Don’t miss Mr. Michael Gaffney at the Macy’s Flower Show in Herald Square March 27th, 2015! This year the Macy’s Flower Show is being held in NYC March 22nd-April 4th and Michael will be there doing flower design demonstrations, hosting a free book give away and plenty of flowers, flowers, flowers for all to see!

For two weeks, the clothing and accessories at Macy’s won’t be the only colorful items on display by the iconic department store. Outside in Broadway Plaza, beautifully bright floral arrangements will announce this year’s Macy’s Flower Show. Special events including live music, kids’ activities and seminars will take place throughout the show. For more information and a full schedule of events, visit macys.com.

We hope to see you there!!

For additional information about our upcoming semesters, school locations and more, visit us at: www.flowerschool101.com

Are you like many of us after the New Year, who set a ‘New Year’s Resolution?’ If you are, why not set your sights on learning the Art of Flower Design?

Often times the end of the holiday season can be a bit depressing, so I suggest brightening up your day with flowers! Not only will this give you a fun, cheery new hobby, you can turn this art into a career as well. Our Winter Semester in Orange County has just started and will finish just in time for our students to ‘wow’ their friends this Valentine’s Day.

The Orange County School of Flower Design offers several enrollment options. You can ‘dip your toe in the water’ with a 1 day Sampler class or jump right in with the full 4 week Design Star Complete Semester. There is also a 4 day course offered as well. Classes in Orange County are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays in the afternoons and evenings during each week of the semester. For additional details and information, call: 1-877-322-5666 today.

During the holidays is when I like to ‘wow’ my guests with beautiful centerpieces during parties and for hostess gifts as well. This can be a bit tricky, especially when working on a budget. The following are my tips and tricks for what I call ‘designing on a dime’:

1. During this time of year everyone loves their evergreen foliage so this is my greenery of choice when starting my arrangements. Don’t spend tons of money buying greenery when you can either trim some from your yard or (with permission) from the yard of a neighbor. Some do not know that Home Depot also gives away their Christmas tree trimmings for free. (There is usually a big bin in the tree lot area that the staff throws the clippings)…So why buy when you can get it for free!

2. Evergreens last a long time, especially when it is cool, so you will want to pick items that will last as long as your greenery when thinking about the color/theme of your arrangement. I would suggest going to your local Dollar Tree or 99 Cent Store. Use ornaments, glittery sticks, berry picks, candles and the like to incorporate into your design. You can also re-use these items year after year.  Don’t forget that you can use seasonal fruit & pine cones too, it doesn’t always have to be flowers as the ‘point of interest’ or ‘focal point’!

3. Container Choices….if you would like to use a nice decorative container for your arrangement, you can also find a variety at the Dollar Tree as well, but don’t forget your local Goodwill or Salvation Army. You can buy a container and help a local charity all at the same time! Also, keep in mind that you can use a plastic dish or plate to place your floral foam on and ‘build’ your arrangement so that you cannot see the container at all. This is another affordable option.

Sometimes it just takes a little bit of ‘thinking outside the box’ to get those creative juices flowing…you get the picture. It doesn’t have to break the bank to decorate your home for the holidays! (and there’s no harm in letting your friends think that you did…what they don’t know won’t hurt them) ;0)

The American Schools of Flower Design offer classes at 9 locations across the country to help educate people in the art of floral design….you too can become a ‘Design Star’! For additional information click on the ‘About Our Schools’ tab. www.flowerschool101.com.

Did you miss Michael on the Home & Family Show (Hallmark Channel) last week? We have attached a link to the video so you haven’t missed a thing! Cut and past this link into your browser and see what tips and tricks Michael is sharing for this holiday seasons best in flower design.

http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/videos/holiday-floral-arrangements-with-michael-gaffney

Hey all!! Ever bought those great magazines at the register in your local grocery store and flipped through all of the pages full of beautiful holiday decor & flower arrangements? Have you ever thought to your self, ‘Man, those are beautiful, I wish I knew how to make my arrangements look that good..’

Now you can!! Don’t miss the Orange County School of Flower Designs annual Holiday Design Workshop! During this exciting event, students will create 3 popular holiday designs using a variety of fresh evergreens, beautiful flowers, berries and more!

All tools, flowers and materials are provided. The cost of this event is $200 per person and pre-registration is required. Space is limited, so don’t hesitate to reserve your seat today!!!!

Date: Nov. 8th, 2014 (1pm-4pm)

To register, call; 760-310-3193 today!

