October 14, 2025 • 35 mins
Learn 10 Creative Ways to Use Design Master Paint with pro-level floral spray techniques offered by Gretchen Sell of Design Master. Discover how to conceal blemishes, customize colors, up-cycle old products, and create show-stopping designs. You can transform ordinary flowers into extraordinary art with these creative color spray tips.
👉 Listen now on the How We Bloom podcast or read the full article on Floral Hub.
How we Bloom podcast is an oasis of flower ideas. Host Sharon McGukin of Smithers-Oasis North America interviews floral guests who dare to do things differently. We listen, learn, explore new opportunities and that's how we bloom!
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Episode Transcript
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Gretchen Sell (00:06):
This is a fun part because color gives you the
opportunity to be very creativeand inventive and imaginative
Sharon McGukin (00:18):
Gretchen Sell is the education and creative
director of Design Master, adivision of the Smithers Oasis
Company, shifting her oncenationally defined parameter to
a global approach of sharing thepossibilities of using color
tools.
Joins us today to shareprofessional tips for combining
(00:39):
floral paint, also known ascolor spray and flowers to make
color magic.
When Gretchen achieved ahorticultural degree from
Purdue, she probably didn'tforesee her upcoming 27 plus
years of mastering the art ofpaint.
Today you'll see she's themaster as Gretchen offers ideas
for creating the right color youneed when the wrong colored
(01:01):
flower arrives in your shop fora client's wedding, how to
customize color for specialevent requests, hide flower
blemishes on must-have freshproduct, upcycle, aging floral
botanical products, or createholiday latest, greatest colors
that walk out the door with yoursatisfied customers.
(01:22):
Gretchen knows just what to do.
Today she's sharing 10 creativethings you can do with floral
paint.
Gretchen welcome.
Hi Sharon.
Thanks so much for having Iguess my first question,
Gretchen, is why is DesignMaster Paint better for flowers
than what I can pick up at thelocal hardware store?
Gretchen Sell (01:41):
Well, first of all, Design Master was
formulated specifically forfresh flowers and for use in the
floral industry.
We have a 60 plus year historyof serving the floral industry
and providing color solutionsusing our sprays.
So having that background andbeing fine tuned, to fresh
(02:03):
flowers, you can be assured whenyou're applying it as according
to the directions, your flowerswill be safe.
There are probably somematerials that you've been able
to use some of the heaviersprays, but there's no way that
you would be able to change thecolor of a ranunculus using any
of the, any of the craft orhardware store paints.
Sharon McGukin (02:26):
Perfect.
I mentioned to you that Gretchenhas a List of 10 things we can
do to use paint effectively.
So let's start with number one: create the color you need. (02:33):
undefined
Gretchen Sell (02:37):
Well one of the great things about our color
sprays is they give youopportunity to solve color
problems.
And one of those is creating thecolor you need.
There's so many times when youdon't have that tonality, have
that color on hand.
And you might have sold a colorpalette specific for a
(03:00):
presentation.
Flowers sometimes don't come inexactly how you've ordered them,
but we give you the opportunityto fill that hole and create
what you need with our sprays.
One of the methods of doing sois what I call color infusion,
and that's just taking a whiteflower.
It's a perfect canvas for any ofour spray colors, whether it's
(03:21):
color tool spray, which is moreof a pigmented spray, or the
just for flowers, which is theflower dye.
It's what you think of naturallyis just taking a white flower
and spraying it a color to getthat color.
Another opportunity is workingwith color shifting, and that's
blending color on color.
You're using the spray color ontop of a colored blossom to
(03:45):
create the color you need withincolor shifting.
You can do that like threedifferent ways.
One is monochromatic shifts, andthat's taking a color that you
have and needing to go darker orgo lighter.
it's kind of obvious in a way,if you need to go darker, you
choose deeper color within thatpalette to push it to a deeper
(04:08):
value.
Or if you need to go lighter,take one that is in the same
color family, but a pale ofthat.
Say you have pink but you wantto go more blush.
It's good to use the blush sprayon top of that to light and that
tonality.
You could use like yellows, likea honeycomb, which is a pretty
(04:30):
golden yellow but it's a softervalue using that on a bright
yellow hushes, that intensity ofthe yellow.
So those are a couple of optionsof using a monochromatic shift.
One of the easiest ways to dothings is what you would call an
analogous shift, and we're usingour terminology from the color
(04:51):
wheel and the analogous colorsare the neighboring colors.
So.
It's probably one of the easiestways to shift color.
'cause you know, everything'sgonna work out fine because
neighbors are happy with oneanother.
if you have a yellow and youneed to push it more towards
peach, you'd use a pink to pushit in that direction.
(05:13):
it goes through the blues to thelavenders and all around the
board of the color wheel.
But just picking a neighboringhue and spraying it.
One of the tips as you'reworking with that is if you have
a deeper value color, you can'tuse a lighter value Just for
Flowers'cause that's the dye.
(05:35):
And it doesn't show so much ofbeing the transparent color
coming through on a darkercolor.
Like if you're using a mediumblue you'd want to use Purple
Pansy to push it to blue violetversus using Lilac, which is a
lighter value of our purplefamily.
(05:56):
And then the other item, anotherway to doing this is the
complimentary shifts, and that'sworking with colors that are
across the color wheel from oneanother.
And interestingly, we know whenwe're working with compliments,
how they accentuate one another.
They make each other brighterand more vibrant.
(06:16):
But when you're painting andusing the opposite colors, it
actually tones down the color.
They, mix to kind of brown downthe hue.
So it can be a reallyinteresting direction if you
wanna mute some colors and helpcreate some of those bridging
tones that are really powerfuland give a little more
sophistication to a palette.
(06:37):
And you could also use thatcomplimentary shift with the
split compliments.
That doesn't have to always bethe direct opposite, but it's a
great way to tone down colors
Sharon McGukin (06:48):
I love the way you've defined each of these, so
I'm gonna ask you for one moredefinition.
We say floral paint, you saycolor spray.
Can you give us the definitionand how floral paint and color
spray are really the sameproduct.
Gretchen Sell (07:04):
Color Spray is the way Design Master has
described our color products forover 60 years.
Trying to differentiateourselves from what you would
use to spray your red wagon orsomething like that.
We wanted to differentiateourself to be more of an
(07:27):
artistic type of product thanjust an everyday home use type
of a thing.
So color sprays lent our way togiving you a little bit more
creativity behind using theproducts and also because the
versatility of our sprays offersmore ways to use the product.
(07:51):
There's some great techniquesthat can be used to give you
some really unique finishes onhard surfaces.
You can apply just a little bitof spray to give you a cover
coloring just like a wash ofcolor versus a heavier coat.
But you can also add more coatsto deepen and enrich the colors.
(08:13):
So there's a lot of versatilityabout applications that aren't
available on spray paints.
Sharon McGukin (08:21):
Basically, you can get paint from the hardware
store and color spray fromDesign Master so the more
professional in its Okay, movingto number two: how to conceal,
blossom blemishes or hideimperfections.
