Botanique

06/05/2024

For the past several years, almost all of my 1:1 students have wanted to learn how to create light, airy designs with unique and compelling movement. A question that has come up over and over is how to balance the visual weight in a design- How do you create ample substance, but not too much to the point where designs start to feel chunky and cumbersome? How do you create that light and airy feel, where the flowers seem to dance so gracefully, in just the right places? How do you know when to stop, or how to edit a design to create the most powerful impact? There are so many ways to approach these questions, but my favorite one at the moment is through the lens of negative space- the “empty” places inside a design that allow for breath, and also bring the movement of a design into focus.

The Negative Space workshop will be a three-hour, hands-on session devoted to exploring these questions and more. We will go over both mechanics and artistic considerations- foam free mechanics of course! We will be working in shallow vessels, using flower frogs as anchors. Frogs can be tricky to get the hang of, but once you do they really open up possibilities within your designs, especially for those where air and movement are key.

I hope you will join me for this special workshop! Sunday, July 14th from 9am-noon! One BIPOC scholarship available, and early bird pricing ($50 off!) through 6/14!! Details here: https://botanique.bigcartel.com/product/negative-space-a-floral-design-workshop

05/14/2024

Hello and happy spring! We have a new workshop coming up on June 9th! We'll be working with a combination of lush, full blooms and whimsical elements to create designs that echo the season. Link with more details and to register here: https://botanique.bigcartel.com/product/wild-abundance

Hope to see you there!

12/05/2022

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT AND GIVEAWAY!!! 📣🌸📣🌸📣

Our first ever online class is now LIVE and available to you! Watch the trailer to get a peek into the class, and full details and registration are available here: https://www.botaniqueflowers.com/online-class-arranging-garden-flowers

I am so excited to finally be able to share this class with you! If you've always wanted to take a class, but cost has been prohibitive, I hope this is a more affordable option. And if you live somewhere other than Seattle and cannot make it here for an in-person workshop, I hope this offers you the inspiration and tools you need to arrange flowers wherever you may be located!

I am a huge proponent of in-person learning, and Botanique will continue to offer in-person classes and workshops! But creating this course has given me a new perspective on online education, and I am really proud of what has been created here. I think you will find it really helpful and inspiring, loaded with information to help you learn how to design your own gorgeous, seasonal arrangements!

To celebrate the launch of the course, there is a GIVEAWAY going on over on Instagram! 🎉 Check out the full details and enter on Instagram at !

Please help celebrate the launch of this course and spread the word to anyone you think may be interested! And a HUGE thank you to everyone on my email list who already signed up for the course from the pre-sale over the weekend! 🎉 I so appreciate you, and hope you are loving the class!

05/03/2022

After a loooooong pause, we are finally offering in-person workshops again! The next two are coming up on May 28th (a great Mother's Day gift 😉) and June 14th. All details and registration are available at this link: https://botanique.bigcartel.com/

12/13/2019

Two new workshops coming up for January 2020!! More info and registration available here: https://botanique.bigcartel.com/

07/11/2019

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

Come spend the day in Botanique’s Cutting Garden and Design Studio, for an introductory course on growing and arranging flowers. We’ll begin the day with a Cutting Garden tour, where Kelly Sullivan, owner and lead designer of Botanique, will address considerations for planning, planting, and maintaining a cutting garden. Kelly will also teach attendees how, when and where to harvest flowers for maximum vase life, and to encourage plants to re-bloom throughout the season. Participants will then be set free in the garden with clippers in hand, and invited to harvest a bucket full of flowers from the garden. After a yummy lunch, we’ll regroup in Botanique’s studio for a design lesson, where Kelly will share the basics of creating a beautiful arrangement with flowers harvested from the garden. Participants will each create an arrangement to take home, with the flowers they harvested that morning.

This class is intended for beginning and intermediate floral designers, home gardeners, and anyone who wants to learn more about the basics of growing and arranging flowers. Professional level floral designers and growers are welcome to attend, but advanced design and growing techniques will not be covered.

REGISTRATION IS LIVE AND THERE ARE ONLY TWO SPOTS LEFT!!! Sign up here: https://botanique.bigcartel.com/product/flower-field-day

04/18/2019

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT!

I have long wanted to host a workshop around Mother’s Day, to honor all the mothers in our lives, whoever they might be. After becoming a mother myself a few years ago, I have been feeling more excitement to create a special experience to celebrate our mothers (including Mother Earth 🌍!), or to pamper yourself of you are a mother. This year the stars aligned for this workshop to come together, and I am very excited to offer it to you!

This class is geared towards beginning/novice designers, but is open to all. In addition to learning to create a gorgeous, seasonal arrangement, we’ll be noshing on delicious pastries from Columbia City Bakery and drinking Caffe Vita coffee! Link with more info and to register: https://botanique.bigcartel.com/product/mother-s-day-floral-design-workshop

12/17/2018

ANNOUNCEMENT!! Here are the full deets on the January Mini Sessions I hinted about last week!

On January 25th and 26th, 2019 I will be offering two consecutive days of 1:1 "Mini Sessions." These will be private lessons of either 2.5 or 3.5 hours, solo with just you and me, where we will go in depth with one design topic. Because these sessions are grouped together over a short timeframe, I am able to offer them at a discounted rate over my typical 1:1 lessons! I know some of you have been wanting to sign up for a 1:1 lesson, but cost has been prohibitive, so hopefully you will now be able to take that lesson you’ve been wanting to take! (Happy Holidays!)

I am intentionally offering them at the start of 2019, so you can get the support you need do your best work in 2019. Winter is such a good time to regroup, learn and refresh or learn new skills and techniques for the year ahead. I find that it’s in the downtime when I don’t have a ton of creative projects on the docket that I can really dig into ideas and integrate new skills into my design approach and philosophy. So I hope you can join me for one of these special session, and get ready to start 2019 refreshed and inspired!

There are a very limited number of spaces available for these lessons, and a few of them have already been taken by my email subscribers! So if you’re interested in signing up for one, I recommend registering soon. You can register at this link: https://botanique.bigcartel.com/product/january-mini-sessions or send me an email if you have any questions: [email protected]

I can’t wait to meet some of you in January for these special sessions!

Send a message to learn more

12/13/2018

Hi, I’m Kelly, the owner and Creative Director of Botanique.

This photo was taken while I was teaching a workshop earlier this spring. Full Disclosure: I was so nervous about the workshop, that I barely slept the night before. This particular workshop was very close to my heart, and I just had one of those nights where my mind went crazy and I couldn't let it rest.

I "woke up" when it started to get light outside, and figured I better do something to calm my nerves. I went out into the forest and garden at the beautiful property where the workshop was being held (Wildshoot Forest and Farm), and foraged big leaf maple branches, aspen and snowball viburnum. I made a big flower chandelier to hang above the work table where the attendees would soon be gathering. I took a deep breath. I looked at the buckets of flowers I had curated for the workshop. I said, "I can do this!" And then I did it.

It's not always easy to pursue your passions. For me it is almost always HARDEST when I really care about something. I truly love teaching, and I really care about the people who invest their time and energy with me... so I often face a mountain of anxiety as I prepare for a big workshop or lesson, as I care so deeply about my students having a great experience.

But if I can face my fears, you can too. We all can. So here’s to finding the courage to go for it! .

I just sent an email to my subscribers outlining my plans for Botanqiue’s workshops in 2019! I'll be sharing more details here over the coming days, including some special “Mini Sessions” coming in late January, so stay tuned! If you have dreams and goals to learn how to grow and/or arrange flowers this coming year, you can do it! And I’d be honored to support you along the way. .

Photo: Anna Peters