Maker Monday - with Kate from The Crow and Arrow

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Welcome to this week's instalment of the blog series -

Today's Maker is Kate from the Crow and Arrow. Full disclosure, I have know Kate since she was born.. she is my sister! We have both been involved with various creative activities since childhood, and makes sense we now both work in creative industries!



Please introduce yourself, and tell us what you create?

My name is Kate and I am a mermaid who lost her tail! What do I do? Ever had an image in your head of the perfect floral headpiece, whether it be for a race function, bridal shower, wedding or a party, but would have no idea how to find it or to make it. Well that’s what I do. I make those day dreams into reality.

How long have you been making these dreams into reality?

I have been in the flower crown business since 2012, re branded as The Crow and Arrow in 2016

Do you start with ideas or materials?

Each piece is unique just as their new owner is, so each process is unique. Sometimes I start with ideas from inspirational photos from the customer, other times they may send me a picture of the outfit they intend to wear with it, or they may even just say the colour or the flower types they like and give me full creative rein. 
Each piece I send progression photos to the client to ensure it is exactly what they are after, sometimes it needs a few tweaks to their liking, other times they love it and nothing needs to be changed. 
All my pieces are made with quality materials. The flowers look so perfect they are often mistaken for real. But unlike real flowers that will wilt on the day and die over time, my pieces last forever, to look perfect on the day and be enjoyed again and again. 

The pieces themselves can take a couple of weeks as perfection takes times, which the customer understands. Many brides often contact me six months in advance to ensure I can make what they are after prior to their big day. 

How relevant is social media to you?

In the era, we live in social media is everything. It’s how an artist communicates their work to the world. I find Instagram the best medium to use, as it is a bounty of beautiful photographs with relevant tags to the end user. It makes having a portfolio accessible to the world, and without it I would not have sent half my pieces out internationally.  It also gives me a chance to see my customers wearing the pieces at their special event. All it needs is a tag I can see their photos! It makes it all worthwhile when you can see how happy they are wearing your designs. 

You can find Kate as The Crow and Arrow on Instagram, Etsy and Facebook;

Instagram.com/thecrowandarrow
Etsy.com/TheCrowAndArrow