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MFA and WUMFA Winners 2015

The Michigan Floral Association and the Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Florists Association has announced the winners of the 2015 awards. From various areas in the floral industry, these winners have excelled in talent and leadership. We wanted to offer a congratulations to all the winners.

We wanted to especially congratulate two of our members. First, congrats to Pamela Prough of My Lady’s Florist in Westland, Michigan who received the MFA Retail Employee of the Year Award at the 2015 Great Lakes Floral Expo held in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Second, congrats to Smith Floral and Greenhouses of Lansing, Michigan who received the MFA Retailer of the Year 2015 Award.

         

Here are the other winners:

Michigan Floral Association (MFA)

Past President’s Floriology Scholarship
Shelley Adair

Certified Florist of the Year
Arlon Slagn

National Service Award
Jack Howard

Lifetime Award
Bob Friese

Special Recognition Award
James Lutke

MFA Supplier of the Year
Kennicott Brothers

Young Person of the Year
Angela Christi

2015 MFA Wholesale Employee of the Year Award
Ric Gaunt

Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Florist Association (WUMFA)

Lifetime Achievement Award
Dan Grogan

WUMFA National Service Award
Lee Sorenson

WUMFA Special Services Award
Kathleen Johnson

WUMFA Wholesaler of the Year
Rojahn and Malaney

WUMFA Young Person of the Year
Melissa Maas

It’s always a great day to celebrate the floral industry! Check back with the Bloomin’ Blog for more floral industry news!

Photos courtesy of MFA and WUMFA.

Check Out This Article!

We wanted to share this interesting article by Consumerist.com. Give it a read!

How To Amaze Your Valentine Without Screwing Over Your Local Florist

Shopping online is simple: you see a picture of the thing that you want to buy, click on it, type in your credit card, and then that thing arrives on your doorstep or the doorstep of your gift recipient. This simplicity falls apart…

 Photo courtesy of Consumerist.com

 

 

 

Suggest an Article: Florists Honoring the Arizona Hotshots

Florists are amazing people, and if any of us ever forget that fact, this story should serve as a powerful reminder. This week’s suggest an article comes from Rakini Chinery of Allan’s Flowers & Prescott Valley Florist!

In order to get to the heart-warming story of local florists banding together to do something selfless and beautiful, we first have to recount a terrible tragedy.

This past June, 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots lost their lives while battling an Arizona wildfire. These brave individuals died serving and protecting their community, keeping it safe from harm.Hotshot Memorial Team

In an overwhelming response to this horrific event, the floral community in Arizona clamored to do their part to honor the noble sacrifice of these fallen heroes. Over 30 Arizona florists donated both their time and their talents to arranging and sculpting flowers provided by contributions from wholesalers for the Hotshot Memorial Service.

These tireless florists worked hard for three full days to do what they do best: provide artistic beauty and love in an effort to provide whatever comfort could be found for the inconsolable family and friends of those who were lost.

I hope you will join me in sending a heartfelt “Thank You” to the Arizona florists who did all they could for those who died so tragically on that fateful June day. It is that giving spirit which does the floral community proud. Good job, folks!

If you have an idea for Suggest an Article, leave it in the comments below.

FSN Member wins Second Annual Buckwald Scholarship!

We would like to congratulate Lavender Hill Florals of Jeffersonville, IN for winning the second annual Buckwald scholarship! Way to go, ladies!

About the Buckwald ScholarshipLavender Hill Floral

The Gary Buckwald Scholarship for Excellence in Floral Sales and Service consists of $10,000 worth of training, coaching and mentoring over the course of a year for a florist and her staff. This scholarship, the result of a collaboration between the Society of American Florists and Floral Strategies, has an application process open to any retailer who has been in business for at least 18 months. Tim Huckabee, president of Floral Strategies, says that they attempt to discover a retailer who “genuinely wants and needs the training, and is willing to put what they learn into practice.”

It is a recent award, but its lack of age is no knock on its incredible value. The tremendous benefit of having the opportunity to receive top-notch personal training from Tim Huckabee cannot be overstated. Tim will be making several trips out to Lavender Hill Florist over the next year to work with the staff on their sales and customer service skills.

Congratulations Lavender Hill Florals

This is both a great honor and great opportunity for FSN member, Lavender Hill Florals. We are excited for them and know that Tim will lead them down a path toward even greater success!


Avoid the Hidden Cost of Online Images

Hey, isn't that our image?Just like everyone else, I like to spruce up my blog posts and news articles with a few images. After all, who wants to read block after block of text with no visuals to break it up? Nobody, that’s who.

