Flower Wild | spring

workshops for 2015- January 29th/30th in LA & February 22nd-24th in California

Dec. 15th

Hi ALL!
So many of you flower friends have been asking about what’s to come in 2015 for our workshops and I’m ready to share new dates and locations.
Please email us at info@flowerwild.com to reserve your spot – we have lots of new things planned and I’m really looking forward to connecting with many new people and refilling my creative well alongside you all. We will be offering a discount to those of you who enroll early – Before Jan 1st.

NEW DATES:

JANUARY 29th,30th Intensives in Los Angeles.
Natural Light Studio – Los Angeles
1400.00 & 1100.00
Photography by Corbin Gurkin
Discounted rates for enrollment before Jan 1st – 1300.00 & 1000.00

One Day Flower Intensives
The classes will be full day 10am-5/5:30pm – flower design focused, intensives. These were such a success last year, we sold out and got to meet so many wonderfully talented people! In a break from our our traditional workshop format – we are offering these single day workshops for designers and artists who want to brush up their design skills with flowers only. Texture, color, construction, composition…the finer points of getting flowers to unfold naturally, seemingly effortlessly, making flowers that provoke an emotional response. That rush of feeling, that little gasp, that “oh my!.” A great workshop for new designers or experienced ones who want a fresh perspective. All student work will be professionally photographed for future personal use! Sign up for single days or both days:)

Day 1 -Jan 29th – Grand Scale Arrangements and Compotes.
1400.00
all materials provided, plus lunch, coffee and beverages.
Day 2 – Jan 30th – Bridal Bouquets, Bouts, and Halos.
1100.00
all materials provided, plus lunch, coffee and beverages.
Optional one-on-one portfolio reviews and private sessions available with Kate Holt on Jan 24th for an additional 350.00/hour
**Please note- This workshop does not cover the topics such as how to build a design business, how to reach your niche market, where to source materials etc…see the Sonoma Workshop itinerary and topics covered below if you are more inclined in that direction:)

FEBRUARY – Full 3 day Workshop Retreat in California, CA.
Location TBA
3 day Creative and Business Workshop – 3800.00
Accommodations and travel on your own.
Feb 22,23,24, 2015
Photographer – Jose Villa
Discounted rate for enrollment before Jan 1st – 3600.00

We will be relaxing and refortifying ourselves in gorgeous California, exact location TBA. Come find out why this is one of my favorite places on earth. Experience the golden, almost-ethereal light of this state. This workshop is about taking your business to the next level by investing in yourself, finding strength in building relationships, and taking care of your creative self, all while surrounded by ruffly blooms and abundant flowers. We are mixing artistic development in with some fun new bits like yoga and options for spa treatments as the ultimate respite for industry weary minds and bodies.

Hosting our discussions in a beautiful space, eating well and healthy, and pulling together gorgeous arrangements for a shoot…This is a place we go to grow, to flex our creative muscles, to give ourselves reprieve from the demands of our work, and build something beautiful for no other reason than it feels good. It feels so good… to reconnect, to breath, to take time to notice, to really look at things. I know I need it, and I imagine many of my colleagues do to. I strive to make the workshop retreat a place where we can all tap back into beauty for beauty’s sake and a place we look forward to returning to for inspiration and friendship. I hope that many of you will take the leap and join us!

Take a look at some of the wonderful talent who I am honored to call Flowerwild workshop alumni:
Kim Sanders of Art with Nature
Erin Benzakein of Floret
Anne Bowen of Charleston Stems
Mckenzie Powell
Lisa Collins of Sweet Woodruff
Pearl & Godiva
Semia Dunne of Flowers by Semia
Abany Bauer
Jacin Fitzgerald of Lovely Details
Sue Prutting of White Magnolia Designs
Ashley Fox of Ashley Fox Designs
Darci Greenwood of Beargrass Gardens
Shannon Mahoney of Thistle and Honey
and so many many more. So many exceptional people!

Day 1
Option to start the day with some body warming yoga and deep breathing.

