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Save the Date | MDS 2018 Workshop Dates

While it is mind blowing to us that we’re already nearing the end of our first Mayesh Design Star tour, we are so excited to embark on our second tour of floral design workshops with our brand new Design Star Kaylee Young of Flourish by Kay!

We all know how quickly time flies, so with 2018 fast approaching we wanted to announce next year’s tentative dates and locations. We are still finalizing them but wanted to share where we’re at to start getting you all excited!

This year, each workshop will take place over more than just a day, with a welcome cocktail party and possibly even a short activity the evening before! With so much material to cover and people traveling from sometimes up to a state away, we’re excited to get an early start and provide plenty of time to get to know one another before diving into the rest of the workshop.

So without further ado, our 2018 MDS Workshop Tour Dates!

FOUR US CITIES 

JANUARY 22 & 23  |  MIAMI, FL

MAY 21 & 22  |  NEW YORK/BROOKLYN, NY

AUGUST 6 & 7  |  SANTA BARBARA/OXNARD, CA

OCTOBER 15 & 16  |  SALT LAKE CITY, UT

THE MAYESH DESIGN STAR INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE

MARCH 12 – 17  |  QUITO, ECUADOR

More details to come in the very near future, but be sure to pencil us in for at least one of our 2018 workshops! It’s going to be a good year guys, we promise.

Mayesh Luxe Blooms: Phalaenopsis from Holland

My Mayesh Pull Challenge: Holly Chapple Edition

A few months back, Kelly Girard of our LAX shipping department challenged Holly Chapple to a Mayesh Pull challenge using wholesale flowers from our Luxe Blooms line, and much to our delight, she accepted! If you’re unfamiliar with our Mayesh Pulls, check out the basic process here, and keep reading to see a real life example with the one & only Holly Chapple!

THE CHALLENGE

Kelly asked Holly and her team to send her one inspiration image to give her a feel for color palette and texture. From there, Kelly would put together a Mayesh Pull for Holly to design whatever she wanted and do a styled shoot.

THE INSPIRATION

THE MAYESH PULL

RECEIVING THE GOODS

Well, Holly took this challenge above & beyond what we even expected, taking her Instagram followers through the ENTIRE process via Instagram stories, from unpacking the boxes to designing to the final shoot!

And boy were we blown away by the results… Holly and her team knocked it out of the park, and really showed what our sales reps can pull of with one simple inspiration photo!

We hope you’re as smitten with this photoshoot as we were, and if you want your own Mayesh Pull, head over here to place your order!

THE RESULTS

Photos: Chris from @healthfullyeverafter

Model: @jcfunkhouser

Ribbon: Honey Silk Co.

How Many Flowers for Flower Wall

I typically start my day checking social media pages and Facebook groups. This morning I came across someone asking how many roses do you need per square foot when designing a flower wall? If you have the same question, here is my answer that you can use if you are trying to cover any type of surface with flowers.

You may remember that I love flower math! So here is the math broken down step-by-step so you can figure it out depending on whatever flower(s) you want to use.

I am going to use a 5-foot by 8-foot flower wall as an example:

1. calculate the total area of the wall in inches; (e.g. for a 5×8 wall …. 60 in. x96 in. = 5760 sq. in.)
2. determine the average area of the flower you will use in square inches (e.g. 2 inch flower  – depends on variety this will need to be adjusted …. Multiply Pi (3.1416) with the square of the radius …. 3.1416*1*1 = 3.1416)
3. divide wall area by flower area (e.g. 5760/3.1416 = 1833-ish)
4. you will need roughly 1833 roses for a 5 ft x 8 ft wall, but that will need to be adjusted based on your design, spacing, other flowers that you may use, etc)

If you simply want to know how many flowers per square foot, again this depends on how wide the flower is.

If the flower is 2 inches wide, then:

1. 12 inches x 12 inches = 144 square inches
2. 2 inch flower = 3.1416 square inches
3. 144/3.1416 = 45.83

You would need about 45 flowers to cover one square foot.

