  Hey ya’ll! My name is Victoria, owner of Victoria Essie Studio, and manager of Adventures in Bloom. Growing up I loved to get my hands messy and craft with my mother. We did everything - crocheting, polymer clay, painting, royal icing cookies, canning… you name it and we probably attempted it. Crafting was our favorite form of bonding and it also allowed us to get creative. It wasn’t until 2018 when my mom started her own paint and sip party business, that I realized I could also be in the art business. And from there everything fell into place... I was working for a private after school at the time and I had plenty of free time to create! When I started posting my art on social media I realized I already had a group of friends in the art community in Greenville NC and they helped me find a studio and gallery to be apart of. Having that connection and mentorship definitely motivated me to pursue a career in art whole heartedly. Once I was in my studio space I got to it! I started playing around with polymer clay and making jewelry, and also started to get more people reaching out for commissioned watercolor paintings. Knowing that someone wanted something I made impacted me like no other job had before. But what inspires me? In 2014 I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and went through the worst spiraling depression I have ever had to go through. I was a junior in college at that point and decided that I wanted to study mental health. Not just out of curiosity but also as a way to helping me cope with what I was experiencing. I still use mental health awareness as a muse in several of my paintings. I feel like show casing it in an artist light helps others see the beauty in something that can be very ugly. My goal is so create art that serves a purpose. Either a really cute pair of earrings to give as a gift. Or a painting that hangs on a wall because it embodies some emotion in the eye of the beholder. I want to leave behind the impression that emotions are real and they can lead to amazing things.
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 Check Out Our New Place! We’re so excited to see our business ‘blooming’! We have a new space and can’t wait to welcome you to it! As our business has grown, so has the community, and so has what we want to offer to you. 5 things you need to know about our new location are:
It is our wish that our new home will become a "communal space for the creative adventurer." A place where that will inspire creativity, friendship and happiness in our community. Our dream is to provide a special place for creative adventurers to gather. We hope you will join us. Feel free to reach out to Adventures in Bloom to learn more about our crafty escape! The last couple months my kids (and lets face it, my entire family as well) have been absolutely amazing. They put up with my long hours, my stress, my anxiety and not being around as much as I used to be....you know, normal stuff when opening a brand new brick and mortar retail store... Madeline even confided in her daddy that she was worried I wouldn't be able to make it to her Mother's Day Tea put on by her preschool. **Insert ugly cry** I never want to miss things like this! And I made sure that I was there for both my girls and the events they worked so hard on. This where it gets tricky. I had a third child this year. Adventures in Bloom now requires my full attention as well. My girls will always come first, but what I love even is that they are now helping me raise Adventures in Bloom.  Yesterday we set up at The Mill Market in Fuquay, NC. Madeline got up early, helped me set up and then sat with me ALL morning. She helped bag up earrings and hand out flyers to customers. This was the first time she even wanted to come with me and I had my doubts that she would make it till noon.....but she surprised me and was amazing the whole time. Annabelle is only 3 (and a half) and her level of patience has also surprised me. She loves helping me around the shop, sweeping, watering the flowers..... This is not to say either child is perfect. HAHA They don't always love the fact that mommy is busy all the time. But they do know that I love them and I love my business and I LOVE that they can co-exist so beautifully.  Also, I can NOT forget to wish my own mom Happy Mother's Day!!