Introductions, and Business basics:
Building your business
– how to meet the right clients, and develop your portfolio
– being your own best editor
– branding
– inspiration – where to find it, how develop your process, refine your vision
– materials – a look at building your palette and creating a cohesive foundation of tactile items – sourcing product
– relationships with photographers and coordinators
– diversifying. how to decide whether flowers are it, or if you were meant to do more.
– pricing and getting what your worth:)
Creative Exercise
– getting messy – how to build a gorgeous bridal bouquet or centerpiece using forms, shape, texture

Day 2
Discussions on Publishing your Work
– Editorial, how to style for editorial shoots and get real weddings published
– Study of photography…the ultimate translator of your vision. How to make it work for you
– Props, how and when to use them
– Creative Director versus Florist, what’s the difference? How do we sell this intangible product to our clients?
– hair and makeup for attendees
– head shots of all attendees by our photographer
– one on ones review of portfolios/websites blogs for all students
– prepare vignettes and floral for Shoot
– option to relax and have spa treatments
– wine and local cheese/nibbles hour
– wrap up and get rested for day 3

Day 3
Final morning
Shoot
– Each attendee will have a chance to have individual floral or other styled elements photographed for future portfolio use. I love looking thru images of past workshops, and remembering my time with all the Flowerwild workshop attendees:)
Relax and have farewell dinner and final Q & A

All materials provided. Lunch both days provided, as well as the final dinner together.
Accommodations on your own. We will give you recommendations for great places to stay upon request and booking your space:)
Maximum enrollment 18 people.

To Be Announced ! End of Summer/Fall-
CREATIVE WELLNESS AND FLORAL WORKSHOP – FRANCE.

I know, it already sounds too good to be true! But it’s really going to happen and space will be limited so please email us to reserve your space or get on the wait list now. This one’s for the soul. For digging deep, for replenishing, and I for one, can’t wait…

All images here by Corbin Gurkin from our Pippin Hill Workshop this last spring.
Hosted by Lynn Easton of Easton Events
Creative Direction by Kate Holt/Flowerwild
Paper Magic by Amber Moon Design with Calligraphy by Anne Robins
Gowns by Gossamer
Hair and Makeup by Lora Kelly

A magical trip and time which I remember very fondly. What great women I met this year! Looking forward to what 2015 holds.

Adventure -WORKSHOPS 2014

Sep. 30th

bells are whistling, pots are boiling, beakers are pouring from one to another, steam is rising, puffs of smoke and small explosions everywhere….things are steeping and stewing, and spring is calling already. many of you have been asking about spring workshop offerings and I am happy to say we have some things cooking.

NEW WORKSHOP DATES AND LOCATIONS!!!!!

I am very excited about all of the new people and the talent we will meet this year, and for the beautiful things we are going to see together. check it out:

NEW DATES:

Virginia – Pippin Hill Farms
April 15th and 16th
2 day Workshop – 2500.00
Exploring the gorgeous Virgina countryside at one of the most celebrated venues and sustainable vineyards on the East Coast. We will be hosting our discussions in Pippin Hill’s amazing space, eating from their farm to table menu, and pulling together gorgeous arrangements for a shoot. All against the backdrop of this lush setting. Probably a little fun foraging in there for good measure! We are lucky enough to have the talented Corbin Gurkin as our photographer and Lynn Easton of Easton Events collaborating on this event.
I feel really fortunate that both of these women are available to participate in making the workshop a full experience – they are both treasured talents.

All materials provided. Lunch both days provided, as well as the final dinner together.
Accommodations on your own. We will give you recommendations upon request and booking your space:)

http://www.pippinhillfarm.com/
Corbin Gurkin – photographer
Easton Events – Coordination and collaboration
Maximum enrollment 16 people.

Please email us with at info@flowerwild.com, subject “workshop reservation”, tell us which workshop you would like to reserve a spot in and we will forward you a deposit invoice at that time. Deposits for Virgina are 1000.00. All deposits are non-refundable. Should you be unable to attend the workshop of your choice for some reason, we will refund the money ONLY if we can fill your space with another attendee from our waitlist.

Can’t wait to meet many of you in 2014. It is going to be a wonderful season!

Some peeks at our Mayacamas workshop last spring. What an experience. I made so many friend here and I am thankful for the chance to make more:)

xo
k

Spring

May. 22nd

I feel like spring is slipping through my fingers already. A little too brief for me, always. Especially when it comes to spring’s bounty of blooms…I want them to stick around for a few more weeks. When I look at these pictures from April, I tend to ache a little for the tendrils of jasmine that are long gone, and find myself dreaming of vining sweet peas – wild and unruly – now, short and wilty impressions of their former selves. Oh, and the mock orange that’s already come and gone…foxglove too. So you see, flowers are always a business of longing.

But it seems that summer is pushing it’s way in and I shouldn’t complain too much. There is always some new fresh face just waiting to take the place of last season’s favorite. We’ve had lots of time to get our hands dirty over here and play with some pretty bits.

I’m most recently addicted to the website Humans of New York…I know, everyone else knows about this site already. I live in a bit of a creative cloud that’s very disconnected with what’s current and hip…so sometimes it takes me a while to get up to speed with things! This site, HONY, It’s kind of like looking at a diverse book of human flowers. I love it. I could look at it all day.

