Spring Fever.....

We will work with artificial botanicals, a mix of spring hues that will welcome your guests this upcoming spring & summer!

Come and create your Spring Door wreath with me! Spring work shop!

Sunday March 17, 3pm-5pm at the Scandinavian Club, Fairfield

All material will be provided. We will work with wire cutters and hot glue, so this class is not recommended for younger children. Members of the Scandinavian Club will be offered a discount price. Refreshments/ cafe will be offered for a suggested donation towards our Scandinavian Club. Bring a friend, a family member and spend a fun creative afternoon together. This wreath can be a beautiful gift for someone you love, or just keep it to yourself!

Price Non-members $ 79 Price Club members $69 Venmo @Kristina-Ahlberg

Questions/ Sign up on floralsurroundings@gmail.com www.floralsurroundingsllc.com

Dreams of Spring time...

The Joy of Seeds!

It is January. A new year. It always makes me filled of hope. For something new. For something coming to life. Sprouting. That seed cataloge that shows up in my mailbox, pulling me in. The dreams of tender sprouts in my greenhouse. The moist warm smell of wet soil, after drizzeling water on the newly seeded peat pots, in a row on my metal trays.

I am now starting to plan for what to grow. What I can use for Floral Surroundings. What will have a chance to survive the wildlife in our garden. The weather. Colors. Harvest time.

It is the time of hope. 2024, here I come!

It is time for Holiday Markets!

December 13th, Pop up Market in Westport. 1835 post road east,at blossom+stem

A collection of candle arrangements in vintage vessels, will be a unique gift for you to pick up at this event. You can visit this pop up market at 10am-2pm, and later at 6.30pm-8.30pm. There will be flowers and gifts from Blossom +Stem Floral Design, and from Floral Surroundings, and also from Emily D’Andrea Design. I will have some Scandinavian style Amaryllis gardens for sale, as well as fresh wreaths & floral decor.

At 6.30pm you can enjoy the warmth of some swedish glögg, and gingersnaps, to celebrate santa lucia day, that is celebrated all over sweden every december 13.

Bring a friend and get your holiday shopping started for friends, teachers and the hostess gift for that holiday party you’re going to- get it all done in one place! Blossom + Stem, 1835 Post Road East, Westport

Join my Thanksgiving Workshop!

Let’s be creative together and learn how to make your own holiday centerpiece for your Thanksgiving Dinner table. With easy instructions this is a class that anyone can attend. I will bring in all material needed, and you come and learn the tricks of the trade in a relaxing environment.

November 20th at the scandinavian club in fairfield.

1351 South pine creek road, Fairfield CT. 6.30pm-8.30pm

Wine & Cheese will be provided! Bring a friend, make this a fun creative evening and walk home with the centerpiece for your holiday table!

Sign up on my website, click Floral Design Workshop and scroll down!


Interview by HamletHub, August 2023

FAIRFIELD'S
HAMLETHUB

Your Town. Your Message. Our Mission.

Why Small Businesses Matter in Fairfield: Floral Surroundings

Published on Monday, 14 August 2023 10:00

Written by Dan

Why Small Businesses Matter

Shop small, do big things for your community

Why Small Businesses Matter puts a spotlight on the local merchants who donate their time, talent, goods, and services for the betterment of our community. The shop local movement spreads virally as local businesses who are “tagged” have the opportunity to share their story!

You're IT Floral Surroundings!

Three questions with Tina Ahlberg, founder of Floral Surroundings.

Why did you start your business?

I started my own freelancing business after 12 + years in a local flower shop, and 35 + years as a floral designer and felt the need for change. I wanted to be free from the "9 am-6 pm" days and wanted to have more freedom to find my customers and be able to give them full attention.

I also needed the freedom to be able to travel if needed to help care for my elderly parents in Sweden, and this platform makes me do that. We only live once, so I want to be able to spend it with family when it is needed.

What is your best-selling product/service?

My knowledge about flowers, special holidays, and weddings & events is something I love to share. I have held a few workshops at the Scandinavian Club in Fairfield, and I feel that I want to be able to teach others my passion for flowers. It is very low-key, and not advanced, to be able to reach more interested people. Hoping to develop this part of my business more.

Also, my many years of experience in talking, listening & guiding brides for wedding flowers, in a personal and calm setting, on a schedule that fits my customer, is something I can do as a freelance designer.

How many local businesses do you use to support your business (products and services) and can you name them?

I have started to work closely with AMG catering in Wilton, who refers me to their customers, and I do the same, referring to Alison as a caterer for my clients. I also have a great relationship with the Scandinavian Club in Fairfield. I am a member there and know that as a struggling club after Covid, anything I can do to get people to book the club, just join events held by the club, or come to my workshop- is a win for everyone.

I also freelance for Carrie Wilcox Floral Design, and have built a great relationship with Carrie. I like the feeling and idea of supporting fellow freelancers, instead of competing with them, as you do more in a flower shop.

I have also started to freelance with Michele at Blossom & Stem in Westport, another small business that is concentrating on personal customer service.

Tina would like to nominate Blossom & Stem, AMG catering & events, and the Scandinavian Club of Fairfield to be featured next!

Visit Floral Surroundings online here, and make sure to check out their Facebook, and Instagram pages as well!

HamletHub thanks Fairfield County Bank for making our Why Small Businesses Matter series possible!

Summer wedding!

Lauren & Andrews summer wedding at Waterview in Monroe.

Pictures courtesy of Brooke Allison Photo.

Lauren loves Lilies, and wanted hot pink, white and blue to be her colors.

A small family bible was added to Laurens bouquet. Can you see it?

