1.27.2015

shop spotlight | fancy free finery

All things floral is one of my love languages {along with bubble baths + brownies}, and Olivia seems to be following in my footsteps, considering her first official word {other than mama + dada} was 'pretty' because of the fresh flowers we always had in our home. At 20 months, she is still drawn to flowers as much as I am, and our week is rarely complete without a trip to Trader Joe's to pick out a bouquet for our kitchen. 

I'm also dreaming in flowers because they are my favorite sign of Spring, something I am very much looking forward to after a long, cold winter. But today's feature is all about flowers you can wear, and the handmade flower crowns from Fancy Free Finery are truly works of art in themselves.


Fancy Free Finery is owned by Katie, who hand makes wool-blend flower felt crowns of all sizes, newborn through child. Her designs are whimsical, playful, feminine and classy. Her color schemes are top notch and her pieces sell out as soon as they are listed, they're that good. Katie sent us a beautiful crown for Olivia to wear around Christmas {below}, and I loved that it wasn't traditional green + red, but rather warm and cozy tones reminiscent of the holidays.


In all her crowns, Katie offers silver, gold or green leaves, or a mix of both. Every single flower is meticulously made by hand and each crown is heirloom quality, but ever so soft, comfortable to wear and durable. There is just something so perfect about seeing your little girl wearing one of Katie's floral crowns. They capture the playful essence of childhood and make special occasions even more memorable, but are just as perfect for everyday wear. Katie recently created a gorgeous custom floral crown for Olivia to wear for her Spring photos, inspired by the dress I just can't get enough of!


Katie shares her story below

"I started my business on a whim, honestly. I had always been a crafty person and even after multiple moves in my early twenties had accumulated quite a massive collection of arts + crafts supplies. Last winter, I got restless and decided to purge my closet sized studio in our current rental. I had a bunch of felt, so I scoured Pinterest looking for ways to use it. I had always wanted to sell something on Etsy, so I listed about 13 crowns, using the cheap acrylic felt from big-box craft stores. They all sold! I used my earnings to buy some good quality wool-blend felt and suddenly what was supposed to be a cleaning purge has turned into piles (and bits) of felt all over our place."
"I make each felt flower by hand in our apartment in Southern NH, about 45 minutes away from Boston. Each mum is hand-rolled, each rose hand-formed, and each carnation and forget-me-not hand-sewn. I am a one woman crew and put a lot of care and thought into each of my designs, in addition to working full-time as a preschool art teacher. I am thrilled to be using my background (and college education) in the Visual Arts as I take on a new adventure, owning a small business."
"The best part of owning a small business throughout my first year has been the connections I have made. The handmade community is amazing! I have found my own little niche over on Instagram and have learned so much about social media, marketing, customer service, and so on from these other female shop owners. Not to mention, I'm inspired daily by their creativity and motivated by their (and my customer's) responses. A community of females supporting each other and supporting handmade feels so amazing. It's a spirit of collaboration, not competition. I feel like I'm a part of something."
"It feels so special to be a part of so many of my customers' little girls' milestones and celebrations. Many of my sales have been custom crowns, one-of-a-kind and designed especially for special events and photo shoots. I work with each customer on their custom crown to match a certain outfit, party theme, or wedding bouquet. Holidays are also super fun to design for! This past year, my felt flower crowns have been a part of birthday parties, weddings, blessing ceremonies, not to mention they are soft and wearable enough to be a part of little everyday moments as well. I have loved being a part of so many fun and fancy-free moments throughout the year!"

what Fancy Free Finery is known for || heirloom quality handmade wool-blend felt flower crowns in various sizes: full {10'' base + 10 flowers} / mini {7.5'' base + 7 flowers} / pixie {6'' base + 5 flowers} ... they are available in newborn through child {pictured in this post are the full crowns}

what sets Fancy Free Finery apart || the quality of each crown, the tiny details within each flower and leaf {Katie hand glitters every leaf, hand rolls every mum, hand forms every rose and hand sews each carnation and forget-me-not}, how comfortable they are to wear and their one-of-a-kind look and style

how to purchase || Katie's next product release is next Monday, February 2 at 5pm EST / All her crowns will be listed in her Etsy shop HERE


Katie has so generously offered to give away a Valentine's themed crown to one lucky Blessed Nest reader! To enter, simply complete the steps below in the Rafflectoper. Giveaway will run from Tuesday, January 27 through Monday, February 2. The winner will be mailed the crown directly and have it in time for Valentine's Day! All entries will be verified and the winner is responsible for contacting A Blessed Nest within 24 hours of being announced or a new winner may be drawn.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

13 comments:

  1. These are absolutely gorgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Her floral crowns ate absolutely stunning! And u like how it went from a hobby to a business

    ReplyDelete
  3. these are so beautiful!! šŸ˜?

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love all the beautiful color combinations!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love how these can be casual or dressy. theyre gorgeous. My best friend is getting married and it would be perfect for reagan to wear!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I absolutely love all of the detail! So intricate and beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I absolutely love fresh flowers, but I won't buy them or let my husband buy them for me because I get pathetically sad every time they die. I always try to dry them... But they never look as pretty. I would love to make a fresh flower crown for my four month old daughter, but my heart just can't handle wilty flowers. :) so... This is PERFECTION! They look real with a touch of funky and they would save me from my freshflowerphobia. So gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love the colors and all of the little details!

    ReplyDelete
  9. They're just so beautiful! I can't resist flowers!

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a lovely giveaway! Perfect match for Spring outfits!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love her attention to detail and can't wait to take my baby Eva's one year photos in one of these crowns this summer!

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love the texture each flower brings to each piece!

    ReplyDelete


Back to Top