Flirty Fleurs

10/08/2026

October = annual visit to Eddie Gordon

An absolute visual treat with the incredible selection of pumpkins and gourds. A sign shared they grow over 150 varieties at the farm! Add in dried flowers, farm supplies, trees dropping their colorful fall leaves. 🍂
It’s a beautiful place to visit, and buy lots of pumpkins! Thank you to everyone at Eddie Gordon for working so hard to create such a special place.

Followed by a delicious lunch at COA MEXICAN EATERY in La Conner.

A fall visit to Skagit Valley is highly recommended 💕💕

10/07/2026

Minding my own business admiring the dahlias and Ella plans a sneak attack for a blackberry snack.

09/29/2026

Join me in Italy: A Springtime Floral Retreat Awaits!

Looking for something truly special to treat yourself to? I invite you to join me April 25-29, 2027 for a floral retreat in the heart of the Italian countryside… and yes, it’s every bit as splendid as it sounds! ✨

We’ll stay in the village of Città della Pieve, where we’ll enjoy floral design lessons, roll up our sleeves for a pasta-making class, sip Prosecco, savor delicious meals, and stroll the cobbled streets of this charming town.

One of the highlights will be a day at the lovely farm. We’ll tour the gardens filled with hundreds of flower varieties, design with freshly cut blooms, and pause for a relaxed farm-style lunch overlooking the rolling hills of Tuscany.

This retreat is open to everyone — whether you’re brand-new to flowers or already experienced, you’ll find joy, inspiration, and creativity waiting for you in Tuscany.

Additional information on this retreat can be found on either of my websites - www.flirtyfleurs.com or www.fleurscreative.com and, of course, my retreat host’s website: www.stradatoscana.com
Feel free to leave me a note if you’d like me to send you a DM (direct message) with the information.

I can’t wait to share this unforgettable experience with you!

Follow 𝙵𝚕𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚢 𝙵𝚕𝚎𝚞𝚛𝚜 | 𝙰𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚒𝚊 𝚂𝚌𝚑𝚠𝚎𝚍𝚎 here on instagram for more details about this and all floral-filled adventures.

09/23/2026

Wonderful to see the florist receive recognition for their design work.

Now you can recreate the lush, romantic look of your favorite movie’s florals! ⬇️

09/22/2026

The response to my post about my annual spring floral retreat in Italy has been lovely, thank you to all of you who have inquired.

These days so many people use auto-responders to reply to inquiries on posts, I’m sure you’ve seen them - “type info and we’ll send you the links” and it is all automated. Not over here, it really is me, Alicia, responding to each and every inquiry. I like to take a moment and check profiles, see where people live, if flowers are shown on the grid. Then I send a reply to the inquiry. (PS- I have replied to all so check your private DMs if you haven’t seen my reply). Anyway, in these days of quick and automatic everything, it feels even more important to me to take some time, read, connect - Isn’t that what the original point of social media was? So here I am saying - Hi!

In regards to the retreat, yes, there are a few spots still available. I did have one person ask how quickly it fills up and I shared that usually by mid-October it is full. What I’ve seen over the past few years is that people need time to look at schedules, decide on adding on more travel time before/after the retreat, check which airlines offer the best flight options, etc.

Personally, I think adding on at least a few extra days to explore Rome, Florence, etc., is all a good idea. If you travel over to Italy, why not have a little more time for exploring. Oh, and some people have added on traveling to other countries beforehand. April is prime tulip time in Holland .. just sayin’!

Have questions about the retreat? Let me know - DMs are fine or for longer questions send me an email at [email protected]

Ciao! Alicia

Retreat Dates: April 25-29, 2027

Photos in this post are from Retreat 2025 😊

09/18/2026

So wonderful to have Explore Flower Tours by Faith Flowers visit us here in Snohomish, Washington. Of course, so great to see my friend Laura who leads these flower tours.

We started our day visiting Beth and Carol at Flower Farmer Girls - Beth and Carol where the attendees got to walk the flower farm, see the pumpkin field, and apple orchard. Plus, cut dahlias for the arrangements they would be designing.
Next we enjoyed a great lunch at Cabbage Patch
After lunch, the ladies came to my Fleurs Creative Studio | Snohomish WA studio where we designed “long & low” arrangements.
After class a few of the ladies even had time to do some shopping on First Street.
Wonderful to see you, Laura! I hope your group truly had the best trip to the Pacific Northwest 💕

09/17/2026

🌸Q&A: Floral Designer Retreat in Italy 🌸

“Can beginners attend this retreat?”

The simple answer: Absolutely! No previous experience is needed. Some attendees are seasoned floral designers, while others join because they love flowers and want to try something new and creative. Sometimes, two friends will come together, one with floral experience and the other just along for the adventure, and both have an awesome time.

