The mother-daughter team of Sherry Buckner and Amanda Cleckler began selling their handmade wreaths and florals in 2007 and had so many people ask them for wreath-making advice that they opened the Design With The Pros Club in 2018.
Photo courtesy of Grace Monroe Home
Wreaths harken back to ancient times, when leaves, flowers, and branches were woven together and used as headdresses, mostly to celebrate rituals or to crown victorious warriors, winning athletes, and brides, and also as symbols of power, victory, and authority.
Eventually, wreaths showed up on doors, heralding a fruitful harvest, the winter solstice, or Christmas. In Victorian times black wreaths on a door signified a house in mourning.
Today, wreaths encompass any holiday or event, popular not just on doors, but also to add warmth to inside spaces. And today’s wreaths are more than just greenery. Modern wreaths use burlap, felt, cloth, ribbon, paper, metal, shells, pinecones, coffee filters, dried fruit, and even treasured memorabilia, and come in a variety of shapes, from traditional circles to bunnies, pumpkins, crosses, and more. (See sidebar for a look at today’s floral trends.)
“Wreaths are timeless,” says Danielle Guilbault, a pianist and organist who makes paper wreaths from discarded sheet music and sells them in her Etsy shop, Harmonic Restoration. “They fill (many) spaces because of their varying sizes, and their round shape is iconic. There are unlimited possibilities. Florals, ribbon, paper, and so many other materials can be used, and they can be themed in so many ways.”
“Wreaths add beauty and seasonal charm to your home,” says Amanda Cleckler, who founded Grace Monroe Home, a wreath-making site, with her mother, Sherry Buckner. “They are a great way to give guests a warm welcome, and they are fun to create.”
The women began making and selling wreaths in 2007 and were getting so many questions that in 2018 they started the Design With The Pros Club to teach others not only how to make wreaths, but how to sell them.
Veteran DIYer Jennifer Perkins has designed dozens of wreaths for companies such as Treetopia, HGTV, Creativebug and more. Her wreaths often use unconventional materials designs — such as vintage Halloween masks — and bold and unexpected colors.
Photo courtesy of Jennifer Perkins
Long-time designer and DIY maven Jennifer Perkins, who has made wreaths to embrace everything from Halloween and Valentine’s Day to Pride Week and Breast Cancer Awareness, says wreaths are an easy way to be festive, are less of a commitment than decorating an entire tree, and are easier to store. “You can have a full, luxurious wreath with less stuff than you’d need on a tree,” she says.
“If you can make a circle, you can make a wreath.”
Perkins, who has created wreaths for Treetopia, HGTV, Creativebug, JOANN’s, and other companies, loves that wreaths can be so personal – and unconventional – using vintage Halloween masks, Christmas baubles, doilies and bold colors to make her wreaths truly one-of-a-kind.
Wreaths definitely offer a personalized welcome into a home and show one’s unique aesthetic, agrees Heather Foster, of Simply Mama Craftshop, who started making wreaths when her husband was deployed to Afghanistan. She gave them to family and friends, who encouraged her to sell them. She listened and joined MakerPlace by Michaels in August 2023.
“A wreath is like a smile for your door,” adds Alexis Ozden, of Curious Bloom, who creates felt wreaths and succulents. “They offer endless possibilities for expressing your personality or tying together a decorating scheme. They look great on doors, but also above fireplaces, on the backs of chairs, or as part of a gallery wall.”
Wreath making has, indeed, become a crowded market for makers.
Having a successful shop is challenging, says Foster, especially for “someone who has no social media and has never done this before. It’s a challenge to come up with the appropriate names and tags so people can find your items quickly.”
Pricing is often the biggest challenge.
Melanie Manganiello of Sweet Bella Creationz fell in love with making mesh wreaths until she discovered wreathing boards and began making variations of sunflower wreaths. “I love working with all types of greenery and florals on grapevines.”
“I love coming up with new ways and techniques to make different styles of pumpkin wreaths,” she says.
