Ever since I can remember, I dreamed of having a little girl, and one of my favorite parts about it is finding one-of-a-kind handmade pieces for her to wear that make her feel as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside.
Floral crowns are always at the top of our list for just that, because Olivia is my little flower lover and floral crowns are both feminine and whimsical. There is something so special about wearing flowers in your hair, and that's why I'm so excited to be sharing an incredible shop in this week's Shop Spotlight that specializes in gorgeous floral crowns in all sorts of colors and sizes -- Tulip + Olive.
Tulip + Olive was started by April -- a beautiful and extremely talented mama of twin girls Mila and Olivia -- after she found herself looking to occupy her "spare time" through motherhood. Her eye for color is impeccable and her attention to detail shines through every single flower on her crowns. If I wasn't careful, I could easily buy her entire shop up for my Olivia, and I am already eyeing a few pieces that would be perfect gifts for all my close friends who are expecting baby girls this summer! Each crown features the most incredibly intricate handmade felt flowers, beading detail and is accented with hand cut gold leaves.
April shares more of her story below //
Tulip+Olive started on Labor Day Weekend of 2014, out of necessity to do something with my “spare” time other than laundry, cleaning, or watching TV. Before getting pregnant, I worked in PR in New York City and owned a custom invitation and stationery business called Love Notes. I rarely had down time so it was somewhat of a culture shock when I got pregnant with twins and was on restricted activity. Hey, I’m not complaining! It was a nice break.
My husband and I had agreed that I would be a SAHM, which I absolutely love and wouldn’t trade for anything in the world! But once my girls started sleeping through the night, and I was caught up on my Z’s, I started going a little stir crazy. It’s really, really, REALLY tough to get out of the house with twins. They’re hardly ever on the same schedule, so one’s almost always sleeping while the other is awake. I needed something to do with myself to cling to whatever little sanity I had left. So, on a day when the twins were actually on the same schedule we headed on over to Michael’s craft store and picked up a few supplies to create our first headband. From then on I was HOOKED! Originally I only planned to make headbands for my girls, but really how many headbands can two babies have!? A lot, actually, but I decided to take a chance and open up shop. I started an Instagram account and opened an Etsy shop, and the rest is history!
The name Tulip+Olive is for my daughters, Mila and Olivia. When we were in the NICU with them, the lactation nurse told me that her granddaughter’s name was also Mila and that in Russian it meant Tulip. I LOVED that! Ever since then I’ve called her my little Tulip. Olive is obviously for my sweet Olivia. When they were about a month old I thought about (one day) opening a children’s clothing boutique and thought Tulip+Olive would be SUCH a great name. Well, I don’t have any plans on opening a boutique anytime soon so when I decided to give selling my crowns a try the name was an obvious choice!
My girls inspire everything that I make. They truly are my heart and soul - I don’t know how life even existed before them! When creating a piece, or adding a new color collection to the shop I always ask myself, "Would I want Mila and Olivia to wear this?” In fact, one of the first color collections that I came up with - Autumn Leaves - was originally named the ‘Mila’ crown. The colors in it remind me of her rosy skin.
The most challenging thing for me about owning a business is time. First and foremost, before anything I’m a mommy and a wife. Everything else comes second. Sometimes finding the time to finish orders is hard. Really hard. Especially on the days that my girls are on different schedules, teething, or sick. Naps and bedtime are my time to fulfill orders! And if naps are missed or spent in my arms, then that means I can’t fulfill orders and I fall behind. I’m a one woman show and luckily I’ve had really awesome and understanding customers so far! I really wasn’t sure how this would all work out when I first started, and I have no idea what the future will hold (what happens when they STOP napping?!), but for now I love what I do and even more, I LOVE seeing my work on all of these beautiful babies and kids!
I’m a crafter and artist by nature. My grandmother produced a Broadway show (which opened and closed all on the same day), my great-grandmother was a Vaudeville violinist, my great-uncle was a famous Vaudeville drummer who was in a movie with Bing Crosby, and my mom is an award winning pastel artist. Growing up I played the piano, danced ballet, tap, jazz, and pointe, sang, and acted. My mom and I were always crafting together - tie dye t-shirts, painting pottery, you name it, we did it together! I can’t wait to do the same with my daughters once they are old enough!
fresh lilacs collection // full size crown {top} / mini crown {middle} / newborn crown {bottom}
what Tulip+Olive is known for || handmade felt flower crowns in varying sizes and colors
what sets Tulip+Olive apart || First off, I love how April got started with her shop! With such an artistic background, it was only a matter of time before she began creating and selling her headbands, but I just love her unique story / Secondly, I love that she is a mom of twin girls, who are her full inspiration, and she still finds time to run her shop! That takes heart and dedication and it is so obvious that she loves what she does when you look at the beauty of her crowns / Finally, the quality of the crowns themselves are outstanding ... Every felt piece is so perfectly placed, and speaking from experience - that takes both incredible patience and skill. Because she is a Mama to little girls, everything she makes is only of the highest quality - that which she would adorn her own daughters with. She has a winning combination of talent, drive and quality execution and her pieces are those that will last for years to come.
my favorite products || The fresh lilacs collection that April sent me is at the top of my list for Spring -- the colors are so relaxing and peaceful / I also love the Mermaid flower crown and how vibrant and eye catching it is / Finally, the Island Punch flower crown is striking and bold, perfect for a photoshoot or special occasion
how to purchase || To purchase your own floral crown, simply visit Tulip+Olive here / Today through Wednesday, April 8, Blessed Nest readers can save 15% off their total purchase using the code BLESSEDNEST15 {note that this discount is not applicable with custom orders} || April will be closing her shop on April 19 for a few weeks as she finishes up outstanding orders and works on some new designs so be sure to get your orders in now and save a little extra using this exclusive discount!
Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend! XO
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