I can hardly believe that Happy Cactus Designs turns two years old this week! It seems both like yesterday and a very long time ago that I took a big leap of faith and opened the Happy Cactus Designs shop. To celebrate, we're offering customers 10% off all orders placed online through the end of September. Use code TWOYEARS at checkout.
I took some time to pause and reflect on all that this growing company has accomplished in the past year. Here are some highlights:
- Participated in numerous craft/holiday shows and trunk shows. I love doing shows because you get to personally interact with customers and get their instant feedback. We're in the midst of lining up a number of shows we'll be doing this fall and winter - stay tuned!
- Exhibited at the National Stationery Show for the second time. No longer a novice, I felt way more comfortable exhibiting at the Stationery Show this year. I was able to connect with a number of wonderful stores, got to spend face-to-face time with retailers that already sold our cards, and made some great business connections. I also got to meet many stationery friends face-to-face for the first time.
- More than doubled the number of retail stores that carry Happy Cactus Designs products. Our cards can now be found in wonderful stores across the country. I've been so fortunate to be able to meet and work with some fabulous retailers who own some of the best gift, home, and stationery shops in the country.
- Introduced new products including two new notepads and place cards.
- Took a big risk and launched a collection of foil stamped cards. I've been so happy with how well this mini-line of cards has been received by customers. The gold balloon birthday card has been the biggest crowd pleaser of all!
- Connected with more stationery designers. One of the best parts about this industry is the number of wonderful designers in it and their willingness to connect. I've made some great friends and love how supportive this community is.
- Grew my number of custom projects by leaps and bounds. I love collaborating with people and helping them see their design visions come to life. From holiday cards and save the dates to custom wedding stationery and personalized notes, it has been awesome to work on so many special projects.
- Partnered with some fun and inventive companies on various licensing projects, including Postable, Two Smiles by HP, and MyCustomCase.
I'm currently brainstorming new product ideas and working on new hand-drawn designs, and I look forward to sharing more with you soon. Thank you for all of your support. We're so happy to be two!
