Undiscovered Talents - Prom 2008

I believe that everyone has talents and abilities that lie undiscovered within us.  Sometimes we find these talents when we least expect them.  3 years ago my daughter went to her first high school prom.  She was so excited and we searched for just the right dress, shoes, hairstyle, etc....  Then came the time to order the boutineer for her date.  We called all over town to different florists and were shocked by their prices.  We chose a mid-range florist and ordered their "fancy" boutineer for $12.00.  We figured that would be better than the economy priced $8.00 flower but still less expensive than the $18.00 one.  We gave them the color of her dress and a time that we would be in to pick it up.  When we arrived we found that the boutineer hadn't even been started.  They quickly threw together a flower for us and we were shocked at how little you actually get for $12.00.  The boutineer was a single rose with a little sprig of greenery.  The ribbon color was completely wrong and there were no embellishments of any kind.  I took the boutineer home and showed it to my daughter and she was horrified.  Well, since this was my oldest child, and her first dance experience, I couldn't let them ruin her evening by a substandard flower.  I drove right back to the florist with a piece of fabric from her dress and demanded that they make the boutineer into something "fancy" like we had ordered.  They took the fabric and made a ribbon out of it, threw in some baby's breath and a little jeweled pick and slapped it together.  At home I had to undo and redo it so that it would hold up for the night.  Needless to say, I was a little bit frustrated with the whole experience.  I thought to myself, "There is NO WAY I am going through that again.  My mom made silk boutineers and corsages when I was younger, and I helped her wire and tape those... fresh flowers can't be that much harder, and I know I can do at least as good of job as the florist did, for at least half the price."  And so my journey into floral design began.  Over the past 3 years I have experimented with different flowers, styles, accessories, and products.  I have made flowers for my own children, their friends, extended family, and even for my niece's wedding.  I am so glad that I had such a crazy experience that led me to strike out on my own and develop a talent I didn't know I had.  I'm excited to see what new ideas and opportunities I can explore over the next few years as well.