It was such an honor to be invited by Koehler&Dramm  in Minneapolis to present 3 programs at their annual Fall&Winter Design Show a few weeks ago.

Much gratitude to all of you who helped preparing all the detailed designs: Carra Otten, Jamie Spellerberg (@wilderlandfloral),  Lynne Tischler, Gary Lenneman, Rhoda Paurus and Jessica Leopold.

A huge thank you also to Jessica for being super helpful the months leading up to the show and during my stay in Minneapolis; you were a true gem!

Here are images of  some of the designs we created for 2 days to get ready for the presentations; thank you so much to the photographer at Koehler&Dramm who captured the designs beautifully! We designed bouquets and botanical couture as well as woodland designs for fall and winter. What a treat to have access to an incredible selection of flowers and textures. It was like being a kid in a candy shop when walking around in the huge supply department to pick out any containers or pieces of wood that struck my fancy!

Thank you Jessica  for the testimonial:

“My company signed on Françoise to be the featured designer for one of the largest design shows in our year. With around 250 people in attendance, Françoise didn’t miss a beat, explaining the actual “how-to” of her designs—something that our attendees crave. She took time to explain how she constructed each piece and even had different examples of “stages” of a design to better show the actual process. She was open to our requests for fall and winter designs and she was very flexible with product availability and specific elements that we wanted her to focus on throughout the show. Aside from that, she is just a downright delight to be around. Her personality is so warm and welcoming, you absolutely feel at ease with her—so down to earth and relatable! She also taught two hands-on Botanical Couture classes that we offered to our customers and all 40 seats sold out the day we posted the workshops! We have had such remarkable feedback from her time here—our customers absolutely loved her designs, found the inspiring and relatable, and very unique. Françoise is a true gem.”

Jessica Leopold AIFD, Design Manager, Koehler and Dramm Wholesale Florist, Minneapolis, MN

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Last week The Literary Arts held their annual fundraiser at the Portland Art Museum. A silent auction took place in the Sunken Ballroom and dinner for nearly 400 guests was in the Kridel Ballroom.

Combining the feel of the beautiful Northwest with Literary Arts was an interesting project but I thoroughly enjoyed it! As I could not find small books to my liking I crafted some to incorporate in the larger pieces.

The inspiration to make the tree came from a great project that Belgian designer Sébastien Dossin (@sebastien_artisanfleuriste) made at the famous Belgian flower show Fleuramour last September.

Many thanks to Gwen Severson (@botanicallyinspired) for the beautiful pictures and @grovfor for all the fabulous bark!

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Thank you Heather Matheny for inviting me last month to design a botanical mask, flower crown and bow tie for a commercial to promote Oregon Bride’s Magazine ‘Urban Unveiled 2017‘.

Many thanks to Stephanie Jarstad for the fabulous pictures!

What a great team we worked with:

Video: Moving Pictures

Gowns: Anna’s Bridal Boutique

Hair and Make Up: M’chel Bauxal-Gleason

Models: Allison Cook, Grayson Elmer and Layla Matheny

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A friend suggested that I would make a headpiece with black feathers and chocolate/burgundy flowers. Fortunately we didn’t have any frost yet, so I found plenty of dahlias, chocolate cosmos, hypericum and pokeweed from local growers.  I supplemented them with kangaroo paws, callas, roses,  and dark succulents…

Photographer Ted Mishima contacted model Heather Irish Collins – what a perfect model she was! We did some photos in the studio and then headed to the Mock Crest House in North Portland- the perfect ‘haunted’ house for this Halloween outfit!

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It was such an honor to be invited to teach 3 botanical jewelry workshop at the annual AIFD Symposium in Seattle.  It was thrilling that the workshops sold out! As I wanted my friend Gwen to capture the pictures, I made these 2 necklaces and bracelet at home. The next day I hopped on the train and had a leisurely ride to Seattle.

Attending Symposium was a very interesting experience; it was great to meet so many people and watch several of the fabulous programs that were presented.

Thank you Gwendolyn Severson (@botanicallyinspired) for the beautiful images!

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Thank you Florists Review for publishing hints and tips to decorate botanical shoes. The cold glue from Oasis Floral Products works it’s magic for this project.

Give a pair of old stiletto shoes a new life. Create bespoke shoes for fashion shows, showers, weddings or retail environments. You can never have too many shoes!

Many thanks to Gwen Severson for the beautiful photography!

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Last month photographer Theresa Bear organized an epic photo shoot at the Oregon Coast. We spent time at Hug Point as well as at Ecola State Forest .

We had an extraordinary team who made it all possible.

photography: Theresa Bear

models: Alexandra Hagel and Emma Shu-Yi

photo assistant & on set stylist: –Gwendolyn Severson

on set stylist: Brianna Smith

stylist and designer- Brittany Morris

make-up and hair: Esther Puckett

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Last week I had the pleasure to create a botanical dress, purses, shoes and jewelry for the grand opening of the new store of Neapolitan – ‘the most exclusive in women’s luxury ready-to-wear, shoes, accessories, and jewelry from the world’s top designers’ – in Chicago.

Thank you  Nancy Chase for the opportunity!

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photo: Theresa Bear

To make the botanical earrings you can either buy inexpensive earrings (some bead stores offer great selections) or make your own, using flatwire and create any shape you like.

For durability, using succulents and textures only is the way to go. I like to de-construct flowers as this offers endless possibilities to design super fun earrings!

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photo @takenbysarah

The botanical necklaces are super fun to make and  will embellish any dress or blouse beautifully! I like to incorporate small flowers and blossoms, being mindful to use flowers that will  hold up out of water for at least 24 hours. If only succulents and textures are used, the necklaces will last for several weeks. The structures of these designs are made with aluminum wire.  The other option is to buy blank necklace bases.

Photos: Françoise Weeks, except if indicated differently.

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