What the Willow Tree product line seems to thrive on is broad ideas that can mean something very personal to anyone regardless of race, culture or anything else that separates people in this world. Angels are widely thought of as portrayals of life after death and these can be seen in that way. But to those who don’t believe in that sort of thing though, the idea of angels can mean something completely different and just as powerful.

They can look over us or they can live within us to keep us strong, to help us in our daily lives or to succeed in a particular endeavor. They represent an invisible force in our lives that help us to do the things we want, to keep us safe or just to generally keep on eye out for us and make us feel loved.

The range of angels that Susan Lordi has created for Willow Tree are made as reminders that those invisible forces are around and we should not forget them. Whether you believe that the invisible force is a loved one that has passed on and is now keeping a watchful eye over you, or whether you think it is a power inside of you that allows you to do things you didn’t know you could do or even just get through the day, having a physical reminder that it is there can be a strong symbol for you.

There are angels for all sorts of different things such as just being there to watch out for you like the “Guardian Angel” piece, or to help you out with a hobby you may enjoy like the “Angel of the Garden” piece. These, like the figurines, can represent very personal ideas for any particular individual, but I think are more symbolic of your inner-most feelings rather than a feeling you can outwardly express for a person such as in the figurine poses.

Because your inner–most feelings are harder to express, the angel figurines tend to include objects more often than the figurines as Susan uses objects to symbolize different ideas and they can really help emphasize those sentiments.  Like for example the “Angel of Wonder” holds a small golden sphere close to her face and leers into it.  If this was to represent an invisible force that resides within us then the golden sphere could symbolize the world we live in with that urge inside of us wanting to find out more about it and what makes it the way it is.

That’s just one take on the meaning of that one angel though, there are a lot more to look at and interpret in different ways and in doing so you might just find one that speaks to you like that invisible force within.

Sometimes I’ll find a few things that aren’t quite right for someone but I’d feel bad getting them just one of those items because it doesn’t seem thoughtful enough so I end up buying the whole lot! I end up spending hundreds of dollars every time I have to buy for my mum now just because I don’t feel anything I could get her would mean enough to show her how I feel.

That all changed when I discovered Willow Tree figurines. All I have to do now is search through the catalog of figurines that are available and look for the one that most closely represents how I feel about the person I’m buying for, portrays the most accurately what I think is important to the person or even one that means something personally for me as a reminder to them that I’m always going to be around.

There are countless reasons for any one of the figurines to be appropriate for a loved one, friend, teacher, anyone really! Buying a different one every year to give to someone close could become a sweet tradition you could begin which could fill up a mantelpiece or shelf as the years go by.

Now the trouble isn’t about searching around for months for the appropriate gift, and it’s not about spending hundreds of dollars to show how you feel about a person, it all becomes about deciding how you feel about the person and what gesture would be the most meaningful to give them. Yeah, it doesn’t cost much but this kind of gift is not about showing how much someone means to you through personal sacrifice, it’s about showing how much you appreciate your relationship with them through acknowledging how you both understand it.

My sisters wedding is coming up within the next few weeks so I’ll be looking through the Willow Tree catalog again soon. I’m thinking a good couple figurine will be a great gift for her and her partner that will hopefully show them that I hope they have a long and happy life together! If you’re looking to buy one for someone special yourself, check out my post on where to buy Willow Tree figurines.

-   If you live in the United Kingdom and the rest of Mainland Europe: Click here

-   If you live in France, Italy and Spain: Click here

-   If you live in Canada: Click here

-   If you live in New Zealand: Click here

-   If you live in Australia: Click here

I actually just took these links straight off of Willow Tree’s official website which is a great source of information that you should definitely check out. The only thing was for Australia and New Zealand there wasn’t a link, just some email address which isn’t very helpful so I tracked down some online stores for you guys! Do feel free to look for others though if you’re not happy with the prices.

If you’re in the US there are obviously crazy amounts of places to find them. If you can’t be bothered shopping around for the cheapest prices you can just go to the Willow Tree shop which look to have alright prices.

If you really want to find a bargain though you can always check out eBay’s Willow Tree category. Even if you don’t live in America you might be able to pick up a second hand figurine you’re looking for there cheaper than if you were to get it from your own country, so I’d recommend you give that a look-into.

If you’re worried that the figurines might be too fragile to ship and don’t trust it getting sent from overseas you should check out my post on how Willow Tree figurines are made. Basically they are just created out of a material that won’t break as easy as say porcelain figurines, however that’s not to say they aren’t damageable so if you are getting them shipped from overseas make sure the packaging method is protective enough to keep your figurines intact!

Each individual piece will take you back anywhere between $1US on eBay (if you’re lucky!) and $30US. You will find the odd few that are a little more than that because maybe they’re a discontinued piece or they’re rare to come across for some reason, but generally brand new it’s between that $20-30US mark.

