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Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Pantone Color…..secrets of BLACK

Mystery and Authority
Pantone Color: the Secrets of BLACK




It is seen as the absolute contrast or opposite to white, familiar from the yin and yang symbol in Chinese philosophy. In this more positive and spiritual context, black is complementary and interconnected - the perfect duality of light and darkness, male and female."I've been 40 years discovering that the queen of all colors was black". Pierre-August Renoir
Black is the absence of light and is associated with the sky at night, mystery and the unknown. Since the early 20th century, it has come to represent the avant-garde, sophistication and elegance in design. But for centuries before that it was a widespread symbol of humility, soberness and mourning in religion, and of the supernatural and witchcraft in language and culture.
 
From Rags to Riches
In nature, the beginning of night is dark blue, which might explain why the Ancient Greeks used the word kuanos to describe both colors. Roman artisans and medieval Benedictine monks wore black - the former signalling low status, the latter humility. Its status rose with the arrival of high-quality black dyes and it became popular in court dress, initially influenced by the powerful Spanish court.
Black was later widely adopted by religious groups, including the Puritans and the Mennonites; it is still worn by the Amish people in the US. It also developed strong alternative connections in the political sphere - worn during the French Revolution to symbolize egalitarianism, by 19th century anarchists, and by Beatniks, Punks and Goths in the 20th century. The 1980s saw fashionistas wearing the all-black creations of Japanese designers Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garcons) and Yohji Yamamoto.
Avant-Garde Milestones
Black has characterized revolutions in invention, politics and society. Radical poet and painter William Blake foresaw the looming Industrial Revolution when he described "dark, satanic mills", while Charles Dickens used visceral dark imagery to capture the filthy streets and smoky skies of London. Major inventions, including telephones, sewing machines, steamships and railroad locomotives, were painted black to emphasize their functionality. The first mass-produced car, Henry Ford's Model T, was famously any color "so long as it's black".
Arts of Darkness
In eastern art, black was used in calligraphy, developing through China and later in the painstaking pen work of the Middle East. In the west, the artist Rembrandt was an early adopter of a somber black-to-brown palette to tell a complex story in portraits. In the 20th century, Suprematist artist Kazmir Malevich created Black Square to capture revolution; Art Deco carried forward his preference for black - in tandem with shell pink, fawn and opalescent shades - to establish a defined language of modernism that still inspires us today.
New art forms of photography and film showcased black very differently - here was a subtle landscape of texture and grain. While technology soon developed to offer color, the enticing and sophisticated mood captured by the classic film noir movement of the 1940s has never left us. Black can deliver both style and substance - witness the 1960s' movie La Dolce Vita and the first stark paparazzi photographs of the rich and famous.
Quintessence of Elegance
In nature, black has rarity value; for centuries, plant breeders have tried to develop a true black tulip, rose and dahlia - all highly prized. The Icelandic black sandy beaches have an overwhelming beauty and mystique, just like the black panther and the raven.
Above all, the color is associated with sophistication. In 1926, Coco Chanel published a drawing of a simple black gown in Vogue magazine and her name remains synonymous with the little black dress. Yves Saint Laurent called black "the liaison which connects art and fashion" while Gianni Versace described it as "the quintessence of simplicity and elegance". Many fashion brands use it as their trademark color.
Navigating the Future of Black

Black signals change and unpredictability. Nassim Nicholas Taleb's 2007 book The Black Swan - referring to the unexpected events that reshape history - captured the imagination of thinkers everywhere as shorthand for radical events around us. Black remains a stamp of confidence and authority, as seen in the New York Times logo, but in an uncertain world there are many ways to tap into its qualities. After light comes dark, the natural cycle of things to come. Whether it is a radical interior statement or a signal of reliability, black remains a classic. As Coco Chanel put it, "Black has it all".

Thursday Evening Flower Therapy floral class November 20th

registration is still open!!

Thursday Evening Flower Therapy

November 20th
6-8pm

free floral class session

Let’s explore an AIFD Symposium Program      DVD format
                      AIFD
We will explore a new program once a month with a question & answer session following the DVD program.

WATCH AMAZING DESIGNERS AND EDUCATORS, BE INSPIRED!!

Please register~~~ seating is limited to 14 !!

