Failure Is Not An Option (or My Hero, Princess Lasertron)

Happy 2011!

I was originally intending to post about Robot In Bloom's news for the new year, when I read this excellent post by one of my design and business heroes, Princess Lasertron (aka - Megan Hunt).




I'll admit, I wasn't brave enough to write about this failure when it happened, but Megan's blog post made me realize that I should share my negatives, especially if they turn into positives!

For those who don't wish to read the entire post (thought you really should), here are a few excerpts to give you the gist of her "failure" story...

I can’t stand mistakes, I can’t tolerate them, but I believe that anyone who claims they don’t make mistakes is not cut out to own a business. The challenge is to be quick to recognize your mistakes, acknowledge them, and find creative ways to correct them.

...

Over 70 hours of painstaking custom work–for brides, no less–lost in the mail and never delivered ... The right thing to do is refund their money for the flowers they never got to use and enjoy, and it hurts me a lot. It’s the first time I’ve ever had this happen, and what makes it most frustrating is that it was completely out of my hands.

...

There is a lesson here and I hate that I had to learn it the hard way. I hate it. I am still sick about it. But the best thing to do is to talk about it transparently and show how mistakes and accidents can happen in any business, and show compassion for the customers who are hurt by the errors.

After reading that Megan - craft business goddess - has problems occasionally, AND was brave enough to write about them, I just had to comment. Usually I just admire her work from afar, but this time I left this comment and I wanted to also share it with my readers:

A similar thing happened to me recently and it truly broke my heart. I create paper flower bouquets for “offbeat” brides and I have the same issues as you – once the package leaves my hands, it’s up to the USPS, etc. to make sure it gets there safely. For one of my brides, her shipment of 80 Oriental poppies showed up with about 40 of them squished beyond repair.

I panicked when I heard the news, but I was really proud of my initial reaction… Immediately, I knew I had to remake and ship the flowers because that’s what’s important to me. Yes, there’s too much expectation of “perfection” on wedding days, but it’s my personal goal to make sure each of my customers gets exactly what they were expecting whether it was my error or not.

It was really cool to find out that, in a crisis, I practice what I preach and that my heart is in my business for the right reasons!

So, yeah... Sometimes you surprise yourself in a crisis, but I think it's an even better feeling when you're NOT surprised at your reaction!

Have you ever had a business take really good care of you? Have you ever had really crummy service? Tell me about it below! I'd like to learn from others' mistakes and make sure it never happens to my brides!

I'm Not Dead Yet (or O Hai!)

Wow.
It's been a while, hasn't it?

There has been SO MUCH going on in the past month, I've had zero time to tell you about it... but now I can!

First of all, to all those awesome traditional and Offbeat Brides who have been asking about calla lillies I have good news - THEY'RE HERE!







These ivory calla lillies were created for Lika and Joe's November wedding. The bridesmaids will be wearing a beautiful jewel-tone blue and will have pops of brilliant orange and stately silver.








I plan on featuring the full details of their wedding after the big day, so if you want to see how the whole lovely affair comes together, stay tuned! (Also, I can't resist giving a shout-out to my alma mater right now - Go Gators!)



Another piece of big news is the grand opening of my sister shop on Etsy - The Bionic Buttercup!



The Bionic Buttercup is your #1 source for whimsy and frivolity since 2042!

I created the shop as a side project for myself (because I'm apparently not busy???) because I like arts and crafts of ALL kinds - not just posh paper florals.

The Bionic Buttercup is a place of whimsy, ridiculousness, and goof-ballery of all kinds! Each visit to the shop is an adventure where you never know what you're going to find... Don't forget to "like" The Bionic Buttercup on Facebook here.

Currently the shop has necklaces appropriate for the Daily Show's quickly arriving Rally to Restore Sanity on October 30, 3010 on the National Mall in Washington DC.



30% of your purchase of these necklaces will be donated to the rally's official charity - The Trust for The National Mall

I actually have lots more exciting stuff to announce, but I think I'll give you a break right now...

Until next time, my dears!

My First Offbeat Bride! (or Pam's Chic Paper Flowers)

I'm very pleased to announce that I have completed my first wedding order for an official Offbeat Bride!

