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12 May

Posted at 07:27h in Design, Inspiration, Margo Love by
7 Likes

It’s a little funny to me that I’m designing a collection for next Spring when you guys haven’t even seen Fall yet! Part of me feels like I’m getting ahead of myself and another part of me thinks, let’s keep this party going! There’s no stopping the train once it starts and Wildflowers is going places, baby! (This is my positive cheerleader side that jumps out and squashes my thoroughly nervous nelly side.)

I’m feeling a lot more like myself these days. I think surrounding myself with designing has helped. I heard so many war stories before having a baby that I was worried I was going to lose myself completely. I was warned there’d be a week of crying in bed or that I’d walk around in a fog for a year. Thankfully I haven’t experienced these feelings…at least not in full. I’ve definitely cried here and there. And I’ve most certainly had a bit of a cloud hanging around my brain making focusing even more challenging than usual. Honestly, I don’t know how I’d have a second to design these days without the help of my husband Mark! (Or a second for anything else I might add!)

I’ve been designing my first Spring collection in my head for 2 years. I imagined pretty aqua shades and sweet mini dots, adorned in swiss dot cottons and eyelet trims. I imagined little garden prints and whimsical novelty items layered throughout. I even imagined where we’d do our first Spring photo shoot. Fast forward to two weeks ago, all my little imaginary thoughts and design ideas became a reality.  I worked on colors for days, back and forth with our team perfecting each scrumptious hue. I colored and recolored print after print, all the while dreaming of what silhouette that fabric would one day become. Designing a collection, from start to finish, is truly like having a baby. It takes so much time…and patience. The process is completely unpredictable. You have to wait for inspiration to strike and when it does, you have to ride the rollercoaster until it stops! There have been days I worked 13 hours non-stop and other days where I find myself in tears staring at my computer hoping and wishing an idea would come to me.

On those days, the days I lack inspiration, I think of Denise. Yesterday just happened to be one of them. Those who don’t know who she is, well…I’m sorry. She was my mentor, my first design partner, and my soul mate in friendship. I wish you would have been lucky enough to read her stories and see the world she created. She continually motivates me. I remember days when we felt uninspired, we usually ended up at a fabric store just walking the bolts of fabric talking endlessly about different things we wanted to design. By the end of the trip we were ready to hit the ground running. It was always nice to have someone to design with and someone to feel like a bump on a log with too, ya know?  Someday I’ll have another partner in design and I know it won’t be the same…but I know it will be magic. I’m far too passionate about Wildflowers to allow for anything less!

It feels so wild to submerge myself in design again. I know I just completed Fall (Andrea, my assistant would beg to differ since Holiday accessories haven’t been finished- eek!), but something about it feels different. Maybe it’s because I have a little girl of my own now? And I have the utter privilege of imagining her in next Spring’s designs? Or maybe it’s because the seasons change and so do we. All I know is my nervousness is only outshined by my sheer excitement. I can’t wait to dress your girls again. What an honor it will be!

I know this was a ramble filled blog, but my life feels a little ramble-y these days. I think once I’m back in the office I’ll gain a little more focus. But who knows, I’ve never been one to keep my thoughts straight! At least when I’m back to work I’ll have my girls there to keep me on track!

XO,

SAM

05 May

Posted at 10:01h in Team Love by
4 Likes

I think it’s about time we shared a little sneaky peek of our August Release, don’t you?! Hope you love this sweet little top as much as I do. 

Second of all, on behalf of our entire team, thank you. Thank you to all of you that inquired about being a Consultant and thank you to those that took the plunge and actually applied. THANK YOU!!! It was unreal watching all the submissions roll in… Some of you I knew from my past lives and some of you I didn’t know at all, but felt like I did after reading your ‘about me’ portion of the application. If I wasn’t motivated before, it’s a whole new ballgame now. You guys absolutely inspired me. 

