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Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Bloompop....Loves Local Florists
Wednesday, October 29, 2014
FREE Thursday Evening Flower Therapy class November 20th
registration is still open!!
Thursday Evening Flower Therapy
Thursday Evening Flower Therapy
November 20th
6-8pm
A free floral class session
Let’s explore an AIFD Symposium Program DVD format
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
Florists Review Tip of the week
Service with a smile
Your demeanor when working on the phone is no less important than your demeanor when you greet customers face-to-face. While we would never welcome someone into the shop with a frown or anything less than a smile, we aren’t always at the top of our game when answering the phone. We can get in a hurry and answer in a clipped or monotone manner.Work with your staff on taking a beat before answering the phone. Take a breath, put on a genuine smile, and then greet that phone customer. The warmth will come through and make for a pleasant exchange.
For a little extra reminder, you can even tape small mirrors or simple phrases – “Don’t forget your smile!” – near the phones to keep everyone in the habit.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Florists Review Tip of the Week
October 6, 2014Upping Halloween Sales Did you know that Halloween is the second-largest holiday for decorating? It’s second only to Christmas!Many customer like to go all out with their parties and décor. To tap into this market, try some new tactics. Teresa Lanker, chair of the Horticultural Technologies Division and coordinator of Floral Design and Marketing at The Ohio State University ATI, has some clever ideas: “Market your shop as a holiday and seasonal decorating specialist. Replace red and green with orange and black, twinkle lights with flashers, and snowmen with jack-o’-lanterns, and you can transform traditional Christmas decorating schemes to spooky and spirited Halloween vignettes for homes, businesses and the shop. Costumed deliveries. Make deliveries throughout October or during Halloween week with a helper dressed as a vampire, black cat, gypsy or superhero. Publicize this special service, and charge a bit extra for it, if you wish. Bobbing for discounts. Write percentage discounts or other sales promotions on the bottoms of miniature pumpkins, and float them in a tub. Allow customers to choose their pumpkin discount prior to purchase.” |
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
Thursday Evening Flower Therapy
November 20th
6-8pm
A free floral class session
Let’s explore an AIFD Symposium Program DVD format
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 weekDesign Technique: Banding Banding 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 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 link. https://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 MagazineSee with a customer's eye You 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.
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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
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Saturday, September 6, 2014
AIFD September Marketing tip
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 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
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
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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!
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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
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
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