Pasadena, CA -- Regardless of how the economy is, business is always blooming this time of year for Michelle Lofthouse.

That's because Lofthouse is a professional float designer near Pasadena, California, and is putting her petals to the metal from now until Jan. 1 getting ready for the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Lofthouse is designing 13 floats out of the 55 scheduled to appear -- including the ones for Honda, Bayer and Eastman Kodak and says the time spent to design each float can vary.

For instance, her float design for Bayer has been on the drawing board for two or three years, while another client's float was conceptualized in a week.

But while Lofthouse creates many floats each year, she's like a good parent and refuses to play favorites. In her words, "They're all my favorites. They're all unique and they vary so much."

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