So after I compose a brilliant (even if only to me) article, the next logical step is to search for an equally brilliant image to complement. Easy right? Not exactly. While Google has made things simple by adding an images archive for us to pour through, those images are often copyrighted, and using them without permission could result in some stiff penalties!

Online Does Not Equal Free

Just because an image is posted online does not mean that it is free and clear to be used. Contrary to popular belief, that is not what the law means when it says “public domain”. In this context, public domain means that the copyright has run out and was not renewed or was inapplicable to begin with. It has no bearing on where the image is located or discovered. A photographer who posts his pictures online has just as much right to be compensated for their display as one who sells them in a gallery.

This means that it is NOT okay to right-click any image you see, save it to your hard drive and upload it to your blog or website. If you do, the copyright holder can request you take it down, send you a bill, hire a lawyer to draft a cease and desist order and/or take you to court to sue for damages! And no, attribution* will not save you. Nobody wants to be stuck paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars for use of some erroneous image they only snagged because it looked good and helped illustrate their point.

Is There No Such Thing as Free Images?A stiff penalty.

Do not despair; there is hope! I’m not going to slap your hand and walk away, that’s not how this blog operates. Now that I’ve told you why it’s bad to grab random images, let me tell you where to go in order to find some images you can use. I should first say that these sites are not perfect and it’s possible to run across a copyrighted image here. However, your chances of avoiding them are much better than just pulling something you found randomly.

Also, it is a good idea to attribute back to the site you used at the bottom of your post. Some of these sites don’t require attribution*, but it’s just polite. You should ALWAYS read any disclaimers or policies around the photo or site you are using. They are pretty short, and it will be time well spent.

Free Images Online

  1. morgueFile – Free photos. Need I say more?
  2. Creativity103 – Photos, designs, and videos.
  3. pixel perfect digital – Free stock photography. This site does require attribution*!
  4. Photo Pin – Free photos!
  5. openclipart – Free clip art!
  6. pixabay – An outlet to both share and find free images.
  7. stock.xchng – Free photos!
  8. Creative Commons – This site is a collaborative page for creatives of all types. You can find images, text, and even videos with a varying level of copyright. Creative Commons offers free copyright licenses to creatives who would like to share their work on limited terms.

Don't be this guy.As you can see, there are plenty of places you can go online to find what you need. It’s true that many of these sites post images by amateur photographers or have photos that the pay sites have already rejected. That doesn’t necessarily mean that these images are bad, but they may not be up to the same level of quality as images for which payment is required. You know the old saying, “You get what you pay for.” Still, there are some good amateurs out there, and every professional started out as one, so don’t discount the option of finding something you can use here.

Using online images is a dicey proposition, but hopefully this post helped you to see some of the pitfalls and provided you with a few options to avoid them. If you have any suggestions or know of another quality free site I didn’t list here, put it in the comments below!

All images are courtesy of morgueFile.

*Attribution is the act of giving credit to the site from which you uploaded your photos. The morgueFile link is an example of attribution.

Saying Goodbye to an Industry Great

Sad GoodbyeWe are so very sad to announce that Linda Reiling, owner of The Watering Can Florist in Churubusco and Columbia City, Indiana and a beloved member florist with Flower Shop Network, passed away Tuesday morning, August 27th.

Linda had been an FSN member for 5 years, and always maintained a friendly, working relationship with her FSN representative, Joe Hays. Upon hearing of her passing, Joe said, “She was a wonderful, sweet lady to work with, always happy when we talked. I will miss her.”

Lover of Flowers

Linda was a lifelong lover of flowers and the floral industry. She first developed her love for all things floral while in 4-H where she won regional and state awards. Linda attended the internationally renowned Hickson’s Floral Design School in Ohio and held a Design Master’s Certification in wedding floral arrangements and an American International Floral Design degree. Linda had more than 40 years of experience in the floral industry and her loss will be felt among the members of her local and professional community.

All of us here at Flower Shop Network offer our deepest condolences to Linda’s family in this difficult time.

Regina Berryman at TNSFA Convention (Photo Follow Up)

We recently posted an article introducing Regina Berryman and her upcoming presentation on the Fibonacci method of Floral Design at the Tennessee State Floral Association convention. I bet you’re wondering just how it went? Well, it should come as no surprise that Regina presented an abundance of valuable information as well as displayed some breathtaking arrangements!

As usual, FSN was there to snap some photos and is excited to pass them on to you!

Regina On Stage

Regina Berryman and the stage before the arrangements are brought out.

