Autumn Wreaths on Etsy

I have been working hard on getting my autumn wreaths listed in my Etsy shop.

The Gathering Season Wreath

Pumpkin Spice Wreath

Autumn Sunset Wreath

There are a lot of steps involved in listing an item.

• The whole process starts when I shop for the materials for my wreath. Sometimes I go into the store with an idea already in my head and other times I pick up a flower and the idea for a wreath is there! I usually spend about an hour in the store perfecting my purchase, and I usually only buy the materials that I need for that particular wreath without buying any extra flowers.

• Then I make the wreaths, which can take at least a couple of hours arranging, perfecting, gluing and making sure it looks exactly how I want it to look. This is when I put a girly movie on and get to work!

• Then come the product photos - my house is way too dark to take the pictures inside, so I go outside. I have to take the pictures in the morning because I get the best light during that time. It also helps that I have a super-duper awesome camera at my disposal.

• I perfect my product photos in Photoshop - cropping, enhancing and tweaking the colors a bit.

• I also write out each description and add up the cost of the wreath.

• Finally I can list it on Etsy and hope that it finds a good home.

It can be a long drawn out process which is why I am shocked that I have been able to get all of these autumn wreaths listed in this amount of time!

Awesome Feedback

I love getting feedback from my customers! I guess everyone does. It always gives me "the warm and fuzzies" to hear how happy they are when they receive their orders - I always save those emails that I get! I love to hear about how they opened the box and gasped because they loved the wreath so much, or to hear that the wreath matches the colors in their home so well! I just received a very sweet email from my latest customer and I just wanted to share my excitement with you!

I hope that you all have a wonderful and safe Independence Day!

I know that I will be taking lots of pictures to share with you!

Brand New Awesomeness

I have a brand new wreath in my shop and I can't get over how cute it is!

Maybe it's just me, but I love the colors in this one - it seems like they just pop! "Floral Circus" is another mini wreath which will fit nicely in a smaller space where some of my larger wreaths would not. The wreath measures 17 inches tall, 17 inches wide and 6 inches deep, so it is not really "mini", I just like the way that sounds!

It has the perfect summer time colors and can actually be displayed through fall since it features mostly oranges!

Land of the Free Wreath

Check out the newest addition to my Etsy shop! Introducing "Land of the Free Wreath"...

The Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays! I love that it is in the summertime so that includes barbecues, beaches and fireworks - is there anything better! I also absolutely love the decorations! The red, white and blue splashed everywhere, the flags flying, and remembering why we are free, and those that sacrificed for our freedom makes me proud to live in this country!

I can't wait for Fourth of July!

This was my Grandma's favorite holiday as well. I remember when we were little, we would always spend the Fourth of July weekend at her house. My uncle would barbecue, and Grandma didn't mess around when it came to decorating. There would be huge tents set up behind her house with plenty of tables and chairs for the whole family and then some. She would decorate the tables with patriotic tablecloths complete with matching citronella candles (to keep the mosquitoes away), the dishes and tableware matched as well. And there were always too many flags to count! One of the adults would take us to the fireworks stand where the boys would go crazy and buy all kinds of fireworks. Once we got back to Grandma's house, they couldn't wait to set them off - and they would usually get yelled at for trying to fire at the dog or getting to close to the house! After dark, we would head over to the beach and watch our uncles set off the "special" fireworks. I have so many great memories of the Fourth of July that is probably why it is one of my favorites!

This year we have plans to go to my parents house where my Mom's side of the family will be joining us! I am very excited and I am sure there will be plenty of pictures taken to share with you!

New Mini Wreath

I finally went out and took some pictures of the new Mini wreath - Lime Sherbet which can be found in my Etsy shop! Isn't it so cute! The dimensions of the wreath are 16inches x 16inches x 5inches, so it is not itty-bitty, but compared to some of the gigantic wreaths in my collection it is pretty small.

