I have a background in art and a love of gardening, so dried floral design naturally appealed to me. I had been making gifts for family and friends for years but it wasn't until my daughter was adopted in November, 1998, that I thought seriously of developing a dried floral design business. My husband and I both agreed I would quit my full-time job at a law firm to be a stay-at-home mom, and suddenly I looked at my old hobby as more of a money-making venture.
In between caring for my 6-month old, I have been busy planting, harvesting and drying flowers from my garden which I turn into unique dried floral designs. Since I have grapes, I've made a number of my grapevine wreath bases, too. One of my goals is to have my designs eventually be 100% created from materials in my garden. I am developing a small catalog and will be participating in local craft fairs this fall and winter. There is a lot of competition with dried floral designers so I decided to focus on creating unique designs using all natural products, instead of adhering to the Victorian or country looks which are very popular. Therefore, my designs have more of an old-world European influence.
Being able to work from home is fantastic. Since my daughter is an infant, it is not easy to create designs when she is awake, so I take her out in the garden with me to pick flowers and devote my creation time to when she is napping. My husband and I have a natural love of the outdoors, so this is a good way for me to pass this value on to our daughter. When she is older, if she wants to help me at craft shows, it will be a special way for us to spend time together. I think any mom who wants to work from home can make it happen, its just a matter of finding your passion! |
