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One of the most innovative ways to upsell basic floral containers is to take them from average to artistic with decorative materials or paint.
Customizing products has long been the strength of a flower shop. Florists purchase products from many of the same floral industry resources and then alter or enhance those products to differentiate their business.
Smithers-Oasis Design Director
Frank Feysa AIFD, PFCI has a knack for adding value to simple floral containers with decorative accents or paint. A recent OASIS Idea Weekly blog showcasing anniversary flowers featured two arrangements created by Frank with vases he enhanced.
Tone on tone pattern
In the first design, Frank uses green floral tape to make lines around the container to create an aesthetically pleasing abstract pattern. You can use
1/4" OASIS® Waterproof Tape and
1/2" OASIS® Waterproof Tape to make these stripes or tear the half-inch tape into strips of different widths.
He often applies layers of similar colors, in this case -
Aloe opaque Colour Regen over a Moss colored
5" ECOssentials Cylinder.
Frank uses coarse sand paper to add to the imperfections that make the finished look more realistic. This technique adds the scratches and texture that age and repetitive use would produce.
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Woven tapestry effect
For the second design, Frank creates a tapestry effect by layering textural materials over a
7" Grand Cylinder. He begins by applying
UGLU™ Adhesive to the sides of the vase; either the UGLU roll or strips can be used. He applies a light covering of plumosia over the UGLU.
Frank then layers
OASIS™ Mega Wire in Strong Pink,
OASIS™ Aluminum Wire in Red and
OASIS™ Rustic Wire in Green on the sides of the vase.
By incorporating fresh bear grass from the opposite direction, he creates a woven effect. Turning the bear grass to show alternate sides offers two different colors, one side a true grass green and the other side a pretty gray-green. This technique adds visual interest.
Applying gold
OASIS™ Bullion Wire last helps lock the other materials in place.
Trash for Cash
This technique also works well for creating a narrow decorative band around the neck of a simple vase. You can take plain glass or colored vases from your old stock and repurpose them with an updated look.
As you use bits of wire, bead wire, yarn or thin ribbon in your daily designs, collect the leftover pieces and store them by color in large Ziploc bags or small storage containers. These bits and pieces can be used to make bout art, corsage forms or decorate plain vases.
Frank frequently uses stencils to change the appearance of containers. “There are a lot of good stencils out there to use with
Colour Regen colour spray and a simple container to create an artistic look,” he explains.
What inspires Frank?
Store window displays, textural fabrics, detailed finishes and other art forms.
“Every once in a while I just see something that gives me an inspired feeling and I say ‘I could use that somehow’, but you just tuck it away. Later, opportunities arise to tap into that consciousness in unexpected ways.”
Bespoke is on-trend
It is to the advantage of florists that today’s customers are drawn to products not perceived to be mass-produced. Bespoke, personalization and customization are currently huge trends in the marketplace. The value of the artisan is re-emerging due to this preference for bespoke tailored to the individual products.
How can you use these creative tips to take your vases from average to artsy?
