"I have worked for many years as a florist, managed a shop, and conducted training workshops for flower arranging for churches—but I must say I have never been so enlightened and amused by any publication as much as Gay Estes hilarious manual The Church Ladies' Guide to Divine Flower Arranging. Ms. Estes lives in Texas and brings wit and humor and plain old practical common sense to the age-old issue of how to decorate altars on Sundays and holidays economically, artistically, and appropriately. The chapter titles will make you smile and the illustrations and diagrams are wonderful. This is a must-have for any flower guild [...] Now that summer is here and our gardens are bursting forth for altar vases—let Gay help you arrange them in style! My favorite idea?—using upside tomato cages to make Christmas Trees by bagging poinsettia plants in "Baggies" and wiring them to the cage, rootbal inside. Fabulous!" — The Altar Guild Resource for the Diocese of Rhode Island, Friday June 10, 2009
"If you think those lovely church flower arrangements just appeared out of nowhere, think again. It takes many volunteer hours as Houstonian Gay Estes points out in The Church Ladies Guide to Divine Flower Arranging(Bright Sky Press/$17.95). It's an illustrated primer that demystifies the art of church flower arranging and gives useful tips for the harried. As Estes says, "Flowers are a gift from God, unfortunately he doesn't arrange them." — The Houston Chronicle, Saturday March 7, 2009 |
Nationally renowned flower-arranging expert Gay Estes demystifies the art of church flower arranging. The Church Ladies' Guide to Divine Flower Arranging is an illustrated primer for the church flower arranger - from the novice to the experienced arranger looking for new ideas -who is giving her time and service to the decoration of her house of worship.
From the Alpha to the Omega, Gay tells it all in the refreshingly voice that has made her the most requested speaker on the Garden Club of America's National Speakers' Tour.
She spells out everything the arranger needs to know chapter and verse, including mechanics, containers, conditioning, using fresh and dried flowers, design principles, flower symbolism, the liturgical year, floral traditions and colors, recycling, being frugal, and, most important, enjoying it every step of the way. Gay believes that a lesson learned with humor is a lesson remembered.
Chapters have lighthearted titles that will strike a chord with any church-going woman, and are filled with practical instructions on how to create divinely beautiful arrangements. Gay backs good advice with anecdotal evidence - profound, true, and humorously self-deprecating. For any flower arranger - in or out of church - looking for real inspiration, The Church Ladies Guide to Divine Flower Arranging is the gospel truth.
GAY ESTES served on the Vestry and the Altar Guild of Christ Church Cathedral in Houston, Texas, eventually rising to be in charge of Holiday Arrangements. She is nationally acclaimed in the flower world: as Projects Editor for Flower magazine, she is a regular contributor and flower show correspondent; lectures for the Garden Club of America as "The Lone Arranger," speaking to garden clubs across the country from Portland to Palm Beach, 16 cities during the 2007-08 season; as a Flower Show Judge for the Garden Club of America, Gay wears a unique triple crown - Gay has been chosen to be a judge in Arranging, in Photography, and in Horticulture. Her arrangements have been chosen by The World Association of Flower Arrangers to be included in their forthcoming book. Flower lovers everywhere will give thanks that Gay has combined her wisdom, experience, humor, and artistry in one indispensable volume. |
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