If the flower is 3 inches wide, then:

1. 12 inches x 12 inches = 144 square inches
2. 3 inch flower (3.1416*1.5*1.5) = 7.07 square inches
3. 144/7.07 = 20.37

You would need a little over 20 flowers to cover one square foot.

Here are some other flower calculation blogs that I’ve done:

How to determine the number of flowers to cover a round table:
http://www.mayesh.com/flowers-geometry/

How to determine the number of flowers for flower balls:
http://www.mayesh.com/flowers-geometry-spheres-balls/

I would love to hear from you about how your flower wall design projects have gone. Share links to your designs in the comments below.

My Mayesh Pull: The Process

If you follow us on Instagram, then there is a very good chance that you have seen #mymayeshpull‘s in our feed. If you are still wondering what a My Mayesh Pull is, then we are here to help. My Mayesh Pulls are orders that are hand selected by one of our event experts – basically, we do the work for you! Our up-to-date experts find you the most beautiful, fresh product based on your budget, color palette, and event concept. They also take into account your likes and dislikes before sending you a picture for your approval before the order goes out.

Here’s how it works:

If you are interested in ordering your own Mayesh pull, then head on over to our SHOP page and you will see the button for our order form.

Happy designing!

Mornings with Mayesh: October 2017

Each month, Yvonne gets together with some of her flower friends for our Mornings with Mayesh show to discuss the world of flowers. From general flower availability and flower care to marketing for your flower business and everything in between, you don’t want to miss this replay!

This month, Jenn Sanchez of Jenn Sanchez Design, joined us to share with you about finding your creative voice, color & texture, social media for your biz and so much more!

Keep scrolling for the show notes that contains all of the questions, answers, and resources for your reference!

SHOW NOTES

FLOWER QUESTIONS

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE WORLD OF FLOWERS?:

• http://www.mayesh.com/flower-411-october/
• Fall is in full bloom! So many beautiful colors and textures becoming available so I’ll just pick a few of my faves…
• Ornamental Peppers on the stem: These fun flower fashionistas come in shades of green fading to red, orange & yellow… they can even turn to shades of aubergine to black. Although they look tempting, it is not advisable to eat ornamental peppers.
• Pumpkin tree is here! Its genus is Solanum Aethiopicum and it is actually a type of ornamental eggplant and is a related to the potato & tomato family of nightshade.
• Rose hips are coming in steadily. These are the fruit of the rose plant and are high in vitamin C for you outdoor survivalists.
• Sedum has started its color transition from pink to a bronze color, perfect for your fall arrangements. It is in the crassula family and is a relative to kalanchoes and other succulent plants.
• Check out our blog for the complete list and as always, talk to your sales rep about all the cool seasonal stuff available now!

• Melinda: Is there a good source for a year-round availability table on seasonal product??
  • We put together our monthly product lists into one document for your reference. It will be a valuable tool for our customers. Here’s the link:
  • http://www.mayesh.com/flower-availability/
• During last month’s show, Sylvia asked what are we importing from Chile?
  • Because of Chile’s diverse geography both tropical and mountainous, they are able to produce an array of fresh seasonal flowers. They are known for their mass production of Carnations, chrysanthemums & alstroemeria. But, they also produce high end and novelty flowers. For instance, peonies are available from October through February, ranunculus and anemones are available from August through October and these are just a few examples of the on-trend flowers produced there when they are not available domestically. They are also known for beautiful tropical foliages such as calathea, ti leaf & palm leaves as well as tropical flowers like anthurium, heliconia & ginger.
    
• Lee: Begonia Leaves – how do I prep them to keep them fresh? I love their look but they wilt so easily! Thanks!
  • Heather Cook from our purchasing department just started procuring these from an Oregon grower for us. She says the key is that they are stabilized immediately when cut by the grower. They do best in plain water with no floral food. The sugar in floral food can actually clog the stems. There are literally thousands of varieties of begonias. But, the ones harvested for foliage are usually the rhizomatous or cane stemmed varieties and are very sensitive to water sitting on the leaf surface. They are usually covered in small hairs that hold water and can cause botrytis to form. Iron cross begonia pictured below is one of the truly unique begonia foliages that we carry. Begonia foliage comes in a stunning array of colors and patterns perfect for fall.