Regina On Stage

A couple of the first arrangements are visible in this photo.

Gorgeous Arrangement

A gorgeous arrangement using bamboo as a backdrop.

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Florists Helping Oklahoma City

Florists, here is how you can help.

The tragedy of yesterday’s storm has left several families in the position of planning their child’s funeral with little to no resources. Realizing the need these families have, Kimbra from Enchanted Florist (Amarillo TX) is spearheading an effort to help the families and the Oklahoma City florists provide a loving tribute for each child.

Kimbra shared this information with us this morning.

“I have contacted the Oklahoma Governor’s office and we will be working with Channel 9 in Oklahoma to get the word out to the community about these special gifts for the children. I cannot bare the thought of any family not being able to have one last final memory without everything they need to do so. I am in the process of learning best how to set up this special account. If we all give some then these families will know their families have a place in our hearts. A loss of any type is a part of life, the loss of child is a special gift to God!”
Kimbra

She is working with a funeral home in Amarillo and others to help provide some of the services and items needed. As soon as she can make contact with the FSN members in Oklahoma City*, she will help them coordinate the effort to provide casket sprays for each of the children lost.

For those of you who want to help, contact Kimbra at 806-322-2878 or enchantedflorist_6913@yahoo.com.

*At this time, we have not been able to reach any of our members. Please keep them in your prayers.

Big Congrats To Our Winning Members

Way To Go Florists!

Floral convention season is just kicking off and already our florist members are making their presence known! Check out all of our member’s latest great accomplishments in today’s post!

Florist Awards

  • Big congrats to Norton’s Flowers & Gifts in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor, MI for being voted Retailer of the Year at the Great Lakes Floral Expo 2013.

Doug Bates - 2013 Young Person of the Year

Doug Bates of Designs by Vogt’s in Sturgis MI

  • Congratulations to Doug Bates of Designs by Vogt’s in Sturgis MI for being voted the 2013 Young Person of the Year at the Great Lakes Florist Expo.

This young person has been excited about the MFA since their first conference and has never stopped.  Their energy has just kept growing. To watch them participate in classes and then in design events and competitions you can see the passion and energy in their eyes and it is contagious.  Always with a positive attitude toward the industry they have nothing but great admiration for their peers and respect for their fellow florists. From the Michigan Florist Association Press Release

Design Contest Winners

  • Way to go Debbie Royal of Royal Expressions Flowers & Gifts, Blissfield, MI for winning 3rd place in the Great Lakes Floral Expo professional division design contest themed Loving Memory. Debbie also took home 2nd place in the professional division design contest themed Surprise, Surprise.
  • Congrats to Robbin Yelverton of Blumz… by JR Designs in Detroit MI for taking home 1st place in the Great Lakes Floral Expo academy division design contest themed It’s A Party.
  • Big congrats to Rae Roberts-Griffith of True Colors Artistry for winning 1st runner up in the prestigious 2013 Lincoln Cup at the 2013 Illinois State Florist Association Convention.
  • Congratulations to Judy Fitzpatrick of Just Judy’s Flowers in Pensacola, FL for winning second place in the Northwest Florida Florists’ Association’s February Design Contest.
  • Congratulations to April Ridge of Alyce’s Floral Designs in Ft Walton Beach, FL for winning third place in the Northwest Florida Florists’ Association’s February Design Contest.

Congrats again, everyone!

I do my best to find our florists’ achievements through various association emails and online posts. If I left you out, please let me know and I will add you ASAP!

Flowers & Bees Communicate In Electric New Ways

Bumblebee ElectricityWe all know how bees use flowers to collect pollen for food and sustenance. You might even be aware of how bees see ultraviolet light, color and shape to determine different types of flowers. But, there’s more to pollination than just sight and smell — according to a very new study conducted by the University of Bristol and published in the journal Science, flowers actually communicate with bees through electric fields!

“This is a big finding,” says Daniel Robert, who led the study. “Nobody had postulated the idea that bees could be sensitive to the electric field of a flower.”

Flowers and plants tend to possess negative charges and are electrically connected to the ground, allowing them to conduct electricity very slowly. Bees, on the other hand, have a positive electrical charge because they fly in air. When the two connect, sparks may not fly, but pollen sure does. “We found some videos showing that pollen literally jumps from the flower to the bee, as the bee approaches… even before it has landed,” says Robert.

Now the electric side of pollination isn’t exactly new, as far back as the 1970s, botanists suggested that electric forces enhance the attraction between pollen and pollinators. But it wasn’t until now that we started asking the right questions, “Does the bee know anything about this process?”

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