But unfortunately we couldn’t pick everyone…and that was the biggest bummer. Ever. I mean it. I know Caitlin had some sleepless nights as she wrestled with the amazing options and the tough choices she was going to have to make. She would text me here and there, asking if I knew someone, asking if I thought an area would be a good spot for a Consultant (my answer to that was usually “isn’t everywhere a good spot for a wildflower?!”). In the end, we decided on a small group of wonderful women!  Let’s meet a few of these ladies, shall we?

Hello Wildflowers!  My name is Jessica Guillot, and I cannot be more excited to begin this new adventure with each of you!  I am a converted small town girl living in Crowley, Louisiana, but I was born and raised just a few hours away in New Orleans.  I have been married to my husband, Benji, for 11 years, and we have three pretty awesome children. Mia Kate is 9 years old and about to complete 4th grade, Emma Katherine is 6 years old and about to graduate from Kindergarten, and Bennett Reece is my “lover of all things muddy” little boy.  Before becoming a mom, I was a Director of Sales for a hotel chain.  I took a break from the working world to stay home with my three babies.  I cannot be more grateful to God for this new chapter in my life, and I am thrilled to get to know so many of you and your precious children too!  

Hey y’all! I’m Amber Thorne and I was born and raised in my beloved South Louisiana and transplanted to the sweet spot of the Lone Star state, Austin. My husband Neil and I are professional jugglers to our little tribe. Jackson – 15, JohnHenry – 11, and their caboose, Tallulah – 5. I attended LSU (Geaux Tigers) and majored in Fine Art, specializing in Interior Design. I am beyond thrilled to work as a Consultant for Wildflowers clothing! You may recognize my daughter from the sneak peek above – she’s loves being able to model for Wildflowers as well!

Hi there! I’m Summer Williams from Auburn, Alabama. I’m a mother of 2 dazzling children, Winsley, an aspiring fashion designer and Coan, who dreams of being a builder (while his sister dreams of him building her a pink house with an elevator). I believe you belong somewhere you feel free and can be creative and I have done such as an elementary teacher, art camp master, party planner, tutor and clothing rep. I loves fashion, children, and fun while enjoying each and every day because I know that no matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.

Hi y’all!  My name is Nikki Voelkel from Mandeville, LA. I’m married with 5 precious children that keep me forever on my toes!  I’m very passionate about life, people, fitness, and clothes. I gravitate towards positivity and run from the other.  I am so incredibly excited to be on this Wildflowers journey with you guys!  

Hello! My name is April Roycroft from Tyler, TX.  I feel so blessed to be part of the Wildflowers team. I have been married to my husband, Scott, for almost 19 years. We prayed for kids and God gave us five! We stay crazy busy with our three boys who keep us cheering from the sidelines and two girls who help spend all of our money. I love to travel, sew, draw and watch Survivor with my family.

Ahh…how awesome are they?! August needs to hurry up and get here, don’t you think!? Until then, I suppose I’ll get back to designing this sweet, magical Spring 2018 collection…

XO

SAM

 

18 Apr

Posted at 10:44h in Hiring, Team Love by
5 Likes

I suppose I was a Wildflower back in the 1980s and just didn’t quite know it yet. I was born in New Orleans and raised in Berwick, Louisiana. Although a super small town was the setting of my story, big dreams were always in the plot. 

When I met the love of my life, I was the ripe ole age of 21, and thought I knew EVERYTHING! When we were married in February of 2004, we were immediately blessed with a baby girl – Mary Grace!  Oh how, we loved every moment with her. Lack of sleep leaves very little to remember, but I do remember LOVING to dress her! 

MG in the first dress I ever made!

A little old lady in Crowley, Louisiana taught me to smock and I was hooked on sewing!  I took a class every week and learned to make dresses and all kinds of cuteness!  As you may know, sewing takes time and patience so I was always on the lookout for mega-cute clothes! 

The three reasons I live…Kat, MG, and Frederick

Fast-forward to 2009… at this point I have three children and a friend introduced me to the “home party” shopping experience. I became so intrigued (and poor) very quickly. I instantly wanted to be a part of it and my dear friend Cammie decided I was a good fit for her team at Matilda Jane.

