Flower Power!

Giant flower spotted driving around Salem, OR!

Don't be scared if you see a GIANT flower while you're driving around Salem, Oregon — it's just our ad on Oregon Mobile Media's mobile billboard truck. Far classier than a sign bolted to a truck bed and way cooler than a traditional billboard, this mobile media truck has three sides that display scrolling "billboards" (up to 12' wide!) AND----it's lighted at night so it glows. :)

Yep, super awesome. You've got to see it in person to really appreciate just how cool it is, but til you do, here's a photo of it in the evening with the lights on. For more photos and to learn more about this super-cool new advertising opportunity, be sure to "Like" them on Facebook or visit their website.

Image Floral featured in Willamette Woman Magazine!

We we very excited to be featured in this local magazine, alongside five other talented & successful business women. Other than having my photo taken, it was great!

Here's a copy of the article  --- (thought it was posted earlier, but the BlogGremlin deleted it!)

Download Willamette Woman article

Royal Wedding Flowers... no pressure!

Wow. Really, that's the first thing that comes to my mind when I think about the florists who'll be designing the flowers for William & Kate. A friend commented to me, "Wouldn't you just love to get THAT job?"

Hmmm, that gave me pause. My first reactions was "YES!," followed by "wellll, maybe...", then "NOOO!" That's a LOT of pressure and scrutiny. Opportunity of a lifetime? Sure. Worth the stress? Not sure. The Middleton's family florist, Emma Sampson, has been working with Royal Florist Shane Connolly on the floral arrangements, but still...

(Here's a link to some photos of the flowers arriving at Westminster Abbey...)

From my perspective, a wedding is a wonderful, fantastic floral event, but there is pressure to make sure that you & your bride are on the same page, as far as the designs you'll be delivering. "Pink" means different things to different people and the last thing you want is a bride that doesn't like her wedding flowers because they're the "wrong pink." I cannot even imagine the thought of desiging for this particular bride, all the while holding your breath until she says she likes it. The best phrase I can hear when presenting the bride with her bouquet is, "I love it."  (*Whoosh!* Exhale of said held breath!)

So for now, I think I'll stick with my local princesses and helping them create the wedding of their dreams. That's enough pressure for me! :)

 

 

Donations to the 2010 Governor's Food Drive

The week before Valentine's Day, we donated several arrangements in support of an annual event:
the  2010 Governor’s State Employees Food Drive.

Different divisions within the State hold various raffles, sales and drives to raise money and gather food donations. We provided Valentine's themed designs that were raffled off that Friday before Valentine's Day.

Their drive ends this week, and thus far, they've collected the equivalent of 3,832 pounds of food to help feed our fellow Oregonians—and donations are still coming in. WOW!

The recent Salem bridal show

I'm a little slow getting these up — the 2010 Oregon Wedding Showcase was January 23-34 at the Oregon State Fairgrounds in Salem. But better late than never, right?

Anyhow, here are a few shots from the recent bridal show at the Oregon State Fairgrounds. The show ran two days, with two fashion shows per day, and over 400 brides in attendance—WOW! I didn't have much of a voice left on Sunday.

We showed 10 different bouquets this year, and featured five of them in the daily fashion shows. The bouquets get a little beat up being in the shows, but I think it's important. The dresses show better with a bouquet and it also gives brides an accurate look at what their bouquet will look like at the end of the wedding day!

Below is a shot of one of the favorite bouquets from the show: a short cascade of purple, lavender & white flowers (bride on left).

Here's a better shot of it on the workbench in the studio—you can actually see the little crystal dragonfly in this shot! 

(FYI—I've had a couple emails on this: the gowns in the photos are from Bridal Exclusives in Salem, www.bridalexclusives.com)

Do you love those reveals on makeover shows, where they show you the "before" and "after" on a person/house/car? I do, so I'll try and do that a bit of that here. For me, it's one of the most satisfying parts of floral design: starting with buckets of flowers & ending with a beautiful bouquet!

For starters, here's an easy one as an example:
a clutch of orange spray roses and bicolor tulips, before... and after!

 

We'll have shots of all the wedding show bouquets on our website (www.ImageFloral.com) in a featured gallery (Jan 2010 Salem Bridal Show) in a day or so. Be sure to check it all out!

~ Michelle

Here we go...my first blog post!

Greetings, all! Not really sure what to expect from this, but at least at this point, what I hope to do here is give you some more casual, fun and informative info than you'll find on our website, plus the occasional little peek at some behind-the-scenes activities.

Having said that, I'll try to post fairly regularly about events, tips, trends and things of interest (to me, at least!) in the wide, wonderful world of flowers. Please feel free to comment, ask questions and share with your friends—the more, the merrier!

~ Michelle

PS: if you found the blog before my website, be sure to visit us at www.ImageFloral.com