Part 2 of Crafting Meaning with Angel Ornaments

Read Part 1: "The Art of Crafting Handmade Angel Ornaments in Texas"

Read Part 3: "How Angel Ornaments Tell Your Story"

Hey, friends! I’m Jen from Forged Flare^®. In Part 1: "The Art of Crafting Handmade Angel Ornaments in Texas", I shared how we craft our handmade angel ornaments in Texas. Now, let’s talk about why our Mother’s Angels^® collection outshines mass-produced decor — and why our prices reflect the heart and hustle of a small business. Running Forged Flare^® in today’s tough climate isn’t easy, but every angel ornament we create is worth it.

Why Handcrafted Angel Ornaments Shine

Mass-produced angel ornaments come from overseas factories. They often use cheap labor and low quality materials. They often break or fade. Our angel ornaments? We craft them with love using sapele wood, MDF, and acrylic — a durable material that fits in the spectrum somewhere in between glass and plastic. Here’s why handmade wins:

• Unique Quirks: Each ornament has slight imperfections — a quirk of handcrafting. These aren’t machine-perfect, and that’s the beauty. Every piece tells a story. Each creation is a labor of love.

• Premium Materials: We source from U.S. small businesses. Some suppliers import wood or acrylic sheets or craft their own, possibly with imported raw materials. This costs more but supports quality, community, and the dreams of others just like us.

• Meaningful Design: Our Mother’s Angels^® feature motifs like birth flowers or animals, perfect for gifting or cherishing. They’re keepsakes, not throwaways.

Not everyone appreciates handmade, and that’s okay. But for those who do, our angel ornaments offer something special — a touch of humanity in every detail.

The Real Cost of Handmade

I’ve heard “You’re too expensive!” (in fact, I even wrote an article on it!) more times than I can count. It stung at first, but I get it — mass-produced decor is cheaper. We’ve grown up in a culture that values convenience and low prices, thanks to big-box retailers like Amazon, Walmart and Target. But cheap comes at a cost. At Forged Flare^®, we’re not hobbyists; this is our livelihood.

⇧ Proudly displaying our first official copyright certificate of one of our Mother’s Angels^® ornaments.

Our prices reflect real expenses:

• Overhead: Our laser cutter alone cost thousands — and when it goes down, it's brutal. Raw materials? Not cheap. Packaging? Also not free. Then there’s the cost of running our website, plus a mountain of business-related subscription fees: design software, sales tax tools, accounting software, tax pros, and two separate business insurance policies (yes, really). It all adds up to over $800 every month in fees, and everything only seems to go up.

• Taxes and Laws: New small business laws, like state sales tax nexus, are overwhelming and always changing. We use software to track 50 states’ rules, but it’s costly. Legal fees for copyrights, trademarks and business filings aren’t cheap either.

• Time: I work extremely long days — way more hours than I ever did in my corporate career, juggling design, marketing, and packing — all without benefits. My personal $15/hour rate for crafting doesn’t cover this time. My husband, Chris, pitches in, but we feel the grind.

Some days, I want to throw in the towel. The laws and costs hit small businesses hard. But every sale keeps us going. Every message or email from happy customers reminds us of why our angel ornaments are so special and why we do what we do.

Supporting Our Community

Choosing our angel ornaments supports more than Forged Flare^®. It helps small U.S. suppliers and local assistants we hire when busy. These remote jobs give folks purpose — something I value deeply, as remote work helped me with my health challenges. You’re boosting the local economy with every purchase.

Mass-produced decor can’t match our heart or impact. Our angel ornaments are built to last, with a flat base for year-round display. Ready to invest in something meaningful? Shop our Mother’s Angels^® collection and find an angel ornament that radiates with love!

Explore Our Collection of Angel Ornaments

Read Part 1: "The Art of Crafting Handmade Angel Ornaments in Texas"

Read Part 3: "How Angel Ornaments Tell Your Story"