Just like the things that youjust discussed were very
important to wedding work.
This is a really big one onwedding work because often
(08:42):
you'll get that orchid orsomething that has a little bit
of a blemish, but you need touse that expensive product.
So tell us what you could do.
Gretchen Sell (08:51):
When you have a blemish on a blossom.
You know, we always try to sendout our product a hundred
percent.
And no matter how diligent weare about safe handling, there's
always gonna be situations wheresomething gets bruised and you
might be down to the last one,last arrangement or last
(09:11):
bouquet.
And the blossom isn't asbrilliant as you the others are,
or you want it to be a littledusting of a little spritz of
Design Master can definitelyhide those imperfections.
And it, it helps you to reallyget the most out of your stock.
It reduces flower waste and evensaves margins.
(09:34):
So applying a little spray inthose situations it's kind of
like applying makeup.
We often times have,particularly as women, will have
a little blemish that we wannadisguise and you know, it can be
an excellent concealer at times.
Some of the tips to do soprobably white blossom, show a
(09:57):
blemish brighter it's much morevisible on white than some of
the other products.
So Flat White of our coloredtool spray is the optimum
product for those.
On those kind of flowers likethe roses are really good.
It's good to do that.
Casa Blanca lilies, those arepricey and you don't want to
(10:18):
just toss those.
So you've really can save themby just doing a little bit of a
touchup.
And the orchids, all kinds oforchids from cymbidiums and
phalaenopsis.
And one of the methods of doingthat like on the Roses, you'll
just wanna do a little spritzand concentrate your spritz.
(10:40):
When you're working with ourproducts, you wanna be 15 inches
away from the blossom for safeapplication.
So rather than a steady flow ofspray coming out, just doing
little spritz will give you alittle bit more control, like on
a rose where there was blemishesalong the pedal edges.
On orchids or Casablanca lilies,both of those flowers have a
(11:04):
translucency to them.
And you can spray the backsideof the blossom to enhance the
color and then come around onthe front end and just add a
little spritz again on the areasthat might look a little brown
that works really quickly andeasily, and this little
(11:26):
technique also dries reallyfast, so you don't have to worry
about how much time is involved.
Another opportunity is withanthuriums.
they look very strong andsturdy, but somehow they do get
bruised.
And again, another pricey flowerthat you don't wanna lose your
money on.
So there's two situations towork with.
(11:47):
One is, spraying it trying tomatch its natural color and
hiding that blossom.
Again, you could use a white onthe white anthurium, the pale
pink.
Our Blush works really nice onthose.
The reds, you can use ourholiday reds, things like that.
Or you could go a little morenovelty and a little more
(12:11):
fantastic in a way, and sprayingthem either with a metallic or
just a color, not known innature.
or something.
You could go both ways.
And on anthuriums masking thepistil is a good technique to
cover it.
So when you're spraying it, youcan remove a little protection
(12:32):
from it and it'll still looknatural.
Sharon McGukin (12:34):
seen people use water tubes?
Upside down over the just keepthe, the spray off of it?
Gretchen Sell (12:41):
When you're working with concealing
blemishes, it's best to use ourColortool sprays.
Those are pigmented and that'swhat's gonna help hide the
blemish Just for Flowers istranslucent and so you're still
gonna see the surface detailunderneath.
And if that's a blemish that'sthere, you're still gonna see
that.
So for concealing blemishes, useColortool spray.
Sharon McGukin (13:04):
For that.
Number three (13:05):
expand creative boundaries to design unabashedly
in any color you want.
Gretchen Sell (13:12):
This is a fun part because color gives you the
opportunity to be very creativeand inventive and imaginative.
And with flowers, being ourtools, we can explore anything
outside of things not seen innature They might end up looking
like they're natural, but it'snot a color that the flower
would come in naturally.
(13:33):
Or the other situation ofworking with that is spraying
the whole stem in the bloom sothat the element is a complete
color element and can oftentimesgive you a very structural kind
of appeal That could be kind ofcool in design.
And then there's combinations ofblending that you can do with
(13:53):
our sprays particularly on theanthuriums, like you can do a
metallic base and then use Justfor Flowers on top to give a
kind of a fantasy purple or acoppery color that you wouldn't
have by other means.
But it's just a interestingavenue of using products that
(14:15):
you have that you can't get fullvalue out of to making it
something you can upcharge forand save your margin.
Sharon McGukin (14:22):
Number four.
Speaking of saving money,upcycle stagnant product display
items for fresh appeal.
Sprays work on many hardsurfaces too, so tell us how to
turn that trash into cash.
Gretchen Sell (14:36):
That's right.
Well, I think anyone who hasexperienced any store display
has a story of a customerthinking you got new product
when all you did was move yourlocation.
And on that concept, I thinkthere's products that have been
in a shop sometimes we inheritthem from previous owners.
(14:56):
Sometimes it just doesn't movewhen we've been there for a
while.
But a splash of color and justchanging the color, whether
you're taking it straight up andjust spraying, you know,
spraying something that is aobnoxious color to something
more trendy.
It's amazing how fresh it canlook for people.
And you can move that and sellit, or use it for design work as
(15:19):
well.
The fresh color works reallynicely on ceramics and baskets
and, you know, not just theflowers, but the other items
that we have.
Sharon McGukin (15:29):
That leads us to number five
for special request, And thatapplies to.
both flowers and containers.
Gretchen Sell (15:36):
Yes, very much so.
Well, we know bridal work isprobably one of the most
specialized, when we requestspecial colors But also for like
interior display, if you'redoing a nice design for home,
our a corporate location andyou're trying to find the right
(15:57):
piece for that and in the rightcolor, that's where you can
customize with our sprays.
And we also have some reallyfun, unique techniques that work
really well on hard surfaceslike that too, from a water
resist technique.
And, you know, just simpleblending.
You can get an ombre lookwhether you're using a
(16:22):
monochromatic ombre or justdoing two colors together, just
having a blending of colors canbe interesting as well.
So there's many things that youcan do in customizing that.
And also if you're working withpermanent botanicals and silks
the sprays also work nicely onthose as well.
So if you need to expand yourpalette.
(16:43):
Like you have a box of pinkroses, but you need something a
little bit more.
Give them a little bit moreoomph.
You can even stay in themonochromatic lane and just
change those pinks into some ofthe other pinks and have a
really nice palette that's justa little bit more interesting
than not only mono botanical,but mono color.
Sharon McGukin (17:04):
Think one of the greatest uses of this suggestion
is that you can take old productand sell it quickly because
impulse shopping or impulse buysvery often come from something
that's really trendy.
It's the the new hot color.
We want it because it's new andgoes with any redecorating we're
(17:27):
doing Drive impulse buys bypainting or upgrading the
materials to the latest,greatest color People come in
and that old product that sat onyour shelf for a long time looks
like a beautiful new on-trendvase.
Number six (17:43):
create fall.
flower tones.
Go beyond gold, orange,burgundy, and brown.
