Wednesday, March 31. 2010
4 years ago Al came to the Philadelphia International Flower Show just to help and for the next 3 years he did just that. Always lending a hand. Moving this from here to there and back again, filling buckets, dumping buckets, whatever it took. Well - the guy has truly proven himself! Ya' never think such a skiiny kid could lift so much weight...but this year he lifted and propped hundreds of pounds as we hoisted the Stalactites 20' in the air. Oh...this year he got to work with the flowers and help with set decor. He's Come a Loooooooooooooong Way Baby!!! I guess my daughter can keep him!
Sunday, March 28. 2010
I met this amazingly talented Julia Sugarbaker (that's Su'ga-BAYker) from deep Southern Illinois (as close to Paducah, KY as one can get) in Palm Dessert, CA when she was testing for her Accreditation for the American Institute of Floral Designers (she passed!!!). This crazy blonde-haired, Southern floral mama with a HOT sense of style and an even greater sense of Humor and a PASSION for Flowers as big as her Passion for Life...TOTALLY Honored us with her talent and most important of all - her FRIENDSHIP!!!!
I will spend the next week or so showing you the people who made my dream a reality!!! POLAR FANTASY at the 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show would not have come together without them. So...without further adieu...my co-creator, partner, pick-me-up-when-I'm-down gal and wildly talented lead designer, educator, showroom designer, product developer, events extraordinaire...KRISTINE KRATT AIFD.
Saturday, March 27. 2010
ok - so, the set is coming together, sourcing of products is almost complete and now Kris Kratt AIFD and I (Bill Schaffer AIFD) are going to put the whole thing together all by ourselves...NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! THE CALL GOES OUT!!! E-mails, Facebook Messages, Phone Calls...so many people disappointed that they couldn't make it - BUT - We hit the Jackpot!!! I can't believe we had such an amazing group of local designers and others trek cross-country to get to play in Philadelphia. I have loved everyone who has ever come to help us and experience the Philadelphia Flower Show...but...something about this year - clicked, jelled, just plain ole' came together. What an amazing group of people! The first part of our journey took place on January 31, 2010 in the studio of Beautiful Blooms where I am the Design and Studio Director. An entire team formed to put together almost 500 bunches of white birch branch - ranging in sizes from 3'-4' and 10'-15'. From 8am to almost 7pm this group kicked A**!!! I thought it was going to take 2 full days but they worked non-stop to get it all finished. Day II was a MAJOR SUCCESS!!! Completion of the Stalagtite and Stalagmite structures and the Hand-tying of over 500 painted-white, lightweight natural fiber sticks designed into a floor armature that will hold hundreds of White Calla lilies woven through it and accented with icy, crystalline forms made from plumosa.
POLAR FANTASY is HOT!!!! Time to pack it and wait for move-in day.
DAY I & II - (Top Row L-R) Andrew Schaffer, Anthony Antrilli, Amanda Wynne, Kristie Lynn Borchick, Alfred Price, Amanda Schaffer, Shannon Toal, Mary Hamilton, Adelaide Linn, David Hamilton, (Bottom Row L-R) Amanda Wynne, Kristine Kratt AIFD, Marjorie Elzey, Renee Lombardo Tucci
...live, love, laugh as life goes on and the clock to the Philadelphia International Flower Show continues to countdown. So, Kris Kratt AIFD and myself (Bill Schaffer AIFD) have designed it all out and are ready to go. We can't wait to see the art piece being dead hung from the roof of the PA Convention Center. This piece is going to have REAL flowers frozen in REAL ice blocks brought in every morning as they spend the day melting and "WOW-ing" the crowds. STOP!!! A Hiccup, a glitch, an uh-oh!!! (well, that never happens). I find out that the company scheduled to do this has backed out and I can't find anyone else to do it!!!
I am ready to give up on this whole concept - it is the second week of January and we have 6 weeks to go before move-in. Schaffer Designs 4-year award-winning Flower Show Set designer, Chris Kainenberg from Wish Painting & Sculpture tells me to wait - he says - 'just give me 3 days to come up with a solution.' He - as well as all of us - loved the idea we had come up with and wanted to see it happen. So...holding my breath with Chris - I had a designers meeting at my place and during that meeting we agreed that if the "ICE POND" had to die we would revive it with an inspiration from Superman's Fortress of Solitude. I was resigned to go ahead with the new plan when Chris had a major EUREKA moment!!!! What an amazing idea he had to save the ICE POND - WOW!!! It was the hottest talk of the Exhibit!!! Not only did it work but I know it became better than the original plan - and!!! - the Fortress of Solitude also took shape as a background to the "Ice Blocks" hanging above the "Ice Pond". So - like the saying goes "If you get a lemon - make lemonade" WELL WE MADE FROZEN LEMONADE.