Working as an independent sales representative was SO much fun!  It was such a great feeling to be a part of something that I believed in! At one point in my Matilda Jane career, I was number one in sales and to be honest… I never noticed.  Sounds kind of funny, but it’s true. I loved selling so much, the recognition didn’t drive me –  I thrived off of the relationships I built.

In November 2013,  my sales director called me and asked if I would attend a photo shoot in Portland to assist on behalf of the sales team!  I jumped at the opportunity, even though I hate to fly. I knew it would be such a fun experience and boy, was I right! 

Lauren, myself and Sam exploring Portland!

I was able to meet Sam and spend time with her at a Matilda Jane conference previously, but spending one-on-one time with her on this trip was a treasure!  Sam was infectious.  She instantly lit up the room with her beautiful smile and sweet little face.  We were instant friends and it was so easy between the two of us. We would share emails and texts after this trip, but rarely got to visit in person. 

Years later, we reconnected and planned to meet up in Texas. On my visit, I got the chance to meet the amazing team Sam works with and informally chat about my direct selling experience.  A few days later I received an email from the CEO asking –  “would you like to be the Sales Director of Wildflowers Clothing?”

Wait, what?!

So this brings us to now…

When God closes a door, somewhere he opens a window!

We are just a moment away from hiring our first Wildflowers Clothing sales team and I couldn’t be more excited! I can’t wait to hire the very best gals, who not only share my passion for direct selling, but know that this is ALL about relationships and drive. I have butterflies in my stomach just talking about it! This is just the beginning of our journey together, and I can’t wait to meet you all along the way!

xoxo,

Caitlin

03 Apr

Posted at 15:50h in Design, Hiring by
2 Likes

You guys, I feel like I’ve been holding out on you..there’s so much to share about Wildflowers! It’s hard to know where to begin. And for me, it’s hard to stay on track (especially with a brand new baby in the world)! My brain is always floating from one subject to another, sometimes faster than I can follow! So be patient with me, there’s a lot more coming your way.

This all began when I was hired by Kelly’s Kids last year to style photo shoots for their three brands – Kelly’s Kids, Eleanor Rose, and Bourgeois Bebe! That’s the only reason I’m here in the first place! Lynn, the founder, had been following my story for years and had a recruiter find me! DO YOU KNOW WHAT A COMPLIMENT THAT WAS?! I couldn’t believe it when I got the message! And it came at a time when I was truly lost. I felt like a loser, my whole world wrapped up in a place I could never go back to. Receiving that message gave me hope, something I hadn’t felt in a long time. 

 The “rainbow dash” gets a giggle every time!

The original plan was for me to start designing as soon as my non-compete was up, but on the first day I was free, Lynn suggested starting a new home-party company, so I would be able to design whatever my heart desires! Basically both of us getting a chance to go back to our roots, to grow something new with everything we’ve learned the past couple years. It was a dream offer, and it still feels like a dream right now. I can’t even believe I’m blogging again?! It all feels too unreal.

You know what makes it real though? The fact that we can begin growing our Wildflowers family even more this week. That’s right, hiring for Wildflowers Consultants begins this Wednesday, April 5th! I can hardly wait. It’s like the first day of school and I’m wondering if anyone will sit next to me in class?! Will anyone want to be at my lunch table?! Omg, I hope so! 

I know Caitlin, our Sales Director, is over the moon. She’s been receiving message after message of excitement. So many people are so happy for her and BELIEVE in her, and believe in US. It all feels too good to be true. And if you want to join us, you just have to go to the website and fill out an inquiry form to start! You’ll get the chance to hear from Caitlin and learn more about the heart of our brand, the selling experience, and the Seeds of Hope we plan on spreading to children in distress. 

See? I can’t believe any of it’s real. I get to design cuteness everyday, Caitlin gets to do what she does best – hire and train quality ladies that believe in our vision for Wildflowers. And we all get to help make the world a little bit better place – all while coming to your homes and hosting pop-up parties for a convenient, cozy, and CUTE shopping experience! What could be better than that?