FLOWER BUSINESS

• Courtney: When buying a floral refrigerator for the first time, what do you recommend? Looking for something not crazy expensive but something big enough for at least the personals for a wedding to be refrigerated. Is there anywhere else to look beside craigslist and eBay? do you recommend buying something new so you can get a warranty? It’s hard to know what to buy since they are all pricey. I guess just wondering if there are any other options before buying it.
  • First I’d check with your local Mayesh branch, we hear a lot of inside info from our clients and most locations have an information board for clients to leave help wanted and for sale flyers etcetera. You could also try Facebook marketplace https://apps.facebook.com/marketplace  or any number of online shopping websites. Google search could be your next best friend!
  • Coolbot (https://www.storeitcold.com/)

FLOWER DESIGN

• Question from Courtney: I was wondering what the best mechanics are when using bigger and heavier items like Pampas grass to go around an arch or Chuppah (all the way around.) Basically heavier things that you can’t really use oasis with. If there’s an easier way than attaching each stem individually that would be amazing. We’ve been seeing a lot of the pampas grass going all the way around arches and with  a lot of pampas grass (super wide taking up a lot of space.) Curious how to get that to stay on and how to have it fan out by using multiple stems to cover a lot of space.
  • Paddle wire, zip ties or even duct tape will work! You can tube stems of more fragile flowers if need be. Just remember to finish your work by covering your mechanics with flowers, foliage or moss.
  • Eco Fresh Bouquet wraps: http://ecofreshbouquet.com/

• Question from Courtney: How to get signage decor like with garlands or just greenery and some flowers to stay on acrylic signs, wooden signs (i hear people staple them,) and other materials would be interesting to know how to get it to stay and look droopy (like they all do on Pinterest.)
  • Pinterest is an awesome tool for sharing but not always reliable for representing reality. You could try using dried, preserved or “everlasting” florals. The industry is starting to fabricate some real life like replicas and most vendors will ship nationwide. Check out The French Bee, a Phoenix favorite for life-like artificial florals.  http://www.thefrenchbee.com/  If you are a purist at heart and only fresh materials will do, choose hardy foliages like lemon leaf or camelia for your base and refresh the florals as needed. Using a “cold glue” like Oasis floral adhesive is the best way to avoid color changes in live products that can occur with hot glue. You could also try Oasis U-glu dashes, a two-sided floral adhesive medium. Oasis products website: https://oasisfloralproducts.com/

• Question from Courtney: A wrist corsage tutorial would be awesome. There are so many ways to make them so it would be great to find the most simple and efficient way.
  • Check out these past videos in which our Mayesh Design Stars demonstrate a few easy ways to design write corsages:
    • Christy’s video: https://youtu.be/vVmUd7dVxr8
    • Jodi’s video: https://youtu.be/Gc46IhS_BpI

• From Carie: HELP!  I always use a bouquet holder for my bridal bouquets and cover the handle with stems for a faux hand tied.  Do you have any tips for using sunflowers in a bouquet holder???  

MARKETING NEWS

• Another question from Courtney: Do people have a lot of luck with Pinterest ad sales? What’s the best way to use that?
  • First, I am not a Pinterest superuser, but I can definitely help get you started. First things first, you have to get set up on Pinterest and set up a business page. If you are just getting started with Pinterest – here are some great tips from one of my favorite social media sites, Social Media Examiner.
    • https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/pinterest-tips-for-your-business/
  • Having a Business Pinterest page will get you the very important analytics, but it will also allow you to do Promoted Pins and Rich Pins.
  • Promoted Pins are easy to set up – let’s hop over to my Pinterest page for Mayesh and I will show you.
    • https://www.pinterest.com/mayeshwholesale/pins/
  • Here is another blog post that will help with promoted pins:
    • https://manlypinteresttips.com/get-money-enhanced-promoted-pin-targeting/
  • If you are a business that sells products/floral designs/etc, did you know that you can set up Rich Pins that users can click on to purchase your product?
  • Pinterest has a great Business center
    • https://business.pinterest.com/en/getting-started
  • Create social media graphics using Canva: https://www.canva.com/

