The drakesflakes Story
In 2OOO, I was searching for a Christmas ornament for my mom. When I decided to try designing some aluminum ornaments of my own, drakesflakes were born. My mother loved the first flake so much that she asked for more the following year. I have been designing and crafting drakesflakes in the snowy Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania ever since. Thanks to the encouragement of drakesflakes friends, I have also added jewelry and 11” flakes.
I’m an engineer by trade and have been working with metals, and aluminum, in particular, since I was a kid. Aluminum is lightweight, can be made shiny, and is highly recyclable. It is the perfect material for a snowflake. My mom is a collector and so she showed me the model of introducing new items each year to grow a collection. My grandfather was a florist so I had seen the joy and comfort that making something beautiful could bring to other people’s lives when you shared your gift with them. Through drakesflakes, I aim to bring a little joy and add a little sparkle to peoples’ holiday attire and decor.
Each year I add six new designs named after snowy places in the world for your collection. While my wife, Nancy, and I sell drakesflakes year-round online, one of our favorite parts of drakesflakes “season” is meeting our customers in person by traveling to craft shows. We love to hear the stories of how you have displayed your drakesflakes, how they became a part of your holiday traditions, and where in the world the flakes have been sent to family and friends.
Our customers have the best ideas of what to do with drakesflakes too! You can hang drakesflakes from trees, stockings, railings, windows, drapery rods, wreaths, garlands, mantels, ceilings, and light fixtures. You can give them to family, friends, teachers, students, pet sitters, coaches, coworkers, neighbors, ornament exchanges, Book Club members, postal workers, babysitters, school bus drivers, trainers, baristas, hair stylists, tutors, and the list goes on.
All of the drakesflakes are my designs. I am inspired by elements in nature, architecture, mathematics, art, and the world around us. I remain true to nature’s snowflakes which have 6 symmetrical dendrites. I begin by sketching one dendrite and then repeat it 6 times around a central point to see the overall snowflake pattern it reveals. Together Nancy and I comb through our list of possible names and try to choose a fitting name for each design.
Some drakesflakes have subtle design elements that hint at the place they represent such as:
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Candles that can be seen in many windows of Williamsburg
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Art Deco style of the Chrysler Building and the Statue of Liberty’s torch in New York City
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Celtic Knotwork in Donegal
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Ski tracks in fresh powder in Sun Valley
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A center crater in Crater Lake
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Fox tracks in snow in Fox Glacier
We make drakesflakes in small batches each year and when a design runs low, we make more so you can always add any previous year’s designs to your collection. You have over 20 years of collections from which to choose! Over the years, we have selected some of the designs and turned them into jewelry so you can wear drakesflakes as a pin, pendant, or earrings. We also enlarged some designs to 11” diameter flakes so you can make an even bigger snowflake statement on a window, mantel, or door.
When you choose to purchase drakeflakes, you are supporting a small business with a very small team behind it that helps to keep things running smoothly from designing and making to packaging and shipping. (Thanks, Nancy, Ryan, & Melissa!)
What do our customers say?
Susan H.
I had a lovely time at drakesflakes (Christkindlmarkt). My only problem was deciding on which snowflakes to purchase because they are ALL so beautiful!
Karen N.
I love your snowflakes and look forward to coming to your booth whenever I can find you at a local craft show.
Susan D.
Creative, quality craftsmanship, friendly, always a pleasure to see at the Bizarre Bazaar!
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