This retreat is about creativity, exploration, and enjoying yourself. Whether you’ve been designing with flowers for years or you’ve never arranged a single stem, you’ll be warmly welcomed and guided every step of the way. Floral designers who have been in business for a few years tell me they love coming to the retreat as a chance to recharge, get inspired, and prepare for the busy wedding season ahead.

Come curious, come creative, and come ready for a memorable Italian experience!

For more information, send me a DM (direct message) here on instagram, or visit either of my websites www.flirtyfleurs.com - the floral blog or www.fleurscreative.com - my website where my class schedule is located.
Also, all details and registration can be found on our host’s website- www.stradatoscana.com under retreats
✈️🇮🇹💕

Photograph by Sara ✦ creative direction of 2026 retreat 🥰

09/16/2026

What if the next floral workshop you attend is in Italy?

I love teaching floral design at my studio in Washington state, but there is something pretty special about stepping away from here and traveling to Italy to teach. It’s a time to be fully immersed in our creative pursuits, to design, relax and enjoy a flower-filled time with others.

This retreat is a chance to spend time designing, learning and exploring in the Tuscan countryside, surrounded by beautiful seasonal flowers, sharing meals with new friends, learning a little Italian cooking, and, of course, having plenty of time to simply enjoy being in Italy.

The floral design portion of the workshop is hands-on and designed to give you plenty of time to create, experiment and learn my approach to floral design. No matter where you are in your floral journey, there will be something to take home with you, both creatively and practically. All levels of flower enthusiasts have attended previous retreats, from the novice to the experienced designer.

And then there’s everything around the flowers: a pasta-making lesson, a farm lunch, Prosecco, chef-prepared meals, shopping in the village, and time to simply enjoy being in Italy.

If Italy and flowers have been on your wish list, perhaps this is the year to make it happen.
I’d love to have you join me.
April 25–29, 2027

Learn more and reserve your spot, details here:
https://stradatoscana.com/retreats/alicia_schwede/

I hope to see you in Città della Pieve!
Ciao,
Alicia

Photos from 2026 Retreat 💕🇮🇹

09/14/2026

Every September, I look forward to announcing the dates for my spring floral retreat in Italy. And here we are, planning the 6th annual “Fiori della Toscana”!

Join me April 25–29, 2027, in the medieval hilltop town of Città della Pieve, Italy, for a special floral retreat filled with flowers, creativity, food, and new friends.

Maybe you’ve seen the photographs from previous years. Yes, it is as dreamy as it looks. Want to know more?

You’ll be picked up in Rome and whisked away to the rolling hills of Umbria, where you’ll find yourself surrounded by the peaceful, scenic countryside. We stay at a darling boutique hotel, walk the cobblestone streets of the town, get creative in the art studio, dine on the most amazing Italian cuisine, and, most importantly, have the chance to design with beautiful flowers. Come connect with fellow flower lovers and explore your creative side in this inspiring environment.

From hands-on floral design sessions to authentic pasta-making, village strolls, and a visit to the renowned Puscina Flower Farm, this retreat is the perfect balance of relaxation and creativity.

Ready to embrace la dolce vita (the sweet life)?
https://stradatoscana.com/retreats/alicia_schwede/

09/13/2026

I’m still trying to find the right words to describe Snohomish in Bloom. September 12, 2026.

My heart is full. My mind and body are a little tired. And every single bit of this event exceeded my wildest dreams.

For months, we talked about what this could be. We imagined flowers filling the streets, people coming downtown to celebrate them, flower farmers sharing their beautiful blooms, designers creating something unexpected, and a community coming together around flowers.

And then it actually happened.

One of the messages I received afterward from 𝐒𝐧𝐨𝐡𝐨 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 | ᴛʜᴇ ᴏɴʟʏ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ᴛᴏ ɢᴏ ꜰᴏʀ ᴀʟʟ ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ꜱɴᴏʜᴏ! really hit it home. He referenced Field of Dreams and said, “If you dream it, they will come.”

We dreamed it. And you came.

You came to see the installations, shop the Botanical Market, take classes, learn about flowers, talk to flower farmers, enter your dahlias in the dahlia show, and simply enjoy a beautiful day in downtown Snohomish.

There are so many people to thank. Our volunteers who gave their time and energy. The flower farmers who brought thousands of beautiful local blooms. The floral designers who turned those flowers into incredible works of art. Our sponsors, local businesses, market vendors, class instructors, the City of Snohomish, the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, and everyone who helped behind the scenes. Thank you to my husband who is always along for the job, and my mom and Lyn for helping with the dahlia show, love you guys!

And most of all, thank you to everyone who came. Thank you for believing in the dream and showing up for it.

Right now I’m sharing a few photos I took of the event. I can’t wait to see and share the professional photographs taken by Jon Kaplan

brought to you by a board of 5 local business women. Beth of Flower Farmer Girls - Beth and Carol , Mandy of snohomish_valley_floral , Rebecca of Snohomish Wedding & Event Venue , and Quynh of Quynh Nguyen , and myself, Alicia of & .Creative