TheMidnightOrange

Tender keepsakes for tender hearts

Buffalo, New York On Etsy since 2008

20,698 Sales | 5 out of 5 stars

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This shop got multiple 5-star reviews in the past 7 days.

TheMidnightOrange

Tender keepsakes for tender hearts

Buffalo, New York | 20,698 Sales

5 out of 5 stars

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20698 Sales
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Dana Pecoraro

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Dana Pecoraro

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About TheMidnightOrange

Sales 20,698
On Etsy since 2008
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Grief Care

When I founded The Midnight Orange, I never imagined myself working in grief care. Once I started sculpting families, a client asked me to make an inclusive sculpture showing her entire family portrait including her young daughter that couldn't be earthside with them. With extreme reverence I took on the custom project, and once their sculpture was received it was shared with other bereft families and online communities.

My inbox became a treasure chest unpryable to the faint of heart. The messages I received were heavier than gold, private as pearls. What families shared with me about their loved and little ones who touched the stars too soon could have easily intimidated me or been a responsibility I was not mentally or emotionally prepared for, were it not for Christopher.

Christopher. His name is still the "golden bell hung in my heart". On the first day of summer in 1990, the world suddenly lost a very cherished eight year old and I lost my bursting childhood friend. As a child I did not know how to process this loss and for years I just carried him with me. Every milestone I had I wished for him. In college I became desperate, not for closure but closeness to him and I wrote a letter to his family about 10 years after his passing. My message was strong and clear. I missed Christopher, I loved him still, and I REMEMBERED. Always I remembered him.

The letter I received back I held with trembling hands. His mother wrote that my letter was a true miracle and went on to explain that after his passing, his loss was so painful that he became rarely spoken of outside of family. I felt such newfound sorrow when I read that. In retrospect I now am keenly aware of (and hope to help break) the deep taboo that has surrounded child loss and I understand how easily a well-intending heart can be lost for words when confronted with the unthinkable. At the time that I read it, however, it became a new burden on my heart and this unknowingly bookmarked what would later become my life calling.

One of the things that stood out profoundly to me was need. The need for loved ones to be acknowledged, celebrated, spoken about. The need to know others remember. The need for a LEGACY. Years later when my artistry unexpectedly intertwined paths with grieving families, I knew such deep love for them and that I was tasked with the tremendous privilege and responsibility to help others nurture these love legacies.

Sculpting these tender memorials isn't something I ever set out to do. The shift in my artistic responsibility came to me first in whispered urgency and then in amplified echos. Family after family came to me, entrusting their hearts to the interpretation of my hands. Friends of grieving families came to me, seeking a way to express comfort while sensitively nurturing grief in the absence of knowing what to say. I continue to be so deeply honored, so indelibly touched with every sculpture I make. Sculpting on your behalf isn't my job, it's my life calling. Watching a family's love and unity form in my hands is unforgettably personal and the highest honor my artistry could ever be called to do.

My work isn't about loss. It's about life and love and loss co-exists among both. You'll find in my available collections and past work that I sculpt for all of life's occasions. Through clay I aim to capture the spectrum of human emotion, from very bright to very raw. I choose to create with bravery and want my work to serve as a story telling outlet that marks personal milestones among the human experience. I am very humbled to share that my sculptures are used worldwide by therapists who most often incorporate them into sand tray therapy to aid in the path of healing.

I live in the United States and my business is fully run right out of my home studio in a quiet little town in New York, right between Niagara Falls and Buffalo. We are an "art family" and fully immersed in creativity here. My husband is also a full time artist and we have two young daughters who are 11 and 9. I promise to not expect them to travel my own path, but on that same token I have to say proudly that their art souls are fully in bloom over here! Our family loves animals and is home to 4 beloved rescue pets. I'm also an avid hobbyist when it comes to fish-keeping and I maintain two aquariums and a backyard pond with full admiration for the ecosystems and balance within. Life, in all its intricacies, fully enraptures me. I try to endeavor each day with newfound joy and interest amid the reality of life's varying circumstances.

