The  5 day  Flower & Garden Show in San Francisco on March 19-23 promises to be a spectacular event where you will enjoy stunning show gardens and meet hundreds of vendors who offer garden related products. You’ll have the opportunity to attend a wide variety of seminars or sign up for hands-on workshops. All the information you could possibly want on edible gardens will be available and you will enjoy stunning California grown flowers everywhere! And there will be a very special place for kids as well.

I am so thrilled and excited to have been invited to teach two hands-on workshops and present a couple of seminars and  at the Flower & Garden Show. Here are the details:

Workshops:

Workshop 1:
URBAN WOODLANDS WORKSHOP
with Françoise Weeks
Here you’ll begin to see your surroundings in a whole new light. A piece of bark, a log, driftwood, wooden disk, branches or rootballs can all become bases for the unique structures we will be creating. In this workshop you will create a beautiful arrangement using rich foliage, bark, berries, seedpods, twigs, mushrooms and herbs.

DATE AND TIME:              Friday, March 21, 2014
TIME & PLACE:                 10:30am-1:30pm  in the “Plant It Together” area in the West Lobby of Fiesta Hall
FEE:                                   $275  (Limited to 20 participants)
LINK TO TICKET PAGE:     Reserve your space by purchasing your ticket to this add-on workshop. Click here.

Workshop 2:
BOTANICAL COUTURE WORKSHOP
with Françoise Weeks
Put your inner fashionista on display! Lush and vibrant or simple and elegant, the elements used all add up to create a unique headpiece. After fashioning a basic form that can be bent or shaped, your creativity will be called upon to construct a stunning Spring accoutrement to your unique outfit.

DATE AND TIME:              Friday, March 21, 2014
TIME & PLACE:                 2:30pm – 5:30pm in the “Plant It Together” area in the West Lobby of Fiesta Hall
FEE:                                   $275 (Limited to 20 participants)
LINK TO TICKET PAGE:     Reserve your space by purchasing your ticket to this add-on workshop. Click here.

Seminars:

*Saturday March 22: 1:00 PM

Floral Stage – Flower Pavilion

Botanical Couture

Botanical shoes, purses, headpieces and jewelry are fun to make and wear. We’ll talk about which materials to use to create these  unique and elegant designs. They all are striking additions to fashion shows and weddings.                                   A slide show will illustrate the designs that we will talk about.

*Sunday March 23: 11:45AM

Floral Stage – Flower Pavilion

Woodland Designs

Learn how to see your surroundings in a new light and how to create fabulous arrangements using the bounty of Mother Nature, such as bark and  branches, succulents and  mosses, seedpods and small edibles. Françoise will explain a few techniques how to create these detailed designs.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           A slideshow will illustrate the designs we will talk about.

Joni Photo

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Last summer, I saw the picture of a stunning flower purse on Facebook. I found out that the base was made by Bolsa Flora, a Belgian company and contacted them to tell  what a fabulous product they made. I was thrilled when a few weeks ago they asked if I would be interested to decorate their 6  different purses.

When I asked Joni if she could take pictures, she generously agreed. I love the results!

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Holly Chapple, owner of Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, LTD and Chapel Designers and  Joost Bongearts, owner of Florabundance are producing the Chapel Designers Conference in Santa Barbara, CA on January 20-22.

Holly Heider Chapple and Nancy Liu Chin  and Joe Massie, an extraordinary British designer will be teaching. Social Media will be handled by Alicia Schwede of Flirty Fleurs.

And I am thrilled that Holly invited me to teach a woodland class!

You will find all the information about the conference, accommodations  and how to purchase tickets here.

Like at every at other conference that Holly has organized, you will learn so much and benefit from the incredible support system that the Chapel Designers group and forum will offer after the conference.

We’ll be delighted to meet you!

Holly Chapple’s designs:

photo: Genevieve Leiper

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Jamie Bosworth Photographer

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Three years ago I discovered this very inspiring book while doing a search on the internet. As it was not for sale yet in the US, my husband emailed Jo Jarvis, who graciously mailed a copy from the UK.

Botanical Art for Your Eyes Only is a collaboration of award winning and incredibly talented British Designers Jo Jarvis AIFD and Sarah Horne AIFD. This magnificent collection of 160 unique and exquisite botanical sculptures is bound to inspire Flower Lovers and Art Lovers alike. The photography by Gary Maxwell is stunning.

I’ve leafed through this treasure dozens of times: the selection and combination of botanical materials and all the detail work are simply eye candy. Every time I discover new interesting details. Clever concepts for botanical couture and woodland arrangements abound, as well as ideas for parties and weddings, unusual designs with plants and art for art’s sake.

Foliage for Florists is a fantastic guide to over 170 cut foliages, published by The Society of Floristry Training Fund in the UK.  This valuable resource includes full color photographs of  plant materials from all over the world, currently used in the flower industry. You will find clear and concise information, including botanical and common name, commercial availability, usage in design as well as care and conditioning.

Many of these foliages are sold in bunches, others require to buy plants and snip the leaves.

I’ve always loved using interesting foliages; 36 years ago, while interning with a florist in Antwerp, Belgium, I learned to incorporate foliage of houseplants. Buying plants for this purpose expands the selection texture tremendously and I constantly have a selection of dozens of houseplants in the studio.

Consider having these 2 gems in your library! Please contact Jo Jarvis if you would like to purchase these books.

Wedding Date:  July 27, 2013

Venue: Cooper Spur

Photographer: Olivia Schiley with Yahyah Photography

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Wire shoe decorated with many varieties of succulents, ferns, cucumis and other textures

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Yesterday Ted Mishima, Candace van Houten and I collaborated on this foto shoot. Lots of snippets of textures, succulents, tillandsias and small phaelonopsis orchids were the main ingredients to make the headpieces, rings and necklace.

Thank you Ted for the fantastic images and much gratitude to Candace for modeling!

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Wedding Date: September 14, 2013

Venue: Ponzi Vineyards

Photographer: Honeysuckle Photography

Thank you Maggie for the great pictures!

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photo: Ted Mishima

Tuesday and Wednesday, January 28 & 29, 2014, 9AM to 4PM each day

Hosted by Lori Eschler Frystak

with Blossom Alliance, centrally located in Miracle Mile, Los Angeles

Woodland and Botanical Couture Workshop

Class size limited to 6 students! Create and keep your designs.

Lunch 12PM to 1PM: there are many restaurants and food trucks in the neighborhood or bring your own.

Please bring your own tools, i.e. clippers, scissors, wire clippers and knives.

Tuesday, Januaruy 28 – Woodland Arrangements

For Françoise, the Woodlands sprouted from a childhood memory that took a life of its own. Using foliage, bark, berries, seedpods, twigs, mushrooms, herbs and some flowers, we’ll explore how to make woodland bouquets as well as centerpieces. We’ll discuss color, texture, form, ideas and techniques.

photos: Joni Photo & Sara Gray

Wednesday, January 29 – Botanical Couture

We’ll explore different ideas for botanical shoes as centerpieces and will discuss sourcing materials and the mechanics involved to create a wide variety of these unique designs. In the afternoon we’ll make botanical headpieces.

photos: Jamie Bosworth and Ted Mishima

Workshop Info
Françoise Weeks
Atelier Botanique Françoise Weeks
francoise@francoiseweeks.com
503-236-5829
Lodging Info
Lori Eschler Frystak
Blossom Alliance
blossomalliance@gmail com
323-251-9160

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