I rely so heavily on both my parents and my mom is always there for me and my girls. Happy to watch them when I'm working, happy to sit at a festival all day with me in the heat, happy to give whatever and wherever she can. She has always set the "mom bar" really high and I have a lot to live up to. **insernt more ugly crying** And now that you've read through all my sappy nonsense, here is your reward! I am giving 20% off everything on the website till 5/13/19! Classes, jewelry, your choice! Our metal stamping classes make a great gift for moms of all ages! Join mom for an experience you'll never forget! Coupon Code: MomsRock Expires: 5/13/19  When you have the opportunity to make your own jewelry, each single piece tells a story. Each piece is as unique as the individual making it. And often, the jewelry made at Adventures in Bloom is made with other people in mind. Sometimes as a gift for a loved one; sometimes as a memento of a special person or occasion. The story we are sharing today is incredible and inspiring. We couldn’t be happier telling this story about the adoption of Christina Gail. The Initial Meeting This large cuff bracelet is Sarah and her husband’s initials, paw prints for the pups and the future name of the baby. When I made this bracelet for them, they were just about to fly across the country to meet the potential birth mom. "I wore that bracelet when we flew to meet them for coffee... flew across the country to have coffee with a couple we never met, and we weren’t sure where it would take us... but that name, I held on to it and wore with me... I felt like her name was something that was “ours” which is weird to think about because her whole story and life is about love and not what is “ours and theirs” but fostering what is good and pure and she is all of that... I did feel like I had a little bit of my Tribe with my wearing that bracelet and that by having her name, we could have something to hold on to...I’m grateful for your work. It means so much that it comes from you!!" - Sarah  Bringing Baby Home This necklace was made for Sarah when the baby was home.  Soul Sisters The soul sister bracelets were made on the baby's first birthday - one for Sarah and one for the birth mom. We would absolutely love to be a part of your story telling process. Check out our classes and options available at Adventures in Bloom. We teach metal stamping classes and provides a communal space for the creative adventurer. Check our calendar for upcoming classes. And stop by our new studio in Cary – opening May 1st.
 We are so excited to announce the new location for Adventures in Bloom. In fact, along with our new location, we have a new name, new logo and many new events on the calendar. So much excitement (and yes, stress too) has been filling our day to day schedule.
Adventures in Bloom is now Adventures in Bloom – Local Goods & Workshops. Our new location is easy to find in downtown Cary and will be opening on Wednesday, May 1st. Here are three EXCITING things about our new location:
Peace, 2018Hey look! I’m already bad at keeping up with these “blog” posts.... Ok. 2018. Pretty awesome. Made lots of mistakes. Met lots of people. Learned lots from both. Last New Years Eve I drove out to my folks house, dropped the kids off for the evening and Scott and I got a hotel for the night in Asheville. It was snowing, we drank too much and rang in 2018 with brand new friends we made over a game of cards against humanity. I had a baby business that barely had a few months under its belt. But I feel like I took the mood of that evening with me throughout this past year. Braving the elements. When to hold back and when to have another. And when to just sit down with a stranger and share an experience with them. It has been a year of growth. I’m thankful for those that celebrate with me in my wins and those that listen to me vent at my losses. Thanks friends. This year Scott and I are back in Asheville, again kid free - so clearly we are already ending this year on a high note....;) I hope I can once again base the year to come on some lessons I learn here! Or at least have a great night out with my biggest supporter before I dive back into this Bloomin’ Adventure in 2019. Love y’all! Thanks friends! See ya next year!  SHop Small for Christmas
Blogger/Virtual Assistant, Brittany Wilhorn and Billie Jo at Baked by Billie teamed up to write a blog on Shop Small for Christmas.
I am so thankful that they selected Adventures in Bloom as one of their favorite places to shop local! We wanted to make sure that you were able to also see all the other wonder local places too! Check out their blog below! Billie Jo from Baked by Billie and I teamed up this week to talk about the importance of shopping small for Christmas. It’s something we have both always been passionate about, and actually what started our friendship.It becomes too easy to buy items off of Amazon, or run into some big box store. We all fall into that. But let’s all try to at least buy a few items from a local shop or creative. If you are local to the Raleigh area, we compiled a list of our favorite local businesses.Gifted Boutique and WrapperyThis is the CUTEST little shop in Holly Springs. They have a variety of items like clothing, stationery, cards, gifts, and so much more! Best of all they will even wrap your gifts for you! It’s pretty awesome! So, head on over with all your gifts and let these ladies make your presents look AMAZING.Jillian Darville ArtThis girl is TALENTED beyond belief and is the sweetest person in general. Grab a gift certificate to give for a custom painting. I mean who doesn’t want a cute little