floral design

Whether it was rearranging furniture in her bedroom to create a new look or starting an American Girl doll seamstress business, Marah Frank’s sense of style and creativity was evident at a young age. Today, she expresses herself through her popular blog, A Gypsy in the City, and her mobile flower cart business, Botanical Gypsy. Within a short time, Marah’s floral designs and pop-ups have gained in popularity, and her flower cart is a unique mobile offering in the Pittsburgh region. With the help of her father, Marah also renovated a vintage 1980’s camper that she plans to incorporate into her mobile flower business at some point in the future. Right now, she uses the camper as a workshop and to take beautiful and inspirational photos that you can find on her Instagram pages and website.

During our conversation, Marah spoke about her journey of discovery as a young entrepreneur. She tried the traditional college route, but ultimately decided to blaze her own trail as a freelancer and small business owner. If you are someone who is going through the challenges of deciding whether or not college is right for you or which career path to pursue, then you will want to hear Marah’s insights on this topic. They may help you work through your own decisions as you discover what is best for you.

If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat, you can reach me at my contact info below. The purpose of this podcast is to share ideas, inspire action, and build a stronger small business community here in Pittsburgh. So please say hello, tell me what you think, and let me know how I’m doing. It means a ton!

YOU CAN REACH ME AT:

Podcast: https://www.proprietorsofpittsburgh.com

Website: https://www.thestartupshoppe.net/podcasts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinvilano

Phone: 412-336-8247

YOU CAN REACH MARAH FRANK AT:

Website: https://marahfrank.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/botanical_gypsy

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/agypsyinthecity

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/marahfrank

Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/BotanicalGypsy

After her wedding, Aja Maria Bencsics wanted to preserve her bridal bouquet in a way that expressed her sense of style and flair. Little did she know it at the time, but her creation would ultimately inspire a business idea centered around a medium that she treasured. Aja is passionate about flowers. She loves the way they look, how they make her feel, and the unique ways in which we use them to mark the major events in our lives. After listening to her speak, it’s clear to see that she was going to find a way to incorporate flowers into her life in one way or another. Today, Aja has established herself as one of the region’s premier floral preservationists with the ability to turn arrangements into her signature wreaths or more traditional displays, if preferred by her clients. She also serves as an excellent example of someone who balances a professional career and a small business all while meeting the constant demands of motherhood. Aja’s resourcefulness and creativity serves as an inspiration to us all.

If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat, you can reach me at my contact info below. The purpose of this podcast is to share ideas, inspire action, and build a stronger small business community here in Pittsburgh. So please say hello, tell me what you think, and let me know how I’m doing. It means a ton!

YOU CAN REACH ME AT:

Podcast: https://www.proprietorsofpittsburgh.com

Website: https://www.thestartupshoppe.net/podcasts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinvilano

Phone: 412-336-8247

YOU CAN REACH AJA MARIA BENCSICS AT:

Website: https://www.ajamariafloral.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajamariafloral

If you’ve been paying attention to the flower scene in Pittsburgh, you know that there’s a constant buzz surrounding The Farmer’s Daughter Flowers in Deutschtown. After working a number of gigs in New York City, including a stint at the popular ZuZu’s Petals in Brooklyn, Lauren Work Phillips decided to return to her roots in Western Pennsylvania. In 2013, she started her event flower business out of a small apartment that she shared with her husband. Two years later, they expanded into retail when they opened up their storefront on East Ohio Street. It’s an incredible feat to be able to manage both a highly sought-after event business and a prominent flower shop, but Lauren and her team are able to pull it off with style and grace. They also host an array of well-designed and creative workshops for customers. These fun events, which are often BYOB, allow attendees to be hands-on in crafting their own floral displays and wreaths. This is just one of the many things that makes The Farmer’s Daughter Flowers unique in our city. We’re so glad Lauren decided to come home!

If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat, you can reach me at my contact info below. The purpose of this podcast is to share ideas, inspire action, and build a stronger small business community here in Pittsburgh. So please say hello, tell me what you think, and let me know how I’m doing. It means a ton!