Gretchen Sell (17:50):
You know, actually you can take any palete
and push it to autumn by toningdown some of the colors, again
with our products.
Let me give you a few examples.
Thicket a Just for Flowersspray, that is a gray tone,
works wonderfully on red andpurples to deepen those colors.
(18:10):
you can take a red rose and go alittle deeper.
Purple mums go to a reallypretty rich, deeper tone with a
spritz of Thicket.
You can, again, talk about colorshifting using the complimentary
colors, that tones down colorsvery easily and gives you that
great bridging color intobouquets.
(18:33):
This is one of my favorites,like a medium bronze mum with
Coral Bright, which is Just forFlowers, equals a really
beautiful, warm, muted orange.
And then you can add an extracoat to deepen that color.
So it gives you so many optionswhen you're working with the
Just for Flowers.
The properties of the colorvalue you have so much more
(18:54):
control on.
On Red blooms, you can takePeacock, which is a teal
tonality and a Just for Flowerscolor that shifts the red to
burgundy.
And then if you use Delphiniumblue on the red, it'll push it
to maroon.
Lavender disbud mums, the ballshape is my favorite, but using
(19:15):
color tool Red Clay, orHoneycomb on that is a beautiful
bridging color as well.
And again, Thicket on thatlavender disbud is really
pretty.
Consider metallic colors ongrasses.
That's kind of a fun accent intothe fall things.
And then also probably one ofthe most asked about is antique
(19:40):
hydrangea.
You can take your blues or yourgreen hydrangeas and blend a lot
of the different hues, ourCOLORTOOL sprays, and Just for
Flowers, work with one another.
So you can layer the colors andcreate any kind of antique
hydrangea you want.
Just a little tip (19:57):
Start with the COLORTOOL spray, and then
Just for Flowers on top forshifting.
You can use only COLORTOOLspray, or you can use only Just
for Flowers, but you can alsomix them.
And if you're mixing them it'sbest to start with the Color
Tool and then the Just forFlowers on top.
(20:18):
And then it's not a spray, butwe have our Absorb It, which is
a stem dye.
A really pretty Brownie recipeis two parts.
Holiday red to one part yellow,yellow and one part teal.
So if you're looking for thoseBrownie carnations, that's a
good combination.
Sharon McGukin (20:38):
Number seven
Beyond the can color.
Gretchen Sell (20:42):
At holiday time, you know, we all like the pizazz
of metallics.
It just adds that sparkle forthe holiday.
But you might also consider thetechniques we are touching base
with on anthuriums and spray thepremium metals first on the base
and then overlaying with theJust for Flowers colors or you
(21:04):
could do it on accessories,whether it's pine cones or lotus
pods, just a whole differentvibe.
It's probably not as bright anddynamic as the straight
metallic, but it still has thisreally wonderful shimmer and can
be a really fun shift for aholiday accent.
Sharon McGukin (21:22):
I think that's probably the time we use color
spray most for the holidays onfaux botanicals or weddings on
fresh flowers.
Gretchen Sell (21:31):
Probably.
Yeah, the holiday times is a bigseason for florists, for sure.
Sharon McGukin (21:37):
Number eight: Salt Blast technique.
Clear Finish matte, and bakingsoda.
Tell us about that.
Gretchen Sell (21:45):
Yes, that's the recipe.
Salt Blast technique, I foolaround with and played with it.
Not too long ago you were seeinga lot of glassware that had this
unique whitish finish on it thatwas very textural and it just
(22:05):
gave a, a wash kind of over anyglassware, whether it was clear
or colored type of a thing.
I called it Salt Blast techniqueand using the baking soda,
that's the salt part of it.
But it can create this reallyneat aged glass effect.
And, you can do this techniqueto add texture to other surfaces
(22:26):
too, but it's very simple.
Using our Clear Finish Matte I'mgonna talk about doing it on a
vase, taking a vase, and spraythat close and don't follow the
directions on that one.
You wanna spray close so it'swet.
And then sprinkle on bakingsoda, and then turn your vase a
little bit more and do the sameroutine.
(22:49):
Spray down the clear finish matand sprinkle baking soda, and do
that to completely cover.
The container or the surface andlet it dry for a little bit and
then come back with another coatof just the Clear Finish matte.
And that gives it a nice seal tothe process.
(23:09):
But it can create this reallyawesome look, you've, I'm sure
you've all seen things similarmanufactured finishes in the
stores.
And you could do this withanything.
And again, you can use it forupscaling some vases.
A few years ago we had all thesedifferent green glass vases and
use that technique and it gave awhole new look about'em and were
(23:34):
received very well.
So it's a great technique toupcycle as well.
I've also done that technique ona plastic urn and then doing a
metallic top coat, and it justgave us extra texture to it that
just enriched it rather thanplastic.
(23:55):
It just gave it another textureto make it feel like it was a
more expensive material to
Sharon McGukin (24:00):
That's a great way to upcycle older material to
make it sell Giving it that newlook.
it also would be a great thingto do in a hands-on class.
A lot of shops do hands-onclasses for their customers.
For the holidays, pulling outsome old glassware that you need
to move.
Then having a hands-on in yourshop teaching people how to do
(24:21):
that with Design Master.
That'd be a really cool'GirlsNight Out,' wouldn't it?
Gretchen Sell (24:26):
It would be fun.
And then they could do theflower design and the vase,
'cause it doesn't take long todry.
One other little tip with thebaking soda, I like to keep my
baking soda in the freezer.
It just seems like when I wassprinkling it out, it would have
a little bit more clumps.
Not heavy, but it would justcoagulate.
Give you a little more variationon the surface versus it all
(24:49):
being very,
Sharon McGukin (24:50):
Oh, that's a great tip.
Gretchen Sell (24:51):
So just a little, there's other ways to play with
it.
Sharon McGukin (24:54):
We need to invite Gretchen over, have lots
of paints, and just play.
It would be fun.
Gretchen Sell (24:59):
play.
That's right.
It's fun.
Sharon McGukin (25:02):
Number nine: Faux Watercolor Silk Ribbon.
Gretchen Sell (25:05):
Yeah.
You know, those watercolor silkribbons are just absolutely
fabulous and beautiful, and youcan mimic that look using your
double satin, your standarddouble satin ribbon.
And you can do it with any kindof colorations that you want to.
It's really kind of pretty coolat this time of the year of
(25:28):
working with the moody hues andgetting this really rich, color
that blends from one to theother down the whole stretch the
ribbon and to do this you takethe ribbon and bunch it up into
your hand, protect your handwith some latex gloves and very
(25:49):
closely spritz into the ribbonand you use your thumbs and work
the paint around in it.
And you pull the ribbon out andyou'll see it'll look a little
splotchy at the first time.
But then coming back in and getregathering it and trying to
expose some of the other areasthat weren't sprayed, do another
(26:12):
color and hit those areas.
And again, use your thumbs tokind of blend the tonalities
together a little bit, doingtwo, three colorations.
