Annie & Olive Studio: The Art of What We Keep

A bouquet begins to fade the moment it leaves the vase. A feeling can slip away before we find the words for it. Annie Lukens built ‘Annie & Olive Studio’ around the things we wish we could hold onto a little longer. Through pressed flowers, poetry, and intentional living, she gives meaningful moments a place to live beyond the moment itself.

Preserving What Matters

At the heart of Annie & Olive Studio is flower preservation. Annie transforms meaningful flowers into one-of-a-kind pressed floral artwork and keepsakes. Wedding bouquets, memorial flowers, and blooms marking life's milestones are preserved and transformed into family heirlooms meant to last for generations.

What sets Annie's work apart is her approach to preservation. Rather than relying on a single drying method, she uses multiple techniques within her pieces, allowing her to preserve different flowers in the way best suited to them. The result is a mixed-texture style that combines the delicate beauty of pressed botanicals with dimension and depth, while staying true to the character of the original flowers.

"Flowers are with us for some of life's most joyful moments and some of its most difficult ones," she says. "My work gives people a way to preserve those flowers and turn the memories they represent into lasting heirlooms."

Whether preserving a wedding bouquet, flowers from a meaningful celebration, or blooms honoring someone loved, Annie approaches each commission as both an original work of art and a family heirloom in the making.

CREATE : Preservation You Can Do Yourself

Annie also believes creativity should be shared, not guarded. For those who would rather preserve their own flowers, she offers DIY flower preservation guides and one-on-one consultations. These resources walk people through pressing and preserving their own bouquets with confidence.

"Not everyone wants to send their bouquet to an artist, and I don't believe the knowledge should be gatekept," she explains. "If someone wants to preserve their own flowers, I want to help them learn how to do it."

That openness reflects the spirit of the whole brand. Whether Annie presses your flowers or teaches you to do it yourself, the goal remains the same: honor the moment and make it last.

REFLECT • Poetry & the Stories Between the Lines

‘The Poetry Post’ : Poetry That Arrives in the Mail

Poetry is another branch of Annie & Olive Studio. A lifelong writer who received a scholarship for creative writing, Annie writes original work exploring love, loss, healing, growth, and the process of becoming. Wanting to bring poetry back into the physical world, she created ‘The Poetry Post’, a snail-mail subscription designed to be held rather than scrolled past.

Each mailing includes an original poem, the real-life story behind it, and a print of Annie's pressed-flower artwork, along with stickers and other small touches.

"There is something different about finding meaningful words and art in your mailbox instead of on your screen," Annie says. "The Poetry Post turns poetry into an experience: read the poem, discover the story ‘Between the Lines’, and keep a little piece of art from it."

Annie also brings that love of language to custom poetry, creating original pieces entirely from someone else's story.

"Not everyone is skilled with words, and they do not have to be," she says. "Tell me who you love, what you have lived, what you have lost, or what you are trying to say. Let me find the words and turn what you are feeling into a poem that is completely your own."

‘Between the Lines’: AJL Poetry on Substack

For poetry enthusiasts who prefer a digital experience, Annie shares her work through AJL Poetry on Substack, where her published poems are free to read. Those curious about the stories behind the words can go a step further with ‘Between the Lines’, where Annie shares the real experiences that inspired them.

“My poems tell you what I felt. Between the Lines tells you why I felt it,” Annie says.

Flowers and poetry are different mediums, but Annie uses both for the same artistic purpose: turning meaningful moments, feelings, and stories into something that can be kept, revisited, and passed down through generations.

BLOOM: Intentional Living: Choosing What Comes Next

A newer branch of the studio is beginning to bloom alongside the flowers and poetry: mindset and intentional living. Annie is currently piloting The 3-Minute Daily Intention Journal, a simple practice centered on intention, energy, gratitude, and self-reflection. For a limited time, those interested can receive a pilot copy for just $1 in exchange for feedback that will help shape the final journal.

Designed to take just a few minutes each day, the journal creates space to pause, reflect, and intentionally decide how you want to show up.

This side of the brand shares the same roots as everything else. A preserved bouquet honors where you have been. A poem gives language to what you have experienced. An intention helps you decide where you are going next.

CREATE • REFLECT • BLOOM.

Everything Annie builds flows from one philosophy: CREATE • REFLECT • BLOOM.

"It's more than a tagline for the studio," Annie says. "It's the thread that connects everything I create."

Create something meaningful from the moments and stories of your life. Reflect on what they meant, what they taught you, and what is worth carrying forward. Then bloom by making space for what comes next.

For Annie, creativity isn't limited to galleries or books. It can live in the flowers from your wedding day, a poem that puts words to something you couldn't quite explain, or a few intentional minutes at the beginning of your day. Annie & Olive Studio is about honoring those moments, creating something meaningful from them, and always leaving a little room for whimsy along the way.

The “Olive” in ‘Annie & Olive’

You can't tell the story of Annie & Olive Studio without talking about Olive. Annie's ten-year-old miniature schnauzer has had a front-row seat to all of it. She was there as Annie's first garden became a business in a single season, beside her through every story that eventually found its way into poetry, and her constant companion as Annie learned to live a more intentional life - something that did not come naturally.

Olive's place in the studio goes far beyond being its namesake. She has been Annie's constant through nearly every chapter and transition, and the reason that building something on her own has never truly felt like doing it alone.

"No matter what I'm creating or working on, Olive is still my favorite part of every day," Annie says.

Her official role, Olive | Chief Barketing Officer.

Explore More About Annie & Olive Studio

Annie & Olive Studio is about creating something meaningful from the moments, stories, and experiences that shape us. Whether preserved in flowers, expressed through poetry, or carried forward with intention, Annie's work is an invitation to notice what matters, honor where you've been, and make a little room for what comes next.

Connect with Annie & Olive Studio, Etsy,  Instagram, and AJL Poetry on Substack.