YOU CAN REACH ME AT:

Podcast: https://www.proprietorsofpittsburgh.com

Website: https://www.thestartupshoppe.net/podcasts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinvilano

Phone: 412-336-8247

YOU CAN REACH LAUREN WORK PHILLIPS AT:

Website: https://www.thefarmersdaughterflowers.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefarmersdaughterflowers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Thefarmersdaughter13

Phone: 412-231-1238

This season was recorded before the pandemic, and I want to share it with you because it features four amazing entrepreneurs in the floral design space. Their stories deserve to be told, and we are incredibly proud of the work they have done and continue to do here in our region. You’ll hear directly from the owners of Victoria’s Mobile Flower Shop, The Farmer’s Daughter Flowers, Aja Maria Floral, and Botanical Gypsy as they bring us inside their businesses and personal journeys. If you love flowers, springtime, hope and optimism, you’re going to love this season.

During this challenging time, we are all learning how to adapt to this new world in which we find ourselves. And I’m doing the same thing here with the podcast. After this season, I will be doing all future interviews remotely until it’s safe to do them face-to-face again. This was a tough one for me, because in-person conversations are my favorite part of doing a local podcast. There’s nothing like the energy that’s created between people engaged in dialogue in the same room together. We will do that again, but until that day, we will be doing the show virtually.

I believe that this podcast can serve a real purpose by providing a platform for our local small business owners to talk about what they are going through, as well as to share ideas and best practices that may help other entrepreneurs who are in similar circumstances. Therefore, instead of having a theme for each season as we’ve had in the past, I will be interviewing Pittsburgh-area small businesses of all types to find out how they’re navigating through these uncharted waters.

If you have any questions or if you’d like to chat, you can reach me at my contact info below. The purpose of this podcast is to share ideas, inspire action, and build a stronger small business community here in Pittsburgh. So please say hello, tell me what you think, and let me know how I’m doing. It means a ton!

YOU CAN REACH ME AT:

Podcast: https://www.proprietorsofpittsburgh.com

Website: https://www.thestartupshoppe.net/podcasts

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/proprietorsofpittsburghpodcast

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darinvilano

Phone: 412-336-8247

For Episode 11 of If I Made a Podcast, Emily welcomes Sarah Winward back to the studio to talk everything design, creativity, finding inspiration, and how she works with clients to mesh her design ideas with their wedding visions.

In Part II of this two-part series, Sarah discusses her approach to designing flowers, entire weddings, environments and how her approach has changed over the years and why. She also talks through her client process and how she figures out exactly what her clients want every single time!

🎉If you want more from Sarah, check out some other learning opportunities we have for FREE! 🎉

-Free Online Workshop: Learn to Become a Wedding Floral Designer

-Free Online Learning:
    • Learn to Make a Bouquet with Sarah Winward
    • Sarah’s Guide to Ordering and Sourcing Unique Flowers
    • Learn to Create a Floral Installation Almost Anywhere

If you like today’s episode, rate and review the podcast! And subscribe so you never miss an episode. We want to keep bringing you more free content just like this!

For Episode 10 of If I Made a Podcast, Emily welcomes a very special guest and one of the first wedding professionals we worked with, Sarah Winward! Sarah’s been a florist for over 10 years, but has always had a special connection to flowers.

In Part I of a two-part series with Sarah, you’ll learn all about how Sarah got started in the industry, how she made her way into a flooded market without using social media, and her unique pricing structure that allows for her flexibility and increased profitability.

If you want more from Sarah, check out some other learning opportunities we have for free!

-Learn to Make a Bouquet with Sarah Winward
-Sarah’s Guide to Ordering and Sourcing Unique Flowers
-Learn to Create a Floral Installation Almost Anywhere

If you like today’s episode, rate and review the podcast! And subscribe so you never miss an episode. We want to keep bringing you more free content just like this! 