Photo courtesy of Melanie Manganiello
“The biggest struggle I see among makers is deciding if you are a hobbyist or a business owner,” says Melanie Manganiello of Sweet Bella Creationz, who started selling her wreaths on Facebook before opening an Etsy shop in 2019. “Too many crafters price with their emotions. If you want to be a successful business owner, you must price correctly and keep emotions out of the equation.”
Foster agrees, noting, “One of my biggest mistakes was underpricing my products and not thinking about shipping costs.”
Building brand awareness on social media is also important, says Manganiello. “Find (a platform) you’re good at and build an audience and following there. If selling locally is your goal, Facebook is a good start. If you want to have an online shop, start with a platform that has a customer base already built in, like Etsy, Amazon Handmade, or eBay.”
Like any business venture, do your research and think it through before starting, says Perkins, who has had a long and varied career as a maker, starting with selling handmade vintage jewelry. Then plan ahead. And if you invest in anything, she says, invest in getting good-quality photos of your work.
Wreath entrepreneurs should focus on making their designs stand out, Cleckler advises. “Don’t put so much attention on popular trends and what others are doing that you lose sight of what makes your own designs unique and special. Also, know and understand your target market, develop a strong brand that reflects your style and values, and utilize social media to grow your business.
“Social media can be a game changer,” she adds. “It allows designers to reach more people and showcase their work. It is also a great way to build a community and drive traffic to your website or shop.”
Alexis Ozden of Curious Bloom started her business by making felt hair accessories until a customer asked her to make a felt flower wreath. And she hasn’t looked back. She uses 100% wool felt to create her wreaths and potted succulents. High-quality felt, she says, is incredibly versatile, easy to work with, and comes in dozens of colors.
Photos by Hannah Heggernes
Finding your place in a crowded market “is all about finding your ‘perfect customer,’ and setting your designs apart from others,” says Manganiello, noting that wreath making became her “happy place” after her mother’s death in 2017.
“It’s exciting to see the outpouring of creativity in wreath making today,” she adds. “There are always new techniques popping up or new, unique products emerging. It’s pretty awesome to watch.”
Danielle Guilbault, a full time church pianist, organist and choir director, hated to throw away old music sheets so she started making them into paper florals. As a musician, she says, “It hurts to throw away music that no one wants anymore.”
She opened her Etsy shop, Harmonic Restoration, in 2018 and originally just made wreaths to order. But keeping a stock of made wreaths on hand “has definitely made the business easier.”
Photo courtesy of Danielle Guilbault
Wreaths Follow Color, Design Trends
To find out this year’s wreath and floral trends, we reached out to Pioneer Imports & Wholesale, a 47-year-old family-run business and supplier of artificial plants, silk flowers, baskets, and more.
“One thing that our wreath customers have asked for is more, different greenery,” says Pioneer’s Sarah Botchick. “So we actively source different, unique kinds of greenery, especially cascading greenery so that their wreaths stand out from traditional craft store wreaths.”
Eucalyptus and ficus sprays are popular greenery choices for wreaths, while floral favorites are magnolia, ranunculus, cabbage rose, open roses, and rose buds.
Popular flower colors today range from navy and shades of pink (vintage, soft, ivory, berry smoothie) to shades of peach (peach, peach twist, coral). “Of course, white and cream in a variety of flowers” are always in demand, she notes.
Berries (and not just red ones) and grass are also trendy accessories to tuck in among the foliage.
While some customers are moving away from farmhouse and moss wreaths, they still like willow wreath bases. “These allow for a natural look, but are a little more polished than grapevine,” says Botchick.
For more inspiration, check out Pioneer’s fall collection.
Roberta G. Wax
Contributor
Roberta Wax is an award-winning journalist and imperfect crafter. A former news reporter, her freelance articles and projects have appeared in a variety of newspapers and magazines, from the Los Angeles Times and Emmy magazine to Cloth Paper Scissors, Somerset Studio, Craftideas, Belle Armoire, etc. She has also designed for craft companies. Although she has no art background she was a crafty Girl Scout leader. www.creativeunblock.com
These are so beautiful and inspiring. And great info regarding the line between crafting and small business with concrete helpful suggestions. Thank you!
So glad it’s helpful to you!