• Instagram is making changes!
  • IG Stories is coming to your desktop – I don’t have it yet, but I cannot wait for this to happen.
  • Audio is on autoplay for Instagram videos – you can toggle it on or off during your Instagram session. So it turns it off when you leave the session and you will have to tap on and it will remain on during your session unless you tap off. This does not affect IG Stories. Pretty fun!
  • Did you hear that IG is testing a new layout of your grid? As we all know, currently the layout on your profile is 3 pictures across each row, but soon it is possible that we will have 4 images per row. For many creatives that carefully curate or post extra large images with the smaller pictures, this will shift things off a bit.
  • The last bit of IG news, is that users are seeing filters for your live videos. Do you have it? Have you used it?

Ok, so I’m very excited for our next guest. Jenn Sanchez is a super talented designer with a background in oil painting having been drawn to Dutch Masters still life vignettes as well as modern conceptual art. She has focused on the art of floral design and loves to recreate natural environments with flowers and foliage. Today, Jenn is going to talk a little bit about her journey, her design philosophy and about how she uses tools like Instagram to grow her business. Welcome, Jenn!

JENN SANCHEZ INTERVIEW

• Welcome, Jenn! First, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your floral design business?
• Can you share your philosophy on how to find your creative voice and sticking to it?
  • No one knows exactly who they are at all times and what they want, and that’s ok. But you have to know who your brand is. Who your audience is.
  • The importance of being authentic, finding and staying true to your vision
  • The importance of embracing failure, you cannot succeed until you accept mistakes will happen but the risk is worth the reward. I was always (am still) afraid of failing but more afraid of not even trying.
  • The importance of being resilient, not allowing failure, comparison, or harsh critics bring you down.
• How do you use color and texture?
  • My aesthetic, why I am so drawn to color. I think any artistic expression should make you feel something and color does that so well.
  • Transitioning color by grouping like tones, took me time to realize this (also a sidetone of using those designers that inspire you to educate yourself. If you like a photo on Instagram or a magazine, ask yourself “why”. This is how I learned about color blocking).
  • Using interesting texture, challenge yourself. Buy one bunch of something you are nervous to use and see how you like it. Don’t be afraid to experiment.
• Jenn, you have quite the following on Instagram, has this helped your business grow?
  • https://www.instagram.com/jennchezdesign/
    
• Do you use other social media platforms?
  
• Other tools: https://www.planoly.com/
• Do you take your own pictures and do you have any pointers for our listeners on how to put their best foot forward with photographs?
• Yvonne: Jenn, tell us where we can find out more about you and what you are up to:
  • http://www.jennchez.com/

If you think of new questions, you can post them in the comments below.

Be sure to mark your calendar for November 7th at 10 am EST.

Other resources that were mentioned during the show:

Floristas del Mundo is a flower group in Spanish and English: https://www.facebook.com/groups/223198098076057/?ref=br_rs

Mayesh en español Ramo de Novia con Gardenias

Welcome to our second installment of Mayesh Floral Design in Spanish! In this installment, Veronica Cicero of  Anthology Co. (Miami, FL) explains her technique and process in designing an elegant and fragrant white bridal bouquet. With the focal flower being Gardenias complimented by Stephanotis vine, we wish we could share the fragrance of this bouquet.

Bienvenidos a nuestra segunda presentación de Mayesh Floral Design en español! En este video Veronica Cicero de Anthology Co. explica su técnica y proceso en el diseño de un elegante y fragante ramo de novia blanco. Con la flor focal siendo gardenias complementada con la vid Stephanotis. ¡Nos gustaría poder compartir la fragancia de este ramo con ustedes!

