Art & Life with Sarah Koskovich and Kelly Sistrunk

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Koskovich and Kelly Sistrunk.

Sarah and Kelly, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
We have been best friends since 4th grade-almost 30 years! As children growing up in the rural farming community of Clermont, Georgia, we spent our days roaming the woods and pastures of our family’s farms. We were always on the hunt for something to bring back (foraging before it became the buzz word it is today.) Our foraged goods became homemade perfumes, lotions, and centerpieces for our mother’s dining room tables. Looking back now, we see our childhood activities-the innate desire to create something artistic from nature and the freedom with which it came, as the birth of Flower Buds. It just took us three different career paths, multiple degrees and five kids between the two of us to get back to our roots!

Can you give our readers some background on your art?
Flower Buds in an event florist primarily focusing on weddings. Our style reflects our love of nature, and we incorporate the textures and palettes of the natural world into our designs. Our aim is to enhance the surroundings of a venue rather than overpower them by creating wild, yet restrained designs. We want our creations to be loose and organic as if they belong to the site. Beyond our passion for flowers, we also have a passion for the effect our designs have on people and how we have the privilege of being part of such special occasions. From our initial meetings with clients, we strive to get to know each couple for more than what their colors are and how many table centerpieces they need. We enjoy hearing their love story, what they want their guests to remember from their weddings and what they want their wedding experience to be. Because we are often gone when a couple walks down the aisle together, we want their florals to reflect their love for each other and our feelings of friendship and joy at their union.

Our business goal for 2019, is to begin incorporating sustainable practices in our floral designs. We realized that if we are truly inspired by nature, then we need to be respectful of our planet throughout the entire process. We are pledging to buy local, organic and American blooms whenever possible and incorporate foam-free design principles, recycling, and composting materials. We feel that this business practice speaks not only to our upbringing but also to the future of the couples with whom we work.

How do you think about success, as an artist, and what do quality do you feel is most helpful?
Success to us is so much more than a paycheck. If we aren’t happy with our end product, then we have not succeeded. From start to finish we want to have the highest quality product, create a design that reflects our client’s personality and shows our inspiration from nature. One thing we have learned over the years is flexibility—the ability to make last minute changes and go with the flow. Weddings are typically months in the making, and there will always be something that comes up in the final few days—guest count changes, flowers arriving in a color you weren’t expecting, or even a hurricane! When we have worked to develop a relationship with our clients, they trust us and give us the creative freedom to handle these last-minute changes.

What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
We work primarily in the southeast United States. The majority of our events are in the Atlanta and North Georgia area, but we have traveled to North Carolina and would love to travel further! This year we began partnering with Southern Baked Pie Company and offered holiday popups featuring seasonal floral arrangements. Next year, in addition to our event designs, we look forward to hosting workshops for dinner party centerpieces and holiday décor. We have hosted Christmas wreath workshops in the past and had such a fun time sharing our passion with new friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.gaflowerbuds.com
• Email: flowerbuds@bellsouth.net
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/flower_buds1
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/gaflowerbuds
• Other: www.pinterest.com/gaflowerbuds

Image Credit:
Christa O’Brien Photography, Georgia Miller Photography, MK Sadler, The Smiths Do Love, Shannon Lee Miller.

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