Email your name & phone# to:

Can’t wait to meet you in the classroom

Christina Burton-Fox   AIFD

Eight Hair Raising Halloween Promotions

EIGHT HAIR-RAISING HALLOWEEN PROMOTIONS
Florists Review Newsletter
Halloween is HOT, even when it’s cold outside. Last year, an estimated 158 million people celebrated Halloween, and they spent more than $6.9 billion on Halloween-related stuff — decorations; party supplies; crafts; candy; and costumes for adults, kids and pets.
Even if you don't carry a single piece of Halloween merchandise, you can still attract customers to your store with fun promotions.
Here are eight ideas to get you started.
1. Hold a Facebook costume contest.
Have people post pictures of themselves (or their kids or pets) in their costumes on your Facebook page, and get your fans to pick the winner by “Liking” their favorites. Give a really great prize to the winner, like a gift certificate to your store or a popular item donated by a vendor.
2. Take customer portraits in costume.
Paint or buy a Halloween backdrop, and take pictures of your customers (or their kids or pets) in costumes. Send them digital copies, and ask if you can post their pictures on your Facebook page or Pinterest board.
3. Discount purchases for customers in costume.
Offer a special discount to anyone who shops in a Halloween costume. You could do it just on Oct. 31 or for the whole week (Halloween is on a Friday this year). Make a big deal out of it.
4. Treat the “ghouls” to a night out.
Invite all the “ghouls” to hop on their broomsticks and head to your store for scary snacks; witches’ brew; and a flower-arranging demonstration, workshop or class. 
5. Host a pumpkin carving class.
Invite your customers in to learn some new pumpkin decorating ideas or carving techniques (you can find patterns, templates and ideas online). You could host multiple classes with different techniques. Be sure to have plenty of pumpkins to sell, including several novelty varieties in unusual colors, shapes and sizes that can’t be easily found elsewhere, as well as pumpkin carving tool kits. Post pictures on your Facebook page.
6. Coordinate a monster hunt through town.
Work with other retailers in your shopping area to create a scavenger hunt for monsters that leads customers into all the participating stores. For example, in one store, customers might have to find a vampire figure, and in another, a Frankenstein figure. Once hunters find the figures, store staffers could stamp their monster-hunt cards, or for more fun, allow tech-savvy customers to verify their finds by “checking in” on their Facebook apps. Give everyone who completes the monster hunt a package of “monstrously” good gift certificates from participating stores.
7. Give away dead (or black) flower bouquets.
Wrap a dead flower or two in black tissue and raffia. Tie a note on it, typed in creepy font, saying something like, “We wish you a lively Halloween. Come back in November for 20 percent off any item!” If you’re uncomfortable dealing in dead flowers, try spray-painting fresh or fabric flowers black for an equally eerie effect.
8. Give a mix of spooky music.
Check the Internet for free spooky music, and make an eerie Halloween music mix for your customers. Burn some CDs, make a great label that includes your store contact info and invite customers into the store to pick one up for their Halloween parties or to play when kids come trick or treating.
Source: WhizBang! Training “Tip of the Week” #609, Aug. 13, 2014.

Monday, September 15, 2014

Students Asymetrical Floral Designs

Today the students created Asymetrical Designs.  This is the third day to design…I think they did a fantastic job!!  Everyone created 4 designs….
Explore Floral Design Class will begin again on September 30th on Tuesday & Wednesday Evenings….
join me in the classroom…































Florists Review magazine tip of the week


September 15, 2014    Florists Review tip of the week

Design Technique: Banding

img2Banding is the decorative wrapping of a stem, or a group of stems, in one or more places using raffia, ribbon, thread, wire, yarn, colored tape or other ties.

In the strictest sense, banding serves no functional purpose. It is meant to provide ornamentation, but it also may physically bind materials together. Containers also may be decoratively enhanced with banding.

Here, a garland of dried pumpkins (Cucurbita) and bay leaves bands a tricolor bundle of wheat. The garland is purely decorative, providing no structural support since the wheat is tightly massed into the cylinder vase.

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Sunflowers…what's new

Sunflowers…new colors, forms and sizes…

Sunflowers are availabel year round bu productions peaks from June through October.  Some varieties, especially novelties are available only during the peak months.


July 2014 Florists Review Magazine

Explore Structural Floral Design the balance of floral ART & mechanics


Join Bill and I for 2 days of Floral Art instruction.  We will explore the how to's and inspire you to take your ideas into the reality of Floral ART.

As we finish the class on Friday the classroom turns into the ART exhibition space open to the ART community of Kansas City.  Estimates of enthusiats that evening up to 3,500 people.  Our class will have information in Pitch Magazine, and it will be the FIRST Floral ART Exhibit in the Crossroads.  This is truly exciting for Floral Designers.

The location of the Gallery is in the heart of the Crossroads.  The exposure to the Community…and the confidence and happiness you will get from creating this piece….."Priceless"

Enroll thru this PayPal linkhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=9Q3GAGNL599GW

 You can copy and paste this in your browser.  I will confirm your design table registration. 
 This class will be open to 16 Students.

