“Hope” is the thing with feathers -
That perches in the soul -
And sings the tune without the words -
And never stops - at all -
The incredible female poet, Emily Dickinson wrote these words decades ago, and they still resonate. I receive a lot of questions about the feathers that are included with Olivine's fragrances. "Why do you include feathers?" "Where do they come from?" Well, I answered the "why" in a pervious post. Feathers hold a lot of meaning for me; Always have. They represent freedom, hope, liberation, flowing with life. But today I wanted to put the spotlight on the amazing woman who collects and curates these feathers for Olivine. Her respect for nature and birds, and her talent for enhancing beauty wherever she goes astounds me.
Who: Kelly Emerald Hart
Age: 27
Location: Orlando, Florida
Occupation: Mother, Feather and natural materials artist
In Kelly's Words: " I grew up with parents telling me, "Don't touch feathers! They are dirty." So as a child, I never touched them, and instead admired them from a safe distance. When I got older, one day I decided to get wild and pick one up. And I simply thought, "If it's dirty, I'll just wash it." So I did. And this is how my appreciation for collecting feathers began. Living in Florida, I am surrounded by beautiful birds and the birds leave behind their feathers in the natural course of their day - No animals harmed. Every feather is naturally fallen. And I find them everywhere. You know how people have tokens in life that follow them? Feathers are that for me. I find them at the beach, in the park, at the lake, and even just outside my house.
Eventually I had so many feathers that I started experimenting with dyeing and embellishing them, and eventually I added them to my handmade shop on Etsy. Everyone loved them just as much as I did! Now I wash, dye, and dip feathers daily to keep up with the demand of embellished natural feathers for weddings, parties, and home decor. It's my way of recycling and honoring nature and the birds they fall from. And I couldn't be happier. "
xo,
Julie