Even Nature Thinks They're Real

My wreaths are so realistic that even nature thinks they are real flowers! I was trying to re-take some pictures of one of my wreaths and this wasp landed right on the wreath. I hate bees and wasps and I have been stung a couple of times before - not fun! I wanted to get the thing off so I could finish taking the pictures. I was not going to swat at it because I knew that would just make it mad. I kind of shook the wreath and it flew at me and then landed on the wreath again! My dog was on the other side of the fence and she had just realized that I was outside at this point. She started freaking out, digging and barking because I was freaking out. I shook the wreath again. The wasp flew right at me and I ran, but luckily it just decided to fly off without stinging me - whew! After that I backed into the grapevines behind me and thought that something was stinging me and freaked out again! Hopefully my neighbors weren't outside watching this fiasco. It turns out the pictures didn't even come out that great. It is too bright right now, so I will probably wait a while before I try that again!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone!

New Line of Wreaths

I am in the process of designing a new line of wreaths - mini wreaths. Okay so they are not that mini, but compared to some of my giants, they are pretty small. I already have one finished and I had planned on posting some pictures of it here on my blog, but the weather today is not cooperating with me. It is overcast and drizzly and it does not look like it will let up anytime soon! I am not complaining though because we have desperately needed rain for a long time, and even though it is not a complete downpour, any little bit helps! I hope to have pictures of my "Mini" this weekend or next week. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

A Taste of the Tropics

There is a new wreath in my shop - A Taste of the Tropics.

This is the first tropical wreath I have ever made and I am so happy with the way it turned out.

We live probably 30-45 minutes from the coast and I love the beach! When I was younger, we would stay at my grandma's house over the weekend. She lived right on the coast and a few years ago she even bought a beach house. The kind up on stilts that was so close to the water that it even had it's own dock. She had a way with decorating. She was one of my biggest inspirations. I am sure she drew her style from some of the places she had lived - Hawaii, Florida, California, Aruba, Venezuela. Her style was tropical and eclectic with so many bright colors; she was a lady not afraid of color!

I love the island style and decor; the relaxing sense like you're on a never-ending vacation. There are some gorgeous houses built along the coast and I can just picture my wreath on one of their front doors.

Another Custom Design

One of my co-workers saw the "Watermelon Delight" wreath that I had made and she fell in love with it. She wanted a pink and yellow spring wreath to display on her front door. So I told her that I could make the same kind of style as the other wreath and just substitute the green flowers for yellow ones.

I brought the wreath up to work yesterday, and she was blown away! She has probably ordered about five wreaths from me before, but she always gets so excited about each one. It always makes me feel so ecstatic!

What's In a Name

Usually after I finish a wreath, I come up with a clever name for it. The names describe the wreaths and give them a sort of personality or individuality. Sometimes the names just pop into my head, but other times I really have to think of one. This time I was trying to think of a name for a completely different wreath and this name popped into my head - You Had Me At Yellow. This was the first time that I had actually come up with a name for a wreath that hadn't even been created yet. I knew that I had to make a yellow, cute springtime wreath to fit this clever name. Here is what I created; an oval shaped wreath filled with bright yellows and accented with cool blues.

I'm International

I'm officially international! I made my first international sale last week (I sold a wreath to a customer in Ireland!) and I am super excited about it. If someone would have told me last year that I would be shipping my wreaths to a different country, I would have thought they were crazy.

I was sort of intimidated by the whole idea of selling and shipping internationally; unsure of what the cost would be and what customs forms needed to be filled out. Tuesday morning I took the package to the Post Office and was able to find the correct forms to fill out. I parked myself in the corner and began filling in all the specific details in the customs form. I finished the forms and made my way to the long line. It always seems like no matter what part of the day it is, there is always a long line at the Post Office. When I finally got to the desk, the clerk took the package, stamped it a couple of times, weighed it, asked if I wanted insurance (uh, yeah!) and that was it! I don't know what I was expecting, but I never thought it would be that easy!