What's up, Plant People? To some, horticulture may seem like a dying field. Russ Plowman doesn't agree and thinks the future actually looks bright, as horticulturists will become more and more important as populations grow and the climate changes. Listen in for a great discussion about the many and various things one could do in horticulture, like floral design, nursery growing, landscape design, food production, education, and much more. Turns out, Russ Plowman has done pretty much all of those things. He's the leader of the Texas Tech Floral Design program and Ornamental Horticulture Research Group, an instructor of horticulture, and a long time and accomplished business owner in the field. Settle in with your favorite headphones or speakers, grab a snack, and get ready to learn a little more about plants! Also, check out the links below to find the cool things Russ and his team are doing.

Facebook: Texas Tech Floral Design
Instagram: Texas Tech Floral Design
Web: TTU Plant and Soil Science; TTU Ornamental Horticulture Research Group; TTU Greenhouse and Horticultural Gardens

As always, thanks so much for listening! Subscribe, rate, and review Planthropology on your favorite podcast app. It really helps the show keep growing and reaching more people! Also, check out Planthropology on our website and various social media pages, all listed below. 

Listen in on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox, or wherever else you like to get your podcasts.

Website: www.planthropologypod.com

Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/Planthropology

Facebook: Planthropology

Instagram: @Plan

As always, thanks so much for listening! Subscribe, rate, and review Planthropology on your favorite podcast app. It really helps the show keep growing and reaching more people! Also, check out Planthropology on our website and various social media pages, all listed below. As an added bonus, if you review Planthropology on Apple Podcasts or Podchaser and send me a screenshot of it, I'll send you an awesome sticker pack!

Listen in on Apple, Spotify, Stitcher, Castbox, or wherever else you like to get your podcasts.

Website: www.planthropologypodcast.com

• Podchaser: www.podchaser.com/Planthropology
• Facebook: Planthropology
• Facebook group: Planthropology's Cool Plant People
• Instagram: @PlanthropologyPod
• Twitter: @Planthropology_
• e-mail: planthropologypod@gmail.com

Today's guest is Chantelle Williams who runs J'Adore Couture Luxury Floral and Styling here in Hawaii. From 2012, Chantelle has been active as an event floral designer, and has continued building her business since then. Honestly, there are a lot of floral designers in Hawaii, and are well-established, but Chantelle sets J'Adore Couture apart from the rest. She is one of the most genuine, kind, and loving individuals I have ever met. If I had to think of someone who was put on this Earth to bless others, Chantelle would be one of the people I would think of. I highly recommend checking out Chantelle's business for any of your floral needs as she will guarantee deliver her best. Check out jadorecouture.net for more information about Chantelle's business. Follow @talkstorypodcast on IG for more updates. Thank you to my wife, Kelsey, for helping me film and edit this episode!

Instagram: kampai_sugai_808
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjAXiyRRg5gboZTHRZt7ebQ

I LOVE Cece Todd and all of her extra-ness.  Apparently, a lot of other people do too!  Her floral design business has blossomed quickly and she's been blessed with great success.  CeCe shares a lot about her obstacles and missed opportunities on her way to becoming a well-respected name a very competitive industry.

You can follow CeCe on Facebook and Instagram.

You may visit her website, Cece Designs, here.

In nature, flowers exist for reproductive purposes. But, for humans, they’ve been a source of awe and inspiration for centuries. For Georgia O’Keefe, they were her ever-generous subjects. In “A New Earth,” spiritual teacher and author, Eckhart Tolle, writes: “When you are alert and contemplate a flower, crystal or a bird without naming it mentally, it becomes a window for you into the formless. There is an inner opening, however slight, into the realm of the spirit.” The giving and receiving of flowers has traditionally symbolized love and a positive gesture towards intimacy. But, as with anything that is produced en masse, the floral industry has negative implications on human health and the health of our planet. So, the next time you go to the bodega, or the supermarket or even your local florist to buy flowers, I invite you to ask - where have these come from?