If you want, you can use theColor Tool alone.
You can use the Just for Flowersalone, or you can use a
combination of the two.
It's just that process ofgathering it into your hand and
(26:35):
spritzing it and using yourfingers to rub it through.
And when you have all the colorsthat you want if you want a
little more blending.
Take a little bit of acetone.
It could be from the hardwarestore or it could be nail polish
remover and just go in on thoseedges that you want a little
smoother and rub that in.
(26:56):
And it blends the colorsseamlessly.
Acetone is the solvent in ourspray, so it works very well to
blend those colors together, andyou don't have to worry.
The aroma from the acetone doesdissipate, and you can even wash
the ribbons, but you can getsome gorgeous looking ribbon
(27:18):
that looks very much like thewatercolor silk ribbons.
Sharon McGukin (27:22):
That sounds really cool.
That would be pretty at Easteror Mother's Day.
To those custom designedribbons, you know, find out what
their favorite colors are, andthen blend that to go into an
arrangement or a basket orsomething of that nature.
That sounds like it would be funto do.
Gretchen Sell (27:41):
Yeah, I mean, even if you're wanting to do it
at home for some hair ribbonsfor your daughter or something
like that, you can go as wildand funky as you want, or you
can go as sophisticated and richas you want, you know, so it's a
fun thing to
Sharon McGukin (27:55):
seems like that would be a good seller if you
did it in school colors.
The school colors were thebasis, but you did other
complimentary colors along withit and made it for hair.
ribbons and such.
Gretchen Sell (28:07):
That's a great idea.
Yeah,
Sharon McGukin (28:10):
Well, that leads us to our ultimate Number 10:
Painted Foliages can be ofStrong Color Elements in Design.
Tell us about that.
Gretchen Sell (28:20):
We have seen a lot of that being done spraying
foliages, and it does add a sucha wonderful, shimmery accent to
designs and enriches it.
And a lot of people do thinkwhen there's something metallic
in involved, it does elevate thestyle of the design.
But some fun things to work withthat is that one thing I found
(28:45):
is using a stem of Ming Fern ingold, one of our premium metals,
whether it's 24 Karat Gold orGold Medal One of those or Rose
Gold and Champagne Gold.
But the whole stem of a mingfern, it just makes a really
gorgeous sculptural element.
(29:06):
It just holding that one stem byitself is it just phenomenal,
even fun.
So that can be a springboard totaking your ideas and designing
a really unique presentation.
When you're working with thefoliages if you're wanting to go
with a light color, it's areally good idea to prime the
(29:27):
base first with either, SuperSilver is what we've been doing
for many years.
But Ace Berry, a friend ofDesign Master, has also
suggested Flat White, and itjust brightens the color that
you're applying on top.
You think about it, the foliageis dark and it just kind of when
(29:48):
you're spraying a light coat ofcolor on top of it, it will
affect that look.
So having that primer worksreally, really well.
And then also the other type offluffy foliages, not just the
Ming, but like plumosa, do aquick spray of premium metals
first, that metallic color hassuch really quick coverage in
(30:10):
any area that's not gonna getcovered by the final color, it
just blends nicely, having alittle bit of the Metallic can
kind of peek through a littlebit.
It just is a nice blend so youget more oomph from your color
when you have that metallicbase.
Sharon McGukin (30:27):
One thing that you are always reminding us is
that Design Master color sprayis flower safe.
You're enhancing the flower, butyou're not hurting the flower.
Gretchen Sell (30:38):
Correct.
And with that, there is anapplication method specifically
for fresh flowers to be safe,and that is to spray 15 inches
away from the blossom.
Some of you know this manydon't, but if you're spraying
too close, the propellant in thespray doesn't have an
opportunity to evaporate.
(31:00):
And if it lands directly on theflower or if you're spraying too
much, too close, it'll puddle.
And that propellant actuallyfreezes the surface will cause
it to turn brown.
So that's why 15 inches it's,our formula is one to give you
that light, layering of color.
And then two, the applicationtechnique of 15 inches.
(31:23):
Those are the key things why oursprays are safe to use on fresh
flowers.
Sharon McGukin (31:28):
we've loved your 10 suggestions.
Obviously we'll do a blog and wewill have these suggestions
written out.
If you have enjoyed the podcast,be sure and look for the blog as
well on the Oasis website,oasisfloralproducts.com and try
some of these things.
It's fun to do with paint.
I was thinking when you weretalking about the anthurium the
(31:50):
first time I ever saw someonespray paint one an aqua color, I
was just like,"oh my gosh,that's quite different from the
red And the thought of coveringthe material with bright colors
or metallic colors, can add somuch to your design and
personalize your design.
Because you're the person who'sdirecting the color
Gretchen Sell (32:13):
Well, you know, you can work with color two
ways, and I know today'smarketplace is much more open to
color and being outside the boxof what Mother Nature has given
us.
But also if you don't wanna gothat way, there's many
opportunities for applying thecolor in a very natural way.
(32:36):
And sometimes you can't eventell the difference.
So there are opportunities tosatisfy both marketplaces and
desired taste.
It's a pretty versatile product.
Sharon McGukin (32:48):
And the 10 different ways that you've shown
us, let us change the color ofthe flower for function, for a
rescue, for creativity, for justthe enjoyment of a color and for
selling on-trend materials.
You have the same flowermaterials from season to season
often, and how can you make themstand out and differentiate
(33:11):
quickly?
Color is one of the ways thathelps most because color is the
most eye-catching element.
So when you do something unusualwith color, it's sure to catch
the attention of the client.
I know one thing you've beenworking on that you're really
excited about is the newwebsite.
Can you tell us something aboutthe new website?
Gretchen Sell (33:30):
Oh, definitely.
There's been a lot of hard workgoing into that.
Yes, dmcolor.com is getting anew face and it should be coming
up pretty soon.
I can't give you an exact date,but a lot of these techniques
and discussions about how to usecolor and work with color and
learning more about thedifferent types of color of the
(33:50):
sprays we have is all covered onour new Design Master website,
dm color.com.
Sharon McGukin (33:57):
you so much.
We'll be checking that out andthanks for all your hard work in
helping us to expand our use ofcolor, Gretchen, we really
appreciate it
Gretchen Sell (34:05):
My pleasure.
Sharon McGukin (34:06):
And thank you so much for being with us here
today.
It's just been a pleasure, asalways.
Gretchen Sell (34:10):
been a pleasure, as always.
Oh, it's always my pleasuretalking with you, Sharon.
Thanks so much.
Appreciate what you do for ourindustry too,
Sharon McGukin (34:18):
A great industry to work with other professionals
and learn more every day.
Gretchen Sell (34:24):
True that, thanks.
Sharon McGukin (34:30):
To our audience, Smithers-Oasis, North America
and I want to thank you forjoining us today.
If you've enjoyed this episode,please share it with a friend
and be sure to hit subscribe.
You don't want to miss theinspired solutions our upcoming
guests will share with you foryour personal or business
growth.
