Meet Vicky Lara of Simply Sweet Petals in Laveen

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicky Lara.

Vicky, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I have always been a very creative person as a child from crafting, baking, and the love of flowers. Little was I aware that later on in life as an adult and through a divorce that that creativity would start to stir up inside of me once again on a whole other new found level. During that season of my life, I had moved to Colorado. As a single mother of 2 at the time, and my oldest child is autistic. I worked very hard having a full time and the care of my children.

But in my free time, I would continue to learn and grow as a self-taught Baker. Eventually, as time passed, I started baking for birthdays, events and church functions etc. Not before long, I started creating desserts for my family’s catering business in Colorado. At that very moment of my life, I knew how blessed I was to have had another chance at life along with my children doing something I truly loved and was happy. I couldn’t believe besides having a job I was able to receive a separate income to help provide for bills and my children’s well being. A few years had passed and I met this wonderful man that is now my husband and moved to Arizona. We started a new life here as a blended family and have been blessed. I would have
never of thought, I would have met so many amazing people here that I am forever grateful to call my friends and family.

Not long afterwards, I got certified to bake from home and did that for a lil while. But the funny thing is that there was a transition that soon took place. It was My in laws 60th wedding anniversary that was coming up and my husband and I wanted to make it memorable and special for the whole family. So we went ahead and started planning. We decided he would prepare the food and I would do the desserts and decorate. So, I had an idea of creating a Cinco De Mayo Theme since that was part of their culture because they were from Mexico. At that season of my life about 2 yrs ago I have seen the art of paper flowers online and thought that would be a perfect idea to incorporate that in the decor. So, I began researching and watching videos on how to learn and create these beautiful flowers. Once I had the idea and concept, I started to practice creating them alongside my daughter and fell in love with them ever since. So, I started creating a Cinco de Mayo backdrop for my in-law’s party along with the paper flowers for the dessert table and the rest is history. The backdrop was such a huge hit, that I received so many lovely compliments, in my mind I thought, “do I have something here? Even my husband and all the children were so encouraging I decided to move forward and create a page on the social media of my work. Slowly, as time went on, people started noticing my work. And saw I was different from the other artists along with my unique style.
I started creating custom orders for clients, I also did several craft shows, and the word started to grow about our business. Eventually, vendors/clients started contacting me afterwards for styled shoots, photography sessions, backdrops for events, even custom decor.

We’ve had the honor that our florals have appeared on Arizona Wedding Magazine. And blessed to have had the opportunity to create a custom floral backdrop for Phoenix Fashion Week last October along with one of my best friends/chalk artist, Kathy Blokdiijk from Chalk Art Love. Even being a vendor alongside some amazingly talented artists and designers at Highland Yard Vintage Market in Chandler. I have been truly been blessed to see how much our business has grown over the past 2 yrs and has continued to grow. Not only have we created paper florals, but we also work with different types of materials such as: Italian crepe paper, felt, dyed coffee filters, high-quality card stock etc. Love thinking outside the box and creating one of a kind pieces for my customers/clients. So grateful and humbled by so many people that have shopped small and supported our small business. Words can never describe how amazing and supportive everyone has been to us throughout the years and truly my family and I just wanted to say how thankful we are to have had such an amazing community along with family and friends here in Arizona. Blessings to you all!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It hasn’t been a perfectly smooth road having a blended family with 5 children total. Balancing family life, attending church; taking my autistic son to his appts, and having a small home business. But honestly, I wouldn’t change my life with anyone. I truly love and admire my family despite its ups and downs, it’s actually what makes us wiser and stronger and brings us closer together as a whole. The funny thing is we all work together as a team now from making deliveries, shopping for supplies, even my husband building and creating structures based off of my crazy ideas!

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Simply Sweet Petals – what should we know?
We create custom paper florals, backdrops, photo booths, floral arches, bouquets, boutonnière ’s, freestanding paper flowers, etc for weddings, baby showers, bridal shower, decor for corporate events, quinceañeras, nurseries, office decor, wall art, fashion shows. I’m known for creating unique decor for any type of special event and not afraid of using a variety of materials to make each event special and unique depending on colors, styles, textures for each client. Our decor totally stands out from other artists. We are proud of having trustworthy clients that continue to return and contact us for their upcoming events. Due to knowing that our company takes pride in everything we do from constantly working, interacting, and communicating with the client until they are completely satisfied with the end result of their custom order.

Is there a characteristic or quality that you feel is essential to success?
Having the mindset of creating quality products for each client to assure their customer satisfaction.

Contact Info:

• Website: Info@simplysweetpetals.com
• Phone: 719-659-4048
• Instagram: Simply_Sweet_Petals

Image Credit:
Barbara Gallardo Photography, Steph Wahling, Arizona Weddings Magzine, Arizona Bridal Show, Bloom and Blueprint, The Paseo Wedding Venue, Chateau de Vie, PHXFashionWeek, Talking Stick Resort, Chalk Art Love, Simply Sweet Petals

Getting in touch: VoyagePhoenix is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.