Impressed would be an understatement! For the last several days, I have had the honor of being a volunteer freelance designer for the First Lady's Luncheon - an event that hosts the First Lady, Congressional spouses and family members and a few other privileged guests.
Read moreMy Time Freelancing at the White House with Laura Dowling
In Washington, there is no greater honor than having an opportunity to design for the White House (regardless of who is president or what political party you belong to). Pretty much since its formation under the Kennedy Administration, the White House flower shop has had a closed door policy with only a few people ever getting a glimpse of its inner workings.
Read moreWhat You Should Know about Planning a Cherry Blossom Wedding!
As a florist living in the D.C. area, I am no stranger to the request for a Cherry Blossom wedding. I get it; they are beautiful, romantic and iconic, but I would also be lying if I said I didn't cringe every time those two little words are uttered.
Read moreWashingtonian Unveiled! DIY Keepsake Bauble
Wondering what to do with all those extra save the date cards, invitations and programs? Finding yourself too sentimental to throw them out?
Make an ornament keepsake of course!
When Should I Book My Florist?
I know the temptation to rush out and choose every vendor for your day is real. Instead, consider relaxing just a beat and make a few key decisions first.
1. Do you need full wedding coordination or just month-of or day-of?
Read moreMindful Foraging
Last week I found myself outside walking around looking for goodies to cut. Living in a city, not the countryside, has taught me to be very mindful of what I cut and how I cut it.
As I was snipping away, I was inspired to share my thoughts about the subject of foraging on my Insta Stories. Here is a quick recap in case you missed it.
Read moreVenue Walk Throughs, Just Do It!
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!
Photo: Anna Meyer Photo
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.
This is me on my wedding day outside of The Alexandrian Hotel
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.
Finnley and me at the Yayoi Kusuma exhibit at the Hirshorn Museum
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.
Glorious slow grown flowers
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.
I got this great packing tape from Sticker Mule
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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