The Illinois State Florists Association celebrated its 120th year by hosting an Immersive Design Retreat at Walkers Bluff Winery in southern Illinois. Our panel of design educators included Donald Yim AIFD, Robert Koene, Kelsey Thompson AIFD, Derek Woodruff AIFD, Sarah LoBue AIFD, Doug Bates AIFD and Sandy Schroeck AIFD. We also held the 2025 ISFA Designer of the Year and the Judi Borah AIFD Land of Lincoln competitions. Floral design students in attendance were entered into a drawing for the AIFD Inspire and Empower Scholarship. Leanne Muenstermann ICPF ICD was the lucky recipient.
My floral journey began in 2001 after being laid off from my job with Trans World Airlines, where I had worked for 16 years. Having 2 small boys, I was not looking to jump back into a full-time job. I found the local florist in town had a part-time position available. It was then that I discovered my love for floral design. I worked for Brighton Floral from December 2001-December 2013, when the owner decided to retire. I decided I was not ready to leave the floral industry, so my husband Bruce and I purchased the shop.
We opened Leanne’s Pretty Petals February 1, 2014. Having no formal training, I was passionate about gaining as much knowledge and education as I could. I won a scholarship to the Teleflora Education Center in Oklahoma in 2015 where I took an Everyday Design class with John Hosek and Marie Akerman. I then learned that Illinois had a floral association (ISFA) that offered 4 “Boot Camps” a year. I actually took those twice in 2016 and 2017 as I felt there was so much to learn. I was awarded a Scholarship to the FTD Bootcamp in 2017. In 2018, I took the exam and became an Illinois Certified Professional Florist (ICPF). It was this same year, which I was invited to sit on the Board of Directors of ISFA. I currently sit on the executive board as Secretary. My floral education continued and in 2019, I earned my Illinois Certified Designer (ICD) status. I have had the opportunity to receive training from some of the best floral designers in the world who have encouraged me and provided so much knowledge as I continue on my floral journey. Those that have helped and inspire me are Jenny (Thomasson) Ingram, Julia Schmidt, Jonathan Reiman, Patience Pickner, Ace Berry, Hitomi Gilliam, and my floral momma Judi Borah.
Receiving the AIFD designation was always a dream I had but I always felt I wasn’t good enough. For years, I would say this is the year, but would always chicken out. I finally decided I wasn’t getting any younger, and if I was going to do it, 2024 was going to be the year I was going to go for it. In July 2024, I finally took the PFDE exam and passed! I will be inducted into AIFD during Symposium 2025 in Palm Springs. I could not have passed the PFDE without my AIFD mentors Courtney Turner, Renee Blitek and Dov Kupfer. I owe them all so much.
