National Floral Design Day

Photo Credit: Tom Pellicer

Besides flowers being considered a gesture of love and care, they represent beauty and remind us of hope. Think of all the occasions that flowers are a part of - weddings, funerals, births, dinner parties, birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Spring, tea parties, Thanksgiving etc. Not to mention the scents of flowers are so naturally intoxicating. As obvious as it may seem that flowers can set the tone for any event, to me, the mystery about flowers has always been in floral designs. I know nothing about which flowers go well together and which certain positions of the flowers look pleasing to the eye. People, professional or layman, who know how to arrange flowers in a way that can make us feel certain emotions should be celebrated.

Well, National Floral Design Day is on February 28th and has been celebrated since 1995, thanks to Governor William F. Weld of Massachusetts. The governor wanted everyone to consider floral design as a unique art form ”…utilizing natural media and applying such variables as line, balance, color, structure & symbolism.” Governor Weld said “…individuals are able to express many emotions including love, sympathy, friendship and hope..” And he also said that, “Floral design fosters creativity, enhances communication and develops perceptual awareness.” (see the link of the Official Proclamation on Nationaldaycalendar.com)

According to nationaldaycalendar.com, floral design can be defined but probably not limited to florals in “a bouquet, painting, in textiles, a garden or a floral arrangement. “ National Floral Design Day was, “…created as a unique way to celebrate a special birthday of Carl Rittner, the founder of the Rittners School of Floral Design in Boston over 60 years ago.  Mr. Rittner is a pioneer in floral art education. “

Here is my typical floral design. Step 1. Buy arrangement from Trader Joes and Step 2. Put flowers in a vase filled with water.

Flowers have “grown” on me and I will admit that I appreciate them more now than I did when I was growing up. My mom was very frugal (still is) and so whenever my dad would give her some flowers, I would hear her say, “Why would you spend money for flowers when they will just die?” I grew up thinking that way. Luckily for me, my mother-in-law Carole is someone who believes quite the opposite. She has opened my eyes to appreciate the esthetic of flowers, especially in floral design. Even though she is not a professional floral designer, Carole uses flowers in her own unique way to express herself and I admire this about her.

Combining two things Carole loves to do: Planting a garden bed for a listing of a house that she was putting on the market to sell.

My sister-in-law Camille would rather celebrate her birthdays with Pavlova instead of cake. Carole jazzes it up with a little floral and fruit design! Yum!

Another Carole design. Why have an Easter basket when you can have something designed to make you smile using flowers and a hat?!

Carole’s specialty and I would say her most favorite part of setting a table, is putting together her signature floral designs. I have loads of photos of our Thanksgiving Day table settings. Above are just a few. Note how tulips are her choice of flowers on her California Christmas table (the round table). Seasonal design for tables is not what usually motivates Carole when she visits us in MN. It doesn’t matter if there is snow on the ground and/or the temperature is freezing, her flower choices are her very own.

Above are photos of some of the arrangements Carole has designed for other spots in our house besides the Thanksgiving table. She loves sunflowers.

Carole has been throwing tea parties for my daughter since she was almost 2 years old. Flowers are definitely part of the party. By the time this photo was taken my daughter had probably attended at least five or six tea parties.

Tea Party with Cece (Carole) and Auntie Camille. My daughter was in heaven using her tea cup from her Great Grandmother.

Carole’s tea parties will travel. Here’s the tea party in La Jolla. The single yellow flower was precious.

Five of Carole’s nine grand kids attended this tea party.

Carole uses fruit and herbs in her floral design to dress up food and brighten up the table.

Not exactly a luau but Carole put together an entire event to celebrate the life of her younger brother, Norm, who passed away in 2018. Fresh leis and hula dancing tied the Hawaiian theme altogether. The view was the perfect backdrop. (see the first picture in the post)

Photo credit: Tom Pellicer

The hula dancers in this photo from left to right: Debbie (mother of Hailey), Heather (wife of my brother), me, Hailey (married to my hub’s brother) and my hub’s sister Camille.

Photo Credit: Tom Pellicer

Another family member who is great with floral design is Debbie, the mother of my sister-in-law Hailey (see photo above). Debbie is always picking beautiful flowers out of her garden and creating wonderful bouquets and small arrangements. I’ve watched her in action and she makes the entire experience joyful, sweet and simple. There is a natural, organic way that she moves about when she is gathering flowers to put into an arrangement and I think it transfers to her floral design. I am a true believer that the energy that we put into the things that we do, exudes or comes out in the final product. I think she’s guided by her heart when she puts her flowers together and that is a big reason why I appreciate her floral designs.

Another use of floral design in presenting food, in the picture above, Debbie made a sandwich loaf for her mother’s birthday tea party.

To decorate the table for the party, Debbie used Pansies to make a great center piece. Those colors!