Bill & I are looking forward to meeting you in class!!

Christina Burton-Fox  AIFD          Bill Harper AIFD

questions???  email me at:      flowerclassroom@gmail.com


Florists Review Magazine tip of the week


September 8, 2014    Florists Review Magazine

See with a customer's eye

img2You enter the shop every day, but how often do you truly see what your customers see? Many of us use a backdoor or side entrance to our shops, and if that’s the case for you, be sure you take time to enter your shop through the front door on a regular basis.

Pick different times of day and days of the week – and whenever you’ve re-set the showroom. You’ll get a better idea of how well your merchandising draws the eye and flows throughout the store – and whether any tweaks are needed. Encourage your employees to do the same, taking note of their impressions as well.

_________________________

We should always look at our retail space like a customer…beacuse without customers we won't have our retail business open very long.  Celebrate and listen to your customers…be your own customer!
flower classroom

Saturday, September 6, 2014

AIFD September Marketing tip


September Marketing Tip
By Jenny Thomasson AIFD, CFD 

The autumn wedding shows are starting. How best to make a memorable impression on the brides? Jenny Thomasson says,"Get Social!"

Everyone's on Facebook (and you should be if you are not!). As you are working a bridal show, many brides will want to take a picture of your design to refer to later. Let them. In fact, invite them to! As they photograph your flowers, ask them to post the picture on their Facebook page and "tag" your company. Bride's are happy to post their favorite bouquet pictures so their friends can see and they will remember what they liked. It's truly a win-win.They have a reminder of your designs and you get a shout out in the social media world.

Imagine just how far this can go. Start with 100 brides photographing and tagging an arrangement.They each have 100 friends that see the design tagged with your shop's name....now you have exposure to 10,000 people! The hope is they will like, comment and share the photograph with their friends...now your beautiful flowers and shop name has reached more people than you could ever hope to during the actual bridal show.

And...there is more! You will receive notification of the Facebook tag so you can follow up with the prospective bride after the bridal show. How cool is that?!?!?

As you prepare for the coming show season, get social and spread the love!

Customer Service…by Darren Dennington ~ Service with a Smile




As I read thru this information pertaining to the food industry, I know… the floral industry can use these same stratigies for customers in our shops…not the typical…. Hello how can I help you type of greeting.  Enjoy the article:

 
Good evening, my name is Darren. What can I get you?
Such a typical greeting from the sever to a guest, right. Try it this way instead.
How is everyone today? What a great afternoon outside today! I really like your hat, did you go to school there?
If you add a simple follow up question or two here, now you have a conversation before you have mentioned a single detail about the restaurant.
I hope everyone is looking forward to a great meal!
If I was sitting there I would probably go with a Sangria, a Sam Adam's Summer Ale and maybe a Strawberry Smoothie for the young lady.
There should only be one goal when first approaching any of your guests. Get Them To Smile. If you're able to get a simple smile from your guest during the first contact, you have now built trust and broken down the wall between server and guest.
To be able to accomplish this, you must first have the right staff on the floor, great employee morale in your business and a respected management team in place. When these 3 key areas are in place, the staff will feel comfortable enough to be themselves in their work environment. They will then genuinely want to provide a type of service that is truly appreciated by the guest.
To be able to make a great first impression the server needs to establish what type of experience the guest is seeking. The very first key is to have the server make some key observations of the table as early as possible. Try to observe the group as they are approaching the table to see what type of mood they may be in and their special indicators such as children, business meetings or romantic couple.
After the server has broken the ice and made a small simple connection to the guests it will open the door for a great experience. The guest will feel much more comfortable and if they are having a good time they can overlook small mistakes. When a connection has been made, the server can make personal recommendations and have the guest buy the items being suggested instead of the server trying to sell.
Unfortunately what take place in 62% of our Secret Shopping observations reports is that nothing is suggested at all. That usually takes place when either the employee or the manager does not care about their position. To truly give customized, personal service there needs to be a few additional questions asked during the first two trips to the table to understand the guest's expectations. Is this your first time in? Do you have plans for this evening? Did you come in for a specific dish tonight? Just try and find out what they are looking for.
15 seconds can go a long way if your staff is trained on how to serve your guests and you provide the proper work environment so your team enjoys the job.


Darren DenningtonDarren Dennington is the Owner and Founder of Service With Style, a secret shopping service dedicated to restaurants & hospitality. A long time industry veteran, Darren also consults and coaches restaurant operators on their operational and marketing strategies. 