A number of people have contacted me since the Robot In Bloom ad came out on Offbeat Bride, but Pam's is the first complete order! Whee!





The bridesmaids will be wearing grey and the whole feel is classic minimalism, so Pam asked for 80 individual Oriental Poppies in black and white. I usually use tissue for the poppies, but I opted for parchment to make them a tad more substantial - and I liked how natural light passes through them in person.

The Dallas Flea (or What Are You Doing On September 11, 2010?)

Hey, Dallas!

Gimmie three good reasons that you're not going to come to The Dallas Flea!

See? Exactly! You can't!
It's impossible not to come to this totally awesome, totally interesting, totally rad craft fair extravaganza!

The Dallas Flea has become a huge event in a very short time in the DFW megaplex. It's an upscale craft fair for those who love buying handmade.

Check out this KADF video interview with Brittany Edwards, curator of The Dallas Flea. The video is from a prior iteration, but she does a great job explaining what you can find there:

 

Inspiration From Perfect Palette (or Fuchsia and Navy + Yellow and Grey = Love)

It's no secret to anyone within 50 ft me that I loooooove color!

My apartment is awash in lots of bright shades, my wardrobe isn't scared of mixing bold hues, and even my wedding refused to settle on one or two colors...

One of the main places I get my color kicks is from The Perfect Palette. They help people visualize wedding color palettes with trendy swatches and beautiful inspiration boards. And - bonus! - they're one of my fellow honorees in the Everything Wedding Blog Carnival #6!

One of their recent palettes - Fuchsia, Light Pink, and Navy - reminded me of some blooms I did a few months ago for Lauren Castine of Frecklebug Boutique.







Lauren was definitely ahead of the style curve with that gorgeous palette! (These aren't the actual arragements I made for Lauren's fancy Mother's Day party, but they're close.)








Another recent combo The Perfect Palette put together is one I've been a huge fan of since I was little: Orange, Yellow, and Gray!

Okay, in the interest of full disclosure, I'll admit that orange has been a very recent addition into that enchanting hue group lodged in my heart. And, in the interest of kicking things old school, I made a simple new arrangement in Grey, Silver, and Yellow.








I was thisclose to choosing Yellow and Grey for my wedding palette, but I used it later in my business logo!







What's your favorite color combo??

Austin Wedding Blog (or You Like Me, You Really Like Me!)

Check it out, you guys!

The hip, stylish Austin Wedding Blog chose to include this Robot In Bloom blog post in the Everything Wedding Blog Carnival #6!



Wheeeeeee!

The Everything Wedding Blog Carnival was started by the incredibly popular, incredibly informative wedding resource, Bride Tide. The honor of choosing features for the 6th edition fell to Rachel of the Austin Wedding Blog, and she chose to tell the wedding world about my flower jewelry!

Which is all in perfect timing, too, because I'm about to fill my Etsy shop with a bunch of new rings, hairclips, and a few other baubles for your personal decoration!

Anyway, thank you so much Ms. Rachel for including Robot In Bloom!

Paper Wedding Bouquets (or Here Comes The Unique Bride!)

I just posted two posh paper bouquets on my Etsy page today.






I'm a little sad, though... I really love both of these bouquets and I'm gonna be sad to see them go.

I know, though, they'll go to a good home. They'll go home with someone who loves them just as much - or more - than I do. They'll likely be going home with a like-minded individual, someone who is interested in straddling the line between offbeat and classic. Someone who's a little nostalgia-driven and wants their wedding memories to last more than just one day. Someone with a penchant toward creation and artistry...

But hopefully not too like-minded - I'd hate to know that anyone else on this planet has accidentally put their deodorant in the fridge as often as I have.



Oh, hey! Don't forget about RIB's Mother's Day special!

Fashion Club Pre-Debut Party for the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising Los Angeles (or, Sorry The Photos Didn't Come Out So Great...)

Whee! I'm expanding my business!

Robot In Bloom is now offering posh paper floral designs for your big event!