Hydrangea is one of the hottest flowers used in event work and this trend has been going strong for quite some time now. There are some who may shy away from using this beautiful flower in their arrangements because of the fact that they tend to wilt fairly easily. ….NEVER FEAR, we are going to list some tips on how to properly prep this flower so that it looks great in your designs throughout your event.

After you bring home your hydrangea there are a few steps you should follow to prepare this flower before you use it in your design:

Design Tip #1: Remove all of the large leaves on the stem of the Hydrangea. The big leaves suck up a large amount of moisture that would otherwise be going to the petals of the flower.

Design Tip #2: Fill your sink or bath tub with water, trim the bottom of the stem and submerge the whole flower in the water for approximately 10-20 minutes. Flowers absorb water through all surfaces of the flower including the petals, stem, bark and leaves….not just through the bottom of the stem as some might think. Ever had wilted, rubbery celery in the refrigerator and soaked it in a bowl of water to make it crisp again? It is the same concept with the Hydrangea.

Design Tip #3: While the Hydrangea are soaking in the tub, fill a bucket with fresh water and add a liberal amount of Alum. Alum is a spice used for pickling and can be found on the spice rack at your local whole foods or grocery store. Alum forces water up the stem of the flower and makes the blooms of the flower nice and hard. Remove the flower from the water, gently shake off the excess and place the flower stem end down into the bucket.

Design Tip #4: While the Hydrangea drinks the Alum & water mixture, spray the bloom of the hydrangea with Crowning Glory. Crowning Glory is a wax based spray that seals the pores in the leaves, stem and petals of the flower preventing the loss of moisture through the flowers pores. Crowning Glory is distributed by Oasis Floral Products and is sold at your local Wholesale Flower Market or on Amazon.com.

Your hydrangea is now processed for use and will look beautiful in your designs for a prolonged period of time!

Ever wonder if the flower food packets you get with your flowers at the supermarket really work?
The flower food packets are used to ‘extend the life’ of your flower arrangement…Well, first we should think about what is killing the flowers in the first place.
~BACTERIA, BACTERIA, BACTERIA!!
Before you mess around with those messy packets of flower ‘food’, I would encourage you to keep the water clean and change it every 2 days or so….this will extend the life of your flowers with out messing around with the packets. Flowers are like our bodies and do the best when hydrated with clean fresh water….when changing your water on a regular basis, you are cutting down on the environment that bacteria grows best in.
At the American Schools of Flower Design, we instruct our students to add 1-2 DROPS of household bleach into the water of their arrangements to take care of any pesky bacteria that insists on polluting your water.
So as a recap of the design tip of the day….
1. Change your flower’s water regularly
2. Add 1-2 Drops of household bleach
3. ENJOY!!

The American Schools of Flower Design would like to announce the establishment of their newest location, the Orange County School of Flower Design! The Orange County School has opened its doors and is excited to be accepting enrollment for all of the tuition options offered by the other American Schools of Flower Design locations.

At the Orange County School of Flower Design, founded by celebrity florist, Michael Gaffney, their students learn a large variety of different floral designs. Everything from traditional to contemporary design work is covered during their exciting 4- or 8-week semester. A gorgeous mix of fresh flower and green materials are provided to the students during each day’s class (all materials, books, containers, tools & flowers are included with the tuition cost), as well as live demonstrations, flower market field trips, instructor assistance and best of all, hands on designing by the students themselves. Michael Gaffney who has been featured on the Hallmark Channel, Today Show and Huffington Post states, “In my book Design Star, there are 100 tips to flower design, but in class there are 1000. Being in class and having that one-on-one access to an instructor is important to learning good design habits and techniques.”

The Orange County School of Flower Design is conveniently located off of the 405/55 freeway split and is the perfect location for those traveling from areas of Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside Counties. The school is located minutes from Disneyland, shopping, dining and hotels, so even someone visiting the area can take advantage of the classes offered at this location.

Classes in Orange County are offered in the afternoon and evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays of each week during the semester. Space is limited and pre-registration is required. If you would like more information about classes and how to register, please call 1-877-32-BLOOM today!

Don’t miss this years Annual Holiday design Workshop!!

During this exciting event we will be learning 3 popular holiday designs using a variety of fresh evergreens, beautiful flowers, berries, novelty items, coach lanterns and more! All tools, flowers and materials are included and pre-registration is required. So don’t hesitate to reserve your seat today!

Date: Saturday, Nov. 8th, 2014

Time: 1pm-4pm

Place: A to Z Floral Wholesale Supply, 3043 Oak St., Santa Ana, CA 92707

Cost: $200.00 per person

Reservations: Call 1-877-322-5666 OR Email: designstar26@gmail.com