Well, not exactly. It’s still 90 degrees outside. But here at Sarah Cecelia HQ, Christmas preparations are well underway, and I’m very excited to finally debut this year’s newest addition to the ornament collection: The Angel.
An angel has been on my ornament idea list for quite some time, and for whatever reason, this was the year it finally felt right to bring the idea to life. I knew I wanted the design to feel unmistakably Sarah Cecelia - clean and geometric, while still capturing the ethereal, delicate quality that makes an angel feel so special.
As always, the process started with a lot of sketches. And when I say a lot, I mean a lot. I played around with proportions, silhouettes, wing shapes, and all the little details that would eventually come together to create the finished piece. I wanted the angel to feel graceful without being overly traditional, and detailed without losing the simplicity that is so important to my work.
Eventually, I landed on a sketch that seemed to check all the boxes. I had the proportions where I wanted them, the geometry felt balanced, and I could finally see the personality of the piece coming through. But instead of immediately jumping into carving, I decided to let the design simmer for a little while - which is often when I find the last few changes that make a design feel just right.
Sure enough, when I came back to it, I immediately saw a few things I wanted to change. A little tweaking here, a few adjustments there, and suddenly the design felt finished. That was the moment I was ready to get carving.
From there, I moved on to the wax model, which is always my favorite part of the process. The Angel turned out to be a particularly ambitious little carving, thanks in no small part to all those tiny cutouts in her skirt! There was definitely a fair amount of patience required, but the carving came together beautifully. Then came the moment every maker knows well: sending the master off to be cast and crossing my fingers that everything comes back exactly as planned. Happily, the master casting arrived back in perfect condition.
Production is now well underway, and I cannot wait to see these little Angels making their way onto your Christmas trees this year. There is something especially satisfying about creating an ornament knowing that it will hopefully become part of someone's holiday traditions for years to come.
The 2026 Sarah Cecelia Holiday Collection will officially debut this October, and the Angel will be joining the rest of this year’s ornament lineup along with plenty of other festive pieces.
So, while I may be the dog days of summer in DC, the holiday spirit is officially here at Sarah Cecelia HQ. 🎄
Stay tuned, the 2026 Holiday Collection is coming very soon!