XO,

Sam

29 Mar

Posted at 10:32h in Inspiration, Margo Love by
2 Likes

I’m bursting with…l-o-v-e, anticipation, creativity, and let’s be honest, a little anxiety too. I’m truly in shock. The most delightful shock. I never thought I could be SO happy and feel so…different. A week ago I met the love of my life, Margo Denise. She decided to surprise us on the first day of Spring! What are the odds, right?! It’s like she already knew she was a Wildflower.

As you can imagine the week has flown by. Half of it missing from my memory due to lack of sleep, half of it burned into my brain and heart so vividly I can hardly catch my breath when I think about it. I have never felt such joy from my head to my toes, truly. Every Mom out there that told me it’s a love like no other love? Ya, you were right (duh, mother knows best).

And like I said, I’ve also never felt so tired. But there’s this satisfaction to the exhaustion that I can’t get enough of. I’m taking care of MY BABY and it’s the best, most natural feeling I’ve ever had. It’s like a new kind of peace I never knew existed. Man, I’m still on cloud 9, can you tell?

But goodness, I couldn’t have gotten through the past 7 days alone. THAT’S FOR SURE. Mark, the husband, has been a total champion from labor and delivery, to diaper changing and laundry. Can you believe she’s gone through over 50 diapers already?! Can you also believe I’ve only changed like 3 of them?! He’s a keeper, I’ve always known it…but I’ve never felt so, SO thankful that he’s my teammate.

Speaking of teams, the girls at the office have surrounded us with so much love and support, I actually feel like I can (try to) turn off my work brain! And since Margo decided to arrive early, they had to pick up a bunch of slack for me last week AND I’M SO APPRECIATIVE. (Thank you Andrea, Ashton, Caitlin, Caroline, Connor, Erin, Kate, Lauren, Lynn, Mano, and Serge for everything!) Without them Wildflowers would be nothing but weeds!

And now, feeling more inspired than ever, I cannot wait to finish up Holiday and begin Spring. HOW DID I GET SO LUCKY? I have a brand new baby girl and I get to start my favorite season of all to design. All at the same time. Pinch me please! Unless this is all an elaborate, coma-induced dream, in that case I never, ever, ever wanna wake up.

So much more to share. SO much more to do. And so much more cuteness (sketches, sneaks, behind-the-scenes, photo shoots, and of course, Margo) coming your way I could explode!

XO,

Sam

15 Mar

Posted at 15:12h in Design, Inspiration by
7 Likes

How do I even begin? I know when I meet new people I usually just want to make them laugh or smile at something I’ve said. It’s a total Michael Scott complex. But how do I begin without having that in person advantage of silly faces, weird mannerisms, and nervous-filled word vomit? Well…I guess I do what I’ve been doing for the past 8 or 9 years. I’ll wing it.

A handful of pantones is the equivalent to a million dollars to meeeee.

Hi! I’m Sam McDonald. I’m a homegrown designer from the midwest, freshly plucked from the field at the young age of 19. I left high school and was immediately lost. It wasn’t a “reality check” kind of lost, because I didn’t have a very sheltered childhood, it was… “Why do I even exist” kind of lost? What’s my purpose? All I ever wanted to do was design (well, that and be an actress/model/singer triple threat) but in my heart I knew it wasn’t a realistic goal. How many designers come from Fort Wayne, Indiana anyway?