Summertime in a Polka Dot Bikini

American Flowers Week- June 28-July 4 2022

My niece Addie, the best model on her own handmade surfboard!

What a great project I got to do together with Carrie Wilcox Floral Design. @cwfloraldesign. We pulled together a team of photographer Joanna Fisher, hair and make up by Blow Dry, Westport. The project is part of American Flowers Week, June 28-July 4th.

A project by @slowflowerssociety & @americangrownflowers

Photo credits: @joanna_fisher

Floral Design Party At Your Home

Ready to have some friends over for lunch or dinner, and add an activity? How about designing flowers together? I will come to your home and set up for a demonstration and workshop for you and your friends!

A great idea for your brides maids, for your book club or your family reunion.

Contact me via email to discuss your plans, what flowers we can use, and what kind of design you would like to do. Are we making a flower crown, or a center piece, or a rustic country style arrangement? My email is floralsurroundings@gmail.com

Pricing will fluctuate due to project/ products and season.

Steampunk- My long awaited project!

STEAMPUNK FANTASY WEDDING

For those looking for something “out of the box”

Steam engines are adding a cool vibe to this fantasy.

“Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retro futuristic technology and aesthetics inspired by 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery.

Steampunk works are often set in an alternative history of the Victorian era or the American "Wild West", where steam power remains in mainstream use, or in a fantasy world that similarly employs steam power.”

I have been fascinated by the STEAMPUNK theme for many years, and still hope to be able to create a wedding within this theme one day. Now I have finally decided that the time is right, and have found an exciting venue, a great photographer & a talented makeup artist that will help me create my fantasy! I like spending my days searching for the right accessories to make this happen. I have searched many antique stores and dealers of salvage materials to collect enough to set up for a photo shoot. My favorite places are Mongers Market in Bridgeport, and Stratford Antique Center in Stratford Connecticut. To walk into these places is to travel back in time.

“Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines but tends to synthesize modern styles with influences from the Victorian era. Such influences may include bustles, corsets, gowns, and petticoats; suits with waistcoats, coats, top hats and bowler hats (themselves originating in 1850 England), tailcoats and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits are usually accented with several technological and "period" accessories: timepieces, parasols, flying/driving goggles, and ray guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-era objects. Post-apocalyptic elements, such as gas masks, ragged clothing, and tribal motifs, can also be included. Aspects of steampunk fashion have been anticipated by mainstream high fashion, the Lolita and aristocrat styles, neo-Victorianism, and the romantic goth subculture.” 

 

Keep your eyes on my social media & website come March and you’ll see what I have been working with this winter!

Working with wedding celebrations here on the East coast in the US, is all about following trends among wedding couples that are traditional most of the time. The trends that are shown in media are mostly white, blush romantic and classic. It is not easy to dare to be different. Something is expected of these couples today. The pressure is enormous to follow rules and expectations. Maybe expectations of parents & family, the pressure of following your family’s tradition about ceremony space, about what guests to invite, what to wear and how to look. To check of that list- that someone else have made up, of things that “have to be included”. A wedding is suppose to mirror YOU, the couple that is getting married. To dare to be different might seem like a big challenge for many, but I urge you to search for YOUR dream about your special day. There are plenty of non traditional ways to live and celebrate today. I even think the pandemic has helped shift the idea of what is important these days. We dare to go smaller. We dare to save. And it is OK, no one should tell you how much you need to spend ( on time or $$$) on a wedding if you don’t want to. Make sure you feel comfortable with your vendors so that they help you create the wedding of your dreams. Be yourself. Be bold. Dare to go outside the box!

Can’t wait to work with this!

And here is a sneak peak from our February 27 styled photoshoot at Essex Steam train, Essex CT.

A night of creating center pieces, getting to know new friends!

At the Scandinavian Club in Fairfield.

Work-Shop…

A fun night to learn something new! Meet new friends!

We meet at the Scandinavian Club in Fairfield, have a glas of wine, share some laughs over cheese & crackers, discuss & compare, create & discover! I feel lucky to be able to teach and tell others about my passion for flowers, my years of experience and the love of color & texture.

Sign up now for the december 13 work shop!

Washington DC 2021 - First Lady's Luncheon

From my days in DC working for the Congressional Club & American Grown Flowers.

Join me for Holiday Floral Design Class at the Scandinavian club in Fairfield

You’re invited!

Please join me at the Scandinavian club in Fairfield on November 15, 6.30pm-8.30pm

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We will meet at the Scandinavian Club in Fairfield, 1351 South Pine Creek rd, at 6.30pm. I will bring in all the material, and we will work on basic design- nothing crazy advanced- of a Thanksgiving Center piece, so that you yourself can decorate your home for the holiday! After this last year I think we all look forward to spending time with friends and family in a cozy setting at home. I am planning to bring a variety of interesting flowers, with different colors and texture, and teach you how to get them to work in your tablescape. You need to be vaccinated to attend, I want to keep everyone as safe as we can be, so please be ready to show your vaccine card. You will have your own table to work on. Bring a knife and a clipper/ secateur.

We will have some wine, seltzer and goodies to snack on, I am a believer that if you are fed and happy, your inspiration will flow easier!

The cost of this class is $150/ person. You can pay with a credit card or with Venmo. Sign up when you go to my website,

www.floralsurroundingsllc.com

Look under “News”, and scroll all the way down, and you’ll find the sign up! Can’t wait to meet you! What a fun night to do together with a friend, or maybe a family member you don’t see too often! Or come and meet new friends! I will also hold a December class, the 13th, so you can continue to learn floral design and get more practice with me in the weeks to come.

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