The Pressed Garden Two with Flower Press Studio
September 19 - 21, 2025
Black Cat Farm | Boulder, CO
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Welcome Pages 4 - 5
Venue Pages 6 - 7
Materials Pages 8 - 11
Daily Schedules Pages 12 - 15
Inspiration Pages 16 - 17
Notes Pages 18 - 21
Boulder Local Favorites Pages 22 - 23
Our Team Pages 24 - 25
The Warmest Welcome!
We’re so excited to gather with you this fall to explore the Pressed Garden with the wonderfully creative Rachel and Keith of Flower Press Studio. We can’t wait to share cozy, joy-filled days at Black Cat Farm—surrounded by garden treasures and farm life sprinkled with wonder and awe.
Something beautiful happens when we work with our hands. We find a slower pace, feel our feet on the ground, and begin to notice little things we might typically overlook. Pressing flowers and vegetables is simple and magical all at once, inviting us to pay attention, to play, and find meaning in the small and unexpected. This retreat is designed to do just that. To make (imperfect!) things, try something new, and share the experience with a warm, supportive community. Creative energy is contagious!
Inside this Retreat Packet you’ll find everything you need to know to get ready for our time together. We’re here for any questions you have, or special requests, which we’ll always do our best to make happen for you. We have just one ask of you, and that’s to leave the most important thing behind: your expectations. When we show up to an experience with a blank slate and beginner’s mind, without a preconceived idea for how it will be or how we’ll feel, we make space for surprise and perhaps even a bit of magic to unfold.
Every retreat is its own unique experience, bringing together a beautiful mix of returning participants and brand new friends joining our Makerie family. The creative community we build together is one of the most cherished parts of it all, and we already can’t wait to create this with you and our own two hands.
We’re so happy you’re coming.
Ali, Eric & Jill
Venue
Black Cat Farm 9889 N 51st St Longmont, CO 80503
Parking
As you turn onto 51st Street, drive past the farm entrance and you will see the parking area on your left.
Take Home Kit Materials
Materials we’ll provide for you to keep
Handmade Flower Press by Keith & Rachel, 12” x 12”
Flower Pressing Paper
Chipboard for Flower Press
Cardboard
Tweezers (Keith & Rachel’s favorite for collaging)
Small Scissors
Porridge Paper
Watercolor Paper
Splicing Knife
Paintbrushes for Glueing
Flower Sack Towels for Cyanotype
Shared Workshop Materials
Materials we’ll provide to use during the retreat
Pre-Pressed Flowers by Keith & Rachel
Fresh Flowers for pressing from local Artemis Flower Farm
Vegetables for pressing from Black Cat Farm
Cutting Boards
Garden Sheers
Garden Gloves
Cyanotype Solution
Glue
Rulers
Student-Supplied Materials
Optional materials for you to bring
Flowers or herbs from your garden in a jar with water
Pictures of flowers or herbs from your own garden
Friday, September 19th
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM
Welcome Tea
9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
How to Press Beginner & Intermediate Flowers
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Farm-to-Table Lunch
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
How to Press Advanced Flowers + Personal Flowers
Students May Have Brought from Home
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Introduction to Gluing & Design with Pressed Flowers
Saturday, September 20th
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Gentle Movement & Breathing with Caitlin Rose Kenney
9:30 AM - 11:00 AM
How to Change Paper in the Flower Press, Day One
11:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Introduction to How to Press Vegetables from Black Cat’s Gardens
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Farm-to-Table Lunch
1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Creating Pressed Flower Linen Tea Towel Cyanotypes
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Pressed Flower Design Creation Time
4:00 PM - 6:00 PM
Optional Open Studio Time with Instructors 6:30 PM
Black Cat Organic Farm Dinner
Sunday, September 21th
9:00 AM - 9:30 AM
Checking on the Pressed Vegetables
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
How to Change Paper in the Flower Press, Day 2
10:30 AM - 11:15 AM
Black Cat U-Pick Garden Walk
11:15 AM - 12:30 PM
Pressing the U-Pick Flowers from the Garden Walk
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
Farm-to-Table Lunch
1:30 PM - 2:45 PM
Complete your Pressed Flower Designs
2:45 PM - 3:30 PM
Student Sharing, Wrap Up & Farewells
*schedule subject to slight changes
FOR THIS RETREAT AND BEYOND
PODCAST LINK
Notes
Bringing Fresh Flowers Home
If you’d like to bring your own fresh flowers from home to press, please cut them no later than the day before the first day of our retreat. Bring them in a jar or vase with water so they can be pressed as freshly as possible. Do not overfill the jar with water. Just make sure the ends of the stems are drinking the water and not saturating the entire thing. This is completely optional, as we will have plenty of beautiful, fresh flowers for you to choose from.