If you have topics or guests youwant to hear, please message me.
(34:54):
We'd love to hear from you.
Until next time, I'm SharonMcGukin reminding you that like
the unfurling petals of aflower, we grow by changing
form, soaking inspiration inlike raindrops, absorbing energy
from others like warmth from thesun.
This growth opens us up to newideas and that's How we Bloom.
This is a fun part because color gives you the
opportunity to be very creativeand inventive and imaginative
Sharon McGukin (00:18):
Gretchen Sell is the education and creative
director of Design Master, adivision of the Smithers Oasis
Company, shifting her oncenationally defined parameter to
a global approach of sharing thepossibilities of using color
tools.
Joins us today to shareprofessional tips for combining
(00:39):
floral paint, also known ascolor spray and flowers to make
color magic.
When Gretchen achieved ahorticultural degree from
Purdue, she probably didn'tforesee her upcoming 27 plus
years of mastering the art ofpaint.
Today you'll see she's themaster as Gretchen offers ideas
for creating the right color youneed when the wrong colored
(01:01):
flower arrives in your shop fora client's wedding, how to
customize color for specialevent requests, hide flower
blemishes on must-have freshproduct, upcycle, aging floral
botanical products, or createholiday latest, greatest colors
that walk out the door with yoursatisfied customers.
(01:22):
Gretchen knows just what to do.
Today she's sharing 10 creativethings you can do with floral
paint.
Gretchen welcome.
Hi Sharon.
Thanks so much for having Iguess my first question,
Gretchen, is why is DesignMaster Paint better for flowers
than what I can pick up at thelocal hardware store?
Gretchen Sell (01:41):
Well, first of all, Design Master was
formulated specifically forfresh flowers and for use in the
floral industry.
We have a 60 plus year historyof serving the floral industry
and providing color solutionsusing our sprays.
So having that background andbeing fine tuned, to fresh
(02:03):
flowers, you can be assured whenyou're applying it as according
to the directions, your flowerswill be safe.
There are probably somematerials that you've been able
to use some of the heaviersprays, but there's no way that
you would be able to change thecolor of a ranunculus using any
of the, any of the craft orhardware store paints.
Sharon McGukin (02:26):
Perfect.
I mentioned to you that Gretchenhas a List of 10 things we can
do to use paint effectively.
So let's start with number one: create the color you need. (02:33):
undefined
Gretchen Sell (02:37):
Well one of the great things about our color
sprays is they give youopportunity to solve color
problems.
And one of those is creating thecolor you need.
There's so many times when youdon't have that tonality, have
that color on hand.
And you might have sold a colorpalette specific for a
(03:00):
presentation.
Flowers sometimes don't come inexactly how you've ordered them,
but we give you the opportunityto fill that hole and create
what you need with our sprays.
One of the methods of doing sois what I call color infusion,
and that's just taking a whiteflower.
It's a perfect canvas for any ofour spray colors, whether it's
(03:21):
color tool spray, which is moreof a pigmented spray, or the
just for flowers, which is theflower dye.
It's what you think of naturallyis just taking a white flower
and spraying it a color to getthat color.
Another opportunity is workingwith color shifting, and that's
blending color on color.
You're using the spray color ontop of a colored blossom to
(03:45):
create the color you need withincolor shifting.
You can do that like threedifferent ways.
One is monochromatic shifts, andthat's taking a color that you
have and needing to go darker orgo lighter.
it's kind of obvious in a way,if you need to go darker, you
choose deeper color within thatpalette to push it to a deeper
(04:08):
value.
Or if you need to go lighter,take one that is in the same
color family, but a pale ofthat.
Say you have pink but you wantto go more blush.
It's good to use the blush sprayon top of that to light and that
tonality.
You could use like yellows, likea honeycomb, which is a pretty
(04:30):
golden yellow but it's a softervalue using that on a bright
yellow hushes, that intensity ofthe yellow.
So those are a couple of optionsof using a monochromatic shift.
One of the easiest ways to dothings is what you would call an
analogous shift, and we're usingour terminology from the color
(04:51):
wheel and the analogous colorsare the neighboring colors.
So.
It's probably one of the easiestways to shift color.
'cause you know, everything'sgonna work out fine because
neighbors are happy with oneanother.
if you have a yellow and youneed to push it more towards
peach, you'd use a pink to pushit in that direction.
(05:13):
it goes through the blues to thelavenders and all around the
board of the color wheel.
But just picking a neighboringhue and spraying it.
One of the tips as you'reworking with that is if you have
a deeper value color, you can'tuse a lighter value Just for
Flowers'cause that's the dye.
(05:35):
And it doesn't show so much ofbeing the transparent color
coming through on a darkercolor.
Like if you're using a mediumblue you'd want to use Purple
Pansy to push it to blue violetversus using Lilac, which is a
lighter value of our purplefamily.
(05:56):
And then the other item, anotherway to doing this is the
complimentary shifts, and that'sworking with colors that are
across the color wheel from oneanother.
And interestingly, we know whenwe're working with compliments,
how they accentuate one another.
They make each other brighterand more vibrant.
(06:16):
But when you're painting andusing the opposite colors, it
actually tones down the color.
They, mix to kind of brown downthe hue.
So it can be a reallyinteresting direction if you
wanna mute some colors and helpcreate some of those bridging
tones that are really powerfuland give a little more
sophistication to a palette.
(06:37):
And you could also use thatcomplimentary shift with the
split compliments.
That doesn't have to always bethe direct opposite, but it's a
great way to tone down colors
Sharon McGukin (06:48):
I love the way you've defined each of these, so
I'm gonna ask you for one moredefinition.
We say floral paint, you saycolor spray.
Can you give us the definitionand how floral paint and color
spray are really the sameproduct.
Gretchen Sell (07:04):
Color Spray is the way Design Master has
described our color products forover 60 years.
Trying to differentiateourselves from what you would
use to spray your red wagon orsomething like that.
We wanted to differentiateourself to be more of an
(07:27):
artistic type of product thanjust an everyday home use type
of a thing.
So color sprays lent our way togiving you a little bit more
creativity behind using theproducts and also because the
versatility of our sprays offersmore ways to use the product.
(07:51):
There's some great techniquesthat can be used to give you
some really unique finishes onhard surfaces.
You can apply just a little bitof spray to give you a cover
coloring just like a wash ofcolor versus a heavier coat.
But you can also add more coatsto deepen and enrich the colors.
(08:13):
So there's a lot of versatilityabout applications that aren't
available on spray paints.
Sharon McGukin (08:21):
Basically, you can get paint from the hardware
store and color spray fromDesign Master so the more
professional in its Okay, movingto number two: how to conceal,
blossom blemishes or hideimperfections.
Just like the things that youjust discussed were very
important to wedding work.
This is a really big one onwedding work because often
(08:42):
you'll get that orchid orsomething that has a little bit
of a blemish, but you need touse that expensive product.
So tell us what you could do.
Gretchen Sell (08:51):
When you have a blemish on a blossom.
