Why I started arranging flowers in my basement
There doesn’t seem to be an introduction that seems fitting enough for this topic.Today, I’m opening up about the deeper, more difficult beginnings of Sweet Pea Designs.
Sweet Pea Designs was born out of postpartum depression. It wasn’t until 6 months after my first that the signs and symptoms came in and boy did they make up for lost time. I had already been looking for something to fill my time during the summer prior and I landed on Pampered Chef. That was all great until I got pregnant with our second and 3 months later the pandemic hit. Our second was born in August of 2020, just a lovely time in history. This time the postpartum depression was joined with postpartum anxiety and it was stronger than the first go around. A lot of prayer, therapy and medication, I was left wondering what I wanted to fill my time with. I didn’t want to go back to selling for an MLM. I wanted something that released the creative flow in my brain. Many conversations with my husband with the prompt of “what do you want to be when you grow up?”, I kept falling back to the idea I had when I was 9 years old in my family’s greenhouse. I wanted to be a florist.
Most of my childhood was spent at the greenhouse and I would often arrange blooms from the plants my family grew. The dream of being a florist seemed to be attainable. I could do weddings and school dances from a small extra bedroom in our basement while my kids napped or played in the basement with me. My first “job” was arranging flowers for my best friend’s (now manager of my shop) baby shower. I know, full circle moment there. 2 days later I filed for my EIN.
Yes, a lot has happened since designing my first arrangements on the washer and dryer in my basement to the beautiful flower and gift shop here in Cedar Lake, but that’s not my point. My point is don't let depression win. Now, I am not saying I “conquered my depression”. There are still days that I question if I am out of it or if I am falling back into it. What I am saying is, beauty can come out of the darkness. I opened myself up to lean into my creative side as I worked through those racing hormones and uncertain times.
So here’s my two-part invitation:
1. If you’re in the trenches of postpartum depression—please know you’re not alone.
Reach out to me. To someone. Anyone. You don’t have to walk this road in silence. It’s heavy. It’s dark. It can feel endless. But there is help, and there is hope. My DMs are always open.
2. If you’re in a hard season—whether it’s depression or just one of those “sad girl days”—find an outlet.
Anything that helps you feel a little lighter. It might be creative, active, quiet, loud, shared, or solo. You don’t have to turn it into a business. Just something that brings a smile to your face, even if only for a moment.
To wrap this up, I know we fill our social media with funny videos and you can often find me laughing in the shop. These are the days that I prayed for. When I was in the thick of postpartum depression, I didn’t know if I would ever feel like myself again. My faith carried me through and also having something to do while exercising that faith was important for me. To anybody going through depression, a tough time or ‘sad girl days’, I see you.I’m here. And I’m always ready to listen.
Talk soon,
Nicole