puppy or kitty painting. She even does live wedding paintings! Swoon, seriously.Little DetailsPlease go see Jessica and get the most adorable family Christmas pajamas. They always have cute, stylish clothing, but these pajamas are the best.Adventures in Bloom & That’s Too Cute BoutiqueWhere to even start with these two. Laura owns Adventures in Bloom, and does the most amazing metal stamping! Go and grab a personalized ornament or necklace! SO CUTE! Adventures in Bloom’s studio is inside That’s Too Cute Boutique. They have the cutest clothing, jewelry, and gifts. Billie Jo actually got this adorable sweater that said: “I just want to bake and watch Christmas movies.” Honestly, anyone who knows her knows how that is 200% true.Thanks-a-latteThis has to be one of the most adorable coffee shops around. They have adorable gifts, great coffee, and tons of room to meet with friends!Holly Springs Farmer’s MarketThe Holly Springs Farmers Market is so well run and has great vendors. They offer a wide range of local vendors. They are in their winter hours, but you can still grab a few fun gifts on the 1stand 3rdSaturdays of the month!Our Moments in TimeThis is a super fun shop that we have been watching be built right on Main Street in Holly Springs! They are going to be opening up right before Christmas so make sure to check them out for your last minute local Christmas gifts. They are going to have a ton of local artisans in their shop. Oh, we almost forgot to mention they are going to have coffee and baked goodies too!Audrey Zirbel StudioThis girl makes the most adorable handmade items. We grabbed our Christmas cards from her and absolutely love them. If you need anything personalized, check her out. She is amazing. OHH, and she has a fun class at Adventures in Bloom on December 7th! Go support her and take a class. You will get a fun craft to do too! Remember these are only a few of our favorite local shops. There are so many in the area, or in your area that you can support. Shopping local effects a family in your community! Try to support that as much as possible. When you support a small business, you are supporting a dream.Grand Opening Party!As many of you know, it was a dream come to open this beautiful space. My younger self would be a little sad that I am no longer “Lu Lu’s Jewelry,” but also so proud that I have been able to build this beautiful business. I have come a long way since that $20 profit as an eight year old! It felt like a long time in the making, but our Grand Opening party was worth it. I was able to see so many of our customer, along with some new faces as well!
If you weren’t able to stop in and see our beautiful space for our Grand Opening party, we'll be waiting for you at one of our events soon!
Summer's Last Hurrah! It’s been over a week now since I “kidnapped” my mom and drove to the beach at 8pm after I had just finished a private party. Some girlfriends had rented a house a while back and I kept being on the fence about going. Too much work....too much mom guilt....you know, the usual.  So I finally just said, no. I’m going. And mom (who was in town for my daughters birthday - happy 5th Madeline!) you have to come with me!  I got my time away, sunrise walk on the beach, lots of laughs, quite coffee on the deck and one last centered moment before the rush of the holidays completely takes over my next 2 months.  I'm so thankful that I finally got to the beach this year. (hey, October still counts as summer in North Carolina...right??) Bottom line, always take some time for yourself. If you’re a friend of mine-please remind me of that on a daily basis. 🌺🔨🏖  7 Years Later... We moved in together in 2007. He had a room for rent and my ignorant 22 year old self thought it was a great idea to move in with a guy that I had essentially just met on Craigslist. He was just looking for an extra $300 a month... We just celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary.  I have made lots of 7th anniversary gifts in the past. Since the 7th years gift is traditionally copper, and dudes are traditionally hard to buy for, I end up making lots of stamped keychains. Sometimes it's pennies with the date of their wedding. Sometimes it's just copper keychains with a quote or song lyrics from their first dance. But when it came time to get my own husband a gift I felt that this type of gift would be 1.) expected and 2.) cliche. So I searched and search for different ideas. All I could come up with was wool, also a traditional gift, and I decided that 1.) he doesn't wear scarves and 2.) my knitting abilities weren't quite up to the sock challenge. Which led me back to a keychain. He of course loved it. At least he told me he did. Apparently, 7 years of marriage has taught him something. And then I opened the gift he got me. Ever the romantic he got me an iPhone X. 1.) Way to blow my gift out of the water and 2.) It was super sweet because he got it for me so I could take better product photos. Even on our anniversary he was thinking about AiB. <3 So keep an eye out kids! Scott has a shiny new keychain on his backpack and my facebook page is about to look a whole lot prettier.  |
AuthorHi, I'm Laura! The hammer wielding mama behind Adventures in Bloom. Archives
September 2019
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Handmade Boutique featuring many different local makers and workshop space is located at:
312 W Chatham Suite 202, Cary, NC 27511
Adventures in Bloom metal stamped jewelry can be found at the following locations:
The Devilish Egg in Raleigh, NC
The Market at Three Little Birds in Clayton, NC
House of Swank in Raleigh, NC
Craft'd in Morganton,NC