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Floral Convention ReGeneration…A Renaissance of Renewal
























The Ozark Florist Association Floral Convention
is September 13th & 14th, 2014 at the:
 
Downstream Casino Convention Center
69300 E Nee Road, Quapaw, OK.  74363
918-919-6000
just a short drive from Kansas City

ReGeneration…A Rennissance of Renewal them will be a great weekend of floral education, meeting new industry vendors and designers.   Just a short drive from Kansas City….

I will be there, a great weekend!  The registration information is above.

Students from the classroom you will register under flower classroom for your company….see you there!!

More information at:  www.aboutozark.com

Wednesday, September 3, 2014

Explore Floral Design 12 Mondays begins January 19, 2015




Explore Floral Design              
12~Mondays    

Begins January 19, 2015

Maximum 8 students
January 19, 26
February 2,9,16,23
March 2,9,16,23,30
April 6th
84 class hours of hands on training
  9:30-5:30   1 hour lunch




Overview

This 12 day Exploration of Floral Design class will teach the basic principals of floral design, and so much more.  Each day will have a morning/evening lecture and afternoon/evening of hands on designing.  Students will participate in the processing and handling of fresh flowers each day for the lab session.   The students will be trained to execute all basic forms of design to apply for a floral designer position.  This is a required class for job placement.  The class offers business information on pricing for profit, daily sales, floral delivery expenses, and bulk purchases for profitability, and so much more!  The students will have a final exam on materials covered during lectures.  And every class day will be more fun than you can imagine and the amount of flowers to work with and industry information is fantastic!
FLOWERS are beautiful creations, the curiosity and enthusiasm for information on FLOWERS is contagious.  Take yourself somewhere new….to the Flower Classroom.  Learn to be a FLOWER expert.
This class enables you to become a FLOWER expert!   Having so much fun every class session.
Objectives
·       Introduction to design
·       Color terms and theory
·        Processing and handling of fresh flowers
·       Flower & Foliage identification
·       Hands on design of basic forms of    design
·       Techniques in design
·       Wedding Bouquets
·       Flowers to wear
·       Sympathy Tributes
·       Every day designs
·       Pricing of floral products
·       Salesmanship with FLOWERS
     Special Event Flowers
·       Handling Customer complaints
     Hiring the best employees
·       Tropical floral designs
·       Field trip to Floral Wholesalers
     Floral Terminology

Activities

Each student will have materials provided to execute all designs.  The classroom also has additional books, supplies and flowers for purchase.  This allows students to practice additional designs at home.
We will cover the Principles, Elements & Techniques of Design
·       Balance, Emphasis, Harmony, Proportion, Rhythm & Unity
·       Color, Form, Line, Space & Texture
·       Bailing, Banding, Binding, Bunching, Clustering, Detailing, Facing, Framing, Grouping, Hand Tying, Kubari, Lacing, Layering, Mirroring, Pave, Pillowing, Sequencing, Sheltering, Stacking, Terracing, Tufting, Veiling, Wrapping & Zoning.

Floral Design Tools

The Flower Classroom provides a Notebook of Floral information, Color Wheel and a California Flower Selection guide, and other industry catalogs.
 Students should bring something for note taking and a calculator.  The classroom has assorted tools available to use, new floral tools are available in the classroom to purchase.  Any other tools necessary for the class will be available.

Evaluation

A certificate of completion of this class will be available with a passing grade on the final exam.
Students that have enrolled and passed the Explore Floral Design and wish to enroll in the Advanced Floral design class that follows will be given a discount on that class price when combining these 2 classes.
Christina Burton-Fox   AIFD   instructor

FLOWERS are beautiful creations.  The curiosity and enthusiasm for information about flowers is contagious.  Enroll in the Flower Classroom for the most up to date information….when the ordinary won’t do…take yourself somewhere new!



Materials

Fresh flowers and foliage’s and the containers will be provided for all the designs.  These designs are yours to take with you at the end of each class day.  You will not take apart your designs to execute the next floral design.
Flower selection will be seasonal.  The classroom will have a wide selection of flowers to choose from for design execution.  You will have permanent materials and all wire, tape, glue, etc. will be provided.
Styles of Design
·      Botanical
·      Circular Mass
·      Formal Linear
·      Line-Mass
·      Triangular
·      Vegetative




Class Registration

84 hours classroom time
Registration & Class Materials for a       12-day class              
  $1,864.50

This amount is due in full to reserve your design table.  Payment can be made with any major credit card or with Pay Pal.
You can copy and paste this link for payment.  I will confirm your registration after the payment is received.

PayPal link for payment of Class
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=BKXUGEZDLPERA
Cancelation of your space in the class is allowed up to 14 days before class for a full refund.  After that a credit will be applied for classes in the future.
 Call for more information.           913-708-2988