How Local Maker Carolyn Huresky Is Emphasizing Colorado's Natural Beauty + Outdoor Culture
Carolyn Huresky
For over a year, Carolyn Huresky’s Creative Garland Company in Crested Butte, Colorado has been creating unique garlands inspired by Colorado’s natural beauty and outdoor activities.
“One day, I came across a cute, cartoon-style gondola garland on Pinterest and thought, ‘That’s adorable, but we don’t have gondolas in Crested Butte!’ That’s when the idea for the chairlift garland was born,” says Huresky. She created her original chairlift garlands for the Crested Butte holiday market, and they sold out almost immediately. Realizing how popular they were, Huresky decided to explore the idea of making garlands full-time.
Colorado has always been the inspiration behind Huresky’s creative designs. She has a deep love for hiking, mountain biking and skiing in Colorado’s unique scenery, and draws creative inspiration from its bustling outdoor culture. Previously, Colorado inspired her to create polymer clay jewelry and paper shadow box art. Now, Huresky says Colorado continues to inspire her garland designs with its “breathtaking beauty of the outdoors and the endless opportunities for adventure and recreation that come with it.”
The Creative Garland Company has quickly become a Crested Butte staple that shares the spirit of Colorado with local customers, and is growing throughout our state. Along with elk and columbine garlands, the company has expanded to sell ski town garlands that depict buildings and lampposts unique to ski towns like Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs, Telluride and Vail.
“It’s so rewarding to see the joy on people’s faces when they realize they’re looking at miniature replicas of the places and things they love,” Huresky says. After making many new connections at her first trade show this past summer, she hopes to continue expanding to reach customers across the nation.
Huresky says she never would have anticipated that selling chairlift garlands at her local holiday market would lead to the creation of the Creative Garland Company. “I’m so grateful for all my past customers and the opportunities that have helped grow my cute, little idea into a business.”
Originally published in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Spoke+Blossom.