It was such an honor to be invited last fall by the Florida State Florist Association to do an on stage program, and teach to a hands-on workshop at their annual convention in Orlando in June 2015.

The presentation on woodlands and botanical couture and the workshop were sponsored by  BloomNet.The topic of the workshop was woodland bouquets and the students created fantastic designs.  Mayesh sponsored the flowers for both events and Oasis provided the european bouquet holders as well as all the cold glue.

A heartfelt thank you to these companies for their generosity which made this opportunity a reality. I am also very grateful for all the help and coaching from my friend Jo Jarvis for this event.

For 2 days we prepared woodland and botanical couture pieces in a workroom that we shared with Dutch designer Pim Van den Akker. Creativity was unleashed to make the many designs for the program. I enjoyed watching the program of several of the designers and it was fantastic to meet such a great group of creatives!

Here are some photos from the demo. Courtesy FSFA.

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Last Sunday was a great collaboration with photographer Ted Mishima and model Sarah Pardini.

Inspired by a picture of a couture hat that incorporated fans, this project was a interesting learning curve which involved some interesting mechanics…

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Woodland with succulents, euphorbia, herbs, seedpods, blackberries, sedum, figs, hypericum, thistle, salvia, gentian, kangaroo paws, baby artichokes, romanesco, persimmon,curly garlic,  grasses, mini cymbidiums,…

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I am delighted to have the opportunity to make botanical jewelry for the patrons of the benefit for local artists, organized by  RACC (the Regional Arts & Culture Council) on August 1, 2015 from 5:30-9:30, at Bella Madrona, the Gardens of Sampson and Beasley, in Sherwood.

Here are some pictures of EXAMPLES of botanical rings, earrings, bracelets, necklaces or haircombs as well as the price list – every design will be unique. You can either pay via paypal or when you pick up the jewelry on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. I can also deliver the jewelry early Saturday afternoon (these orders need to be pre-paid )

If the weather will be hot that day, I will mostly use small succulents and textures.

Please contact me via email (francoise@francoiseweeks.com) to place and order to specify your preferences.

photos: Ted Mishima

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Demo pieces for workshop in Bury St Edmunds , England, hosted by Claire Cowling with Thrive

Day 1: Wedding Bouquets

-woodland and whimsical bouquets

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Some beautiful purses and jewelry that students made on day 2 of the workshop at Thrive, hosted by Claire Cowling.

design: Rebecca

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After spending a couple of days in London where we visited the Chelsea show, we headed over to Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, where Claire Cowling, with Thrive, was hosting a 2 day wedding/botanical couture workshop.

Here are some of the great designs that the students made:

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A few weeks ago, Casey Gale, a writer with Floriology Magazine with Bloomnet, interviewed me about the woodland and botanical couture styles as well as about the workshops. Thank you  Casey for conveying the story so beautifully! And as always, thank you Jo Jarvis for helping with this project.

For a long time I have wanted to design a botanical dress – decided to start with a miniature one.

Lots of texture and succulent were patiently glued for the bodice – petals of beehive ginger were perfect to create the skirt. For the belt I used curly lipstick foliage, hosta buds and seedpods .

Thank you Jamie for the great pictures!

Thank you Joni Shimabukuro for creating this video!