This is a lot about me and there's irony in that. My bespoke handmade sculptures are about you and your experiences. To learn more about the process and how to start or grow a collection of sculptures from The Midnight Orange, I warmly invite you into my shop.

Shop members

  • Dana Pecoraro

    Owner, Artist

    Through clay my aim is to touch all of life's journeys, from very bright to very raw.

Shop policies

Last updated on May 25, 2018
Welcome to The Midnight Orange, where you will find warmth along your journey. I am a full time Etsy artist who has had the honor of sculpting for collectors all over the world since 2008. It is the most humbling privilege to be able to work for you and help you capture your life moments in clay, or help you give a beautiful gift to someone who needs comfort along their path. Every single sculpture in my shop is handmade by me. I love my job and put all my care into sculpting for my customers and collectors.

Accepted payment methods

Paypal Mastercard Visa American Express Discover Apple Pay Klarna Giftcard
Accepts Etsy Gift Cards and Etsy Credits
Returns and exchanges
I gladly accept returns and exchanges
Contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back within: 7 days of delivery
I don't accept cancellations
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
  • Custom or personalized orders
  • Perishable products (like food or flowers)
  • Digital downloads
  • Intimate items (for health/hygiene reasons)
Returns and exchange details
I will refund an item so long as it is returned within 7 days in its original form. The refund will be sent after the item is received here. I do not have refunds available on custom orders, thank you for understanding.

Should an item ever arrive damaged, please contact me and I will help you and ensure that your experience brings you both satisfaction and a beautiful, in tact product. Shipping maladies are few and far between but if the issue should present itself, you know where to find me. :)
Payment
I accept Paypal and credit card payments (you can make a credit card payment through paypal without having a paypal account and will find it is user friendly) or use your credit card and check out via Direct Check Out.
Shipping
***INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE: Customs forms will be completed with the purchase price. Buyers are responsible for any Customs import taxes, duties, tariffs, or other charges assessed by their countries, and should check into those charges before making a purchase.***


My current creation period varies based on the item and is viewable in the Shipping Tab of each listing. I work in volume and make every sculpture by hand with tender care. Prior to placing an order, please review the item's creation period and consider my handmade capacity and ensure that my timeline works for you. If you are giving a gift, you might consider giving your recipient a "Gift to Come" and printing out a picture of the sculpture to give inside of a card. You can let your recipient know that you've commissioned an artist to sculpt on their behalf and that as soon as their handmade gift is ready it will be on its way. Please do refrain from placing an order with instructions to rush the creation period in your order notes. I always work as quickly and efficiently as possible and treat all of my orders as urgent and time sensitive and will make sure to get your order out in the mail by the timeline I've committed to in my quoted creation period.

Thank you so much and sending lots of warmth,
Dana
Additional policies and FAQs
❖ PRIVACY POLICY ❖

Etsy cares deeply about privacy, and as an Etsy Seller, so do I. We believe in transparency, and we’re committed to being up front about our privacy practices, including how we treat your personal information.

As a US-based Seller on Etsy.com, The Midnight Orange sells to Buyers in multiple countries, as noted in the shop listings under "Shipping & Policies." As a Buyer, the information you provide is used only for Etsy-related communication and transactions, regarding order fulfillment, shipping/delivery, and providing customer support.

The personal data you provide is retained for legal, business and tax records only, and will not be used by The Midnight Orange for marketing purposes, or transferred or shared with any other entity, without your express permission. If you have any concerns about my privacy policies, please contact me.

Account and transaction information is retained by Etsy electronically according to the Etsy Terms of Use.

Please review Etsy's Privacy Policies outlined here, which you agree to whenever you enter into any transaction or service on Etsy:

https://www.etsy.com/legal/privacy/

More information

Last updated on Mar 16, 2018
Frequently asked questions
Do you offer engraving services?

I do not offer engraving services at this time.

How long does it take to receive an order?

My turn around times change depending on how many orders I have in queue. To see an item’s expected turn around time, please refer to the listing details as I update these frequently as my capacity changes.

Can you do different colors?

The only clay color I now work with is the silver pearl colored clay featured throughout my shop. Color can be incorporated via the wings and any add on jewels.