California State Floral Association 

outdid itself in the Calif Flora 2009 annual convention and Top Ten design competition. Not only did the organizers combine the weekend events into a more concise, fast-moving schedule (with some great seminars, I might add, and both student and Top Ten contests taking place on Sunday, October 25), they introduced a new “Dualing Designers” contest that was wildly entertaining.

Winners of the Top Ten Floral Design Contest for the Year were: First Place - Roslyn Dodds, Jasmine Creek Florist in El Cajon; Second Place - Gerry Gregg AIFD of The Flower Market in Chico; Third Place - Sandy Villa AIFD of Mission Hills Florist in San Diego; People’s Choice - Felipe Sandoval of Kaleidoscope Flowers in Santa Barbara.

Student competition audience

The Top Ten finalists (out of a field of more than 30) were: Toni Tibbets of Capri Floral & Events in Bellevue, Washington; Ania Norwood of Ania Norwood Design in Newport Coast; Cathy Beaver of The Flower Shop in Forest Lawn-Covina; Samuel Van Wert AIFD of Companie’s Flowers in Los Angeles; Felipe Sandoval of Kaleidoscope Flowers in Santa Barbara; Jamie Chae CFD of Dolce Floral Design in El Dorado Hills; and Karen Castellano of The Flower Shop in Forest Lawn-Cypress.

Winners of the Student design competition on Sun., October 25 were: First Place - Carolyn Murillo, Mission College in Santa Clara; Second Place - Ivana Royse, Golden West College in Huntington Beach; Third Place - Nixon Tran, City College of San Francisco. Ivana Royse also won the People’s Choice Award.

This was one of the more “fun” CSFA “Calif Flora” weekends. I can hardly wait for 2010!