I so enjoyed hearing about your crafting business and dish flowers! It’s always interesting to see the different construction methods in use, and what glue others use. I also do not sell mine on-line because of shipping costs. (I’m in Alaska!) And cost of materials have gone up for me, too! I’d love to stay connected!

I enjoyed reading your article and look forward to continuing.

Hey fellow artisan! Thanks for dropping a line. I, too sell mine at craft shows and wrote this article for sellers https://makeitagarden.com/how-to-sell-your-dish-flower-art-with-confidence/. But, like you, have difficulty selling on a continued basis. I have a couple good shows a year and have to be content with that. Part of the problem for me is that in my state (Alaska), we don’t have the market as down in the “lower 48” as we say. So it kind of depends on your area, too. Doing lots of shows with few or no sales burns up a lot of time and energy. Dish flowers are still very popular, but they appeal to a specific audience. The trick is to find the shows where you audience is…where there are gardeners who love whimsical re-purposed, and decorating their gardens with pretty things. That might mean trying for bigger shows where you know people come to buy and not just look. End of Summer/Fall is a slow time as the garden season winds down and there’s less interest in buying garden stuff. But try again during the holidays, as dish flowers make great Christmas gifts. Try to narrow it down. Is it competition? Too many others selling the same thing? Low turn out? Not much interest? (believe it or not, there are folks who do not know what dish flowers are!) What have you heard people say when they come by your table/booth and look? Comments are a good source of information that could give you valuable insights. I have sold things on Facebook marketplace and have sold things in shops and greenhouses on commission. You might try that as well. One final thought…low sales could have something to do with the economy, too. When food, gas prices are high, people tend to conserve on their spending. Finally, you didn’t say how long you’ve been selling? Sometimes it takes a season or two for people to come to know you and your artistry; at least it did for me. Just don’t give up, Cynthia! Hopefully this was helpful. Feel free to reach out anytime. ~Kristen

Thanks for the question! The way I do it (just me) is to use a metal mending brace/bracket which is attached to the post with a bolt. And either glue the leaf to the metal piece or drill a small hole thru the leaf and attach it to the bracket with a short bolt and nut. That way, the “leaf” is attached to the bracket and the bracket is attached to the post. I wrote a blog post about this technique w/ photos which might make it easier: https://makeitagarden.com/how-to-add-a-leaf-to-your-dish-flower/ Hope this helps ~Kristen

I I’d like to know how you attach the leaf

Thanks Debi, Great to hear from you! I’m so glad you’re making your own dish flowers! Honestly, I don’t think it matters what side of the glass you paint on. What’s more important is to use high gloss enamel paint and to make sure it’s fully cured before putting it outside. I bake my painted plates in the oven to speed up the process, as noted in the article. Both sides of the glass will be exposed to the weather…so it shouldn’t matter. The gloss dries super hard and you’d have to use a razor blade and really scrape to get it off, which makes it the perfect stuff for garden art. You can mix paints, too for different shades of color. Have fun!

Thank you for your kind remarks! I’m glad it came across as a clear explanation. I find it a bit challenging to put my process into words. I really have to think about what I do. So I greatly appreciate your feedback (grin). Here is how I do the leaf. I use a short straight metal joiner…the one with 4 holes. I drill a hole in the metal post and screw the joiner to the post with machine screw and nut. I used to glue a leaf to the joiner, but it would always come loose. So now I use a ceramic leaf that I can drill. I drill a hole thru the leaf and insert a super short bolt and nut to affix the leaf to the joiner, then screw the joiner to the post. If you are interested I have a full tutorial on how I make my dish flowers on the site as well. Hope this is helpful! Kristen