The walk through is an excellent time to really look at a space and see what can be added (or scratched) to enhance the experience.
Read moreTop Five Reasons Wedding Flowers Are So Expensive.
"Why are wedding flowers so expensive?" This is a question I get a lot, and I wanted to take a quick moment to break down the different factors that contribute to a $$$$$ flower proposal.
5) The venue is over an hour away. When you choose an amazing location like a vineyard, chateau, or private estate, the extra costs of transportation, work space and on-site labor just add up.
Read moreOn Creativity
I share my secrets. Yup, you heard it here first. I absolutely love telling people how I did something or where I bought something or what I am thinking about doing next.
Read moreRareSweets and Flowers for All!
Wednesday was a pretty fun day. Not only was it my son Finnley's 1st birthday and my nephew's high school graduation, but I also had a chance to sit down with some of D.C.'s top planners to decorate cookies!
Read moreWhat's All This About The Rising Tide, Community over Competition and Tuesday's Together?
If you are reading this, then you probably already know that I am a floral designer who launched her own business in January 2017. (If you don't know me, scroll down to the "About Me" blog just before this one.)
Read moreAbout Me
Family. Flowers. Sweets... And if I'm being totally honest, reality TV.
Hi, I'm Atelier Ashley, at least that's what my friends have been calling me lately. But that's ok, I like it. I also like desserts, emails and a hundred other things I could tell you about. Instead, I am going to try to focus on why I decided to open my own shop.
My son Finnley will be a one year old on June 21. I insist that he is a Gemini (like his mama) even though it could be argued that he is technically a Cancer.
To say that life has changed would be cliche, to say that having a baby rocked my world in ways that I couldn't have imagined would be an understatement. Recently, I learned that the brain literally changes after childbirth. Hmm, good to know.
For the last 10 years, I have been perfectly happy being a lead designer in other people's shops. Life was easy. Go to work, make beautiful things, go home, paint and craft. No real responsibility, no real reward.
I had planned to take a year off to just be Finnley's mommy. But about three weeks in, I knew that without flowers and a creative outlet, I was not my best self. So I started scrambling.
I tried this, then that. Planned for this, then planned for that, but nothing was really coming together. Floundering, it soon became clear to me that the time had come to take a chance and go all in on starting a studio of my own.
That was in January and it has been full steam ahead. If I'm being 100% honest, I will tell you that it has not been entirely easy to find clients. I spend a good part of my days reaching out to wedding planners, venues, photographers and other wedding professionals to let them know I have gone out on my own and would love an opportunity to collaborate with them.
Surprisingly, or not surprisingly, it has been the love from other established florists (shout out to Lisa Sommer of Petals and Promises in particular) that has sent brides my way and helped me to start filling dates on my 2017 calendar. I couldn't be more grateful.
The autonomy of being my own boss is motivating, but the ability to offer designs, creative ideas and budget friendly solutions is even more empowering.
It feels good to say "yes" and know that I can deliver what I have promised.
Local Flowers and Meeting Ariella Chezar
In Boston, I took a Saturday afternoon Master Class with Ariella Chezar in which we were bestowed with some stunning flowers. Green and salmon tulips, fragrant hyasinths, bulbous ranunculous, apple green hellebore and the most delicate peach centered daffadils I have ever encountered.
Read moreAalsmeer, Where your Non-Local Flowers Fly From
"The Aalsmeer Flower Auction building is the second-largest building by footprint in the world, covering 518,000 square metres (5,580,000 sq ft; 128 acres). Flowers from all over the world – Europe, Ecuador, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and other countries are traded every day in this gigantic building. Around 20 million flowers are sold daily." -Wikipdeia
Read moreFlower Fun with Baby Finnley!
As I see it, one of the most important jobs I have as a mother is instilling my son with a great love, respect and curiosity for nature. Now that Finnley is almost 10 months, he is beginning to crawl, cruise and explore the world around him.
Read moreDestination Wedding: On Location in the Dominican Republic
I might be crazy, but instead of spending this week forgetting about flowers and weddings, I have been turning my vacation into the perfect opportunity for an island inspired shoot! If you like flowers and creative ideas, you'll enjoy this "destination wedding blog."
Read moreA Flower Artist's Statement
Once upon a time, flowers were not considered Art. They were the inspiration for paintings, contributors to medicines, or the maskers of odor, but not themselves Art.
This has most definitely changed. In fact, I would argue that flowers have become another medium of Fine Art Sculpture, and it is as a Fine Art that I approach my work as a floral designer.
Read moreLet's Get Started!
Writing a first blog post is a lot like writing a college essay, it should be engaging and personal yet entertaining and grammatically correct. I am going to do my best. Be Warned, grammar is not my strongest suit, and I already know I will use to many commas, and exclamation points!!!
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