Robyn Washer spent a lifetime learning the floral trade. From her early years, growing up in Princeton, she was always interested in floral arranging and interior design.

"As a young girl, I was always moving things around in my room, combining colors and patterns and shapes into environments that were pleasing to the eye," said Washer, who recently joined Cattails in Utica as a floral designer. "I liked reconfiguring furniture and adding splashes of color to the walls and dressers and tabletops. Flowers and stems were the perfect material to use in crafting my creations."

Washer's first experience crafting flowers into moveable works of art came about when her 4-H instructor gave the class a project. Washer was delighted by the instructor's enthusiastic evaluation of her floral presentation, so at 12 years old, she decided one day she would make her living creating beautiful floral arrangements she could be proud of and people could enjoy.

Throughout her adult life, Washer has worked in both corporate and private floral businesses. She credits her experience working for Sue VanLaarhoven at Tiger Lily in La Salle with having inspired her creatively and helping her to hone her design skills. VanLaahoven's whimsical, dramatic and always-beautiful arrangements, set the bar high for Washer, who enjoyed the challenge — and the good-natured working environment she found herself in.

In St. Louis, Washer worked at a corporate floral boutique, where the structure and procedures were somewhat limiting in terms of creativity, yet she was able to learn the discipline and attention to detail that is necessary in any business. Her experience in St. Louis left her with a strong desire to break out creatively, but it also provided her with the necessary business background to open her own successful florist shops and interior design business.

For 10 years, Washer operated JewellRae, a floral and bridal shop in Princeton, while at the same time working as a much sought-after interior design consultant in the Midwest. Washer also is the former owner of R. Cargo, a Princeton shop specializing in antiques, florals and unique gifts.