Meet Shirley

Hello! My name is Shirley, and I am the owner and designer of Artisan Florals. I would love to share my story of how I entered the world of floral design and built my 5 star business. Thank you for your interest!

I have a background as a hobbyist in sewing. I grew up loving fabric and design, and by late junior high, I started making most of the clothing I wore daily. If you sew, you understand the process of choosing fabrics that suit what you are making, both in color and texture. From a stack of folded fabrics to a finished piece of clothing or home decor, you can reflect on the decisions made that resulted in pieces showcasing color, contrast, texture, patterns, and placement—design.

When I entered the world of floristry in 2016 while teaching college Humanities classes, the hobby felt familiar. Thanks to gardening and sewing, I felt comfortable in the realm of flowers. The process of selecting flower choices before beginning a design reminded me of shopping for fabrics. I knew that if I chose the right ingredients to start with, I could bring to life the visions my customers or I had for a ‘Designer Choice.' My belief is that whether you are a floral designer, painter, photographer, clothing designer, or work in other media, there are processes and principles of design that are consistent across different art forms. As it turned out, sewing seamlessly transitioned into what became my principal passion—floral design. I left my college teaching career and dove fully into floral design at the start of 2020. Now, I teach floral classes in both faux and fresh arrangements, as well as design for weddings and other special events.

I love designing like I love traveling. It's all about the journey- the journey from a starting point and everything that unfolds along the way. From selecting the flowers that best suit the design to the actual creation, and then witnessing the positive reviews that follow, it confirms that the journey was well worth the effort.

In the joy of flowers,

~Shirley