FLOWER ARRANGEMENTS FLOURISH IN FROHNA

Some of Petzoldt's more popular items are the wreaths she makes from honey suckle vine, such as this one, which is made of grape vine.

Petzoldt also puts together "fruit and vegetable" baskets that are made from cloth.

This is one of Petzoldt's larger flower arrangements. Though she tries to put at least some natural flowers in all her arrangements, Petzoldt also uses many cloth and latex flowers.

Along with her own floral arrangements and crafts, Petzoldt's shop also sells small crafts for friends and relatives who may not have any other outlet for their items.

Petzoldt shop sells a wide variety of different crafts such as floral arrangements, pillows, wreaths and dolls.

For Aileen Petzoldt, drying and arranging flowers is no longer a hobby -- it is a full-time job. She is the owner and operator of Touch of Nature floral and interior decorating shop in Frohna.

"I've always had a love for flowers. I grew up with my mother planting rows and rows of flowers in her garden. We always had flowers decorating the inside of our house," said Petzoldt.

During her 20-year career as a hairdresser, Petzoldt always made a hobby of flower arranging and drying. "I always kept a flower arrangement that I had made on the counter where I worked. After a while, my clients began to ask 'Why don't you make one of those for me?'"

In her spare time away from the salon, she dried and arranged flowers for her friends in the basement of her home.

Petzoldt began attending area craft fairs and perfecting her skills. "Going to local fairs was not only a good way to learn more about crafts, but it was an excellent way to form a future clientele."

But drying and arranging flowers, for Petzoldt, is not a skill that one can learn. "I never took formal training. I got my hands on any reading material that I could find, but this kind of craft-making is more of a God-given talent," she said.

"It just kind of evolved into a business. I liked the craft and people seemed to like what I made for them. People just kept asking for orders and asking me to help decorate their homes and decorate for weddings and things like that."

Soon, her hobby had outgrown the basement of her home. "There came a time when I had to make a decision. I had been a hairdresser for 20 years, and I really enjoyed floral arrangement. I chose floral arranging and interior decorating," she said.

"I chose the name Touch of Nature because I started my business using all natural materials. Every wreath and arrangement was made of things from the earth. Now, I try to put something natural in almost all of my arrangements," said Petzoldt, turning her attention to an artificial fruit basket with flowers from her own garden nestled amongst the plastic fruit.

"This shop has turned into a full-time job. In fact, around the holidays, I almost have more orders than I can handle. I go through about 220 to 250 poinsettias every Christmas."

But holidays aren't the only busy time at Touch of Nature. Petzoldt stays perpetually active throughout the year. "I make Easter baskets in the spring and do fruit baskets and other crafts for all the seasons."

Though she operates out of her shop in Frohna, Petzoldt has clients from towns and cities around the state, including Cape Girardeau, Jackson and all the smaller towns near Frohna, and even some in St. Louis.

"The bulk of my business comes from the honeysuckle and grapevine wreaths that I make. I can be so artistic with these. The vines are so flexible that I can really be creative and give people something a little out of the ordinary," said Petzoldt, motioning to the countless wreaths adorning the walls of her shop.

With as many orders as she fills, one would think that she might want to expand her decorating business. Petzoldt disagrees.

"I think once you get beyond what I am working with right now, you lose your personal touch. I enjoy what I am doing and the pace at which I'm doing it.

"If my shop got any bigger, I would most likely run into a lot of management and paperwork and things like that. I couldn't be as creative as I am now with my work."

Petzoldt invites friends who have small, sellable crafts to benefit from her business. In her shop she often displays crafts that her friends and neighbors construct.

"Sometimes, people are really talented, but they have no outlet for their crafts and no way to sell them. My daughter makes the Victorian dolls that I have in my displays and she does an excellent job."

Petzoldt is certainly a self-motivated and self-sufficient individual. "I really do enjoy my work," she said, "and I think you can have a business no matter where you are or where you live. If you are creative enough, you will always be able to attract a good clientele."