Naturally, weddings are included under this umbrella, but I can create for anything - corporate events, anniversaries, mitzvahs, birthdays, quinceanaras... you name it! Also, I will be offering premade arrangements for home decor and various well-wishes for your loved ones.



Please click here to see a few of the individual flowers I have available.



Lately, I've been designing flowers for an awesome company in Los Angeles - Classic Party Rentals. These folks are excellent at what they do! In fact, their company is the one who designed the decor for Jason and Molly's 'Bachelor' wedding on ABC. Please take a look at their photo gallery and be in awe of their design skills, just like I am...

They recently commissioned me to make some black crepe gardenias to help complete the "vamp" theme of the event.

The photo quality leaves much to be desired, but I'm just excited to see my work at such a top-notch bash!



The event was for one segment of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.







More of my work was also featured at their booth at an LA bridal show this past weekend. I'll definitely post pictures of that once I get them!

Stay tuned!

Hmmmmmm....? (or Wedding, Schmedding)

Okay, so I'm well aware that I've been featuring my almost two-year old wedding in my blog waaaaaaay too often.

However-

Have you seen the new Alfred Angelo TV ads?
Click here to see the whole spot on Facebook.

Look a tad familiar??



I assume either someone at Alfred Angelo saw my write-up on Offbeat Bride and deemed it a groovy jumping-off point...

Or I'm not a unique a beautiful snowflake and maybe I should hook up with that Alfred Angelo marketing person so we can conquer the world with our similar tastes.

Either way, I love it!


(Oh, and I'm also jealous because no one had that gorgeous shade of purple two years ago! I might just go out and buy myself a bridesmaid dress now, just to have it!)

2010 "Project: Swagga" or Boom Boom Pow!

This year - nay, this decade is going to be the year to increase my amount of swagga! (That's "swagger" for the uninitiated.)

To me, this means upping the degree of style in my life. Taking inspiration from creative women like Lady Gaga and Princess Lasertron (two folks I admire on several fronts), I'm going to start injecting much more individual personality into everything I do.

This is not a New Year's resolution. I've been thinking about this for a long time and the inception just so happens to coincide with January 2010. This is not a fleeting thing, a quick promise at the start of a year that is forgotten by February. This is a new mission for my time left on this planet.

For much of my life, I've felt that my creativity was stifled directly and indirectly. "You can't wear those colors together!", "That's not how to draw a tree... This is how to draw a tree!", "That's weird... Why would you make a ____ out of a _____?", along with the obvious realization that no other kids are wearing suspenders, their dad's vest, and 15 watches on one arm.

From now on, I vow to be brave. I vow to be true to myself and my asthetic. I vow to wear my art on my sleeve, if you will pardon the pun.

I think, like so many excellent things in my life, the real turning point from mere yearning into visible action began with my wedding.


Photo by Monkey Tree Photography


I saw it not as "bridezilla" (a term I detest, incidentally) kind of day, but I did view mine and Josh's wedding day as a vehicle for our style. More pointedly, I felt that the day required thoughtful personalization. What is the point of staging a wedding and inviting spectators if it the multitude of options available, from ceremony to decor, don't express who you are? And since your love is a big part of who you are, what better day than your wedding day to express yourselves?


Photo by Monkey Tree Photography


As you can see from our write-up on Offbeat Bride, these decisions did not mean style for shock's sake. Part of who were are includes being sensitive to others' needs and desires. I really loved the balance we found.



Photo by Monkey Tree Photography


So, yeah... With that being succesful, coupled with more recent inspiration (like this excellent message from Lady Gaga on The Ellen Show), I've decided to up my swagga!

Stay tuned, 2010! Holla!


Photo by Diana Becker

My Favorite Photographer (or Kasey Marsh: Cool Gal Extraordinaire!)

So I thought I'd take a moment to acquaint you with my favorite photographer, Kasey Marsh. Kasey owns Monkey Tree Photography here in Houston and is definitely one of the most excellent people I've met since moving here.





As you can probably guess after seeing the Style page at RobotInBloom.com and previous blog entries, I met Kasey when we hired her to photograph our wedding.

