holiday

Taylor Pritchett, Lilium’s lead floral designer, was named the ‘People’s Choice’ winner at the 2017 Texas Designer of the Year Competition held on January 21. The contest was conducted by the Texas State Florists’ Association (TSFA), and held at the Dallas Market Center’s International Trade Plaza.

TIMED CHALLENGES

This year’s theme was ‘Imagination/Innovation’. Designers were asked to participate in three timed challenges with this theme in mind. The first challenge was an interpretive design capturing the essence of a quote by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi, “Imagination is at the heart of all innovation.” Prior to the competition, designers created a prop or container that would provide the base of their design. The flowers and supplies, as well as other creative elements, were provided by the TSFA, and were not revealed until the day of competition. Designers were given 45 minutes to complete their designs with the materials provided.

For the second challenge, designers had 30 minutes to create a holiday arrangement using an inspiration board provided by the Dallas Market Center. Again, the flowers and supplies, as well as the containers, were provided by the TSFA.

In the third and final challenge, designers were presented an envelope outlining a surprise situation.  Designers were asked to provide samples for a bride planning a winter wedding. Designs were to include a bridal bouquet, a one-dozen rose arrangement for the groom to present in his proposal, a boutonniere, and wedding flowers for the mother of the bride. Competitors had one hour and 15 minutes to complete all four designs using flowers and materials provided.

JUDGING CRITERIA

TSFA judges scored designs in all three challenges based on:

  • Category Interpretation
  • Creativity
  • Scale and Proportion
  • Unity, Harmony and Texture
  • Physical and Visual Balance
  • Focal Emphasis
  • Line, Movement and Rhythm
  • Depth
  • Color Balance and Harmony
  • Professional Application Regarding Mechanics

Prizes were awarded for first, second and third place. In addition, a People’s Choice award was given based on votes cast by event attendees. Taylor, who was competing for the first time, tested her skills against 15 other floral designers from across the state of Texas. Taylor is certainly Lilium’s choice for best floral designer, and we are proud that others recognize that, too!  Congratulations, Taylor!

Tis the season for holiday parties. Office gatherings, neighborhood parties, luncheons, and church socials compete with school programs, shopping and baking to crowd our calendars this month. In the busyness that often marks the season, don’t forget to show appreciation to that special person who works to plan and pull together a successful holiday celebration: the host or hostess. You will be at the top of the guest list if you show up with a thoughtful gift in hand.

Look beyond the traditional bottle of wine, and consider these options:

Fresh Seasonal Arrangement

Fresh flowers add a festive touch for the party, and the host/hostess can enjoy them for days after the last guest leaves and the leftovers are stored. If you know the party’s theme, request complimentary colors. Is your host/hostess traditional, or have more modern taste? Christmastime is filled with traditions, but florals don’t have to be traditional. Stay within the red, white and green color pallet, or venture into jewel tones. Pick traditional favorites like roses and hydrangea, or step outside the Christmas box with unique tropicals. Adding fresh sprigs of seasonal greenery to the arrangement not only creates a holiday look, it provides subtle fragrances that are sure to put party guests in the holiday spirit. Colorful berries and pine cones are also in season, and add pops of color and texture to an arrangement. Other favorites include potted poinsettias and potted amaryllis, both dressed in festive containers.

Jar Candles and Diffusers In Scents of the Season

Fresh flowers are not the only way to spread holiday scents in a home or office. Lilium is proud to carry the Lafco line of essential oil-based candles and diffusers. The four top seasonal fragrances are Ski House, Tree, Opal Amaryllis and Golden Chestnut. The candles have an average burn time of 90 hours, and their hand-blown art glass containers can be reused long after the candle is burned. The diffuser, which comes in an art glass container with reeds and a bottle of oil for refilling,  is available in the Ski House fragrance.

Gift Baskets

Go the extra mile to show your appreciation to your holiday host/hostess with a gift basket. You might combine luscious Godiva chocolates, a fragrant candle, and fresh flowers, all dressed up for the season in a beautiful basket display. We can add fresh Christmas greens, berries, pine cones or other textures to create a visually stunning arrangement perfect for the gift-giving season.

Customized gift baskets might include Godiva chocolates, a Lafco candle, fresh seasonal flowers and greenery.

Let Lilium help you create a thoughtful gift for your holiday host/hostess this season. Call us at 817-481-1565 or visit our website, www.liliumflorals.com.