Bloom with Brandy

08/02/2026

Some weddings just turn out perfectly pink 🩷

07/04/2026

As this experience comes to a close, my heart is incredibly full.

Grateful. Blessed. Inspired.

A huge thank you to Vonda LaFever Aifd and Randy Wooten for giving us the opportunity to share this program and these ideas with our floral family.

Thank you to Winward Silks for sponsoring our program and supporting creativity, experimentation, and innovation in floristry.

Congratulations and thank you to Zoom Roses for becoming a new sponsor of American Institute of Floral Designers. Continued investment and support from companies that believe in our industry and its future make opportunities like this possible.

And to Kelsey Thompson Petals & Profits — thank you for being the best partner I could have asked for. From big ideas to late-night problem solving, from excitement to stress and everything in between, I couldn't imagine having shared this stage with anyone else.

A special thank you to my husband, Mark Ferrer, for his unwavering support through every crazy idea, late night, rehearsal, and moment of doubt. None of this happens in a vacuum, and I am so grateful to have someone who always believes I can pull off one more impossible thing.

And to our daughter, Nevah Ferrer, thank you for being our beautiful model, our cheerleader, and our moral support throughout this entire adventure. You made the program better simply by being part of it.

A huge thank you to Kailey Dixon for being the absolute best assistant anyone could ask for. Thirteen-hour days, endless packing lists, problem solving, hauling supplies, and somehow still keeping us sane and smiling through it all. This program simply would not have happened without your hard work and dedication.

Thank you to Sarah LaBoe for being an incredible friend and for jumping in as a stage assistant when we needed you most. Having someone who can step into the chaos, anticipate needs before they happen, and make everything look effortless is a gift. You were an absolute lifesaver.

And finally, thank you to the entire American Institute of Floral Designers stage crew. The audience sees the magic that happens under the lights, but they don't always get to see the talented team working behind the scenes making every cue, transition, and reveal possible. Your professionalism, flexibility, and support allowed us to focus on sharing our message and our creativity, and we are so grateful for all of you.

I hope they left feeling less afraid of artificial intelligence and more excited by the possibilities it creates.

I hope they saw AI not as a replacement for creativity, but as a collaborator — a brainstorming partner that can help us solve problems, stretch ideas further, and rediscover the joy of exploration and play.

Because AI will never replace your hands, your heart, your experience, your intuition, or your artistry.

But it might just help you become even more of the designer you were always capable of being.

Thank you to everyone who attended, participated, asked questions, and trusted us enough to take this journey with us.

The future of floristry is still deeply human.

And I am incredibly excited to see where we take it next.

06/23/2026

✨ Thank You, WTNM! ✨

A huge thank you to everyone who joined me for "Flowers That Market Themselves" last week!

A huge thank you to Vase Voyage and J&E Wholesale in Amarillo for making providing the containers and flowers!

We spent our time exploring how florists can get more value from every arrangement they create by thinking beyond the design itself and viewing each arrangement as a marketing asset.

Together we discussed:
🌸 How design choices influence customer perception
📸 Simple techniques for creating better floral photographs using natural light and everyday tools
🤖 Ways AI can assist with image editing, content creation, and marketing
📱 How to turn one arrangement into multiple pieces of content for social media, websites, email marketing, and more
💡 Practical strategies for creating a library of marketing assets from a single design

My favorite part was seeing everyone experiment, ask questions, and discover new ways to showcase their work. The creativity in the room was incredible!

As florists, we spend so much time perfecting our designs. This workshop was a reminder that our flowers deserve to be seen, shared, and celebrated long after they're designed.

Thank you for investing in your business, your creativity, and your professional growth. I hope you left inspired, empowered, and ready to put your flowers to work for your marketing.

Tom Collum-Williams Tmf, thank you for the invite and working so hard to make this happen!

I'd love to hear your biggest takeaway from the class! Share it in the comments below. 👇

06/23/2026

What an incredible weekend at the 2026 Texas Floral Expo!

A huge thank you to Smithers-Oasis⁠ OASIS Floral Products North America for sponsoring both my presentation, "Prep, Protect, Perform: Renewal Foam + Proper Processing," and my hands-on workshop, "Mechanical Makeover: Reimagining Time-Tested Products."

During the presentation, we explored how proper flower processing, hydration techniques, and innovative products like Renewal® Foam can help florists extend vase life, improve flower performance, and create better customer experiences.

