I'm so excited to share that Happy Cactus was featured this week on Design*Sponge!! D*S is hands-down my favorite blog to read on a daily basis, so seeing my work appear on their site was like a dream coming true! The post was titled 18 Embroidery Instagram Feeds to Follow and I am so appreciative of editor Grace Bonney's kind words about my work.
It is a great round-up and I was humbled to be listed amongst so many other talented artists.
I field a lot of questions about my hand embroidery via email and on Instagram and thought it'd be helpful if I compiled some of my most frequently asked questions here.
How do you come up with your designs?
Just like my paper goods line, the majority of my ideas and designs come straight from my imagination. In many instances, I'm inspired by my own painting and drawing work.
Do you use a pattern? Do you trace your design onto the fabric before you stitch?
Nope! All of my embroideries are done freehand and I create the design as I go along. I do not draw out anything beforehand. I sometimes use invisible ink to draw an outline of the final shape/size that I want the piece to be.
Where can I buy one of your finished pieces?
I sell my pieces framed and matted in my shop. Right now, I can only ship in the U.S. via my website. If you are interested in ordering one and you live outside the U.S., shoot me an email for a shipping estimate.
What if I want to purchase a piece in your shop, but it is sold out?
If an item is listed as sold out, it means that the one-of-a-kind piece of art has sold. Please don't hesitate to contact me at hello{at}happycactusdesigns.com to explore creating a similar design for you.
Do you sell patterns?
Not at this time. Hopefully down the line I will eventually offer patterns or kits for sale. For now, I'm just happy creating my own original work.
Can I recreate your designs?
Please do not. While I greatly appreciate your enthusiasm for my work, I also encourage you to create your own original work or purchase patterns from those who sell them. Reproducing my work is actually stealing, whether you intend to or not. And trust me, it's more fun creating your own original works!
How did you learn to embroider?
I taught myself. I was sidelined with an ankle injury at the end of 2014 and decided that if I was going to be resting on my couch for a few weeks then I should try my hand at embroidery. I have consulted a handful of books and stitch guides, but I have found YouTube videos most helpful so I can see how to do various stitches.
Where do you get your supplies?
I mainly purchase my supplies online since I live in a small mountain town without a needlework shop that supplies everything I need. I think DMC has the best embroidery thread (don't fall for the imitation brands claiming to be DMC online!). As for the linen, hoops, scissors, and other fabric and tools that I use, I source those supplies from various shops across the U.S. I try to invest in the highest quality supplies because you definitely get what you pay for. I encourage you to go to your local art or needlework shop to get supplies or spend time researching online like I did.
How long does it take to create a design?
Most pieces take a number of hours. I don't always sit with a stopwatch and track my time, but smaller pieces usually take at least 3 hours, while larger pieces can take upwards of 10-20 (my best guestimate!).
Can I share your work on my blog, website, or Instagram fee?
Please feel free to as long as you provide proper credit and link back to me.
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New year, new stamps! The USPS has released their newest batch of stamps for 2016. I'm especially excited about the quilled paper heart stamp for Valentine's Day!
Lunar New Year: Year of the Monkey
Other new stamps to be released later this year include a Shirley Temple stamp, Star Trek, pick up trucks, and soda fountain favorites!
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Happy New Year! I took a few weeks off blogging as I traveled for the holidays and took some much needed time to rest after the busy holiday season. 2016 has been off to a stronger start than I anticipated and I'm looking forward to what this year holds. Here are some of my favorite things of the moment.
Watch: I did a lot of stitching over the holiday break and a new series that I plowed through was Jane the Virgin. Honestly, it is one of the most clever and entertaining shows I've come across lately. It's a play on the telenovela genre with a fun mix of characters and storylines.
Listen (Music): Every year I put together a personal "Best Of" mix that I send to friends. This year, I'm sharing it with you, too! You can find the entire playlist here on Spotify.
Listen (Podcast): I've been catching up on episodes of The New Yorker Radio Hour. The interviews and stories are usually intriguing and sometimes flesh out New Yorker articles I've already read. I especially loved this week's interview between David Remnick and Serial's Sarah Koenig.
Read: I just got a new Kindle (thanks to my old one mysteriously disappearing over the holidays) and I'm currently juggling three books right now: Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert, Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science by Atul Gawande, and Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff. Quite the mix!
Follow: I follow many creatives, makers, and independent businesses on Instagram, but lately one of my favorites is Samson the Goodendoodle (aka @samsonthedood). I just adore him and the posts always put a smile on my face!
Shop: Everlane has become one of my go-to online shops for everyday essentials like t-shirts. I received one of their cashmere sweaters for Christmas and it is awesome. Everlane's motto is "radical transparency." They give you all the details behind the factories that make their products and how they produce everything, from the actual factories that make their items to how they mark up their prices.
