
I’m Sandy Enness, the owner and designer of all that you see in the Carol-Alice Wreath Studio.
I made my first wreath when I was 14-years-old by cutting down my mother’s grapevine long after the grapes had been picked for making jelly. I sat at our picnic table in the backyard, in the cold of November in Michigan, and wove more than a dozen wreaths from that single plant. Though my hands were all cut and scraped from the effort, it left me proud and satisfied at what I had created.
I grew up in mid-Michigan in an artistic and crafty family. Some sewed, some crocheted, some made jewelry, some were woodworkers, and some artists. I was an artist, creating drawings and paintings, with dreams of becoming a commercial artist. I really wanted to work for Hallmark designing greeting cards.
Soon came marriage and children (and now grandchildren). I crafted with my kids, starting them out by making construction paper decorations for holidays, and moving on to bigger craft projects as they got older. Along the way, a few wreaths were made, too. My husband, by the by, is no slouch when it comes to power tools and woodworking. Props to him for some lovely pieces in our home and yard, as well as my wreath-making stand.
While recovering from surgery a few years ago, I stumbled upon some Facebook Live streams of people showing how to make beautiful grapevine and artificial pine-based wreaths for the upcoming holidays. This was wreathmaking at an entirely different level and I wanted to be doing that! So after getting the all-clear from my doctor, I dove back into the wonderful world of creative wreathmaking.
Since it was my mother who encouraged and supported all my and my sibling’s artistic endeavors, I thought it was most appropriate to name my shop after her – Carol-Alice Wreath Studio. My mother’s first name was actually Karel (a Prussian spelling pronounced Carol) and her middle name was Alice. All through her life, so many people stumbled over reading and pronouncing her name, I took a little liberty with it in naming this shop. I think she’d be cool with it.
My made-to-order wreaths are crafted in mid-Michigan, not too far from where those first wreaths were woven at the picnic table. Supporting my small business is greatly appreciated and I encourage you to support as many small businesses as you can.
Additionally, my shop is LGBTQ+ friendly. I have family members and dear friends who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and as an ally, I want it known where this community is welcomed to shop and ask for custom orders.
Thank you for stopping by and getting to know me. I hope you check out the wreath gallery and more in my Etsy shop and perhaps find something that you love and would like in your home. If you would like to talk about a custom project, please feel welcomed to send me a message from the contact page me to see what we can create together.
For my mom… “Give her a reward of her labors, and let her works praise her at the city gates.” – Proverbs 31:31
Carol-Alice Wreath Studio is an LGBTQ+ ally.