I got to create 5 bridal bouquets for one very lovely gal last month. She chose her favorite from the bunch gave the other 4 to her pretty maids to carry. Kinda great.

xo
k

Desert Dreaming…

Mar. 25th

I am so determined to get back into the swing of things with my blogging…we had some technical issues last week; and on top of that we were hosting our workshop in Palm Springs- which was fabulous but BUSY. So, I wrote a post late last night, clicked on the “save draft” button…and poof! The whole frickin’ thing disappeared. I suppose this is basically the universe’s way of telling me to let the pictures tell the story.

In short:
14 talented women from around the world, converged on Palms Springs last week for our Flowerwild workshop.
It was awesome.
It was inspiring.
I want to do it a LOT more. A lot lot more.

HUGE thanks to my husband for his genius rigging, making my crazy ideas a reality, and moral support. I love you. Thanks to little A for making me smile always.
Of course many thanks to Jose Villa, Mar of Team Hair and Makeup, Jeni Maus of Found Vintage Rentals, Erica of Twine Events, my assistant Corinne, and The Ace Hotel for hooking me up and sharing their talents so generously. To all the wonderful, creative, and beautiful women who came and shared their visions and talents with me – I am so glad I met all of you and am crazy excited about all our new friendships. WOW!

I’ll be posting film photos from Jose later on…but in the meantime here’s a glimpse of our week in the desert.

images by Kate Holt, Ken Holt, Joel Seratto, and Jose Villa.
xo
kate

Road Trip

Mar. 6th

Tomorrow Alice and I are headed up north together. Mommy daughter adventure! I’m sure there will be tons of spy games and goofy imaginings on our 6 hour drive – at the insistence of Little A.

Not sure how you all pass the time on a long drive with kids..but I must say Alice has to be one of the most patient kids under 10 out there. She definitely has more staying power than I do. She prefers interaction and imaginary games to any sort of electronic device. Oh…and singing. LOTS of singing. Yesterday she was singing “Dirty deeds!!! Done dirt cheap”…the whole time we were at CVS picking up a prescription. Ha! Not sure how many other 5 years old know and love that song; but clearly, Alice is a fan of AC/DC, thanks to Ken. Endless good times with this one!

I’m more of a dreamer when we travel. Though I do love to sing, I really love to look out the window and wonder about other people and their lives…their place on this planet, their home, their walk to school, their morning coffee, their bedtime stories, their dirt, their pets, their closets, their blankets and books, their keepsakes. Did so much of that as a kid myself, on long car trips to south carolina from chicago or a couple of cross country train rides from chicago to the golden state.

What a way to see the country. Really see it…or, at least see a lot of the forgotten places, wayside towns, all the spots that rest between here and there. The non-destinations so to speak. I like seeing all of it and having Alice see it too. So she understands better that not everyone lives the same life, or comes from the same place, or has the same story. It’s good for the imagination right? It helps expand our perception and develops our sensibilities – traveling.

I’ll be instagramming from the road I’m sure. If you don’t follow me there already…please find us @flowerwild

Weekly Loves

Feb. 27th

I’m sick. On the tail end of an icky spell of something and I can’t wait to be done with it. Stronger everyday, head a little clearer. Which is good, because I’m juggling a lot of projects lately and trying to stay on course with each one can be a challenge. Hard to keep them from overlapping and spilling into one another.

Here are some images I am loving this week, and looking to for inspiration. Workshop attendees beware! These are the beginnings of something for you.
Only a few more weeks till we are soaking up sun in Palm Springs and getting very very serious about flowers and all that jazz. YAY!!!!

(images:top left -irving pen for harper’s bazaar, top right- mario testino
the rest of images unknown with exception of bottom left, blue artwork by valerie hammond)

Flower Gypsies

Jan. 25th

This particular wedding brings back a lot of warm snuggly memories from the spring, as well as some really heartsick, hard moments. I basically did a string of weddings back to back that kept me away from home for almost 4 weeks. Traveling solo part of the time…I migrated from Sonoma, to Carmel, to Big Sur like some sort of wandering flower gypsy; but I was wandering with great intent. Sourcing flowers from all new places, trying to have enough forethought to consider where and when I would need what containers, candles, and any other details along the way.

