Problem solver: Amy White’s creativity brings joy to others

By Kristine Thomas

A bride’s request for ocean blue flowers might cause other florists to scream in protest – “There isn’t a flower that color.”

Not Amy White, owner of 3 Stems.

Give her an apparently impossible problem and Amy shifts into trouble-shooting mode.

And she finds a solution – often involving using the three favorite tools of her trade – Duct tape, PVC pipe and creativity.

Searching for a way to create ocean blue flowers, Amy was Web surfing when she saw a site on temporary tattoos, which sparked a solution to her quest for ocean blue flowers.

“I refuse to spray paint flowers,” Amy said. “Instead, I plan to brush white orchids with blue eye shadow.”

With a proven track record of tackling problems with a smile, imagination and intelligence, Amy loves creating floral arrangements and helping brides plan their wedding. She’s honored when someone asks her for a floral agreement for a loved one’s funeral or special day.

“It’s my passion,” Amy said. “I like to create something for people that makes them happy.”

A florist for more than 15 years, Amy has learned to survive in an industry that is always changing. She started a floral shop in her home, then bought Olde Towne Flower Shoppe and moved its location twice and changed the name of her business last year.

What has remained consistent is her philosophy on customer service.

“We understand that everyone has their individual styles and that the product we produce for you should reflect it,” reads 3 Stems’ Web site. “We encourage you to bring us your wildest dream event. Intimate or large we have a true ‘can do’ attitude.”

Guests to the Ladies Night Out’s “Adventures in Wonderland” will get a chance to see Amy’s creativity firsthand .

Along with her daughter, Annie, she’s making the decorations for the Alice in Wonderland themed event at The Oregon Garden pavilion.

To create the faces on the flowers, Amy knew she couldn’t use clay because it would be too heavy or paper mache because it would take too long.

“I went up and down the aisles at the craft store when I saw plastic faces that I used molding clay on, insulation foam and painted,” she said. “To make the petals, I found rolled up cork material.”

An artist whose work includes stained glass, paintings, ceramics and drawings, Amy said she loves working and designing with flowers.

“It’s euphoric,” Amy said. “I feel like it’s my art. I like working with the different types of flowers and colors to create something that makes people happy.”

What motivates Amy to accept challenges is when someone waves the “red flag” in her face and tells her she “can’t do it.”

“That’s when I go after it,” Amy said. “I am not a rule follower and I don’t believe in limits.”

Whether it’s a bride deciding last minute to move her wedding inside due to the weather or transforming The Oregon Garden’s Pavilion into a bride’s vision, Amy doesn’t blink.

“I am like a duck,” Amy said. “When you see a duck in the water, it’s serene and calm but underneath the water, it’s paddling like mad.”

Joining her in the flower shop is her daughter, Annie.

“My mom had us working in her flower shop when I was 12 years old and I hated flowers,” Annie said. “I worked with her a couple times and quit. Now I love it because I see it as another type of art I can do.”

Amy credits Annie for being her inspiration for the name “3 Stems.”

“We were working on an arrangement when I said I needed three gerbera daisy stems,” Amy said. “Annie goes ‘That’s it 3 Stems.’”

Both women decided it was the perfect name with Amy sharing that the three stems represent her daughters, Kayla and Annie, and her granddaughter, Willow.

While working on the Ladies Night Out decorations for the April 8 event, Amy is already making a list of ideas for next year. One idea is to create Paris in the pavilion.

“I want to construct the Eiffel Tower there,” she said.

She credits her father, Jack Key, for inspiring her to work with flowers and her mother, Jean Keys, and grandfather, Lewis Graham, for her entrepreneurial spirit.

“If my mom saw a problem, she found a way to fix it,” White said. “Even if it took duct tape or a dab of paint. Duct tape and PVC pipe are two of my best friends because with them I can solve almost any problem.”