During Part I of this episode of Mornings with Mayesh, I demonstrated our custom Canva mood board templates that we created just for you. I review a very basic overview on how to update the templates with your business logo, inspiration text, images, and flower pictures. This easy-to-use app is great because you just need to upload your picture files or use the built-in stock photos. Another favorite tool that you can use to grab images, figure out color hex codes, and more, is SnagIt and I will give you a brief overview of how to use it.

To save a copy of the three inspiration boards to your own Canva account, click here.

For the second half of the show (Part II), our special guest, Debra Prinzing of SLOW Flowers, joined us. Watch or listen to learn more about Slow Flowers, American Flowers Week, the Slow Flower Summit and so much more. If you are interested in flower farming or just want to understand more about our the evolution of our industry, then you don't want to miss this in-depth conversation.

Here is the podcast replay for Part II of the show. Part I is so visual that a podcast would not have made sense.

SHOW NOTES

PART I: MOOD BOARDS & INSPIRATION BOARDS

• Demo Canva mood boards.https://www.canva.com/mayesh
  • NOTE: I realized after the live demo that you cannot use our design as a template directly from Canva, so I created live links for you to use and create a copy of the templates to your Canva account. Please visit the following link to get the links emailed to you: http://info.mayesh.com/mood-boards
• We recently just published 3 mood board templates created specifically for you and your floral business.
• These mood boards/inspiration boards/vision boards are perfect for planning flowers for weddings, corporate events, baby showers and everything else in between.
• Another tool that my team loves, SnagIt
  • https://www.techsmith.com/screen-capture.html

PART II: SPECIAL GUEST – DEBRA PRINZING

Today, we have a special and talented guest, Debra Prinzing. You may know Debra, as she is the creator of SlowFlowers.com, which is a free directory that helps consumers find florists, designers, studios and farms that supply American grown flowers. But did you know that she is also an award-winning author and speaker? Debra has written 10 books, contributes to many top publications, and is a wonderful speaker as you will soon see and someone that inspires me in my own floral career!

Here is her favorite quote is from Beverley Nichols, “…surely, if you are privileged to own a plot of earth, it is your duty, both to God and man, to make it beautiful.”

1. Do you want me to start by telling everyone about what is SLOW FLOWERS?
2. How did you become so obsessed about local, seasonal and sustainable flowers in the first place?
3. What have you seen in terms of changing consumer attitudes about local and American grown flowers?
4. What have you seen in terms in terms of changing focus on product sourcing among florists, retailers, wedding/event designers?
5. What kind of metrics back up these conclusions?
6. You've published an annual Slow Flowers forecast each January for the past four years. How do you track trends and/or predictions that influence the Slow Flowers community?
7. Are you looking for suggestions? How can people share their ideas/predictions with you?
8. You produce a lot of content -- from your podcast and blog to print and digital stories for Florists' Review. Tell us about your floral journalism? What gets you excited about writing or interviewing someone for a story?
9. You have two big events coming up in late June. Tell us about American Flowers Week first -- what is it and how can people get involved?
10. What are you most excited about with this year's American Flowers Week?
11. Last year you started the Slow Flowers SUMMIT -- tell us what that is?
12. Who are some of your guests -- and what's got you excited about the event?
13. How can people get involved in Slow Flowers? Where can they plug in?
14.  Are you a floral designer yourself?
15. Tell me something that you are obsessed with right now that is floral related?

Where can we go to find out more information about Slow Flowers and your other projects that you have going on? http://www.debraprinzing.com/

if you think of new questions for our next show, you can post them in the comments here or use the contact form to send them to Yvonne.

Be sure to mark your calendar for May 29th at 10 am EST for the next Mornings with Mayesh featuring special guests, Greg Campbell and Erick New, co-owners of Garden District who traveled to specialty farms throughout the U.S. and abroad to create, Florists to the Field, a stunning coffee table book that was recently published.