OK - a little secret - the ICE BLOCKS were found online as fish tanks that were dipped in liquid acrylic (over and over) and allowed to dry with that amazing frosted and dripping effect. The pond above the installation was a 2" acrylic pond with water being snuck up the front leg by a heavy duty pump hidden in the water below. Chris sourced those original Ice-Tongs and dipped the entire piece and accessories in a white resin for that frozen finish. My favorite part of the Exhibit were the hundred or so pin-holes drilled into the acrylic to give that all-day melting and dripping effect that the Flower Show crowds ooohed and ahhhed over...and even better than that was that the Holland Open Cut Calla Lillies that were designed inside the fish tanks never had to be replaced. The dripping water continuously fed fresh water back into the pieces and they lasted 10 full days submerged in the water-filled tanks!!!!
until next time...
Bill
Friday, March 19. 2010
Waaaaaaayyyyyyyy back in July and August of '09....loooooong before 70+ inches of snow. On the drive to the airport for a long flight with multiple stops from Philadelphia to Chicago to Houston to ???? doesn't matter...Kristine Kratt AIFD and I decided to do something unexpected, where flowers didn't grow...where else? - the ARCTIC...originally conceived as Aurora Borealis...it was molded over the next few months into a POLAR FANTASY as we prepared to bring it to the 2010 Philadelphia International Flower Show. As we said our goodbyes at the airport, Kris left the car obesessing with the idea. As she landed at her first layover - after an interminable wait in Philly...our conversation continued and by the second stop we were e-mailing pics and Wiki stats back and forth. By mid-August we met with Chris Kainenberg of WISH Painting and Sculpture and the ideas grew and grew. By the end of the month we had our first group of sketches...and never looked back!!!!!!
until next time...
Bill
Bill Schaffer AIFD, AAF, PFCI
Friday, March 12. 2010
I am starting the tale of our journey with a Sneek Peek of happenings to come...wow...our photographer Tom Feehly is amazing. It seems as always with the BEST things in life..."I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends..." and that is exactly how it all came together for this year's Philadelphia International Flower Show. In upcoming segments, you will see the journey and also get to meet some of the most amazing new and old friends and talents anyone could ever hope to have on their side.
until next time...
Bill
Thursday, March 11. 2010
Welcome to Schaffer Designs world of blogging...I am Bill Schaffer, basically born with a knife in one hand and clippers in the other. Maybe that was a broom in one hand and keys for the '68 Buick Station Wagon and the '72 Ford LTD wagon that were our family cars/delivery vehicles. Either way my home from the hospital was our family's Flower Shop in the land of Port Richmond in the City of Philadelphia, PA. After a short 3 year move (just 1 block away) we were back at our home behind and above the Flower Shop - that's Forget-Me-Not Flower Shop. My Grandfather Howard Szweda started the shop in 1925 and along with my Grandmother Mae worked it until his passing in 1965. My mom/Roberta Szweda Schaffer took over the business...and me - I swore I would never do flowers. A means to an end - yeah - like tips for deliveries (a cute 10-13 year old gets lots o' tips) or "deliver these flowers if you want the car tonight or this weekend" or as a chore - better to sweep the store than do the family dinner dishes.
Somehow it is 2010 and I can't think of anything I would rather be doing than Floral Design!
until next time...
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Comments
Wed, 16.03.2011 08:03
Hi, we're doing a play in the middle school here in Northfi eld, NJ and I want to emulate the wonderful backdrop y [...]
Thu, 03.03.2011 10:32
Sat, 10.04.2010 11:33
I love this one! He's my favor ite
Sat, 27.03.2010 12:08
WOW WOW WOW! I was raised in the back of my families floris t and I really didn't enjoy th e industry. Fast forwar [...]
Sat, 13.03.2010 10:15
Awesome photo! This turned ou t fantastic. Can't wait to se e more.