I believe this is all the information you’ll need if you’re interested in buying but if you know of any other cheap retailers or have some questions just leave them in the comments and we’ll see what we can do!

Susan Lordi, the artist who created the line of figurines, says that one of the sources that inspired her came from the Amish communities where, because of religious observance, dolls were made without facial features for the children.

There is an argument that books are better than movies because you are forced to use your imagination which is a lot more powerful than what can be depicted physically in front of you. Susan found similarly with these dolls that without the facial features to reflect emotion the viewer would have to use their imagination to give the doll emotion and that is exactly what she created with Willow Tree figurines.

She concentrates on creating figurines that will invoke strong emotions in people like love, happiness, nostalgia, joy and so on. She creates these reactions by coming up with certain poses that are highly representative of those emotions and then hand-crafting the figurines into those poses in a simple and elegant style.

She hand-crafts every single original figurine herself with specialized sculpting clay before they are sent off to China. From there her original creations are cast in resin which allows them to be duplicated many times over, then they are hand painted precisely as Susan had painted her originals. From China they are shipped all over the world to retailers ready to sell to the ever growing fanbase of Willow Tree consumers.

Because of this method of reproducing the figurines they are able to be made at an incredibly low cost which results in a collection of stunning figurines that all look completely hand-crafted and sell cheap enough for anyone to become a collector. Also, because there is such a large range now with new sculptures coming out every year, there are figurines made for every emotion you would like to remember and others to give as gifts to enforce any and every special relationship you once or still have.

With this cheap method of production I’m sure we have a lot more magnificent designs to come from Susan as she continues to be inspired to make her creations. If anyone wants to share a figurine they’re hoping to be made just leave a comment and let us know, we’d love to hear what you think!

The poses the figurines are crafted into are very purposeful to be definitive of the relationship or emotion it is attempting to portray, of course this will vary from person to person but the general idea is universal. For example the figurine “Angel of Mine” portrays a mother lovingly holding her baby under her chin, which will mean something different for a child and a mother, but to both it will represent a pure and great love.

Many, if not all of the sculptures poses are as simple as this one but I’ll repeat what I said in my first post: it’s all about simplicity. This simple act of cradling a baby close to your chest, nestling its head under your cheek is a very strong example of body language because it so inherently portrays love in such a pure form.

Not every piece is meant to portray a relationship though, there are several that show single figurines that are representative of different emotions. One example is “Free Spirit” in which the figurine has been carved in what looks to be the midst of swaying around carelessly. Holding one hand in the other beneath its cheek, elbows poised in the air, the pose suggests such freeness, happiness and love of life. This is another very simple pose that portrays such a huge emotion in quite a particular way.

One more variation that can be found in some Willow Tree figurines are pieces that involve animals or objects. Although a lot can be said within just a simple pose, with the use of an animal or object so much more can be implied through the symbolism.

A quote from Susan Lordi, creator of Willow Tree:

“I like to use animals or objects from nature, which can be metaphors for human experiences…rosemary for remembrance, a bird for healing, flowers for beauty.  These items can mean different things to different viewers.  I try to give each piece another level of meaning that’s not always obvious — that the viewer can sense or imagine.”

With the piece called “Happiness” the figurine has her arms wide open, face looking up, hair flowing back in the wind and sitting on her open arms are some bluebirds ready to take flight. This piece screams “FREEDOM!” louder than Braveheart with the aid of the symbolism of the birds.

There are so many examples of symbolism throughout the pieces to enjoy and interpret, leave a comment and tell me some of your favorite uses of it!

The creator of these figurines goes by the name of Susan Lordi who hand-crafts every single sculpture herself. She wasn’t always a sculptor though, she has a Master of Fine Arts in Textile Design and her fiber art has been shown all over the world so when she began making Willow Tree figurines it was a huge change of direction for her!

So how can such simple designs and colors come together to invoke such strong personal emotions? The thing is, the figurines aren’t made simple-looking because they’re easier to sculpt. If Susan thought that carving facial expressions onto them would enhance the quality of the pieces then she would have done so. It’s all about simplicity, without facial expressions it’s up to the body language of the figurine to tell the story of its circumstance and that’s what makes it so powerful.

These aren’t little character figurines, these are figurines of emotions and relationships and human circumstances, to put a facial expression on them would be to turn them into characters. They aren’t characters, they are us. They are me, they are you, they are everyone in the world, they’re the human race in its most simple form.

When you see a Willow Tree figurine that applies to a relationship you have in your life, you imagine that the sculptures are of you. You put your faces on them and it serves as a constant reminder of that relationship and the way it makes you feel. It is a subconscious act but one that everyone does when they see an applicable piece, and that’s where the popularity lies.

When someone purchases a Willow Tree figurine they are effectively buying a figurine of themselves and/or a loved one, family member, friend or anyone they have known in their life. It’s the vague equivalent of Christian Bale buying a Batman figurine. They have the power to be so personal to an individual because they’re not just decorations, they’re the parts of your life that keep you going!