You know, we always try to sendout our product a hundred
percent.
And no matter how diligent weare about safe handling, there's
always gonna be situations wheresomething gets bruised and you
might be down to the last one,last arrangement or last
(09:11):
bouquet.
And the blossom isn't asbrilliant as you the others are,
or you want it to be a littledusting of a little spritz of
Design Master can definitelyhide those imperfections.
And it, it helps you to reallyget the most out of your stock.
It reduces flower waste and evensaves margins.
(09:34):
So applying a little spray inthose situations it's kind of
like applying makeup.
We often times have,particularly as women, will have
a little blemish that we wannadisguise and you know, it can be
an excellent concealer at times.
Some of the tips to do soprobably white blossom, show a
(09:57):
blemish brighter it's much morevisible on white than some of
the other products.
So Flat White of our coloredtool spray is the optimum
product for those.
On those kind of flowers likethe roses are really good.
It's good to do that.
Casa Blanca lilies, those arepricey and you don't want to
(10:18):
just toss those.
So you've really can save themby just doing a little bit of a
touchup.
And the orchids, all kinds oforchids from cymbidiums and
phalaenopsis.
And one of the methods of doingthat like on the Roses, you'll
just wanna do a little spritzand concentrate your spritz.
(10:40):
When you're working with ourproducts, you wanna be 15 inches
away from the blossom for safeapplication.
So rather than a steady flow ofspray coming out, just doing
little spritz will give you alittle bit more control, like on
a rose where there was blemishesalong the pedal edges.
On orchids or Casablanca lilies,both of those flowers have a
(11:04):
translucency to them.
And you can spray the backsideof the blossom to enhance the
color and then come around onthe front end and just add a
little spritz again on the areasthat might look a little brown
that works really quickly andeasily, and this little
(11:26):
technique also dries reallyfast, so you don't have to worry
about how much time is involved.
Another opportunity is withanthuriums.
they look very strong andsturdy, but somehow they do get
bruised.
And again, another pricey flowerthat you don't wanna lose your
money on.
So there's two situations towork with.
(11:47):
One is, spraying it trying tomatch its natural color and
hiding that blossom.
Again, you could use a white onthe white anthurium, the pale
pink.
Our Blush works really nice onthose.
The reds, you can use ourholiday reds, things like that.
Or you could go a little morenovelty and a little more
(12:11):
fantastic in a way, and sprayingthem either with a metallic or
just a color, not known innature.
or something.
You could go both ways.
And on anthuriums masking thepistil is a good technique to
cover it.
So when you're spraying it, youcan remove a little protection
(12:32):
from it and it'll still looknatural.
Sharon McGukin (12:34):
seen people use water tubes?
Upside down over the just keepthe, the spray off of it?
Gretchen Sell (12:41):
When you're working with concealing
blemishes, it's best to use ourColortool sprays.
Those are pigmented and that'swhat's gonna help hide the
blemish Just for Flowers istranslucent and so you're still
gonna see the surface detailunderneath.
And if that's a blemish that'sthere, you're still gonna see
that.
So for concealing blemishes, useColortool spray.
Sharon McGukin (13:04):
For that.
Number three (13:05):
expand creative boundaries to design unabashedly
in any color you want.
Gretchen Sell (13:12):
This is a fun part because color gives you the
opportunity to be very creativeand inventive and imaginative.
And with flowers, being ourtools, we can explore anything
outside of things not seen innature They might end up looking
like they're natural, but it'snot a color that the flower
would come in naturally.
(13:33):
Or the other situation ofworking with that is spraying
the whole stem in the bloom sothat the element is a complete
color element and can oftentimesgive you a very structural kind
of appeal That could be kind ofcool in design.
And then there's combinations ofblending that you can do with
(13:53):
our sprays particularly on theanthuriums, like you can do a
metallic base and then use Justfor Flowers on top to give a
kind of a fantasy purple or acoppery color that you wouldn't
have by other means.
But it's just a interestingavenue of using products that
(14:15):
you have that you can't get fullvalue out of to making it
something you can upcharge forand save your margin.
Sharon McGukin (14:22):
Number four.
Speaking of saving money,upcycle stagnant product display
items for fresh appeal.
Sprays work on many hardsurfaces too, so tell us how to
turn that trash into cash.
Gretchen Sell (14:36):
That's right.
Well, I think anyone who hasexperienced any store display
has a story of a customerthinking you got new product
when all you did was move yourlocation.
And on that concept, I thinkthere's products that have been
in a shop sometimes we inheritthem from previous owners.
(14:56):
Sometimes it just doesn't movewhen we've been there for a
while.
But a splash of color and justchanging the color, whether
you're taking it straight up andjust spraying, you know,
spraying something that is aobnoxious color to something
more trendy.
It's amazing how fresh it canlook for people.
And you can move that and sellit, or use it for design work as
(15:19):
well.
The fresh color works reallynicely on ceramics and baskets
and, you know, not just theflowers, but the other items
that we have.
Sharon McGukin (15:29):
That leads us to number five
for special request, And thatapplies to.
both flowers and containers.
Gretchen Sell (15:36):
Yes, very much so.
Well, we know bridal work isprobably one of the most
specialized, when we requestspecial colors But also for like
interior display, if you'redoing a nice design for home,
our a corporate location andyou're trying to find the right
(15:57):
piece for that and in the rightcolor, that's where you can
customize with our sprays.
And we also have some reallyfun, unique techniques that work
really well on hard surfaceslike that too, from a water
resist technique.
And, you know, just simpleblending.
You can get an ombre lookwhether you're using a
(16:22):
monochromatic ombre or justdoing two colors together, just
having a blending of colors canbe interesting as well.
So there's many things that youcan do in customizing that.
And also if you're working withpermanent botanicals and silks
the sprays also work nicely onthose as well.
So if you need to expand yourpalette.
(16:43):
Like you have a box of pinkroses, but you need something a
little bit more.
Give them a little bit moreoomph.
You can even stay in themonochromatic lane and just
change those pinks into some ofthe other pinks and have a
really nice palette that's justa little bit more interesting
than not only mono botanical,but mono color.
Sharon McGukin (17:04):
Think one of the greatest uses of this suggestion
is that you can take old productand sell it quickly because
impulse shopping or impulse buysvery often come from something
that's really trendy.
It's the the new hot color.
We want it because it's new andgoes with any redecorating we're
(17:27):
doing Drive impulse buys bypainting or upgrading the
materials to the latest,greatest color People come in
and that old product that sat onyour shelf for a long time looks
like a beautiful new on-trendvase.
Number six (17:43):
create fall.
flower tones.
Go beyond gold, orange,burgundy, and brown.
Gretchen Sell (17:50):
You know, actually you can take any palete
and push it to autumn by toningdown some of the colors, again
with our products.
Let me give you a few examples.
Thicket a Just for Flowersspray, that is a gray tone,
works wonderfully on red andpurples to deepen those colors.
(18:10):
you can take a red rose and go alittle deeper.