Ken and Alice came with me to Carmel for a few days then went off home again. Returning to real life and all the kids’ various routines. I stayed behind to produce all the flowers for the wedding in Big Sur, at one of the hardest locations I’ve ever worked, with virtually no crew. (big learning experience!) When Alice and Ken pulled away from our little cottage in Carmel, I could barely stand it. I practically chased after them down the road, then went inside to finish my work and have a little cry.
The allure of traveling for work is truly double-edged. You get to insert yourself into all these amazing landscapes and experience new places, food, flora, etc. It’s romantic – the notion; however, you also get tired, and have to say goodbye a lot – something I find hard to do.
There are good parts too. Every morning my duet of loves were with me, we walked hand in hand to breakfast- to a cozy spot called Bicyclette. We are creatures of comfort and like to revisit places we know we like:) (plus they had kale and perfectly poached eggs. YUM!) We sang and danced together, had fires in the fireplace, and Alice helped me make lots of the flowers.

She loved crafting the boutonnieres, tenderly pairing the little bits together and handing them to me so I could wrap with ribbon. Then setting them gently in their silver tray…sigh. I am truly the luckiest mom in the world. She tolerates so much insanity from me, understands when I am distracted and only half-listening, and has so much more patience than most grown women. Watching her soft hands and small fingers grab the bits of flowers and layer them one on top of the other, thoughtfully and artistically, well…there’s just nothing more rewarding than that. When she helps me with these weddings I know we are creating little memories together that will be the foundation of who she becomes. Sometimes just spending time quietly together is the best thing.

I guess that’s why these two got married – they really like just spending time together.
Rachel and Healey were married at Holman Ranch in Carmel Valley. When two people are so in love and so genuinely affectionate towards each other, it makes my work so worthwhile. You can see it in these images. Not to be overly sentimental…but I love that my little family helped in some small way, to make the day where they became a family, happen perfectly.

You can see more of this wedding, and the groom’s sweet story of the day up on Style Me Pretty.

All Images by Jose Villa
Styling and Floral Design by Kate Holt of Flowerwild

6 Responses to Flower Gypsies

janet

Jan. 25th

That bouquet, those centerpieces – breath taking!
Zachary + Wendy Stowasser {Stillwater Cinematography}

Jan. 25th

These two are so incredible! We had the honor of creating their Films! { http://www.stillwatercinematography.com/rachel-healey-holman-ranch/ }

Enjoyed reading your story about being on the road. Your designs and creations are worth it all! Thanks for being Awesome.
sherry

Jan. 26th

Everything looks so effortless…and love the organic elements!
Amy | Fly Away Bride

Feb. 2nd

This is like being in a dream! So amazingly beautiful.
Jacqueline

Mar. 4th

Hi!

I was wondering if you provided the flowers for the bride’s hair? If so, what kind were they and how did the bride attach them to her hair? I am looking to do the same thing for my wedding. Thank you!
Kate

Mar. 6th

hi Jaquueline – the flowers in her hair are evelyn roses I think! We wire and tape a few fresh flower heads for the bride’s hair/makeup person to thread into their hair and they usually pin them in easily. Hope that helps!

Swimming in Flowers- part I

Jan. 7th

I enjoy looking back at all this loveliness so much. This is a portion of our spring work from last season…behind the scenes. We were pretty much everywhere in California. Santa Barbara, Sonoma, Napa, Carmel (LOVE), Big Sur. All with flowers and my favorite people in tow. I am reminded how amazing the landscape and diversity of California really is.
It was a whirlwind and I almost thought that one of our many drives down the coast from Big Sur would never end. Each turn winding round into yet another turn (I get so motion sick…blah). Even the breathtaking view can’t save a girl from the panic within her own mind. HA!
Today is the kiddos’ first day back at school and my first day back to real work…which means a full studio clean up, so we are ready in spring for all the beauty yet to unfold.

Enjoy.
k
all images by moi.

SPRING 2012

Lately

Nov. 7th

right now I’m most excited about things I can’t share yet…
rules
rules
more rules

Publications can get kind of strict and crabby about this stuff…you know, sharing pics before they print them. So therein lies my boring dilemma.
But I figure we have A LOT of catching up to do since I basically took a year off while I waited for this puppy (new blog) to be launched.

I’m distracted by so many things. projects i need to begin. First and foremost… a closet clean up – good lord! mine is like some derelict and juvenile delinquent, breaking all the rules, churning like a tornado, and basically revolting against all authority. And a studio clean up – same juvie problem here… and a beach day (we need one), lastly, kale chips (SO DISTRACTING! I can’t stop thinking about them, they beckon me from across the room)…I’m pretty sure they are not really good for me, but I refuse to care.

I feel like doing a summer bouquet roundup – along with a few other faves from our adventures; like the picture of alice jumping in puddles after a crazy rare summer downpour.

Then I’ll have some kale chips and you should too.
xo
kate

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