Every season we seem to miscalculate the amount of ribbon we need in a certain color. Two years ago we scrounged for more cream, last year we ran out of gold, and this year, plaids and red & gold were in short supply. Of course we over-compensate the following year and end up with a surfeit of one color or another. The plaid ribbons we bought were so beautiful our decorators were choosing them often when given a “designer’s choice” option.  Shopping for ribbon is one of our favorite fall activities, we admit.

Sometimes we know what our customers are aiming for: Christmas traditional, contemporary glamour, cabin in the woods, seaside retreat. Sometimes an order comes in that is ambiguous, like the one below. The bow color box on the form was checked “red” but the notes said “hydrangea blue blow”.  Luckily the decorator knew the buyer and opted for peacock blue with a lot of sparkle.  We loved it and she loved it.

So many members ask if there is any way we can ship a wreath to friends and family out of state. The difficulties in doing so are immense. Firstly, we are not set up with commercial accounts with shippers, so the cost would be prohibitive. Secondly, the fragility of most of our designs could mean the wreath would not arrive in the condition we hoped.  We have, however, had customers box our bows for shipment, and with many styrofoam peanuts, they come through the mails quite well. Below is a wreath that now sits in a lovely apartment on Central Park West, but was hand-delivered.

We are always asked how many wreaths we make each year, and we do have the data to answer.  This year we sold 257 standard sized wreaths, of which 171 were fully decorated. We also sold  33 large sized wreaths, and another 16 wreaths that were special orders in larger (or in one case smaller) size. We need plenty of advance notice to be able to do that type of ordering, though, if you’re thinking of doing so next year.  We also only decorate standard sized wreaths. Additionally, we sold 25 red poinsettias and 35 white poinsettias, and a handful of stand-alone bows.  Our customers numbered 193.  Although many customers did not specify a bow color with their orders, we had advance requests for 42 red bows, 40 plaid bows, 28 red and gold bows, 19 gold bows, 14 cream bows, 10 silver bows, 4 blue bows, and 2 white bows.  We were also fortunate to receive cash donations to help with our mission to save the trees.  We hosted over 50 volunteers throughout the week, and a few weren’t even members!  So thank you all, customers and volunteers alike. Below is a matched pair which coordinated with a second set of matched pairs, for the front and the back of a Commonwealth Avenue home.

While the pictured wreath looks very natural and woodsy, if you look closely you’ll see velvet poinsettia leaves (scavenged from some artificial flowers purchased at one of our wholesale supplier’s stores), glass balls, and glittery sparkling artificial branches in a copper/burgundy color, all mixed in with a variety of natural greens, and highlighted by a gorgeous tapestry ribbon. This wreath is meant to be hung indoors or in a sheltered location due to the fabrics involved.