Gardenia blooms – La flor de gardenia
Gardenia foliage – Las hojas de gardenia
Stephanotis vine – La parra de Stephanotis
Scabiosa pod – La vaina de scabiosa
Jasmine – La parra de Jazmin
Eucharis Lily – Lirio de Eucaris

Videographer: Talewind Visuals

Mayesh Design Star: How To Work With A Stylist

In October’s Mayesh Design Star video, Christy Hulsey is joined by Whitney Downs of Whitewood Events to explain the benefits of working with a stylist. Creating a relationship can save so much time in the creative process, which ultimately saves you money as well! See what Christly looks for in a stylist and what Whitney looks for in a florist to execute a perfectly curated wedding or event.

Accent Decor items:
Prive Compote
E+E Napkin Rings
Chelsea Vases

Host: Christy Hulsey,  Colonial House of Flowers
CHOF Team: Kaitlyn Baxter, Amanda Currier, Lanier Hays, Taylor Ellen
Styling: Whitney Downs, Whitewood Events
WE Team: Erica Cleary, Ashley Stalvey
Videographer: Justin Peay Productions
Photographer: Kelli Boyd Photography
Containers + Napkin Rings:  Accent Decor
Floral Supplies: Oasis Floral Products, Design Master
Napkins and Runners: Alanah Textiles
Ribbon: Silk & Willow
Table Linen: BBJ Linen
Plates: R. Wood Studios
Table + Chairs: Ranco Tent Rentals
Capiz Shell Calligraphy: Whimsy B. Paperie
Studio Space: Roxie Remley Fine Arts Building
Hair & makeup: Jessica Belfry, Hustle & Blow Dry Bar
Wardrobe Styling: Katie Foley-Jacobs, Cheeky Peach
Additional Wardrobe items provided by: Banana Republic & Cobblers Bench

Flower 411: October

PRODUCT UPDATES – 9/28/17

Finished / Not Available

California product is starting to dwindle down in availability. We will be moving to more import.

Acorns

Artichoke Blooming

Birch Victorian – comes back in late November

Blackberries – vines available but no fruit

Buddlea – will return in October

Chamomile Cushion, chamomile yellow daisy

Chestnuts

Clematis – local

Cosmos- pinks and whites

Cotinus Blooming

Delphinium Belladonna Light Pink

Delphinium Belladonna White

Echinops

Euphorbia Dog Eye

Festival Bush

Fruiting branches – blueberry

Garnet Kings/ Peter Johns- Grower went out of business

Heather – white or pink

Honey Suckle

Hops

Hydrangea lacecap white

Kumquats – restricted movement by the Department of Agriculture

Lace Flower

Lupine

Marguerite daisy

Oregano Kents Beauty

Pieris Japonica

Peony – finished

Pineapple – all sizes

Pokeweed

Poppy pods

Poppy Matilda

Poppy oriental

Poppy Icelandic- no poppy of any type available

Rain Tree pods

Riceflower – locally, no white, pink is barely 14” tall

Shasta Daisy

Snowberry

Spirea

Stephanotis Vines

Sunflower chocolate

Sunflower Teddy bear

Yarrow tansy button

Limited

Agonis-$$$$$

Anemone Japanese (local) – pink

Artichokes – all size and colors

Aster Matsumoto – all colors

Banksia- orange only

Chamomile/ Matricaria/feverfew- white daisy only available – no buttons

Chinese lanterns “Fresh “ ending soon

Cottage Yarrow- white, peach, cream

Dahlias- Burgundy – supply is limited

Dahlias – White- both decorative & ball- heavy demand but supply is a little limited

Delph Belladonna light blue- extremely limited

Delph hybrid all colors, especially white

Diablo Nine Bark

Eucomis- portland- expensive

Eucalyptus Gunni

Eucalyptus Small leaf

French Tulip- finished in Holland, only one local vendor limited amounts and colors