Well, ladies and probably no gentlemen, I found a designer from Fort Wayne. Or better yet, she found me. Denise DeMarchis. I was hired for a small local children’s clothing company to lovingly pack and ship orders to their customers. I didn’t know the woman behind the brand yet, but I could feel her presence everywhere. She was in the shelves and the way they smelled like vanilla lavender in Spring and cinnamon apple in the Fall. She was in the 100’s of bolts of colorful fabrics that filled every nook and cranny of the tiny apartment we worked out of. And she was…she is… She is a whole world and story of her own. Anyway…

Denise DeMarchis, my forever hero

Eventually I was pulled into design because times were slow, there weren’t orders to pack, but this lady, she kept us busy no matter what. My mottos in life have always been WORK HARD (thanks Dad!) and BE NICE (thanks Mom!). These two simple thoughts are why I’m here today (ok that and I GUESS I’ve got an eye for color, more on that later). I worked my butt off to be the best from packing, to layering fabric, to unloading inventory. I had to be the fastest, I had to be the best. I never knew how hard I could work until I met Denise. I never knew how badly I wanted to be a part of something until I met Denise. I wanted to so badly to be a chapter in her story.

And I was. I got to design with her for 5+ years. I got to travel with her for 6+ years. I got to call her my boss for 7+ years. And I got to call her my best friend for 4+ years.

Poor quality photo, but this was a huge & scary moment for us! Presenting to the Fort Wayne Boy’s and Girl’s Club at the Smart Girls Luncheon 2014.

I was inspired constantly, kept on my toes, taught to work faster, more deliberately. And to always trust my gut, and to do everything, even design, with my heart in mind. My head would spin from morning to night, with ideas, texts, emails, screen shots, sketches, fabrics, cute lines for descriptions, Facebook posts, customer photos… I could go on and on. It was crazy and I was in love.

Lots of talking about the past for a post about the future, am I right? To me, they’re so intertwined. I can’t think about taking a step into the future without recognizing where I came from. My ‘roots’. In order to make this happen, to make this love explode, I need to keep these stories in my mind and I WANT to share them. I want to share everything. I want to be open and transparent and show you the hectic, beautiful, insanity behind not only designing but creating an entire brand from scratch! A brand that’s been growing inside me for longer than I’ve known. A brand that’s been deep in my gut even longer than little baby Margo (just about 1 more week until she’s here, guys)!

 

Little Margo at 35 weeks!

And now it’s happening! IT’S ALL HAPPENING! This is the year Wildflowers Clothing becomes a reality. This is the year I get to share color, fabrics, and everything in between…with you all! This is the year I get to birth a baby and a brand. Dang, this just might be MY year. (I don’t know why everything’s always about me, geeeez…) We’ve planted the seed, all we need to do now is nurture it, water it with hard work, and watch it grow, grow, grow… And starting in April, we get to hire a team of strong, thoughtful and courageous women to share our story, each new collection, AND our hearts. Nothing beats that to me! I never knew ‘direct selling’ would become such a part of me, but it has. I believe in the connections. I believe in the relationships. And I believe in trying to keep as much human contact as possible in this very virtual world!

Last but not least of this long-winded post: Why Wildflowers, you say? A few years ago my old design assistant gave me a framed print that said ‘Do you suppose she’s a wildflower?” I’ve pondered that question quite a few times since. Maybe that sounds silly, but I really wanted to know what it meant to BE a Wildflower. And in the midst of brainstorming the name for our new brand, I think it finally hit me. I am a Wildflower. I was untamed, untrained, and lacked confidence, but when the opportunity came for me to step up…to bloom? I took it. I was nothing but a seed Denise thought worthy of planting. And now? Now I’m someone that has friends/cheerleaders across the country (heck across the WORLD) wishing me goodwill, wishing me happiness, and success. Now that I’ve “bloomed,” I want to share all the beauty I can muster with you. (And I’ve got the best team by my side the whole way! MUCH more on that later, too!)

The girls behind the brand! Just missing Caitlin (our new Sales Director!)

So yes, I DO suppose I’m a Wildflower. I DO suppose I was plucked from the side of the road to help bring even more beauty into this world. Wildflowers, they’re curious little plants… They POP UP out of nowhere, they can take over an entire garden if given the chance… They’re natural. They’re unique. And try to cut them down, I dare ya! I bet they’ll come back. Stronger than ever.

And it all begins August 2017.

XO,

Sam