It is just a shame that my wreaths have to be packaged in big boxes which drives the price of shipping up, especially shipping outside of the US. It ended up costing $50 to send it. But if customers are willing to pay for shipping costs, I am happy to ship wherever!

Pocketful of Posies

It's official I have spring FEVER! Here is my latest wreath. This one was created for a co-worker. She told me that she wanted something pink and yellow and "springy" for her Mom. I saw this cute wooden bird welcome sign in the store and built the wreath around it! I am very happy with the way this one turned out. Now I just need to get some spring wreaths made up to have in my Etsy shop!

Faith, Hope and Love

Here are the cross arrangements and the wreath that I was talking about in a previous post. They are the ones that I am donating to CuteframesbyK's project - for the Hospice patients and families. I decided to do a set of cross arrangements - the "Faith, Hope and Love crosses".

The "Faith Cross" combines the black metal cross with bright red roses and rich greenery and it spans 21 inches tall, 15 inches wide and 3 inches deep. Out of the three crosses to me this one appears strong and bold so I decided that it should be the "Faith Cross". The simple definition of faith is believing without proof, and you have to be strong to believe without having proof.

This is the "Hope Cross". The delicate white flowers are entwined around the brown metal cross. This arrangement measures 19 inches tall, 15 inches wide and 4 inches deep. The colors of this wreath are so peaceful and I thought that this seemed like the perfect cross for Hope. Hope is defined as the desire and search for a future good; it is difficult but not impossible to attain with God's help.

And finally the "Love Cross". A single pink peony and various pink berries lay across a brown metal cross. This arrangement measures 20 inches tall, 12 inches wide and 4 inches deep. Aside from the colors of this arrangement being pink, I decided that this should be the Love cross because the shape of the cross at each end looks to me like a heart. The heart is a recognizable symbol of love. God tells us that we are supposed to love one another.

I have also made the "Faith in God" wreath. I saw this sign at the craft store and knew that it would be perfect for the middle of the wreath. The sign reads "Great strength comes from faith in God". I also wanted the colors of the wreath to be very bright and cheerful. I am very pleased with the way it turned out.

For a Good Cause

I received a message from CuteframesbyK (a fellow Etsian) the other day. She has a wonderful project that she is working on where she is sending bereavement baskets and prayer blankets to patients and family members of patients in Hospice care. She contacted me and asked if I would be willing to donate some of my wreaths or arrangements.

Of course I said yes, not only is this a noble cause, but it is something that is very close to my heart. My Grandma was diagnosed with ovarian cancer June 2007 and she passed away May 2008. She had bought an Easter wreath from me the beginning of 2008 and she hung it up right above her TV so she could stare at it all day. She said that it was so cheerful! My Grandma also had hospice workers care for her the last week she was alive and they were absolutely wonderful!

CuteframesbyK thank you so much for including me in your very special project. I feel very honored and I am glad that I can contribute something to brighten someone else's day!

You can read more about the project here on her blog:

http://creativeladies.blogspot.com/

I will post the wreaths and arrangements on my blog after I get them made up!

Love Is In The Air

Great news! My boss is letting me display a wreath up at work in the waiting area in hopes that one of the customers or other employees might buy it! He loves the wreaths and thinks that they are just gorgeous! At Christmas time, he bought one to give away as a raffle prize at our employee Christmas meeting.

So I have had this wreath up there since the beginning of the week. I was hopeful that it would sell, but I didn't know if people would realize that it was for sale. Well, just this morning one of the customers loved it so much that she decided to buy it! I am so excited! It is one of my favorite Valentine's Day wreaths.

Looking Back

Okay so today I'm just not feeling motivated at all to start any new wreaths! So, I have decided to just list a few of my favorites here for your viewing pleasure! In no particular order...

Fall Fiesta Wreath

A Heartfelt Welcome Wreath

A Summer in Tuscany Wreath

One Nation, Under God

Yuletide Treasure Wreath