Freesia Super- local

Fruiting branches blackberry/ raspberry

Foxglove- all colors very limited  white & htp finished… limited Illumination

Gardenias

Gomphrena White

Hydrangea Peegee/lime light green only

Larkspur – almost non existent for a few weeks – all colors

Matsumoto-all colors- no white or yellow and Peach

Nigella

Papyrus Lions Head- advance notice required

Pampas Grass- large orders-advance notice required

Protea King white – SUPER Limited

Protea Waratah

Protea white – finished locally

Scabiosa white annual – Scabiosa black, burgundy, perennial white

Smilax

Strawflower- white, light pink and peach

Sunflower- Bi Colors

Sweet Pea- Dutch only, limited color selection

Tulips- if you do not see it listed below- it is not available

Tulips- Local- Single Bloom- (white, purple, light pink, yellow, orange, yel/red bi color) double lavender, super parrot.

Tulips-Dutch- Single Bloom ( Black, Hot Pink, Pink, Red) Double Bloom ( Carnival De Nice, Cream, Purple, Dark Pink, Pink ) Parrot (Orange Bi color, Red, Salmon, Super Parrot) Frilled (Queensland)

Viburnum berry- black- import only

Available

Alchemilla Mollis – import

Allium- import only (dutch)

Amaranthus- upright bronze- CA or Portland

Anemone- import

Asclepias- local and import  (orange is limited)

Bear Grass Super

Berzillia

Birds- import only

Bouvardia- very limited locally (no light pink grown in usa)- go import (has all colors)

Bupluerum

Calendula

Campanula- import only $$$$$

Celosia Feather- import and local

Clematis- Import only- no White

Cosmos Chocolate

Cotinus foliage, purple only

Coxcomb- Import and local

Craspedia-local

Crocosmia Flower- import

Crocosmia Pods- import only

Delph bella dark blue

Dianthus Green trick or Green Ball- Import

Dahlias ~  Most Decorative Shape Dahlia colors are available but limited

Ball shapes,  colors limited, but still available

Ball shapes- burg and white limited

Café available

Dinner Plate- limited colors…a little hit and miss

Oregon dahlias – Swan Island will not be available this year

Echinacea pods

Eremurus- import only

Fall leaves are in between, showing some color but not quite there, best choice is vine maple or viburnum foliage for color

Gomphrena available in 8 colors- Portland- white is limited

Grass 5ft Zebra or Miscanthus- Portland

Freesia-local finished, import only

Hydrangea Local going to Antique

Hydrangea lacecap- only available in green/antique

Hydrangea Peegee- green only

Iris regular – no light blue

Jasmine vine no flower

Lisianthus

Lily of the valley- import only $$$$

Lysmachia- import

Magnolia-local California and southern

Millet-green and black upright, green hanging

Ninebark

Orlaya

Ornithogalum- white, yellow orange- Import

Ornithogalum Arabicum- Portland

Passion vine

Persimmons

Phlox- import

Pieris- Bud-form pieris in good supply, still tight bud, no flowers until January

Pin Oak is bright green, no fall color

Pomegranates- Large only

Privett- green berries only

Protea local asst pinks limited

Protea Pink Ice

Protea- Protea Blushing Bride- import

Pincushion Protea (Leucospermum) orange -import

Ranunculus- import

Red Rover Disbuds

Rose Hips -Green, red

Scabiosa

Scabiosa Pods- Local

Scented Geranium- CA or Portland

Sedum- Oregon is finished , down to Califonia

Southern Smilax

Statice

Stephanotis

Strawflower, good supply on fall colors, white pink peach very limited

Sunflower- black center, green center, tinted red

Thryptomene/ Calycina- Import

Trachelium local and Import

Tweedia local

Veronica- Local and Import

Waxflower- local finished- go import

Woodland oats show fall color (copper colored)

Yarrow yellow- local

Art in Full Bloom 2017