In the Spotlight: Featured uBloomer, Cynthia Ross

Cynthia Ross took Third Place in the JTV/uBloom Branchies Design Contest with her fun and crafty Holiday Lollies ornament design. Owner of CP Ross Designs , a design firm specializing in decor for upscale weddings and events, Cynthia is happily married to her husband David and resides in Fayetteville, NC along with Harley, her dog and Prancer, her cat.What inspired you to create the Holiday Lollies ornament?I had some odds and ends laying around the shop…styrofoam, beads, and some pvc pipe and was wondering what I could do with it. I also wanted to make something that people could copy but be creatively and easily customizable. The lollies are a unique design, I have never seen them anywhere.Do you have any tips on making the Holiday Lollies?Yes! Don’t use hot melt glue…it melts the styrofoam. Don’t measure the ribbon, just freeform. It also helps to draw out your design first so that you know what you are going to do.How did you get your start in floral design?I had a retail store 20 years ago selling dried flower arrangements (back when they were popular). I started playing with floral design on my downtime. Things just developed from there.Do you have any formal design training?I was a visual display artist for 25 years. I am mostly self taught when it comes to fresh floral design although I do attend floral design conferences to keep my skills updated.If you could create wedding flowers with any designer, who would it be?J Schwanke…because he is FUN!What was the most extravagant and memorable wedding or event you’ve ever done?I did a fund raiser 3 years ago for the local Arts Council. It was created around the James Bond theme "Diamonds are Forever." It was a spectacular, black tie event! The tables were designed with gold and diamond styled centerpieces. I hired professionals to model designer dresses and to interact with the guests. I even managed to convince a local jeweler to bring in over a million dollars worth of jewelry to show which added lots of excitement to the event. The highlight of the night was when 250 waiters simultaneously came out with decadent desserts each lit with an LED light. It was quite an impressive sight!What is your favorite industry trade show?I really enjoy the annual Special Events Conference and the seminars put on by the Holland Counsel.What is your favorite flower?Hydrangea - I love it’s texture. I also like Carnations, they have a great textural feel and look.What is the best floral design product that you’ve worked with?I LOVE working with Eufloria Flowers, they are gorgeous! Design Master Paint is another big fave of mine.What is your favorite quote?"Work like you don’t need the money, Love like you’ve never been hurt, and Dance like nobody is watching." Satchel PaigeOne of your passions is tablescape design and your work has won quite a few awards. Why do you enjoy doing these so much?Tablescapes are an intimate setting. I love creating a "dining fantasy" for events and weddings. Tablescapes contain many different components to create a picture and atmosphere. It’s more than just flowers…it is textures, cloth, lighting, sounds, and fragrances. A good tablescape design will envelope all the senses.One of your tablescapes was featured in grace ormonde Wedding Style magazine recently. How did that happen?I did an Ernest Hemingway tablescape for a design competition. It had a distinctly masculine feel which made it stand out from the rest of the tablescape designs in the contest. After that, I got the invite from grace ormonde to send them a tablescape design picture. Lo and behold, they chose my design to be the two page centerfold for the Tablescapes section of the magazine. My tablescape was in a pink and black theme using 250 roses, 75 peonies, 2 dozen callas and 4 bunches of waxflower.What kind of music do you like to listen to while designing?I listen to music that matches the event I’m working on - wedding music for weddings for example. When I’m just doing general design work, I listen to classical or jazz.Name a goal that you would like to accomplish this year.My goal is to be on the Today Show designing a tablescape step-by-step...Name something that you would like to do…a dream of yours.I would love to snow ski down a Double Black Diamond mountain. A Black Diamond mountain is an incredibly challenging mountain to ski. I wish I could become an extreme skier.What is the best decision you ever made regarding your career?Going forward with CP Ross Designs. I wish I had done it 20 years ago.Describe your personal floral design style.Ecclectic. I like most styles and incorporate them in my designs. One style that I am not very fond of is the massed design style that contains many different kinds of flowers. It feels confusing and lacks focus.Do you have a signature piece that you are known for?I like to make arrangements in Martini glasses massed 3-4 to a table.You have done weddings and events at many incredible venues. Where/what venue would you LOVE to do a wedding or event? I would LOVE to do a wedding in Aspen! I would create an upscale, natural, woodsy winter theme.