From The Factory: Handmade Spotlight: Everlasting Leaves

Good morning everyone! Sorry it has been so long since blogging! I just sat down with some fresh ground Metropolis Coffee Company Flourish blend and decided to kick things back in to gear. Today I am doing a handmade spotlight on EverlastingLeaves.etsy.com. This is a unique shop that captures "The beauty of Mother Natures food factories, preserved in cement and sand for everlasting observance even thru the winter months". When I asked the maker of Everlasting Leaves to tell me a little something about herself she simply stated, "My name is Anne and I make concrete leaves ;)".

Just to call these beauties "concrete leaves" seems like an understatement. These are beautiful pieces of art that no doubt take a LOT of time! These leaves are cast in concrete using ACTUAL leaves as the mold, then they are painted, and finally are coated in a saturated beeswax finish. Anne said that her inspiration for these leaves started "with a leftover bag of mortar and a boring afternoon, then visiting a friends garden I heard 'do you believe the size of those rhubarb?". I'm always delighted by an Etsian who is inspired by nature. I'm mostly inspired by boring afternoons!

This is Anne's favorite listing in her shop right now. It is a "Concrete Rhubarb leaf cast upon a real leaf from my friends garden, painted in hues of light green front and back and coated with a saturated beeswax finish. Measures approximately 19" x 16" x 2", and has 3 feet on the back for stable leveling on any flat surface." This is no doubt one of the leaves that started it all!

Anne's advice for someone with a new or thinking about opening a new etsy shop is to take really good pictures. I agree with her. Your photos are key to getting clicked on in the searches, being featured in treasuries, and making it to the coveted front page. Also, clear photos may be the make or break point for a prospective buyer. One thing that I love about EverlastingLeaves is that they include ideas for uses in their photos.

Often times, our favorite sellers on Etsy are those who are inspired by the same things we are but present it in a different and interesting way. Anne's favorite seller, TheRealLeafMan uses real leaves and transforms them into skeleton leaves, then uses them to make beautiful soldered art pendants.

When she is not on Etsy, Anne likes to "Read, think about everything, make concrete leaves, paint them then make em pop with melted beeswax". And now a look at EverlastingLeaves!