18
Fea-
ture
March | 2023
Araks Sarkisyan
AY Flowers
Glendale, Calif.
ayflowers.com
@_ayflowers_
Thirty-five-year-old Araks Sarkisyan
was born in Yerevan, Armenia, but now
lives in the Los Angeles, Calif., area. Her
floral journey started some 14 years ago.
The Anemone is her favorite flower—that's if she
has to choose one—because she loves them all.
About her design, Sarkisyan says:
"I created this design to celebrate a mother's love, which has
a permanent reflection on one's life. She is, perhaps, the one
person who loves you no matter who you are!"
MATERIALS FROM MELROSE
• Lantern—17.5"H, Metal/Glass (#70783)
• Rose Bundle—12.5"H, Polyester (#88859)
• Mum Spray (2 Asst.)
31.5"H, Polyester (#88841)
• Queen Anne and Foliage Bush
20.75"H, Polyester (#85586)
• Berry Spray—26"H, Polyester (#88677)
Julie Siomacco
Southern Charm Wreaths
Chapin, S.C.
southerncharmwreaths.com
@southerncharmwreaths
Julie Siomacco is considered the queen of wreath making and do-it-yourself
permanent-botanicals florist. A master of producing quality works of art on
the fly, with the heart of a teacher, Julie has turned her passion for faux floral
design and holiday decorating into Southern Charm Wreaths, a thriving faith-
based business that inspires hundreds of thousands of crafty people every day.
She's trained in several product lines and stays up to date on trends, products,
techniques and online selling strategies, in order to give her extensive online
audience the best advice.
About her design, Siomacco says:
" The inspiration for this design was a focal piece for mom to display on her
vintage buffet. Once I saw the spacious lantern, I knew I wanted to create
a multidimensional arrangement that cascades out from inside the lantern
and from front to back; therefore, I chose not to use the glass inserts. I also
wanted to elevate the lantern to allow more space for the flowers to drape,
so I attached it to the top of a candlestick. I painted both the lantern and the
candlestick to look like one cohesive piece. I was allowed to incorporate
other permanent botanicals, so I chose blue French lilacs with pink and
lavender veining, which pull the colors of the other flowers together nicely,
and a bonsai Ficus branch, for movement and texture."
