Shandy Ranch Blooms

Dear Friends,

Randy did an inline (rollerblading) marathon in Duluth on Saturday, so we decided to turn it into a little adventure. We brought our dear friend Ginger along for a few extra days, and she found us a super cool yurt Airbnb in Beaver Bay.

Tomorrow we’re heading up to Grand Marais, where we’ll stay until Friday. We’re only about 45 miles from the Canadian border, and Lake Superior is absolutely beautiful up here. Cool air, rocky beaches, and that big wild lake. I know you would love it.

Of course, we had to go thrifting! I found a couple of big old books that are coming along with me as makeshift flower presses. I’ve already started pressing little bits of foliage I’ve found along the way. I’m so excited to see how they turn out and what little pieces of the North Shore I’ll get to bring home with me.

So I thought I’d take you along for a peek at what I’ve been seeing, collecting and getting inspired by.

Love to you all,
Shelly 🌿

Karin loves purple. 💜 Kari, my old high school friend, gifted her sister-in-law Karin the Purple Heart for her birthday!

I’m so glad the art made it safely all the way to Portland. Oregon. 💜

Thanks for trusting me with such a special birthday gift, Kari! 🌿

This bride’s bouquet came through the preservation process so beautifully. The photos tell the whole story. Simply elegant.

Kaylee, thank you for letting me be the one to turn your bouquet into a treasured keepsake. It was such a joy to make this for you. 🤍

Let’s call it a GARDEN SCAPE.
💚🩵💜🐝💛🧡
I’m trying to create the feeling of an entire garden growing right there on the canvas.
And just like a real garden, no two will ever be exactly alike. 🌼

Sitting here drinking my coffee this morning, thinking about the weekend and how much I just loved all of it. ❤️

All the little things.

My fellow vendors who stop by my booth to give me a hug and catch up about the week. The shopkeepers who sell my work during their shop hours. The people who have invited me to be part of special projects. And the friend who shared half of my sandwich. ☺️

Those little things lift me up.

And then there were yesterday’s customers…

The woman who offered me the perennials she was digging up because she thought I might be able to use them. Several young moms juggling toddlers on their hips while trying to dig through their purses to pay me. The out-of-town gal who made a whole little pile of treasures…one for herself, one for her daughter and something for her mom in the care center. Another excited woman who asked if I’d make her a custom piece. So nice.

So many little moments. So many kind people.

What a blessing you all are to me….this little group of 300. 💫 Thank you for being here.

I think I’m feeling that even more deeply right now because last year at this time, I was recovering from shoulder surgery. I couldn’t even lift my left arm. It took a lot of physical therapy and nearly a full year to get back to where I am now.

So this weekend, I found myself feeling especially grateful for these two hands and these two arms that can work together again-to make things, to set up my booth, to create art…

and, maybe most importantly, to hug my people. ❤️

What a gift this little business and all of you have become in my life and I just really appreciate it.

This week I made 35 new dried flower art pieces, 42 miniature dried flower magnets, 14 floral bookmarks, 12 flower candle votives, 6 new dried flower cards!

That, my friends, is an INVENTORY REFRESH! 🌿😂

And just LOOK at this full list of guest vendors on deck! We are gonna ROCK THIS DAY like none other! 🙌

Come see us! The party starts at 10am and we’ll be there until 3pm. The market closes at 4!

Come shop, browse, visit and support all these amazing local makers. ❤️

Kyah brought me this frame she found while thrifting and asked me to design a dried flower piece for it. 🌿

What a find! I did a little research on the frame, and it appears to be hand-carved cedar from the Yucatán or Chiapas region of Mexico, likely made by a Maya artist sometime in the 1940s–60s. How cool is that?!

I love giving old frames a whole new life. ❤️

So, if you have a frame you’d love to fill with dried flower art, just send it my way, stop by the house, or bring it to me at the market some weekend. I’d be happy to create something special just for you. 🌸

I’ve made a LOT of these by now. 🌿 The best part of making this type of art is that it’s literally impossible for any two to be alike.

And honestly, that’s the part I love. Because I could easily get bored! 😂

Every time I start working on these, I put on my music, pull out a frame, and start looking at what I have to work with and, as Randy would say, “I hem & haw”! 😂 …not sure how you spell that, but it’s basically about deciding: Which leaf? Which flower? Which petal should turn which way?! 😵‍💫💫

I want someone to pick one up and feel like, “Oh, I really love THIS one.” Not, “Oh, she made 12 of the same thing.”

Even though you may see my style coming through, I still try to keep it fresh. Not just for the customer, but for myself. ☺️

If you see a familiar frame here, thank you again for thinking of me and donating some of your unused items to my inventory! I always appreciate it so much. ❤️

I’d love to see you at NewBo on Sunday. I’ll be there from 10-3!

Here’s a peek at my process!🌸

Due to nature and all the unique shapes, sizes and colors of the flowers and foliage no two can ever be exactly alike.

These 8x10 shadowboxes will be making their debut at NewBo this Sunday from 10-3!💐