The ornaments Liza Fiorentinos creates are as lively as your Christmas tree.
The crafter artfully arranges air plants, reindeer moss, sand, and tumbled gemstones in glass globes. Like small worlds, the terrariums at Etsy shop Luludi Living Frames provide natural scenery without any of the upkeep.
“The ones with moss last forever as moss doesn’t need water or anything, just a little humidity,” she told the Daily Dot. “Imagine receiving that as a holiday gift—how cool and unusual.”
Unusual is right; nowhere else on Etsy will you find a shop that sells living decorations inspired by astrology. Fiorentinos joined the handmade marketplace last year because she knew Etsians would appreciate her shop’s individuality there more than anywhere else.
Based in Astoria, N.Y., Fiorentinos said she’d been doing her own holiday shopping on Etsy for years before setting up shop there. After terrariums began to trend in the design world, however, Fiorentinos saw an opportunity for a handmade business of her own. This will be her first season selling Luludi’s holiday line, which includes ornaments and other seasonal decor.
“I strongly recommend giving anyone the moss purse as a gift because it is the gift that keeps on growing,” she said. “It’s very easy to take care of and plants can be changed with the seasons.
Sometimes the season can be stressful. Fiorentinos said she’ll never forget how worried she was when she was asked to ship a fragile glass terrarium all the way to Puerto Rico (it was fine), but it’s her interactions with other sellers and buyers that make it all worth it.
“Etsy is a community, and I really feel like a part of it,” she said. “The exchanges I have with buyers and with other sellers are always very gracious. The best part is hearing when people really love something you made.”
Photos via Luludi Living Frames/Etsy