Traveling Home with Flower Collages, Presses and Tools
You will need to leave room in your bags or suitcases to travel home with the following: (1) your collages sandwiched between 8.5” x 11” cardboard pieces; (2) 12” x 12” x 8” flower press with your flowers and vegetables inside; (3) various small tools including a splicing knife and little scissors that would need to be checked if you are traveling by plane. If you are flying, you will need to check the measurements of your carry-on luggage to make sure it will fit the flower press. Most carry-on luggage are 22” x 14” x 9” so that should work, but please check yours. For your collage, you can either put it in your flower press if you still have room, or carry it in your purse, laptop bag, or a backpack. It just needs to stay rigid (that is the key) wherever you are putting it. So wherever you think you can safely keep an item sized 8.5” x 11”, that is what you should use. The collage will be taped between the cardboard pieces. If you have more than one collage, we will probably add in another piece of cardboard in the middle. Each piece of cardboard is 1/8” thick so make note of that.
Additional Paper Ordering Pre-Retreat
Please order additional pressing paper (it is just regular printer paper sized 8.5” x 11”) before the retreat so you will be able to change out the paper right when you get home following the retreat. The paper changing is key to get the best results. You will have plenty of pressing paper during the retreat.
Online Flower Pressing Course
Rachel and Keith are generously gifting each student their How to Press Flowers Online Course to enhance what you learned during the retreat. After the retreat, a link and password will be emailed to you for access.
Farm Life, Dress and Comfy Shoes, Gates and Doors
What a treat to be on a working farm! Depending on the weather, (which can be very unpredictable in Colorado) we may work and play outside so please plan to bring appropriate clothing for various conditions to keep you cozy and comfortable - warm hats, sun hats, jackets, scarves, fingerless mittens, etc. Wear comfortable shoes for walking around the farm, where there will be uneven surfaces and potential muddy spots. This is definitely a ‘no-heel’ zone. Being on a working farm, please be thoughtful about closing gates and doors you encounter. Thank you in advance.
Cell Phone Usage
We encourage you to use your phones as little as possible during workshop time so you can immerse yourself in the experience and be present to the learning. If you do bring your phone into the workshop place, please put it on silent mode and step out of the room when you need to make a phone call during class time.
Photography Release
We might have a photographer capturing parts of the weekend. Some of these images may appear in print publications, promotional videos, or other marketing purposes. If you opted out of being photographed during the registration process, please make sure to remind us upon arrival so we know not to include you in images or video footage. Thank you!
Social Media Sharing
If you share this experience on instagram, please tag our team at @themakerie, @blackcatboulder, @caitlinrosekenney and @flowerpressstudio_ so we can celebrate what you’re posting.
Local Boulder Favorites
BOUTIQUES
Cedar & Hyde
well-curated modern day mercantile with thoughtfully made women’s apparel and one-of-a-kind decor
Common Threads great women’s clothing consignment
Liberty Puzzles gorgeous locally made wooden puzzles with the most uniquely shaped puzzle pieces
Lula Faye Fiber
loveliest local yarn shop founded by my dear friend
Süti & Co. Scandinavian goods you can’t resist
The New Local beautiful collection of local art made by women and non-binary artists
Two Hands Paperie locally owned paper & creative goods haven
EATS
Avanti
upscale food court; amazing rooftop views Basta
wood-fired goodness; do not miss the campfire ice cream
Bramble & Hare
Black Cat’s sister restaurant; the coziest farm-to-table restaurant with an ever-changing exciting menu
Cozobi contemporary Mexican cuisine deeply rooted in tradition; try the sweet potatoes!
The Kitchen gorgeous seasonal American bistro; garlic fries for the win!
Local Boulder Favorites
COFFEE SHOPS
Boxcar Coffee Roasters
a sunny, energetic vibe with excellent lattes
Creature Comforts
sweetest cafe serving all day coffee, beer, & wine
Süti & Co.
the coziest cafe in town, this Scandinavian-style cafe makes the most beautiful desserts
Trident the very first cafe in Boulder and still going strong, attached to the loveliest small independent bookstore
Check out our Google map with these local Boulder favorite spots!
INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORES
Boulder Bookstore
dreamiest local institution in the heart of downtown; look for an author talk while you’re in town
Trident Booksellers
book lovers haven with new and used books emphasizing art, culture, poetry and spirituality
HIKES
Anemone
newly redone, this mildly challenging 3.4 mile loop takes you into the foothills
Bobolink
lovely, flat 2.4 mile out & back trail along a creek in east Boulder
Boulder Valley Ranch just north of Boulder, this 4 mile flat loop has majestic views
We very much look forward to sharing this special creative experience with you.
