Staff Sergeant Repurposes Old Military Uniforms into Patriotic Wreaths [Video]

• Staff Sergeant Nicole Pompei found a way to repurpose and memorialize her old Air Force uniforms by transforming them into decorative wreaths.
• After sharing her first design with friends on Facebook, she was flooded by requests — and her business “Wreaths by Nicole” was born.
• Pompei says that hearing her customers’ stories and knowing their reactions when seeing the finished product was its own reward.

After the Air Force switched over to new uniforms, Staff Sergeant Nicole Pompei from San Antonio, Texas, wanted to memorialize her old ones, instead of just keeping them in storage.

It was then that she and her mother came up with an idea to repurpose them into decorative wreaths.

It wasn’t long before the creative project turned into a growing business!

Pompei launched “Wreaths by Nicole” in July. Since then, she’s provided happy customers with about 200 wreaths fashioned out of old military uniforms.

Her wreaths come in all kinds of designs and sizes. While some have a patriotic design featuring stars and stripes, some have festive holiday themes. Each wreath is crafted by hand and takes about four hours to complete.

Her most memorable project was when she handcrafted special wreaths from three uniforms that were worn back in 1946.

Pompei shared on Facebook that she “almost didn’t have the heart to cut them,” but after she did, she was happy to create mementos that the family can treasure.

Pompei, who previously served in the Marines, is still currently in active duty in the Air Force.

She shared that she never planned to start a business. But after sharing her first design with her friends on Facebook, the requests started flooding in.

“The most rewarding part is hearing all of the stories of my customers and their family members. I feel so honored that I can memorialize and honor their service. I have such respect for anybody who has served in the military,” she shared.

She told CBS affiliate KENS, “I often joke that my motto should be, ‘Wreaths by Nicole P’ – Making moms cry since July 2020.’ I cannot tell you how many times I’ve had customers tell them the recipient began crying from being so overwhelmed with their gift.”

“Each wreath tells a story, and that’s my favorite part about it,” she added.

If you wish to purchase a wreath or request a personal commission, check out Wreaths By Nicole on Facebook, or email [email protected].

Source: People