinary stretches our brains in really fun ways.”

Click here to see our 2019 botanical couture look from Johnny’s Seeds, in collaboration with florist Rayne Grace Hoke of Flora’s Muse.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Moníca Pugh of Floras & Bouquets LLC

American Flowers Week welcomes a new state and a new look by Moníca Pugh of Floras & Bouquets LLC, based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Flower farming is new to South Dakota,” Moníca says. “I’m really hoping that (my participation in) American Flowers week will help get the word out about what’s happening with local flowers.

WASHINGTON

The Pabody Family, pictured in a 2016 American Flowers Week IG mosaic

Sarah Pabody of Triple Wren Farms lives and breathes dahlias at the farm she operates with her husband Steve Pabody in the Northwest corner of Washington State (see their family photo above).

As a farmer-florist, she also runs Triple Wren Weddings, a wedding and event design studio. After seeing how popular the farm’s dahlia fields were with local photographers and their portrait clients, Sarah fantasized about what it would look like if the people having their photos taken wore dahlias rather than only standing among the flowers.

GET READY!!!

We’ll share the BIG REVEAL of our 2020 American Flowers Week Botanical Couture collection on June 1st. Stay tuned! In the meantime, EVERYONE is invited to conjure their own American Flowers Week botanical couture wearable, because we hope to flood social media with #americanflowersweek goodness come June 28-July 4! Let your imagination go wild!

How Tobey Nelson turned a cancelled production into a spontaneous opportunity

15 Wednesday Apr 2020

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2020, Botanical Couture, Floral Design, Promotional Ideas

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What happens when COVID-19 cancels your American Flowers Week Botanical Couture photo shoot?

Floral couture by Tobey Nelson (c) Aly Willis Photography

For Tobey Nelson of Tobey Nelson Events & Design, the month of March brought the dawning reality that COVID-19 was indeed disrupting “business as usual.”

Based on Whidbey Island, Washington, Tobey planned to design a botanical couture look for American Flowers Week 2020 and she scheduled the photography for early March. Her vision involved creating a garment using foraged materials such as driftwood and branches, as well as cut flowers and foliages from the Seattle Wholesale Growers Market and more botanical ingredients donated by CamFlor (Watsonville, California).

Tobey made two attempts to pull off the styled shoot last month and both were derailed, first due to illnesses and later, due to concerns about social distancing with a larger group of artists. “Yet, I couldn’t stand the thought that those flowers we procured were just going to waste,” she says.

A NEW PLAN

Floral Couture by Tobey Nelson, with makeup by Marqui Artistry (c) Aly Willis Photography

“I thought I would make at least one piece to showcase the blooms that were otherwise not going to be photographed,” she says.

The floral artist sent out an invitation, asking who might be available the following day.

She wrote: “I need to do something creative. I’ve got all these flowers and I hate it that people have gone to the expense to provide them for a project that won’t happen now.”

The response from her contacts was immediate and enthusiastic: “Everyone said, ‘Yes, we need this!’ So we pulled things together really quickly and photographed the following day.”

Tobey drew from a tight circle of other creatives based near her on Whidbey Island. Aly Willis of Aly Willis Photography hosted the shoot at Island Light Studio. Marqui of Marquis Artistry joined in and recruited her daughter Niah to serve as the model.  That was great because makeup-artist-mom and model-daughter were already sheltering in place together, eliminating social distancing concerns.

The photographer didn’t need to be too close and everyone took extra care in sanitizing and hand-washing. “Even though this happened before (Washington State’s) shelter-in-place order was issued, I made sure that everyone was being super careful,” Tobey points out.

LOVELY LEFTOVERS

Floral Couture by Tobey Nelson, with makeup by Marqui Artistry (c) Aly Willis Photography

Tobey created a versatile floral piece measuring about 15 inches long and six inches wide using coiled chenille pipe cleaners as the base, a mechanic technique she learned from Hitomi Gilliam. The method is also featured in friend Susan McLeary’s new book, The Art of Wearable Flowers.

“I love how Sue designs a piece and makes it so versatile so you can use it as a headpiece, a shoulder piece, a belt,” Tobey observes. The technique uses S-shaped coils from chenille stems, interlocked together to form the base onto which floral elements are glued using Oasis floral adhesive. Ribbon ties on either end facilitate attaching the piece to the waist, shoulder or neckline.

