Victoria’s Read

Lois Ann Tamke grew up on a little farm in Alberta “I had two brothers and two sisters. My father was a farmer and my mother raised us children.”

Lois would spend hours watching her mother and grandmother make flowers out of crepe paper then dipped in wax. “My mother and grandmother were members of the Royal Purple and would regularly make bouquets for their events.” 

“I would also often spend time picking berries with my father”. It is here that Lois developed an admiration for the pure elements of nature.

Lois’s first job was as a clerk typist for Alberta Red Cross. “I really didn’t like the repetitiveness of the job.

Lois then met someone in the florist industry who offered her a job on a trial basis. She was a natural and enrolled in the apprenticeship program to become a floral designer and arranger. She was 19 years old. Upon successful completion of her education, Lois opened her own flower shop and taught floral design classes.

Lois’s life took a dramatic turn in 1998 when she found herself helping a friend out by moving her to Ontario. “I liked it here and decided that I would like to stay.”  Lois landed a job at Jackman’s Flower Shop as a floral designer where she stayed until opening Art Blooms in 2004.

Art Blooms specializes in custom design arrangements for all occasions. “ I offer designs that are different yet affordable.” Lois also teaches flower arranging classes.

Written by Victoria Evangeline Reed