Thursday, 13 January 2011

Millet And Other Grasses

I’m all about interesting textures…that’s why I love these…

6a00d8354bd35a53ef010536a45c4c970b-640wi blooms by martha andrewsimage via Blooms by Martha Andrews

ACF3DF4 justin marantzimage via Justin & Mary Marantz Photography and Jessica’s Country Flowers

CENTRAL_PARK_BOAT_HOUSE_WEDDING_00251 carla teneyck photoimage via Carla Ten Eyck Photography

IMG_6950 meg perottiimage via Meg Perotti Photography

jsw-e The Modern Typeimage via The Modern Type

textured-fall-bridal-bouquet-studio-stems studio stemsimage via Studio Stems

Memory-Journalists-Nace-Le-Rivage_086 botanica floral designsimage via Botanica Floral Designs and The Memory Journalists

IBT_La Partie_18 La Partie Eventsimage via La Partie Events

naturalbirchpot125-detail cebollaimage via Cebolla Fine Flowers

AmieTylerWED (1028) jessica's country flowersimage via Jessica’s Country Flowers

What about you? Do you like the course texture of grasses in floral designs or do you prefer a more tailored look? I love both!

We’re nearing the weekend! For some of us that means a little rest and relaxation…for others that means kicking it into high gear for a wedding job…which will it be for you this weekend?

Wednesday, 12 January 2011

Working Designer Wednesday: Designing A Business Card

How important is your business card? What purpose does it serve? Should your line of business influence your business card design?

Let’s take an air conditioning repair service for example…I always take a business more seriously if the owner has gone to the trouble to have a card printed, but the only other parts that are important to me when choosing a business of this kind are the business name, phone number and website address (if applicable). In other words, don’t hand me your number scribbled across a grease stained post-it note…but you don’t need a letterpress business card to earn my business.

Now let’s talk about a floral design business…I (and most discriminating customers) look at the business card of a floral design business as an expression of the designer’s personality and artistic style. Many times I discover a favorite new designer because I see a business card or logo or ad…and it clearly portrays his/her style…a style which appeals to me. Sometimes a card accurately portrays the designer’s style and the style doesn’t appeal to me, but it appeals to someone else. Either way, the designer has created an effective card.

In addition to design style, I look for the business name, the designer’s name, and contact info (phone # and website address). For a retail florist, business hours are also helpful.

My first card looked like this…

DSC_0009 ed…initially I took daily orders and wanted a card that reflected the fun I was having…hence the informal font and stripes…after a couple of years, I narrowed my focus to weddings and events and decided to go with a more classic look…with a modern edge…hence, the square shape and black/white palette. These cards were printed by Crane & Co. and featured a letterpress design on heavy paper…I loved the way these cards felt in my hand and was always proud to present one to a prospective bride…

2007 09 17 109 edit 

If you’re looking for examples of great looking business cards, check out Card Observer…they have an extensive gallery that’s sure to inspire. Let me show you some examples…not all are floral designers, but all are artistic…and most are letterpress designs…because I love letterpress!

story via card observer

wickard via cardobserver.com printed by studio on fire

bryon_darby cardobserver.com printed my The Mandate Press

jason_mcgrew card observer.com printed by The Mandate Press

Another favorite…Gia Canali’s photography is as artistic as her card…

Gia Canali Photography

For more inspiration, visit Smock…here’s a glimpse of what you’ll find…

4398362493_654a386547_o rugg road paper company and smock paper

3789107854_f5cc593b1c_o smock paper

personalize-letterpress-calling-cards smock paper

Two more cards I love…I made notes to credit these to Vandelay Designs but I don’t see them on that website as I write…if you know who designed these let me know…still want to share them with you…they’re amazing…

lpbc-27 via Vandelay designs

lpbc-34 via vandelay designs

Another idea that makes perfect sense for a floral designer is featuring a photo of an arrangement created by the designer…