The spring-themed palette included a few peach and white carnations leftover from the floral garment Tobey designed for the Fleurs de Villes exhibit that took place in late February at the Northwest Flower & Garden Festival, as well as pink-flowering pieris purchased from Crowley House Flower Farm in Oregon, and hellebores from the designer’s Whidbey Island residential garden. She also incorporated Camflor’s ranunculus, hyacinth and Dusty miller foliage, previously donated for the planned  American Flowers Week photo session.

“I love the pipe cleaners, which give me plenty of surface area to glue the flowers, and allowed the piece to be really flexible so I could use it in many ways,” Tobey explains. “If I had used fabric instead of the pipe cleaners, the piece would have buckled or wrinkled, but the pipe cleaners are so flexible.”

Connecting with beauty of nature is always one of the best medicines for about anything that’s hurting.

Floral Couture by Tobey Nelson, with makeup by Marqui Artistry (c) Aly Willis Photography

Tobey says the entire project was cathartic for both her and the others involved. “I’m sure that piece took me five or six hours to make, pleasant hours for sure,” she says. “It was self-indulgent and soothing. I loved being in the moment as I made it. The decisions I made about which flower to glue next weren’t difficult, so it took me away (from worries) for a little while. Connecting with beauty of nature is always one of the best medicines for about anything that’s hurting, I think.”

A passionate knitter, Tobey recalls reading about a brainwave study of what happens when knitters work on a fairly repetitive pattern. “Brainwaves of the knitters were found to be in the same state as monks when they meditate. So I’m sure that’s true of painters or any sort of craft people.” Similarly, for Tobey, making the floral piece was a meditation of sorts.

AND ONE MORE THING

Barnyard couture flowers by Tobey Nelson (c) Russell Sparkman

There is a postscript to this beautiful lesson in resourceful floral design. The following day, Tobey found a pot-bellied pig to pose with the floral wearable. Tobey had been joking with Russell Sparkman of Fusion Spark Media, her marketing coach, about putting flowers on a pig. “I thought, ‘oh, this has to happen.’ So I put it out on Facebook, and asked ‘who has a pig that I can photograph?'”

A friend on Whidbey Island saw Tobey’s post and connected her with the owner of a pot-bellied pig. “Russell is a great photographer, so I called and recruited him,” Tobey says. “Then, we found out that the pig, Lucy, required string cheese as a bribe to pose for us.”

The leftover American Flowers Week ingredients first became a fashionable floral accessory created for the prior day’s studio photography. The feminine floral collar also fit perfectly around Lucy’s neck, tied with ribbon. “I think Lucy got four pieces of string cheese,” Tobey laughs. “At first she was a little grouchy about the whole thing. But then, she really caught on, I think after the first piece of cheese. She probably thought, ‘wait a minute, this might not be so bad.’ I don’t know how many pictures Russell shot to get one good one. It was hilarious.”

Truly, Tobey and her friends found the perfect antidote to the daily anxiety about the current COVID-19 climate. When she posted the photo of Lucy with the flowers, “people loved it and commented, ‘it’s exactly what I need right now.’ And I thought, ‘yes, we need humor; we need levity; and we need beauty.'”

Later that week, Tobey and Russell couldn’t help themselves. They went on to find an elegant alpaca and a perky chicken to photograph wearing the floral collar. “We are calling this our ‘Barnyard Couture Series,'” Tobey says. Expect more animals to appear in this series!

WHAT ELSE?

Tobey Nelson teaches foam free centerpieces at Whidbey Flower Workshop
(c) Suzanne Rothmeyer Photography

Tobey Nelson is determined to find silver linings during the COVID-19 stay-at-home, no-contact ban. She has launched an Instagram Live series of interviews with other experts that can be viewed on her account @sustainablefloraldesign. Future segments take place each Monday at 10 a.m./Pacific.

“I feel like it’s the perfect time to make use of the tools at hand to spread information about sustainable floral design, and also to test whether this type of content is something people want,” she says.

Creative Credits
Floral Design: Tobey Nelson, Tobey Nelson Events
Flowers: CamFlor, Seattle Wholesale Growers Market
Model: Niah @niahdyan
Hair & Makeup: Marqui Artistry @marquiartistry
Model Photography: Aly Willis Photography
Barnyard Couture Photography: Russell Sparkman, Fusion Spark Media

Call for Proposals – 2020 American Flowers Week

25 Sunday Aug 2019

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2020, Botanical Couture, Floral Design, News & Events, Uncategorized

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You could be the next American Flowers Week Botanical Couture Creator!