Purple mums go to a reallypretty rich, deeper tone with a
spritz of Thicket.
You can, again, talk about colorshifting using the complimentary
colors, that tones down colorsvery easily and gives you that
great bridging color intobouquets.
(18:33):
This is one of my favorites,like a medium bronze mum with
Coral Bright, which is Just forFlowers, equals a really
beautiful, warm, muted orange.
And then you can add an extracoat to deepen that color.
So it gives you so many optionswhen you're working with the
Just for Flowers.
The properties of the colorvalue you have so much more
(18:54):
control on.
On Red blooms, you can takePeacock, which is a teal
tonality and a Just for Flowerscolor that shifts the red to
burgundy.
And then if you use Delphiniumblue on the red, it'll push it
to maroon.
Lavender disbud mums, the ballshape is my favorite, but using
(19:15):
color tool Red Clay, orHoneycomb on that is a beautiful
bridging color as well.
And again, Thicket on thatlavender disbud is really
pretty.
Consider metallic colors ongrasses.
That's kind of a fun accent intothe fall things.
And then also probably one ofthe most asked about is antique
(19:40):
hydrangea.
You can take your blues or yourgreen hydrangeas and blend a lot
of the different hues, ourCOLORTOOL sprays, and Just for
Flowers, work with one another.
So you can layer the colors andcreate any kind of antique
hydrangea you want.
Just a little tip (19:57):
Start with the COLORTOOL spray, and then
Just for Flowers on top forshifting.
You can use only COLORTOOLspray, or you can use only Just
for Flowers, but you can alsomix them.
And if you're mixing them it'sbest to start with the Color
Tool and then the Just forFlowers on top.
(20:18):
And then it's not a spray, butwe have our Absorb It, which is
a stem dye.
A really pretty Brownie recipeis two parts.
Holiday red to one part yellow,yellow and one part teal.
So if you're looking for thoseBrownie carnations, that's a
good combination.
Sharon McGukin (20:38):
Number seven
Beyond the can color.
Gretchen Sell (20:42):
At holiday time, you know, we all like the pizazz
of metallics.
It just adds that sparkle forthe holiday.
But you might also consider thetechniques we are touching base
with on anthuriums and spray thepremium metals first on the base
and then overlaying with theJust for Flowers colors or you
(21:04):
could do it on accessories,whether it's pine cones or lotus
pods, just a whole differentvibe.
It's probably not as bright anddynamic as the straight
metallic, but it still has thisreally wonderful shimmer and can
be a really fun shift for aholiday accent.
Sharon McGukin (21:22):
I think that's probably the time we use color
spray most for the holidays onfaux botanicals or weddings on
fresh flowers.
Gretchen Sell (21:31):
Probably.
Yeah, the holiday times is a bigseason for florists, for sure.
Sharon McGukin (21:37):
Number eight: Salt Blast technique.
Clear Finish matte, and bakingsoda.
Tell us about that.
Gretchen Sell (21:45):
Yes, that's the recipe.
Salt Blast technique, I foolaround with and played with it.
Not too long ago you were seeinga lot of glassware that had this
unique whitish finish on it thatwas very textural and it just
(22:05):
gave a, a wash kind of over anyglassware, whether it was clear
or colored type of a thing.
I called it Salt Blast techniqueand using the baking soda,
that's the salt part of it.
But it can create this reallyneat aged glass effect.
And, you can do this techniqueto add texture to other surfaces
(22:26):
too, but it's very simple.
Using our Clear Finish Matte I'mgonna talk about doing it on a
vase, taking a vase, and spraythat close and don't follow the
directions on that one.
You wanna spray close so it'swet.
And then sprinkle on bakingsoda, and then turn your vase a
little bit more and do the sameroutine.
(22:49):
Spray down the clear finish matand sprinkle baking soda, and do
that to completely cover.
The container or the surface andlet it dry for a little bit and
then come back with another coatof just the Clear Finish matte.
And that gives it a nice seal tothe process.
(23:09):
But it can create this reallyawesome look, you've, I'm sure
you've all seen things similarmanufactured finishes in the
stores.
And you could do this withanything.
And again, you can use it forupscaling some vases.
A few years ago we had all thesedifferent green glass vases and
use that technique and it gave awhole new look about'em and were
(23:34):
received very well.
So it's a great technique toupcycle as well.
I've also done that technique ona plastic urn and then doing a
metallic top coat, and it justgave us extra texture to it that
just enriched it rather thanplastic.
(23:55):
It just gave it another textureto make it feel like it was a
more expensive material to
Sharon McGukin (24:00):
That's a great way to upcycle older material to
make it sell Giving it that newlook.
it also would be a great thingto do in a hands-on class.
A lot of shops do hands-onclasses for their customers.
For the holidays, pulling outsome old glassware that you need
to move.
Then having a hands-on in yourshop teaching people how to do
(24:21):
that with Design Master.
That'd be a really cool'GirlsNight Out,' wouldn't it?
Gretchen Sell (24:26):
It would be fun.
And then they could do theflower design and the vase,
'cause it doesn't take long todry.
One other little tip with thebaking soda, I like to keep my
baking soda in the freezer.
It just seems like when I wassprinkling it out, it would have
a little bit more clumps.
Not heavy, but it would justcoagulate.
Give you a little more variationon the surface versus it all
(24:49):
being very,
Sharon McGukin (24:50):
Oh, that's a great tip.
Gretchen Sell (24:51):
So just a little, there's other ways to play with
it.
Sharon McGukin (24:54):
We need to invite Gretchen over, have lots
of paints, and just play.
It would be fun.
Gretchen Sell (24:59):
play.
That's right.
It's fun.
Sharon McGukin (25:02):
Number nine: Faux Watercolor Silk Ribbon.
Gretchen Sell (25:05):
Yeah.
You know, those watercolor silkribbons are just absolutely
fabulous and beautiful, and youcan mimic that look using your
double satin, your standarddouble satin ribbon.
And you can do it with any kindof colorations that you want to.
It's really kind of pretty coolat this time of the year of
(25:28):
working with the moody hues andgetting this really rich, color
that blends from one to theother down the whole stretch the
ribbon and to do this you takethe ribbon and bunch it up into
your hand, protect your handwith some latex gloves and very
(25:49):
closely spritz into the ribbonand you use your thumbs and work
the paint around in it.
And you pull the ribbon out andyou'll see it'll look a little
splotchy at the first time.
But then coming back in and getregathering it and trying to
expose some of the other areasthat weren't sprayed, do another
(26:12):
color and hit those areas.
And again, use your thumbs tokind of blend the tonalities
together a little bit, doingtwo, three colorations.
If you want, you can use theColor Tool alone.
You can use the Just for Flowersalone, or you can use a
combination of the two.
It's just that process ofgathering it into your hand and
(26:35):
spritzing it and using yourfingers to rub it through.
And when you have all the colorsthat you want if you want a
little more blending.
Take a little bit of acetone.