Debbie prefers snipping flowers from her garden rather than buying any. I’ve seen her quietly walking around with the sheers when she is at my sister-in-law’s house. Before I know it, she has brightened up a space in the house with her creations. It’s always lovely because she just uses what she has and it’s usually the perfect touch.

From Debbie’s garden. See how the shape and colors just look natural and sweet?

Also from Debbie’s garden, she can put this together for a simply elegant vibe or…

…she can arrange them with other flowers from her garden and form a grand expression. Look at those Vikings colors!

Well I wish I could say that the reason I can’t make floral designs like these is because we don’t live in Southern California like Carole and Debbie so I can’t grow my own garden year round. But that has nothing to do with it; I really don’t know anything about this stuff. So one of my favorite local spots to pick up unique floral arrangements is called Arts and Flowers. I really like how the designers in the store are visible and accessible; not behind closed doors in the back. They whip up creations non-stop, chit chatting, listening to music and designing away. I will go into the store with a request and they will advise, suggest and finish up with something fabulous.

I wanted something for a Halloween-themed piano recital that I was hosting and this is what Arts and Flowers came up with. When a candle is lit in the center it looks very Halloween chic. I have repeated this arrangement annually ever since this first Halloween design.

For my Thoughtful Pinch launch party, my girlfriend Annie had Arts and Flowers put together this arrangement for me. My colors!!

This arrangement was not from Arts and Flowers but for my 49th birthday, my friend Emily gave this to me. I loved it so much that I decided to keep the sentiment going for as long as I could. Arts and Flowers took this inspiration and made three arrangements using this container for me since then but I could only find photos of two. See below.

Next is a cup size vase with flowers that resemble a hat. It was a thoughtful pinch to me from my friend Allison and I named her Rita. I have been going to Arts and Flowers to keep refilling the vase and making new hats for Rita.

Then along came Nancy of HouseStory this past summer of 2020 and I thought since she made our yard look nice that she would do a great job making the inside of our house look nice too. The container that Emily gave me is usually the first thing people notice when they enter our front door. Now Nancy has now taken over the design of it and she has made a hat for Rita too!

Nancy’s first design using this container was for Fall 2020. Look at all the texture and cool vibes of this arrangement. So different and awesome.

Then Nancy designed this Winter 2020/21 container for me. She knew I didn’t want to overpower the holidays so she put together this subtle but festive piece for me. Weeks later another Amaryllis popped up and it brightened up more days. It was perfect and the timing of how it bloomed again was amazing! I’m excited to see what she will design for our Spring 2021 container!

Side note: I had to move the gingerbread house because Grady kept licking it.

I purchased this bouquet of flowers for my 51st bday and I loved the feeling I had every time I looked at it. The owner of Apricot Floral told me that in the country in which she is from (the name escapes me) there is only one moment within the year when the apricots are just right; not too young and not too ripe. There is a sweet spot - in the middle when the apricot is perfect. This is how she designs - to enhance a space, not distract from it. Even before I knew the story of Apricot, I liked the esthetic in the selection she was selling. Dreamy!

This goes without saying but besides floral design, there are other elements that contribute to the success of a florist shop. A local florist shop here understands their customers very well. I would mention their name but I’m not sure if they would get in trouble so I’ll omit it. Their customers are both women AND men. Their shop is set up so esthetically pleasing for the feminine taste and guess what, they also know that when a spouse or significant other comes in, they may not know what to buy. The thought of messing up is daunting and they may be frazzled from the ordeal of getting an arrangement that conveys their feelings. I love how the floral designers in this shop hand over a beer and say, “Just leave it up to us.” They are 100% spot on in their floral arrangements plus they understand their clientele. Everyone comes out a winner.

My final picture is about “design on a dime” . At church, the Hospitality Committee has a tiny budget to put on the best dinner of the year. The goal is for all of the proceeds to go directly to the church. Most of the budget that our committee donates goes to the food and drinks which leaves very little for the women who decorate the table. I always feel so proud to help set the table for these dinners because I know that we use what we have to make a magical setting. On this particular night, the dinner menu was Polynesian. When it was dark, the candles and the lights within the floral arrangements lit up the room with a soft glow. Tropical ambience.

I think when it comes to floral design, our hearts and our imaginations can range from grand to little at any given moment. What makes this type of thoughtful pinch, a success, is how it makes us feel. Mother Nature’s “gift” to us can be as simple and as magnificent as we make it. I appreciated reading in Oprah’s book What I Know for Sure, that one of the best gifts she received from a friend who is known for her floral designs - major arrangements - was the gift of two small leaves shaped like hearts. We don’t hang onto leaves if we don’t feel something when we receive them.

So we should celebrate the floral designers throughout the country on Sunday, February 28th. We can give recognition to actual professional floral designers and/or the family and friends who use this art form to express themselves. Thank you floral designers everywhere for inspiring us to feel hope, experience the awe, see the beauty and smell the flowers.

Pinches,

Barb