Maker Feature: Jess Osborne

We caught up with Jess for our 2022 Seasons Greetings Show! Our favorite floral crafter took us through DIY holiday wreaths & swags, just in time for the holiday season.

Watch a recording of the show from December 14th 2022:

Seasons Greetings with Blooms by Jess



Read the original post from 12/14/2020 below:

We hung out (virtually) with local floral crafter and event designer Jess Osborne, owner of Blooms x Jess. We chatted about flowers, design, and what it takes to make the leap of starting a business. Whether it's for floral arrangements, holiday wreaths, window displays, or just for the pleasure of being around an artist who loves what she does, Jess is your girl.



Jess Odense

Odense in Cocoa

What she does & Where to find her

JESS: I’m a floral crafter out of York, Maine, and I post all of my material on Instagram @bloomsxjess. I work with that social media platform a lot lately because I love that it’s really interactive.

[Hint: Check out her Instagram and click the Shop highlight to see her current beautiful offerings!]

BloomsxJess Table

@bloomsxjess

How it started

JESS: Blooms x Jess actually started during the Covid pandemic. I worked for a private social club helping with their events and their members. And unfortunately, because of the Covid situation, they shut down and stayed open for takeout only. As a business, we wanted to offer more to our members. I had been picking at blooms and flowers, I’ve always been crafty, and I suggested, “Let’s make some arrangements!” It was around Easter time so we did some Easter arrangements and it was a hit. So next week it was, what are we doing next? I started doing wellness swags for the shower with lavender, rosemary, and eucalyptus. It just kept going from there, everyone was excited to what was coming up for the next week.

It started to spread the light, which is what we called it. Either you buy an arrangement for somebody else and show them a little bit of magic, or have it just for yourself and enjoy it. Then I went out on my own from there.

Odense Swag

Proudest moment as a maker

JESS:  I think it’s the leap of faith I took. And I’m proud of how far I’ve come with what other people think. I was always wondering what if people don’t like it or it’s not their style. I'm proud of myself with how far I’ve come with that.

Someone once told me that flowers were a bad investment and that just fires me up even more. People are going to have their opinions, but I just want to do what I love and spread the light and show magic.
 

Smudge Succulents

@bloomsxjess

What she does when not working

JESS:  Honestly, I’m always thinking of this. Even when I'm on my phone, I’m on Pinterest or looking at other Instagram accounts and everybody else’s designs to see what people love and what sparks me up or what catches my eye.

I also love to cook, so I'm usually in the kitchen. Hanging with my dogs, being at the beach. We live right next to the beach; it’s so nice being able to walk down there and breathe and let out some stuff and reset.

Indoor Odense

Tips for new makers

JESS:  Be present in the whole creation process. Take in what you’re doing. I know there’s always a lot going on and sometimes during these moments you’re thinking of other things, and you’re just crafting. But if you’re there and you’re really present and put all the love into what you do, it makes a big difference. It makes an even bigger difference when you're able to give it to somebody and see their reaction.

Holding Swag

Follow Along

Follow Jess and her creations (or purchase something special!) on Instagram @bloomsxjess