Submitted by Jaclyn Pline, CFD
In the 90’s Anne Geddes photographed newborn babies sitting in flowerpots, with flowers in their hair, laying on a bed of flowers, and more. Being a triplet of all girls, our mother had one Anne Geddes photo in the bathroom of three little babies wearing flowers in their hair while sitting in flowerpots; I thought it was the most darling photo ever! Years later, after studying floristry in college, I became fascinated with wearable flowers, especially headpieces of all kinds; big and small. In 2012, I started designing over the top headdresses for myself because I could never find models to wear these artistic creations. Then, I’d go onto designing flower collars for my dog thinking one day it would be sweet to design wearable flowers for a newborn baby just as I saw photographed on my mother’s bathroom wall. The middle triplet sister has two boys, so I never put flowers in their hair. The older triplet sister has two girls, but due to living in different states, I never made them flower crowns; at least not yet. Fast forward to February 2021, we found out I was pregnant with a baby girl of our own. Once we publicized the announcement, many said things like “I bet she will wear a flower crown or love flowers like her Mama.” “Can’t wait to see her first flower crown”.
The day we got home from the hospital a photographer messaged about taking newborn photos and how they are best taken within the first two weeks of life. I was in no way shape or form prepared or looking forward to photos. Still healing, dealing with depression and anxiety that was the last thing on my mind, but I knew I may regret it if we did not get them. After all, flowers bring joy and children are the flowers of life. Soon after agreeing to newborn photos, I wiped my tears and created a very petite but detailed flower crown for Rachel’s first official photoshoot. As she was lying in a basket on a blanket, I thought less is not more in this case- something is missing. Because it was the last photo taken, I grabbed my floral knife and used the flowers gifted to me to surround our daughter in a bed of flowers. It will remain a mystery how I got up off the ground nine days postpartum!
While motherhood is hard and truly takes a village as many say, motherhood is a journey between you and your child(ren). Though these days many are pressured by social media or shamed for our actions, judged by outsiders, mothers absolutely know what is best for their own offspring. Many days I found myself crying in my bedroom closet or bathroom thinking this was “too hard” or “I’m not cut out for this”. Throughout all the hardships, I thought of all the things that bring me joy- flowers taking a top spot on the chart. Designing with flowers is what I love, and I told myself any chance I get I would design; big or small. Creating a flower crown for Rachel every month would be a bonus and a sweet memory’s sake for all of us. All but one month, Rachel wore a flower crown and sometimes she wore multiple crowns in any given month. Designing her first crown on satin ribbon was easy because she was so small, hardly moved and would stay positioned however you placed her. Look at the July photos for reference.
Once she turned two months old, I created another crown on satin ribbon and she hated it! It was measured to fit around her head then glued at the end to be placed on her that way I would not have to tie or twist anything. So, I said to my two-month-old child as if she understood every word coming from my mouth, “okay this is just one way to create a crown, if you don’t like it, I’ll make you something else using a different mechanic.” I sat at the kitchen table wiring and taping Waxflower and Eucalyptus twisting the taped wire together once I was finished and placed on her head. She was a happy camper and as you can tell by the photo, I’m sure she was shocked I made another crown for her. What baby wants; baby gets… only when it comes to flower crowns that is! As the days went by, she got more comfortable with halos created on satin ribbon, though the wire and tape method are still her favorite and most preferred way to wear crowns. She modeled a flower crown every month for her first year.
Now that Rachel is one, I believe I will continue the tradition of monthly flower crowns for as long as she will let me put flowers in her hair. And perhaps one day she will design her own accessories with flowers. Always remember that flowers do make people happy. The color, texture, fragrance along with other principles and elements make for the perfect floral design, sure to make someone smile and feel loved. Babies in bloom are certainly something to catch your eye and lift your spirits if you are feeling down; I know it did for me. Now, enjoy a month-by-month, yearlong photo log of Rachel in full bloom! Special thanks to Renee for allowing me to share our sweet daughter on this platform along with my story of why I create flower crowns for her.
Follow these steps to create a crown for yourself or a loved one.
When creating flower crowns, I make them a few ways; 1. Wire and tape, 2. Adhere fresh product onto satin ribbon with cold glue, 3. Create a decorative wire base then adhere florals.
- Using 3” satin ribbon, measure around the child’s head leaving ½” more than what is needed.
- Add greenery as the base, trimming individual leaves from it’s stem then adhere to the ribbon using flower glue. Eucalyptus leaves or Italian Ruscus leaves work well.
- As shown in month seven, cut White Spray Rose blooms from the stem. Cut all the way to the head of the Rose, turn upside down and place glue on about 5-7 blooms. Let sit to get tacky then place on the base.
- Glue statice and other filler flowers in between the Roses to fill in the empty spaces.
- Once the glue has set and dried, gently tie around child’s head and take multiple photos.
This story is absolutely inspiring in so many facets. From Jaclyn’s perspective as a daughter growing up wondering what a marvelous photograph meant and it’s influence, from the motherhood side and the endless resilience, from Rachel as daughter now enjoying flowers, to the business woman behind it all and the constant challenge to balance roles.
Thank you for sharing. We love to see the real people behind the business and their stories. We have so much more in common with the people we admire and it’s relieving to know we are not alone. Yet somehow, strangers become flower friends through the unmatched joy flowers bring us.