Florida designers, need your help!!

[Carrieann]

We had a lady call today asking for a funeral piece called a "flower pillow" she said it is all flowers in the shape and size of a pillow. The pillow is ALL flowers, not placed on a pillow.

Anyone know what she means? This is something we have never been asked to do before, she said it was a very common thing in Florida.

HELP!!

 

[Lizi]

There is a styrofoam form shaped like a pillow. It is flat and about 2 inches thick, cover it completely in flowers. The way I would do mine was to increase the height working from the outside in so that it looks kinds puffy. We would also work sprays of flowers off of one side. It used to be very popular here, but I haven't seen one in several years.

 

[RWK]

Ok Carrieann, I'll help walk you through it

 

[RWK]

Sympathy Pillow

The sympathy pillow design is a set peice, displayed on an easel, you see this design fairly frequently for funeral here. It is sussposed to represent 'heavenly slumber'

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You take a sheet of styrofoam, cut it into a rectangular shape - the most common size is 24 inches wide and 18 inches high.....it is wider than it is taller.

You carve the styrofoam into a pillow shape by rounding off the corners and trimming the sides.......look at picture one showing the finished shape.

after trimming, you attach a small oasis foam cage at about a 40 degree angle........facing right to left......like the green section on the first picture.

You can then cover the edge of the pillow with ribbon or greens, fill out the shape with white carnations or white cushion pompons, then you add your floral accent in the caged foam.


The second picture shows a completed design.

 

[JCT]

Carrieann - Oasis makes this form also. 12x18 in the shape of a pillow. Would think your wholesaler would have them. jenny

 

[RWK]

Unless they brough the form back within the last year or so......Oasis stopped making it for the longest time......as I said, it is a fairly common design here and we could not get the form from oasis......if we needed it in oasis, had to use the sculptsheet and trim it........most customers did not like that because they said it looked 'small'

 

[lori042499]

here is a picture of one I found on the internet...

I did not do this one and have no idea who did...

 

[Carrieann]

Ricky, thank you, thank you, thank you so very very very much!!!!!

 

[Palms]

Carrianne this is very typical of funeral work that we do over here. It is very easy. Make sure you put a block of oasis in the centre to do your spray out of. (I never use a cage.)

Ribbon edge next.

Cut of all the heads of xanth doubles and then grade them small and medium/large, use the small ones to edge around the outside and then the bigger ones towards the centre. As you put in the bigger ones, raise them slightly so that you are creating a dome effect, it looks more like a pillow then.

Good luck..

 

[blomingdns]

I would do as everyone else has described - I don't know about other areas of Florida, but here in Miami I have not been asked for a flower pillow (15 years in business). Now if you want an airplane, chevy, marlin, maltese cross.......... those we get asked for.

Barb
Blooming Gardens

 

[RWK]

Now, you CAN take oasis bricks, slice them into thirds lengthwise, and glue them onto the pillow form.......glue them dry and then soak oasis and styrofoam.

Now, Palms suggested just a block of oasis and I suggested a small cage. the reason for the cage is that the cage has a plastic backing....so you can dip that cage back into your pan melt glue and secure that to the foam. Just adds a little bit of extra security.

Yes, it also makes the peice a little more expensive as the cage costs a little more.

typically, the pillows here ( like the one I did in the illustration ) runs around 150.00

 

[Palms]

Yeah roughly the same here Ricky. When we attach our foam we use a double frog and pot tape. I think either work just as well, as long as it is secure which both methods sound it to me.

 

[Johnnyreb]

You can make the pillow look larger also by fluting the outside with #40 white ribbon. I think the styro form is still made, as we still do pillows all the time. Also Gates Ajar and old fashioned 4x8 blankets. We even still do an occasional Jesus called with the princess phone. Yep, I know it's tacky and when we first opened years ago we thought that was beneath us until the customer whipped out $300.00 and siad that's what she wanted to spend. Now, if the customer has the $ and wants one, it's "it's one ringy dingy".

 

[RWK]

Johnnyreb talks about those 4x8 blankets.......Thankfully, I have only made one of those in my floral career and I was able to use the smither's cold glue for flowers.

I have seen the technique of 'sewing' the blanket and that is just waaaaaaay too much work for most any amount of dollars. You wired and taped each individual flower and foliage, inserted the wire into one side of the burlap cloth, bent the wire, and inserted it back through the blanket, effectivly 'stitching' the flower to the burlap.

Now, He mentioned the Gates Ajar - I have a modernized version of that design that proves to be very popular. I take the form....wrap the arch part in metallic mylar gold ribbon, attach the gates after spraying them with DM Gold Medal paint. I then mount the base on a longer sheet of styrofoam, place the steps, and cover the steps and make a pathway of the gold mylar ribbon. Cover the foam with moss, and use Oasis iglus, to create a garden/landscape effect around the arch and path - Instead of the Gates AJar, I sell it under a new name.....Walking Streets of Gold.

 

[Palms]

Ricky we call them gates of heaven, i think they are the same. This one is massed in white xanths but i prefer them foliage based. BTW, I did not do this one, just got it off google to show.

 

[RWK]

Palms - the only difference is yours look they are based on a metal frame.....and ours are a styrofoam frame.

Also, from what I have seen of the work done by the wonderful UK artists on here.......it also appears that your bases are bigger than ours.

How tall is the form you build your on? If it is over 24 inches total height when contstructed, yours are bigger,

 

[Palms]

I bet its about 24" although i could not be certain, dont have the info in front of me. It is a foam frame with the gates in the middle.

I am with you though, i much prefer foliage and maybe a garden style design at the bottom.

I actually have never done one of these, my customers have never asked for one. I would like to try one but i bet my customers would want it massing and not modern... and i would want to the modern..

 

[Seasonals]

We have never used stryofoam, only oasis. How long do flowers last poked in Stryo? Do you glue each stem in? It's been 100 degrees here, they have a hard time lasting in oasis so I'm curious.

 

[RWK]

Suzanne - You use a wood or steel pick to hold the fresh flowers in the styrofoam. You are right......with 100 degree plus heat, even the sturdiest pompon is not going to hold up for long....even with crowning glory application.

This is where we need to excercise our communication skills as PROFESSIONALS. Point out to the customer that the design will not hold.....and WHY, and then suggest suitable alternatives. This is one example of what the customer WANTS may not be the most appropriate.
If they are insistent, then tell them ok, but my caution about longetivity holds and you may not be happy with the way the flowers look after not being in water.

Yes, there will always be those who trumpet " Give the customer what they want or lose the order " - In such a case as illustrated.....Is it better to lose the item or lose the customer?

 

[Dutchy1]

Ricky, can you post a picture of the Streets of Gold. We do the Gates A Jar very often. Use a wire form, used to stuff it with moss that a local family used to gather from the forest, but can't get it anymore. Now we use Oasis in it all, very heavy. Have done it also with a casket spray form, with a curly willow or birch branch making the "arch", when out of wire forms.