In the hands-on workshop, attendees challenged themselves to see familiar products in completely new ways. Using products such as Grande Iglu®, Pew Markers, Black Mache Wreaths, Event Saddles, Square Riser Kits, and Renewal® Foam, participants transformed everyday mechanics into fresh, creative design solutions.

One of my favorite moments was watching designers take a common product they thought they knew and discover a completely new way to use it. That's where innovation happens!

Thank you to everyone who attended, asked questions, shared ideas, and embraced the challenge of thinking outside the box. And thank you again to Smithers-Oasis for your continued support of floral education and creativity.

What was your favorite design or takeaway from the weekend?

06/15/2026

Award-winning floral designers and educators Brandy Ferrer AIFD CFD TMF and Kelsey Thompson are bringing creativity and technology together in a fresh, practical, and inspiring way.

Their session, AI + FLORISTRY: FROM CONCEPT TO CREATION, explores how Artificial Intelligence can support florists through:
• color theory exploration
• design principles
• creative mechanics
• brainstorming and ideation
• practical business tools
• visual communication and storytelling

This is not about replacing artistry.
It’s about expanding possibility.

Friday, July 3
12:00 PM–1:00 PM

06/13/2026

POV - Smithers-Oasis is your favorite company ever and you get to show off their products!!!!!

Add Mechanical Makeover: Reimagining Time-Tested Products with Brandy Ferrer AIFD, CFD, TMF to your Texas Floral Expo lineup! Smithers-Oasis® products are already in your shop — but are you making the most of them? In this interactive workshop, Ferrer challenges participants to reimagine five familiar mechanics for unexpected new applications, then build a finished design that puts one to work. Leave with fresh techniques and practical ideas that stretch your inventory further. Add this optional workshop to your Expo registration: ⭐ TSFA Members: $95 ⭐ Nonmembers: $125 Underwritten by Smithers-Oasis. Early bird pricing is available through June 5 — register now before rates increase. tsfa.org/expo

06/13/2026

At the airport bright and early! I'm stoked to be teaching a hands-on for WTNM about Flowers that Market Themselves - time to get my flower-arranging skills on!

06/10/2026

AI in floristry is not about letting a computer design your flowers.

It’s about using a new creative tool to stretch your own ideas.
In this session, we’ll explore how Artificial Intelligence can help florists spark concepts, solve design challenges, understand color theory, apply principles and elements of design, and create practical resources for the business side of floral work.
This is for the florist who has ever thought:
“I have the idea… I just need help getting it out of my head.”

Join us Friday, July 3
12:00 PM–1:00 PM
AI + Floristry: From Concept to Creation

Come curious. Leave with tools you can actually use.

06/03/2026

30 DAYS AWAY! ✨

Join us at the 2026 AIFD Symposium for:

AI + Floristry: From Concept to Creation
Friday, July 3
12:00 PM–1:00 PM

We’ll explore how Artificial Intelligence can help florists spark ideas, strengthen design thinking, streamline problem-solving, and discover new creative possibilities.
If you’ve ever wondered how AI can actually fit into floral design work in a meaningful and artistic way — this session is for you.

Come curious. Leave inspired.

06/02/2026

🌿✨ MECHANICAL MAKEOVER: REIMAGINING TIME-TESTED PRODUCTS ✨🌿

Confession:
I'm a total Smithers-Oasis fangirl.

Seriously. If you've taken one of my classes, you already know I'm obsessed with mechanics, innovation, and finding smarter ways to work—and nobody has influenced the floral industry more than Smithers-Oasis.
But what if we've been thinking about some of their products all wrong?

🤔 What if a pew marker wasn't just for pews?
What if a sympathy wreath became modern event art?

What if a floral riser solved a problem you didn't even know you had?

Join me for this hands-on workshop where we'll take five familiar Smithers-Oasis products and give them a complete mechanical makeover.
🌿 Experiment with unexpected applications
🌿 Explore modern design techniques
🌿 Shop our stem bar and choose your own blooms
🌿 Create a finished design using one reinvented mechanic
Because the most innovative florists don't ask:
"What is this product for?"
They ask:
"What else could it become?"
📅 Friday, June 19, 2026
🕥 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
🎨 Mechanical Makeover: Reimagining Time-Tested Products
💚 Underwritten by Smithers-Oasis®
Trust me... you'll never look at your mechanics shelf the same way again.