BusinessCard1 image via Fleurology

We’ve seen square and rectangular cards…here’s a fun round card…

get_convo_image.php designed by Posh Girl Boutique for Never a Plain Jane

What about printed materials to coordinate with the business card? I love the idea of having coordinating correspondence cards, gift certificates, business cards and gift tags. Rebecca Honeywell Photography does a beautiful job of creating a consistent image with printed materials…

rebeccahoneywell via card observer 

IMG_2263 portrait voucher rebecca honeywell photo

photo voucher rebecca honeywell

note cards rebecca honeywell photo

…sooo beautiful…would you assume by Rebecca’s printed materials that she pays special attention to detail in her work and provides exceptional photography for her clients? I would…

One practical thing I did when I opened Bliss Flower Studio…I had a rubber stamp made from my logo. I have a weakness for TJ Maxx and Tuesday Morning and occasionally I fell in love with note cards or stationery that coordinated with my business cards, but could only find a limited amount. I could buy a pack or two and apply my logo using the stamp…fun and economical…and a good way to keep boredom at bay! I also bought oval stickers that I could stamp with my logo and attach to gift boxes for daily deliveries. Later I used the square business cards on the gift boxes and attached the recipient's name to the actual arrangement…

yard 033 ed

Whew! Hope you find some part of this post helpful. As always, if you have something to add to today’s post, leave a comment or email me. I love hearing your ideas and seeing pictures of your work.

Have a great Wednesday!

Tuesday, 11 January 2011

Peacock Feathers

…the ‘Mrs. Peacock in the Library’ garter from Never a Plain Jane

 …inspired today’s post…a collection of flowers + peacock feathers…

a36015dd5fce388f064642e98ca8bf3f boutwellimage via Boutwell Studio

Alanna and Jerry 00273 AF0_4107 modern bouquetimage via Modern Bouquet

bowtiewedding11 JL Designsimage via JL Designs

javette022 flourishimage via Flourish

la tee da flowersimage via La Tee Da Flowers

javette005 flourish and rochelle photo image via Flourish

peacock modern bouquetimage via Modern Bouquet 

Peacock Bouquet 7 heavenly bloomsimage via Heavenly Blooms

I love that the majority of designers featured in this post paired the peacock feathers with bright vivid jewel tones…and then there’s the beautiful Heavenly Blooms bouquet…more subdued with tons of texture and the only vivid color being provided by the feathers. I just get a thrill from seeing the unique visions of talented floral designers…which is one more reason I love writing this blog!

Happy Tuesday!

 

   

Monday, 10 January 2011

Got Cotton?

6a01053610d3e6970b0133f529b8c0970b-500wi the haystack needleimage via The Haystack Needle

indie-beach-wedding-16 ruffledimage via Ruffled

southernweddings35 jl designsimage via JL Designs

Farm-02 lauryl laneimage via Lauryl Lane

green_wedding_1702 JL Designsimage via JL Designs

Cotton lauryl laneimage via Lauryl Lane

cotton martha stewartimage via Martha Stewart

Kidd-08 lauryl laneimage via Lauryl Lane

wds106661_win11_1246_2_xl martha stewartimage via Martha Stewart

…and a cotton wedding dress…

cotton dress 4

     cotton dress    

images via The Cotton Bride

Hope your week’s off to a fantastic start!

Friday, 7 January 2011

Which Bouquet?

The Dress…would you dare?

1950’s Red Lace Lucy Style Dress

red

red rear

red waist images via Posh Girl Vintage

…”a 1950's vintage red lace dress…mid century classic! It doesn't get any more classic than this gorgeous vintage dress. Just stunning and the condition is amazing. Looks never worn. The buttons are heavy metal balls of rhinestones, the belt is original and has no wear at all. The lace is a classic lipstick red...not orange or any other shade of red...just classic red. Full skirt, red taffeta liner, side metal zipper”…

The Bouquets

Bouquet #1

DSC_0020 small stump blogspot 1 image via Studio Choo

Bouquet #2

side silver brooch bouquet fantasy floral designsimage via Fantasy Floral Designs and Alice Hu Photography

Bouquet #3

200904180382 floral verdeimage via Floral Verde

Which would you choose?

Ok, guys, you really need to check out Posh Girl Vintage…vintage wedding dresses, cocktail dresses, accessories, handbags, lingerie…so much fun to browse!

By the way, this dress reminds me of one of my favorite posts by Meg Perotti…check it out here…you’ll love it…

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Don’t forget to send me your business card if you would like it added to the Working Designer Wednesday post next week…