Slow Flowers will Commission at least FIVE Floral Couture Looks for our 2020 American Flowers Week Collection. We’re soliciting proposals from farmer-florist creative teams for this campaign. Those submitting must be active Slow Flowers members. Consideration will be made for geographic diversity, and for botanical elements not previously featured.

Jenny Diaz’s Mood Board, which she created prior to the production of her
Mod Gerbera Dress for American Flowers Week 2019.

For the 2020 Application, you will be asked to submit a Mood Board or Pinterest Board to express your concept. You will also be asked to write a description of your construction methods and mechanics to be used. This is all to ensure that you will be able to execute the design for photography and publication. Please reach out to debraprinzing@gmail.com with any questions.

You can read more about past American Flowers Week creations and collections here:

2016 Collection by Susan Mcleary

2017 Collection

2018 Collection

2019 Collection

All Floral Couture Looks Must be Completed and Photographed No Later than April 1, 2020 to meet Florists’ Review publishing deadlines. 

Each Team’s Lead Designer and Lead Flower Farmer will be featured in American Flowers Week 2019 Promotional and Editorial Campaigns in lieu of financial compensation. 

Complete our Application Here!
Application Deadline: September 30, 2020

Missouri-Grown Magic

04 Thursday Jul 2019

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2019, Botanical Couture, Floral Design, Resources for Farmers & Florists, Uncategorized

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Missouri’s flora expressed in a whimsical dress by Andrea K. Grist. This and all images (c) Tiffany Marie Buckley

Floral artist Andrea K. Grist conjures a playful mini-dress infused with the personality of woodland, meadow and prairie, featuring botanicals sourced from Little Green Garden.

“I was inspired by the native plants and grasses that grow in and around the flower farms of Missouri and Kansas,” she says.

“I wanted a very organic look that’s youthful for our model’s age and size. I call the look ‘Cowgirl meets Yule Sprite’ for its sense of both innocence and powerful confidence.

Beth and Joel Fortin of Little Green Garden harvested all the ingredients from their farm, including flowers, grasses, pods and evergreens. The extensive grounds of our location include tall grass prairies and tree-lined horse trails, reflecting the flora of this region.

Andrea recently shared how she crafted the garment:

“I used felt purchased by the yard for the base of the floral bodice and skirt. I originally thought I could use a spray adhesive to attach the greenery, but I ended up using Oasis cold glue to attach the greenery – small pieces of spirea and cedar,” she explains.

A tip from Andrea: Use books to add weight to the foliage to ensure it attaches securely to fabric.

Once in place, the greenry became the neutral “ground” for Andrea’s botanical textile. The “print” was created by adding flowers of the season. Andrea encouraged her grower friends from Little Green Garden to bring what they loved and wanted to showcase. “It was a complete surprise,” laughs Andrea, who added: “my strategy was to place flowers wherever there was a hole in the greenery where the felt showed through.”

The finished felt panels wrapped around model Samantha Grist (Andrea’s daughter), secured with dress clips and a slender belt. Wavy, flowing hair, a lush floral crown and colorful trailing ribbons complete the “yule sprite” look.

On location, our photographer Tiffany Marie Buckley played with lighting to create a moody, mystical background, merging the initial concept with more fairytale qualities.”

Creative Credits:

Designer: Andrea K. Grist, Andrea K. Grist Floral Art, andreakgristfloralart.com, @andreakgristfloralart
Flowers: Little Green Garden LLC, Richmond, Missouri, littlegreengardenllc.com, @littlegreengardenkc
Venue: Sunset Trails Stables, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, sunsettrailsstables.com, @sunsettrailsstables
Model: Samantha Grist
Hair and Makeup: Andrea K. Grist
Photography: Tiffany Marie Buckley, Tiffany Marie Photography, tiffanybuckley.com, @tiffanymariephoto

Road Trippin’ with Oregon-grown blooms

27 Thursday Jun 2019

Posted by in American Flowers Week 2019, Botanical Couture, Floral Design, Uncategorized

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The road trip starts with our Oregon retro fashionista following her wanderlust
(c) Haley Swinth Photography

Beth Syphers of Crowley House Flower Farm wanted to tell a story of a sassy, confident, modern-day young woman, and she framed her narrative around the late 1950s and early 1960s.