It could be from the hardwarestore or it could be nail polish
remover and just go in on thoseedges that you want a little
smoother and rub that in.
(26:56):
And it blends the colorsseamlessly.
Acetone is the solvent in ourspray, so it works very well to
blend those colors together, andyou don't have to worry.
The aroma from the acetone doesdissipate, and you can even wash
the ribbons, but you can getsome gorgeous looking ribbon
(27:18):
that looks very much like thewatercolor silk ribbons.
Sharon McGukin (27:22):
That sounds really cool.
That would be pretty at Easteror Mother's Day.
To those custom designedribbons, you know, find out what
their favorite colors are, andthen blend that to go into an
arrangement or a basket orsomething of that nature.
That sounds like it would be funto do.
Gretchen Sell (27:41):
Yeah, I mean, even if you're wanting to do it
at home for some hair ribbonsfor your daughter or something
like that, you can go as wildand funky as you want, or you
can go as sophisticated and richas you want, you know, so it's a
fun thing to
Sharon McGukin (27:55):
seems like that would be a good seller if you
did it in school colors.
The school colors were thebasis, but you did other
complimentary colors along withit and made it for hair.
ribbons and such.
Gretchen Sell (28:07):
That's a great idea.
Yeah,
Sharon McGukin (28:10):
Well, that leads us to our ultimate Number 10:
Painted Foliages can be ofStrong Color Elements in Design.
Tell us about that.
Gretchen Sell (28:20):
We have seen a lot of that being done spraying
foliages, and it does add a sucha wonderful, shimmery accent to
designs and enriches it.
And a lot of people do thinkwhen there's something metallic
in involved, it does elevate thestyle of the design.
But some fun things to work withthat is that one thing I found
(28:45):
is using a stem of Ming Fern ingold, one of our premium metals,
whether it's 24 Karat Gold orGold Medal One of those or Rose
Gold and Champagne Gold.
But the whole stem of a mingfern, it just makes a really
gorgeous sculptural element.
(29:06):
It just holding that one stem byitself is it just phenomenal,
even fun.
So that can be a springboard totaking your ideas and designing
a really unique presentation.
When you're working with thefoliages if you're wanting to go
with a light color, it's areally good idea to prime the
(29:27):
base first with either, SuperSilver is what we've been doing
for many years.
But Ace Berry, a friend ofDesign Master, has also
suggested Flat White, and itjust brightens the color that
you're applying on top.
You think about it, the foliageis dark and it just kind of when
(29:48):
you're spraying a light coat ofcolor on top of it, it will
affect that look.
So having that primer worksreally, really well.
And then also the other type offluffy foliages, not just the
Ming, but like plumosa, do aquick spray of premium metals
first, that metallic color hassuch really quick coverage in
(30:10):
any area that's not gonna getcovered by the final color, it
just blends nicely, having alittle bit of the Metallic can
kind of peek through a littlebit.
It just is a nice blend so youget more oomph from your color
when you have that metallicbase.
Sharon McGukin (30:27):
One thing that you are always reminding us is
that Design Master color sprayis flower safe.
You're enhancing the flower, butyou're not hurting the flower.
Gretchen Sell (30:38):
Correct.
And with that, there is anapplication method specifically
for fresh flowers to be safe,and that is to spray 15 inches
away from the blossom.
Some of you know this manydon't, but if you're spraying
too close, the propellant in thespray doesn't have an
opportunity to evaporate.
(31:00):
And if it lands directly on theflower or if you're spraying too
much, too close, it'll puddle.
And that propellant actuallyfreezes the surface will cause
it to turn brown.
So that's why 15 inches it's,our formula is one to give you
that light, layering of color.
And then two, the applicationtechnique of 15 inches.
(31:23):
Those are the key things why oursprays are safe to use on fresh
flowers.
Sharon McGukin (31:28):
we've loved your 10 suggestions.
Obviously we'll do a blog and wewill have these suggestions
written out.
If you have enjoyed the podcast,be sure and look for the blog as
well on the Oasis website,oasisfloralproducts.com and try
some of these things.
It's fun to do with paint.
I was thinking when you weretalking about the anthurium the
(31:50):
first time I ever saw someonespray paint one an aqua color, I
was just like,"oh my gosh,that's quite different from the
red And the thought of coveringthe material with bright colors
or metallic colors, can add somuch to your design and
personalize your design.
Because you're the person who'sdirecting the color
Gretchen Sell (32:13):
Well, you know, you can work with color two
ways, and I know today'smarketplace is much more open to
color and being outside the boxof what Mother Nature has given
us.
But also if you don't wanna gothat way, there's many
opportunities for applying thecolor in a very natural way.
(32:36):
And sometimes you can't eventell the difference.
So there are opportunities tosatisfy both marketplaces and
desired taste.
It's a pretty versatile product.
Sharon McGukin (32:48):
And the 10 different ways that you've shown
us, let us change the color ofthe flower for function, for a
rescue, for creativity, for justthe enjoyment of a color and for
selling on-trend materials.
You have the same flowermaterials from season to season
often, and how can you make themstand out and differentiate
(33:11):
quickly?
Color is one of the ways thathelps most because color is the
most eye-catching element.
So when you do something unusualwith color, it's sure to catch
the attention of the client.
I know one thing you've beenworking on that you're really
excited about is the newwebsite.
Can you tell us something aboutthe new website?
Gretchen Sell (33:30):
Oh, definitely.
There's been a lot of hard workgoing into that.
Yes, dmcolor.com is getting anew face and it should be coming
up pretty soon.
I can't give you an exact date,but a lot of these techniques
and discussions about how to usecolor and work with color and
learning more about thedifferent types of color of the
(33:50):
sprays we have is all covered onour new Design Master website,
dm color.com.
Sharon McGukin (33:57):
you so much.
We'll be checking that out andthanks for all your hard work in
helping us to expand our use ofcolor, Gretchen, we really
appreciate it
Gretchen Sell (34:05):
My pleasure.
Sharon McGukin (34:06):
And thank you so much for being with us here
today.
It's just been a pleasure, asalways.
Gretchen Sell (34:10):
been a pleasure, as always.
Oh, it's always my pleasuretalking with you, Sharon.
Thanks so much.
Appreciate what you do for ourindustry too,
Sharon McGukin (34:18):
A great industry to work with other professionals
and learn more every day.
Gretchen Sell (34:24):
True that, thanks.
Sharon McGukin (34:30):
To our audience, Smithers-Oasis, North America
and I want to thank you forjoining us today.
If you've enjoyed this episode,please share it with a friend
and be sure to hit subscribe.
You don't want to miss theinspired solutions our upcoming
guests will share with you foryour personal or business
growth.
If you have topics or guests youwant to hear, please message me.
(34:54):
We'd love to hear from you.
Until next time, I'm SharonMcGukin reminding you that like
the unfurling petals of aflower, we grow by changing
form, soaking inspiration inlike raindrops, absorbing energy
from others like warmth from thesun.
This growth opens us up to newideas and that's How we Bloom.
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