Wild Beauty, Quiet Strength: Meet Felicity from Everlasting Floral Studio
A maker who listens to nature
For Edition Two of The Farmer’s Table, we’re honoured to introduce our upcoming floral collaborator: Felicity Pasztaleniec from Everlasting Floral Studio. A botanical artist whose practice is deeply rooted in emotion, land, and intention, Felicity creates with a quiet strength and wild beauty that mirrors the Australian landscape. Her pieces don’t just decorate—they hold space. For grief. For memory. For stillness. For meaning.
In the lead-up to our long table gathering, we sat down with Felicity to learn more about the story behind Everlasting Floral Studio, and the slow, soulful process that brings her botanical works to life.
Q: Can you share the story behind Everlasting Floral Studio—where did it all begin, and what called you to work with botanicals that hold their form beyond the fleeting?
A: Everlasting Floral Studio began to take shape in 2020, after the heartbreaking loss of our daughter Eve, who was stillborn. In a time of deep grief where my world stood still, I found myself returning to what had always made my heart sing—nature, flowers, creating with my hands. The roots of Everlasting Floral Studio stretch back to my childhood in Tassie, where my love for the outdoors and plants was nurtured. With a background in horticulture and environmental science, this path has always been close to my heart. But it was through grief and love, it became something deeper, a space to honour life and loss. I continue to honour Eve through growing and drying Everlasting daisies, where I feel her spirit woven into every piece I create. Creating with dried natives brings a sense of timelessness, an everlasting beauty. They hold their shape, their story, long after they’re picked.
Q:Your work feels as though it’s whispering something quiet but deeply considered. Where do you find inspiration—and how do you know when a piece is “right”?
A: It all comes from the heart. Each piece I sit down and make carries a very special meaning and intention. People have asked if I’ve studied floristry, and the answer is no. What I do isn’t traditional floristry. Its botanical art. Its story telling with dried flowers and foliage. I know when a piece feels “right” when it makes me pause, breather a little deeper and feel the heart telling me.
Q: We often speak of ‘place’ here at Dunmore. How does your environment—natural, emotional, or architectural—influence what you create?
A: Place means everything to me. Living on the land, surrounded by space, nature, stillness and quietness. This is what guides me. How fortunate we are to live where with live. When I’m out walking, this is my “me”time and its when I find the creative juices flow….its when I have the time to look, notice, smell, hear the little things and ideas just start to flow. There’s emotion in what I create too—grief, joy, love, memory—all those special things find their way into my work.
Q:There’s a restrained elegance in your compositions—an understanding of space as much as bloom. How do you balance minimalism with the wild, organic nature of your materials?
A: I let the materials lead. Our native flora has its own rhythm and beauty so I work simply, giving each stem space to speak. I love highlighting these quiet details in my work. A weeping tea tree branch, for example, is so beautiful, but you need to pause, really see it. The bark, the texture, the soft shifts in colour… it all tells a story if you take the time to notice. Even a banksia seed pod that is rough, weathered, full of character holds its own kind of magic when you take the time to notice.
Q:What does ‘slowness’ mean to you as a maker—and how do you hold space for it in a world that moves quickly?
A: Gosh, the pace of life moves quickly….if we let it. For me, slowness is about choosing to move through life with intention, not rushing, not pushing, but allowing. It’s easy to get caught up in the busyness, we live in a society that’s always on the go , but I’ve learned to notice when life feels too full and step back. 2020 was a turning point. A year of deep inner healing—emotional, spiritual—a real coming home to myself. Before that, life felt like I was on autopilot, busy but not really present. Now, I hold space for slowness in the small, simple things, planting seeds, picking flowers with Olivia (our 31/2 nature loving toddler) morning walks. Slowness is where meaning lives for me. It’s where I can hear my own heart. This I where the magic happens.
Q: Your arrangements feel timeless, yet they hold a very contemporary aesthetic. How do you navigate trends while staying anchored in your own creative identity?
A: I do stay true to what feels honest and real to me. Nature doesn’t follow trends, and that’s my guide. I draw from what’s around me in the moment and season so the work stays grounded and timeless. I’m lucky to live on a 40-acre farm filled with beautiful natives, which inspire and shape so much of what I create.
Q: We love the quiet intimacy of handmade things. What do you hope someone feels when they live with one of your pieces in their space?
A: I hope they feel a sense of calm and connection, a little moment of nature’s quiet beauty right in their home. Something honest and gentle that invites them to slow down, breathe, and just be present.
Q: What has been one of your most meaningful creative moments—an installation, collaboration, or pause—that changed the way you see your work?
A: One of my most meaningful creative moments would have to be the exhibition I had at the Benalla Art Gallery earlier this year. It was the first time I truly stepped out into the public eye, where I allowed myself to believe that my work was unique enough, worthy enough, to be shared. That experience shifted something in me. It gave me the courage to trust in my creativeness and the stories my work holds.
Q: How do you nurture your creativity over time—especially through quieter seasons or when inspiration feels distant?
A: I think it’s just that—creativity needs nurturing, not forcing. It’s a bit like growing a plant from seed. The right conditions are needed for it to germinate—space, stillness, care. Creativity isn’t just about making with your hands, it’s also about giving your mind and spirit room to breathe. For me, it’s the slowing down, the being outside in nature, that stirs something deep. That’s where the seed begins to grow—and then, I let my hands do the talking.
Q: What’s stirring on the horizon for Everlasting Studio? Anything you’re dreaming into being that you’re ready to share?
A: There are a few dreams stirring. I’m working towards attending more markets and offering more workshops small, intimate gatherings where people can connect with nature, flowers, and themselves. I’m also dreaming up a book: Wild Everlastings—a celebration of creating with dried Australian natives. And as I near completion of Masters in Counselling with Monash Uni, I’m beginning to weave in elements of nature-based therapy, bringing together healing, creativity, and the natural world. And perhaps most beautifully, I’m moving through all of this while being a mum to Olivia. Nothing rushed at the moment just letting it all unfold in its own time.
Felicity’s work invites us to pause, notice, and connect—with nature, with story, and with one another. We can’t wait to see her vision come to life at our next long table gathering.
Join us for Edition Two of The Farmer’s Table and experience the beauty firsthand.