Woman creates arrangements for weddings with dried flowers: 'Extends life of the flower'
It was the lowest point of her life when single mom Mandy Sutton found a something beautiful for herself and for others.
"Sowing the soil, planting the seed, nurturing it and watching it grow...All of that has changed my perspective on what life can be. And it's just a beautiful cycle of life that I've grown to appreciate," Mandy said.
It started out as survival during her divorce but quickly turned into her new passion.
"I built this business out of a place of desperation and wanting to create a life for myself, outside of my past circumstances and Matriarch Florals, to me, represents strength, dignity and perseverance through all of life's storms," Mandy said.
With Matriarch Florals, Mandy specializes in dried flower arrangements.
"I just love doing this because they will last five to seven years so it just extends the life of the flower," she said.
She creates arrangements for local businesses, weddings and events. She also hosts workshops and classes, teaching others her craft. And she's paying it forwardas she shares some of the knowledge she's gained from her own mentor.
"I was like, trying to bargain with her on prices of lavender, which I knew nothing about because I was just starting out and I was like, can I buy a bundle of lavender for $4 Because that's what I'm getting for it now. She was like, no, you can come out here and cut it yourself and I'll charge you the same amount. And I was like, okay. So I did. I came out and I cut my lavender for myself. I was sweating. It was like hot. And I was like, this is worth the $8. And that taught me the worth of my own self-worth and the worth of others," Mandy said.
"When I met Mandy, she was very green. And she has come leaps and bounds," said Diane Reganess.
Diane owns Red Feather Ranch which is where Mandy gets most of her wholesale flowers.
"People are starting to recognize that you don't have to outsource everything. There's so much within their own backyard literally. Everything you want, is here," Diane said.
A friendship blooming like flowers in a field and this is just the beginning of what's to come for Mandy and Matriarch Florals.
"I hope to see myself thriving and growing, not only with my flower growing process, supporting more local flower farmers and getting into the event space, and supporting all artisans and really making and taking a foothold in the art community and being a beacon of light to anybody who wants to explore their own creative abilities, and letting them know that it's okay to express yourself in any way that you feel fit," Mandy said.