It was funny, actually - Josh and I had met with a pretty big handful of photographers before we found her, but none of them seemed quite right for our wedding. I liked the name of her business and what we saw on her website, so we made plans to meet her at a local Panera. We talked for a few minutes, flipped through her sample albums, did the whole photographer-bride-groom-discussions thing, and Josh and I tried to play it cool. We're not ones to make snap decisions, especially on something huge like our wedding photography.





Acting like ultra-savvy business people, we told her we'd think about it and let her know. We got just outside the front door, literally stopped, turned to each other, and said, "So, you wanna go with her?"

We waxed poetically and excitedly in the doorway for about 20 more seconds about how much we liked her work and how she was a great mix of confident and laid-back. She seemed like a great fit for the mood we wanted for our wedding. And her work looked like she'd catch all our special details and shmoopy expressions.

We walked right back into the restaurant and dorkily said, "Can we sign a contract with you right now???" blowing all our steely negotiating cred right out the window.





Her work was excellent and she was a total pro. She somehow managed to blend into the day, while also successfully wrangling guests for the formal shots. Honestly, I barely remember her being there - which I guess is actually a compliment in the wedding photography world!





After the wedding, I opted not to have her create an album for me. One part control freak, one part confidence in my design skills, and one part wanting waaaaay too many images and pages than is feasible for a flush-mount album, I decided to have a go at designing my own album through Blurb.





I'm incredibly glad I did it that way because I caught the album design bug!

I had so much fun designing my own album, I decided I wanted to do something, anything like that. No more secretarial drudgery for me!

But, I didn't know where to start, and my mom suggested I contact Kasey to see if she could offer any insight into that world.





Kasey's help and generosity was a total bolt from the blue!

She met with me, looked at my album, and asked if I'd want to use her computer and her software to help her with her workflow.

She taught me all sorts of things from the software to running a business. She's given me insights on running an art-based/creative business that you really don't get in regular "How To Run A Small Business" by I.M. Boring* books at Barnes and Noble. Not to mention she's totally relaxed and funny and fun to hang out with!

(*Not a real book, but could be.)





Now, though, I'm on my own feet. I have my own office, and she's recently leased a fabulous new space in the middle of Houston's hip Rice Village.

Her new place looked great for the open house, and I'm really looking forward to her upcoming Fancy Facebook Ladies' Night.

Great Minds Think Alike (or JimandPamandJimandPamandJimandPam!!)

Pam made paper flowers for her wedding, just like me!










Flower photos by Kasey Marsh of Monkey Tree Photography

Design Genesis (or First Contact)

Well, here I am. Sitting at home on the first Thursday of my new life. Happy as a clam.

I recently quit my job and have decided to Fosbury Flop my way into the world of sole proprietorship. I've always had a passion for design (which is the classy way to say that I like how stuff looks) and now that I'm barreling my way toward 30, I decided it was time to stop fuming at my desk all day, get all Oprah-y on myself, and try to live the one life I have in the awesomest way possible. I'm now a freelance wedding photo album designer, and I'm incredibly glad about that...

I started my wedding-related career as most folks in the wedding world start out - by holding a wedding of my very own. Josh and I were married in March of 2008. I know it's cliche to say, "OMG muh wedding wuz teh best thing evar!!1!" but it really was. I won't go into details about how awesome our marriage is and how Josh is the best husband (and person) in the world, because as much as I want to say them, you might lose your lunch... So I'll just focus on the more digestable superficial aspects:



Photo by Kasey Marsh of Monkey Tree Photography


I love color. And I love balancing wacky fun with timeless class. I'm also incredibly indecisive and can see beauty in all styles of design... Hence, our wedding style.
As a result of our (relatively) non-cookie-cutter approach to tradtion, we were featured on Offbeat Bride. (You can read our write-up here.)

Anyway, that's all I'll say for now because I really do have a ton of work to do. Being the boss and the employee is a new concept for me. Plus, it involves a lot of reading in the beginning as I've found out this summer. That's okay, though. I'm looking forward to my upcoming visit to Amazon to obtain more literature on how to propel myself into the entreprenurial stratosphere. Also, I'll probably pick up the 'Mama Mia' soundtrack new Wilco album.




Photo by Kasey Marsh of Monkey Tree Photography