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One of my favorite parts about the holiday season is wrapping gifts. Some people love it, some people loathe it. I fall into the former category. I love scouring Pinterest for some unique gift wrapping ideas. Here are some favorites I have come across!
via Mondo Cherry
via Design Mom
via Bright Bazaar
via Country Living
via Martha Stewart
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Despite how time consuming running my own business has been over the past few years, I have always made time for reading. I try to carve out some time in the late afternoon or before bedtime to dig into whatever book I have loaded onto my Kindle. As we head into the holidays, I wanted to share my favorite books that I've read this year. Enjoy these recommendations!
Fiction
Nonfiction
Business
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Just a heads up - Tuesday, December 15 (tomorrow!) is the last day to place orders for the holidays. This is to ensure that your orders arrive in a timely manner since we all know how slammed the USPS is right now! Order boxes of Christmas cards so you can send some fun mail to your friends, gift tags to dress up your holiday presents, notepads and art prints for the cactus or flower loving friend or family member in your life, or thank you cards for all of the notes you'll be writing post-holidays! Thanks so much for shopping small and supporting my business this holiday season!
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The majority of my works, both paper goods and hand-embroidered artwork, are inspired by gardens, those I've visited and those of my imagination. Here's a round-up of some favorite gifts for the gardener in your life!
1. Happy Cactus Designs hand-embroidered floral artwork
2. Diptyque Geranium Rosa candle
3. Modernica small white pot with stand
4. Rockins Flora printed scarf
5. Hunter boots
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I prefer baking to cooking, but I love perusing gifts for the kitchen. Here are my top picks for your top chef.
1. Amanda McAulay walnut cutting board
2. Happy Cactus Designs What's Cooking notepad
3. Normann Copenhagen craft rolling pen
4. Le Creuset Cast Iron Dutch Oven
7. Max & Moritz Beehive salt cellar
9. Hedley & Bennett Adele 2.0 apron
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I adore the Postal Service's new Christmas stamps for this holiday season (read about them here), but there is something so wonderful about the holiday stamps from years past. I love the colorful vintage designs and sweet sentiments that graced these stamps. My go-to resource for sourcing unused vintage stamps is Etsy. It takes some searching and reading reviews, but I take such delight in discovering stamps from previous holidays. Here are a handful of my personal favorites.
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I've completed a few new pieces of hand embroidered artwork in the past few weeks and have just listed them in the online shop! I have shared some behind-the-scenes looks at these pieces on Instagram when they were just works in progress. Here they are in their finished framed and matted form.
Rainbow Flowers on Turquoise Linen: A bright and bold piece. The various colors of the flowers really pop off of the turquoise linen.
Prickly Pear Cactus and Wildflowers on Natural Linen: I've done a few different versions of this design. This is the first one with the pink prickly pear bulbs. It was inspired by my time living in Austin and the beautiful wildflowers that bloomed each spring.
Rainbow Flowers Square on Blue Linen: Hands down one of my favorite pieces I've stitched to date. It's a larger square (3.25" across) with some intricately stitched flowers. This piece took a number of hours to complete and I will be sad to part with it!
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Watch: I love a good documentary and recently rented a few good ones on very different subject matters. Amy, about the prolific and very trouble Amy Winehouse, is incredibly heartbreaking. I was also wondering the entire time how the director was able to piece together a film that draws on so many home movies, concert footage, and interviews from a fairly social media-light time. The second documentary, Meru, is about three world-renown mountain climbers who attempt to climb one of the highest peaks in the Himalayans that has never been summited before. It is riveting with a few unexpected plot twists I did not anticipate.
Listen (Music): Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats still have my favorite album of the year. Here they are doing an NPR Tiny Desk concert.
Listen (Podcast): I’m really enjoying Lena Dunham’s podcast, Women of the Hour. There are longer episodes and some shorter, bite-sized ones. She and her staff interview some of the most interesting women, from Zadie Smith and Aidy Bryant to Amy Sedaris and Lena’s work partner, Jenni Konner. The podcast is both fun and substantive.
Read: An interesting read in Fast Company about the buy-one-give-one model. Does it actually do any good? The author asks the valid question: How many lives could have actually been transformed if the resources we use to buy things for ourselves were instead utilized to foster sustainable livelihoods?
Follow: I just love and so admire the work of Jennifer Erlys (@jenerlys). She makes and photographs these beautiful compositions out of flowers, leaves, and bits from nature.
Shop: I just finished a bit of Christmas shopping on Best Made Company’s site. I love their motto: “Gifts to Inspire: The warmth of a well-considered gift is universally appreciated.”
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