I am super excited to introduce you to one of my preferred vendors. Carrie, a small town, artsy, country girl who somehow ended up in the suburbs of a big city. A proud teacher, mommy, and wife that have found a way to channel her creativity into her home (you should see her galvanized steel and doily bed!) and also into a small business where she applies her knowledge and passion for vintage and antique items. She is the busy owner of two amazing Etsy shops: Pumpernickel and Wry an up cycled repurposed vintage plated store and Desert Blooms where she sells bridal fascinators, bouquets and a bunch of girly fabric flower goodness.
At Pumpernickel and Wry, Carrie finds silver plated flatware and trays that are old, blackened with tarnish, and unloved. She spends a lot of time polishing them up to get them ready for their new life and she gets really happy to be able to repurpose and up cycle these imperfect items into beautiful and functional pieces. Like the one below- that I LOVE- (Amour De Ma Vie/ Love of My Life).
Silver plated flatware is hand-stamped (and she literally does that letter-by-letter with a steel stamp, anvil, and a sledge hammer) with words and sayings, some as simple as his/hers, and other more elaborate, cute, and inspirational sayings. Carrie is so proud to offer truly unique wording on her silver plate flatware that as she says “you will not find at other Etsy stores.” According to her, “silver plate trays take forever to polish up, but once done, they are beautiful!” I have to agree on that, I love her work!
One of this friendly Etsy shop owner’s passion is to do custom orders, as she shared “sometimes these cute sayings make it into my shop on a permanent basis…who can resist the “Dessert/Further Testing Required” fork and spoon combo? Yep, that came from a buyer!” That is not all, Carrie also believes that “customer service is the backbone to the success of any business” and “I maintain 100% satisfaction with my customers…because I make sure I am honest and upfront about my items and I do whatever I can to make the buying experience a positive one!”
When asked about her other store, Desert Blooms, she described how her store has transformed over time into a bridal and special event shop. She has made Derby hat/fascinators, bridal birdcage veils, and really gorgeous bridal bouquets. She finds it “really fun” to get that photo back showing the Derby hat worn at the Derby, and the wedding photos…as she says “I love to read the food blogs from some of my buyers and to see my silverware featured in their photos” and ”It is so amazing to have a small part in someone’s biggest event!” Look at this beautiful flower clip below from her Desert Blooms shop as photographed by Anwen Elizabeth Photography
It is hard not to notice Carrie’s passion about her products and eagerness to share that with her clients. She has so many ideas for the use of her products. She gave some great ideas about how one can use her products: silver flatware often makes it onto the wedding cake table and the silver chalkboard trays are often purchased for weddings, but are also really popular to just set in the kitchen for family notes. The silver spoons are wonderful, personalized gifts. Many are bought for Valentine’s Day/Love gifts, hostess gifts, home decorating gifts for the “chef” in your life, or just special keepsake gifts. All images featured in this contest were provided by Pumpernickel and Wry’s boutique owner, Carrie.
Please don’t forget to visit Carrie’s shop and take a look at all of her wonderful products:Pumpernickel and Wry and Desert Blooms. AND Like Carrie’s page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pumpernickel-and-Wry/169087589853225 and mine http://www.facebook.com/louisestidhamphotography Enter now by clicking the box below and good luck! You can enter using your email or via facebook. The lucky winner will be announced on February 8th!
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