School of Floral Design

J. Keith White AIFD CFD CEJ, in association with the Texas State Florists' Association School of Floral Design, an American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD®) Education Partner, will instruct an advanced, two-day, hands-on course on Formative Design Objectives, including an evaluation. Five design categories will be reviewed based on the principles, elements and techniques from the AIFD Guide to Floral Design 3rd Edition. The categories include: Wedding, Flowers to Wear, Arrangement, Sympathy and Designer's Choice. A formative in-person view, understanding and empowerment of design evaluations will complete the class.

This course is open to floral designers who meet one of the following requirements:

• Certified Floral Designer (CFD®).
• Enrolled in the process to become CFD.
• Enrolled or planning to enroll in Professional Floral Design Evaluation (PFDE®) to become a member of AIFD.

About the Instructor

• Inducted in AIFD in 1996. Presented Main Stage Programs: 1997 Dallas, 2001 Chicago, 2005 Seattle, 2007 Palm Dessert, 2022 Las Vegas, and 2024 Gallery Exhibit Orlando.
• Awards and Honors — Houston Cup Winner, 1993 Texas Cup Winner, 2010 Interflora World Cup Competitor Shanghai, 2022 Tournament of Roses Parade Judge and 2023 AIFD Award of Distinguished Service to the Floral Industry recipient.
• Certified Evaluator Judge (CEJ), AIFD Education Partner — Advanced floral design classes, event design series and floral designer certification classes, FTD education webinars and workshops, American Floral Trends® Creative Director, countless webinars and lectures.
• Design Features — 2003-2022 Tournament of Roses Parade VIP Vehicle Entries, 1995 to current FTD Education Team, Winning Wedding Bouquet Combinations book, California Cut Flower Commission education and outreach presentations and publications.

Schedule

Class will gather for approximately 7 hours each day from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Enrollment includes lunch. The one hour set aside for lunch and two breaks will provide time to network each day!

Cost

• TSFA Member — $699.
• Nonmember — $799.

Taught by expert faculty with years of experience in the floral industry, these comprehensive courses will increase your knowledge, hone your skills and help you advance your career. Select from one or more of the following classes:

• Basic Floral Design and Care and Handling on Friday, Aug. 8 — Construct several basic designs, learning how the best mechanics and proper balance, proportion and depth can help you create beauty, stability and lasting quality in arrangements that are traditional or contemporary, large or small, elaborate or simple. The constant guidelines of composition, harmony, focal point, balance, proportion, line, rhythm, texture and color govern floral design. You will learn the difference between the principles and elements of design, gain a deeper understanding of the function of color, and learn color terminology and harmony.
• Sympathy Design on Saturday, Aug. 9 — Funeral flowers are more than an expression of sympathy; they are symbols of faith and respect that express courage and love to those grieving. Learn to make the arrangements that will be the most appropriate for the personalized family tribute, including sprays, baskets, casket covers and wreaths.
• Floral Management on Saturday, Aug. 9 — To be a successful retail florist, you must be more than an excellent designer. You must also thoroughly understand the business side of owning a flower shop. Exceptional floral designs and mastery of basic business principles help ensure a successful and profitable retail flower shop. In this class, you will learn the process of opening a retail flower shop, how to read a monthly financial statement, ways to determine a breakeven point, how to calculate the cost of goods sold, marketing for the retail flower shop and inventory control.
• Wedding Design on Sunday, Aug. 10 — Wedding work can quickly make or break a florist's reputation because of the cost and emotional investment it carries. Great customer satisfaction requires good design, while greater profitability and efficiency come from good mechanics. Learn to construct basic wedding designs with the most efficient mechanics, including bridal and attendant bouquets, boutonnieres, corsages and hair pieces. Instructions for wedding aisle markers, arches and more are provided, and you will also review the mechanics for designing flowers to adorn wedding cakes.

TSFA members enjoy significant savings on all TSFA classes and events. Learn more about TSFA membership.

Join TSFA Friday, Aug. 22, through Monday, Aug. 25, to earn your Texas Master Florist® (TMF) certification.

It is recommended that applicants have three to five years of floral experience. After completion of the TMF Application, a TSFA Education Committee member will administer the TMF qualifying exam, which is given to ensure your goal of becoming a successful florist.

In-person classes and exams include:

• The Elements and Principles of Floral Design on Friday, Aug. 22 — This course could also be called “Tools of Design,” and it will equip you with essential design knowledge. Principles are more than arbitrary rules, they are constant guidelines to use throughout your career!
• Celebration of Life and Sympathy Design on Saturday, Aug. 23 — Flowers are more than an expression of sympathy, they are symbols of faith and respect. In this workshop, you will learn to design sympathy arrangements in baskets and containers, standing sprays, wreaths, form pieces, casket sprays, cremation urn pieces, celebration of life arrangements and much more.
• Wedding Florals: From Consultation to Completion on Saturday, Aug. 23, and Sunday, Aug. 24 — Wedding flowers are some of the most exciting designs you will create. Learn how to wow your clients! A florist can make or break their reputation through their wedding flowers. This course will cover flowers to wear, hand-tied bouquets, ceremony and reception designs, consultation, pricing and more.
• TMF Exam on Monday, Aug. 25 — TSFA members who complete all seven online classes and three in-person labs and pass this exam are Texas Master Florists! After earning this designation, you may apply to take the American Institute of Floral Design Certified Floral Designer exam.

TSFA members enjoy significant savings on all TSFA classes and events. Learn more about TSFA membership.

Teacher Training and Certification

Sept. 30-Oct. 1
Region 17 Education Service Center
111 W. Loop 289
Lubbock, Texas 79416

Level 2 is only available to teachers who have been teaching for three years or more and who have earned the Level 1 certification.

Teacher Training and Certification

The Level 1 and 2 Texas Teacher Floral Certification classes were designed to equip floral design teachers with the skills and experience needed to guide students through the Texas State Florists' Association High School Student Certification process. By attending each one-day, hands-on design workshop, you will gain valuable insight into the certification process and the skills students need to achieve certification. Designed with the needs of ag teachers in mind, these workshops offer 9 CEU credits each, which may be applied toward your professional development. If you register for Level 1 and Level 2 teacher certification classes together, you must earn your Level 1 certification to qualify for the Level 2 certification class. The Level 2 class cannot be taken until you have earned Level 1 certification.

Oct. 7-8
Region 6 Education Service Center
3332 Montgomery Road
Huntsville, Texas 77340

Level 2 is only available to teachers who have been teaching for three years or more and who have earned the Level 1 certification.