That mystery is revealed this week during my conversation with Elena Seegers, a designer, botanist and florist, and an advocate for slow flowers, a movement started by florist Debra Prinzing for people who are interested in supporting local, domestically-sourced flowers. In this episode we discuss the dark side of imported flowers, why most conventionally grown roses don’t have a scent, the little-known, but toxic monopoly that is floral foam, the slow flower movement and the leaders of sustainable florals who are making a difference, and how to shop for flowers in an ethical way. You’ll also learn why Valentine’s Day is actually the worst time to buy flowers.

This conversation blew my mind in the best way and I know you’ll appreciate this knowledge the next time you have the power to choose what and how you buy flowers!

QUOTES:

“You have to be a very peculiar person to work with flowers and not be fundamentally nice.” - Elena Seegers

“If you have a band around the center of the world, that’s where most of the floral production happens.” - Elena Seegers

“If you want a peony in January, they all come from Australia.” - Elena Seegers

“Scent is costly to a flower in that it takes a lot of energy for it, so that the more a flower smells, the less long it will last.” - Elena Seegers

Connect with Elena Seegers:

• Le Fleuriste Website
• Le Fleuriste Instagram

Connect with The Our Nature Podcast:

• Follow Our Nature on Instagram

Sign up for the Our Nature Newsletter: www.ournaturepodcast.com

RESOURCES:

• New York Botanical Gardens
• Debra Prinzing’s Slow Flowers Podcast
• Materials for the Art
• In Defense of Plants Podcast
• Preston Bailey
• Garbage Goddess Instagram
• Psychology Today: Why Flowers Make Us Happy
• Emily Thompson’s Sustainable Floristry

SHOW NOTES:

• On growing up in a small town in Southwest France
• The story behind the creation of her blog - Le Fleuriste
• How an internship at the Ritz turned Elena away from traditional floristry
• Botanical Agency - Elena’s artistic practice working with plants on an exhibition-type basis
• An introduction to the Slow Flower Movement
• What’s floral foam? And why is it so toxic?
• How the American government encouraged the rose industry in Columbia in order to dissuade people from cultivating cocoa for cocaine
• Why the global rose industry is detrimental to local populations
• Why most conventionally grown roses don’t have scent
• The most wasteful parts of the design and agricultural aspects of the floral industry
• How Garbage Goddess is creating a low waste option for floral design
• How Elena ensures that she wastes as little as possible when she produces events
• Why there isn’t more of a public outcry about waste and pesticide use in the floral industry
• How to shop for flowers in a sustainable way
• The Slow Flower Movement and the American Grown dinner series
• Floral foam - the worst!!!
• Little known facts about indoor plants
• Flowers make us feel good
• Why buying flowers during Valentine’s Day is the worst time to buy flowers
• Did you some flowers are GMO?
• Elena’s hack for inexpensive, sustainable flowers
• Elena’s favorite flower
• Where to go if you’re interested in learning more about slow flowers and the Slow Flower Movement
• Elena and Simon’s original idea for Le Fleuriste
• The difference between native and non-native flowers and where to find them
• The Last Five Questions!

THE LAST 5 QUESTIONS:

1. What is your favorite place in nature? My parent’s in the south of France.

2. What is the animal, mineral or plant that resonates with you the most? Salt!

3. What is one thing we can do right now to connect with the natural world and bring more harmony into our lives? Use the greens on the top of your vegetables.

4. What’s the greatest lesson nature has taught you? Interconnectivity. The fact that each being is a big multicellular bag of different organisms and bacteria.

5. Nature brings me…Home.

Jen and Jackie discuss how they have come to navigate their career trajectories. Trying to do your passion project full time? Same, dude. Redemption is sought for Shawn Mendes and Aunt Mary is that bitch.

Pozie by Natalie owner and two-time featured artist in the Florist Review, Natalie Ransom joins the podcast for the fifteenth episode. The daughter of a Michigan farmer, Natalie launched her shop in 2015 to pursue her passion and artistry. We discuss the floral industry at length in addition to the day to day operations for her local business in Bellingham, WA.  Follow Pozie by Natalie on Instagram and check out her website here.

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