WORKING -- Valerie Leonard

--Story by Torus Tammer; photo by XXXX

SHE IS

Making floral arrangements for the holiday season

CAREER ENDING

Leonard, 46, was a hairstylist and cosmetologist for most of her life,

until one fateful day, she slipped on a lock of hair she had snipped off.

The result was an injury that left her without the use of her left hand

and on disability leave for five years.

“I had five surgeries on my wrist and still couldn’t get back its full

use,” Leonard said. “Eventually, I just wanted to start working again.”

FOUND THE KNACK

Still having minimal use of her left hand, Leonard found a job at

Conroy’s Flowers on Beach Boulevard in Huntington Beach, and initially,

began delivering flowers and working on the floor, doing such tasks as

cleaning the main area of the store. Her break came when the store’s

floral designer resigned and gave only a week of notice because she had

learned she was pregnant.

With no one to fill the position, Leonard was asked if she was

interested in becoming a designer. When she was accepted, Leonard had one

week to learn the craft.

“Although she [the floral designer] gave a week’s notice, I really

only trained with her for two days,” Leonard said. “But I’d been watching

her since I started the job, and I’m a quick learner, so I picked up the

hang of it in no time.”

Leonard, who has been a floral designer for three years now, said her

injury does not interfere with the job too much because it is almost

always the right hand she uses. And besides, she said, “I’ve learned how

to compensate.

“I like the creativity,” she said. “Being able to create something

from nothing is great. A lot of the designs come from my mind.”

FESTIVE TIME

The holiday season for a floral designer is one of the busiest and

most fulfilling times, Leonard said. She does the regulation birthday,

anniversary and funeral baskets, but at this time of year, the bulk of

her work focuses on designing centerpiece arrangements that usually grace

the table of dinner celebrations.

“Usually, the days are only eight hours long, but this time of year,

it’s hectic, and I’ll work up to 12 hours.” she said. “A lot of people

order big centerpieces for Christmas parties, and you only have a limited

time because the flowers aren’t fresh forever. In a way, it’s kind of

like being on a deadline, but in the long run, it’s worth it when you see

how appreciative people get.”