Wreaths by Kelly

I work for Senior Services for local government near where I live. Actually, to be more clear, I'm a second generation county employee who has worked for county government since graduation from a local university, in the same area where I was born and raised. I don't bring this up as something to toot my own horn. Instead, my current job is why I started creating crafts to sell to begin with.

You see, by working in Senior Services, you meet all types of people who have talents that range from singing to crafting. From the person who was a concert pianist back in the day, to the one who now sits and catches up on the latest talk while knitting or crocheting; these individuals all have pasts and histories that are so fascinating. Take the chance to stop and talk to someone and you learn that history is alive and well. Our Senior Center is a collective group of inspired individuals and a day in the office can mean walking by classes of painting, knitting and crafting and it's impossible to not feel that energy and be motivated to create something of your own. Also, it must be noted, that our Senior Services has its own nonprofit agency which helps to manage the donations that are given for the senior population in our county. Our local United Way gives a grant to help us to help the seniors in our area with financial needs, and then monies raised during our annual lasagna dinner go towards helping with incontinence and nutritional needs. This is the true reason why I took off making wreaths to sell and to give as gifts.

Each year in the Spring our nonprofit holds a lasagna dinner and auction. I had been making bows for our baskets that we would auction off and someone suggested I tried making a wreath. I did so for a family member and the result was seen by coworkers who immediately said I needed to make a wreath for our annual event. The wreath would be auctioned off with proceeds going directly towards our seniors in need in our area. Just so we are 100% clear, it is completely normal for an employee in my department to volunteer to make something for our event, or to buy something to donate to the event. It happens every year, so many of the proceeds that are raised are as a direct result of donations by fellow employees who believe in the cause of helping seniors in our area so much, that we are willing to put our own money and time and effort into the annual event. These are the types of individuals who make up many local Senior Centers and Senior Services and they deserve the acknowledgement that it takes more than just a degree or knowledge of the senior population: it is truly a work of heart.

So, I made my wreath. Of course, I didn’t think to take a picture of the beauty, but the wreaths in my picture posted are of similar make and colors. This one was a dragonfly wreath. It had one larger dragonfly with dragonfly lights and the color scheme was springtime pale colors of yellow, blue, purple, and light green. Each mesh roll was cut in a square and then rolled tightly. Then each set of 4 rolls were attached to the wreath form with a bottle cleaner that also had to be cut. It was during these processes that I learned the art of not using the same scissors you would cut paper, and most definitely not the bottle cleaners, to cut the mesh. The sharper the scissors, the better the cut through the mesh, which was a plus once I figured out how many of those squares were needed to be cut for the wreath. When I brought the wreath in, I had a coworker immediately making plans to have a family member bid on it for her to win.

The wreath ended up making a decent profit at the event. I was proud of the amount of people who made bids and were actively trying to win this product. I decided then that I would try to make a few wreaths and go to a few events to see if this was a side project I could start to do to pay off some credit card debt. I have since slowed down on making wreaths but along the way I have found a community of individuals who love to create. The most fun I have at events is finding individuals like me who like to make something and teaching them the tips of the trade or exchanging ideas. Making crafts is a way to find similar souls who just have something in them that makes them want to pass along a beautiful creation. Somewhere along the line we sometimes lose that first love, but just taking the time to write out this story has reminded me of why I first started crafting and going to events. I love to keep my own company, but when I have a chance to teach others something to pass along some tip or knowledge, I love to jump at that chance! Guess you never know where the teaching bug will find you. I failed to mention that degree I went for, but never ended up using before I took my first job with the county. Would you guess it was for Elementary Education? Nothing says you can't use a degree for a completely different purpose, but with the same heart.