“I also wanted this design to embrace women in all shapes and sizes and reflect their power,” she says. Bethany Little of Charles Little & Co., a farm known for fabulous dried flowers, joined Beth as co-designer to fabricate the production of the late-summer/early autumn garment.

“We decided to highlight the 1960s dried flower vibe. We loved showcasing a combination of dried and fresh flowers as a way to extend the ‘local’ season in our floral designs,” Beth explains. She designed the outfit’s top with mostly fresh-cut flowers, ornamental grasses and foliages. Bethany assumed design responsibilities for the skirt design, incorporating a mix of dried flowers from her farm.

Beth envisioned a storyline for her model (who happens to be her beautiful daughter, Rilley Syphers): Wanderlust has taken hold of the young woman’s imagination and she strikes out for town, hitch-hiking at the edge of a country road.

Rilley’s outfit began with a trip to a vintage store, where she found a top and skirt that felt comfortable to the skin yet was stable enough to support the weight of hundreds of flowers. Beth embellished the top using a combination of Oasis cold glue for the fresh material and hot craft glue for dried material. Similarly, Bethany created a tapestry-like pattern on the skirt, including using silky grasses as a fringed detailing.

Photographer Haley Swinth followed along on the narrative, as Rilley first posed at the edge of a country road, holding a vintage suitcase in one hand and sticking out her thumb with the other.

Lucky for Rilley, she hitched a ride with her cousin Remington Kuenzi (shown above), driving a vintage coupe. Suitcase loaded into the trunk, sunglasses popped onto their faces, the two made the trip into town to catch a movie on the big screen. What a stylish couple!

As inspiring to the creative team as it is to followers who viewed the images in Florists’ Review and in social media, this Oregon-grown botanical fashion look is a true celebration of flower farming, floristry and flowers as art.

“Flowers in all stages of their lifecycle have beauty,” says Beth Syphers. “I would love folks to look at this design and be confident about stepping away from following the crowd; to not be afraid of what people think of their art, but to be bold and unique.”

Creative Credits:

Designer: Beth Syphers, Crowley House Flower Farm, Rickreall, Oregon, chflowers.com, @crowleyhouse
Co-designer: Bethany Little, Charles Littl e& Co., Eugene, Oregon , charleslittleandcompany.com, @charleslittleandco
Fresh and Dried Floral: Crowley House Flower Farm and Charles Little & Co.
Venue: McMinnville, Oregon
Models: Rilley Syphers and Remington Kuenzi
Hair and Makeup: Rilley Syphers, @rilley.h.s
Photography: Haley Swinth, haleyswinthphoto.com, @haleyswinth

1960s-inspired Mod Flowers

26 Wednesday Jun 2019

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“Our brave, boundary-pushing young woman is wearing 1960s Vogue attire created from gerbera daisies,” says artist and photographer Jenny M. Diaz. “The ’60s were such a pivotal decade for women. Women were demanding more inclusion in the workforce, equal pay and control of their personal rights.

Jenny’s Mood Board, which she created prior to the production of her Mod Gerbera Dress

“I chose the city of Fresno as my backdrop because many of the structures date back to the ’60s. The gerbera daisies are strong, not only in their appearance, but also how they create a pattern on the dress. Our gray background contrasting with a beautiful model in my bright gerbera dress made for a perfect combination.  

California Dreaming, 1960s-inspired, for American Flowers Week (c) Jenny M. Diaz

“We wanted to show how strong women can be — on the rooftop, looking out into the world, hanging over the edge, riding a skateboard — all while looking stunning. My hope is that when someone sees this look, they are inspired to push themselves further. I am a graphic designer who wanted to push myself to create this look from start to finish. Yes, I was absolutely terrified, but I stepped out of my comfort zones and jumped in head first!”

Kara Trukki collaborated with Jenny M. Diaz as model and muse

Creative Credits:
Designer: Jenny M. Diaz, jennymdiaz.com, @jennymdiaz
Flowers: Dramm + Echter, Encinitas, Calif., drammechter.com, @dramm_and_echter
Venue: Fresno, Calif.
Model: Kara Trukki @luckytrukki
Hair and Makeup: Sixx Valenzuela, @sixxvalenzuela
Photography: Jenny M. Diaz