“Rising Tides Lift All Ships”
The idea for the Creators Digest came to me on an plane trip home from a business conference last month.
During the conference other creative business owners in different industries were intrigued to see that Damon and I work closely together, not in competition with each other.
When Damon told them we also work with other designers in the industry promoting, supporting and sharing ideas; they were fascinated!
Everyone assumes we should be in competition. Quite the contrary. Just as the saying goes “rising tides lift all ships” we feel that working together and supporting each other we can accomplish more but we can actually serve our customers better.
After the conference, we were ready to take it up a notch with our collaboration and thought it would be fantastic to have one place where different designers can come together to contribute a collection of talent to a single project.
It has been a pleasure to work with other top notch designers in order to bring you a quality product in order to help serve you better.
Julie Siomacco & Damon Oates
About the Designers
Nick Kreticos
Nick Kreticos founder of Nick’s Seasonal Décor is a 19 year old entrepreneur located in Rowley, Massachusetts. Nick has successfully created a business selling and teaching how to make beautiful decor for your home. He has inspired thousands to begin the art of wreath-making, and continues to teach people around the world to improve their skills. For Nick, it all started with a fresh evergreen tree and a bare door. He decided to create a wreath from those evergreen boughs using a coat hanger, and that sparked his creative endeavors.
Since then, Nick has proven his strong desire and work ethic to master the craft of wreath making. He manages to maintain his business Nick’s Seasonal Décor, Nick’s Exclusive Wreath Community, while being enrolled in a full time course at Rittners School of Floral Design and Business. He feels very blessed to be able to live “the life” of working with fresh florals by day, and silk florals by night.
Terri Marshall
Terri Marshall is the owner of MilandDil Designs in Shreveport, Louisiana. The business started in 2011 with one of her daughter-in-laws –that’s where the MilandDil name originated. With a shared passion for florals and all things beautiful, these two have moved the business forward to where it is today.
It has always been Terri’s love to create even before the business started. Her enjoyment of decorating her own home eventually opened the door to a thriving floral business. Now Terri is an industry leader in the wreathing and floral world. Her influence in the floral and wreathing world has had a great impact on how others create.
As a designer, Terri’s innovative spirit has driven her to dream, design and share new ideas with others through her instructional videos and tutorials. Thinking about new ways, breaking design rules and coming up with different ways to do what is normally done gives Terri a bit of an edge with her innovative thinking. And that’s how the “Terri Bow” was created – her signature bow known everywhere in wreathing circles.
MilandDil Designs has expanded their business with an online website offering not only their custom designs, but an entire line of seasonal décor and gifts. They also have included seasonal custom home decorating services for all holidays and events complete from install to take down.
Terri’s skilled eye for selecting quality materials and products to use in floral designs is helpful not only for MilandDil, but also as a buyer for General Wholesale Supply in Vivian, Louisiana. Her love of people and investing in others makes Terri seek out ways she can influence the world with what she knows in the floral business.
Terri and her husband David have been married 45 years. They have three sons and eight grandchildren who all live in Shreveport/Bossier so their lives are full of fun and happiness.
Clara-Nicole
Clara-Nicole is a proud Christian wife, busy mom of 4, successful business owner of She’s Crafty Too, Shut the Front Door Hangers & Virtual Paint, and Down2Chalk. She found her calling to create as a young child always making things with her hands out of random things she could find.
Her 1st un-Official business was at the age of 9 when she learned how to make friendship bracelets. She sold them to her classmates and teachers and taught her cousins how to make and sell them while taking her cut of their earnings for supplying their materials. This same creative & entrepreneurial spirit peaked her curiosity in 2013 to try her hand at making a wreath for her own home.
Shortly after that first wreath, she started researching how to make more and try different styles. Ironically, Clara-Nicole remembers finding some of Julie Siomacco’s YouTube videos and would watch them over and over. She learned her whimsical funky bow from her.
In September of 2013, she officially registered her business while still maintaining her 17yr career with AT&T. For 3 years she worked both a full time job, and ran her decorative business as it grew and grew. In August 2016, she took a leap of faith and left her corporate job to pursue her thriving business full time and live her dream of being a stay at home wife & mom while also doing what she loved.
Recently she signed up with Chalk Couture and now leads a team of over 300 Designers all over the US quickly moving up the corporate titles in record time. She has tapped into a new creative side of sign making and encourages and teaches her team how to do different techniques using cabinet doors for unique home decor signs.
She now makes & sells home decor full time, often hosting successful open houses that showcase her designs while building a client base strictly thru Facebook engagement. Her page has grown from 7000 followers to just under 35,000 in one year thru doing DIY LIVE Facebook video tutorials where she regularly shows how to make decor year round. She spends her days expanding her talents and constantly growing in knowledge to teach others wanting to chase their own dreams too.
Clara-Nicole is a purpose driven, creative inspirer and small business cheerleader for others just trying to make their mark on this world.
Damon Oates
Hey y’all its Damon here…
My story is a little different… I work a full-time job in the Oil and Gas Industry, I’m an online business coach, creative inspirer and the owner and designer at DecoExchange. DecoExchange has given me a new purpose and has helped me find myself while changing the lives of thousands along the way. I absolutely love working with other creatives and watching them turn their dream of starting a small profitable business into reality. Everyday that I get to live this life is a blessing and I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for all of us.
Julie Siomacco
Julie Siomacco, owner of Southern Charm Wreaths is considered one of THE leading designers in wreath making and floral décor. She has been making and selling her creations for almost ten years and has become an influencer in the wreath making industry.
Her popularity grew once she wrote her first ebook, Learn Deco Mesh Wreath Design, in 2011 and begin to teach others the art of wreath making and how to start selling wreaths online like she does.
Once she saw others succeeding because of techniques she taught, she realized she also has a knack for teaching. She felt God calling her to expand on what she offers in her business. Now she offers free tutorials on her blog, digital how to videos and business ecourses, membership clubs such as wreath making of the month and an inner circle teaching creative entrepreneurs how to make six figures with their business.
Teaching others how to create beautiful wreaths as well as providing income to their own families is her passion!
Julie works from home in the Columbia, SC area.