You have seen them before. The delicately carved figures of women, holding their children holding each other. Each figurine has it's own distinctive style and evokes its own emotion. The figures never have a face but a gesture that captures your heart or maybe rekindles a memory. Willow Tree figurines are growing in popularity. They are great gifts because it is kind of like you are giving away a part of yourself. The act of giving a Willow Tree figurine makes an emotional memory in itself.

 Susan Lordi is the creator of Willow Tree and hand carves each original herself.  Each piece is individually hand painted.  Th figures as i mentioned before are faceless and long and slender. The slenderness suggests the  column of a tree.  The Willow Tree name suggests " that which is gestural and Beckoning. The figurines let us put out own meanings and interpretations on the gesture.  Giving a Willow Tree figure as a gift makes us feel closer to the ones we love because they evoke such positive emotions.

Willow tree began in 2000 and has blossomed since then. Susan Lordi's inspiration has been through her friends, ballet, dance and nature.   The original figures are sculpted in Clay and then shipped to China where they are manufactured.  Each figure is made of resin, not wood as popuarily thoght.  It takes nearly 12 months to get a product to market.  She has a MA in Fine Arts of textile design and has her own studio in Missouri

 This collections was brought to market in January of 2008.  The feature figurine is a The Promise, which also can double as a cake topper.  Other figures include Angel of the Heart, Loving Angel and Embrace.  There is also a guest book and photo album with the Promise picture on it.

 Maybe most popular is her Angel Collection.  This is an orginal collection she has started since she began in 2000.  The memebers of the Angel collection are Angel of Learning, Angel of Healing, Angel of Friendship, Angel of Prayer and Angel of Freedom.

Evey year the Willow Tree Nativity Scene grows in popularity.  In this collection there are the angel  of light, The bright Star, Celebrate, Peace on Earth and a prayer.  The Newest addition to this is The Christmas Story.  It is  a figure of  Mary and Joesph  holding Jesus.  Also available are the Stable animals for the Nativity.

  Susan Lordi is constantly inspired and comes up with new pieces every year.  Some of the new items you can expect in 2009 are Candle holders.  The Candle holders are porcelain holders for tea lights and come in a set of nine pieces.  Each piece represents an emotion such as love , hospitality, friendship and quiet reflection.

 Also new this year are ornaments.  Look for ornament Peace and Joy throughout the year as this years collector piece. 

 Also new for Mother's day are Roses in my Garden

Willow Tree surprises us every year with a new figure that captivates our emotions. Giving gift of Willow tree is very much like giving gift of yourself. I myself own a Willow tree figure and would not mind expanding my collections. What is more important about owning the figure is about owning the emotion that goes with it. My Willow Tree is an Angel that is looking across the way with her lantern held high. This figure was given to me at a time I didn't feel I had direction and was unsure about where I was going. But by looking her everyday I thought about the gesture from my friend who gave it to me.. and that in itself gave me direction. Every Willow Tree Figurine given as a gift has a story!