Recently, I got my hands on some linen guest towels and decided to do a bit of experimentation ahead of Mother’s Day. I thought it would be fun to stitch a monogram onto a towel as a gift for my mom. I’ve create a few hand embroidered monograms in the past, but haven’t stitched one in a long time as I don’t really do much personalized work.
I sketched out a cursive “C” on paper to figure out the shape I wanted, then drew it freehand onto the towel using a water soluble fabric pen. I knew I wanted to use shades of blue and to incorporate some florals into the letter design.
Once I finished stitching the “C,” I added some tiny florals in a lighter shade around the letter. I didn’t plan out the flowers ahead of time, but just stitched them as I saw fit.
To finish the piece, I wet the towel to remove the fabric pen marks, then pressed the towel with an iron. Voilà! I’m so happy with how it turned out and am thinking about creating some more for my shop...stay tuned!
First off, thank you for visiting! I am hoping to get back to posting on the blog here at Happy Cactus Designs with more regularity.
Secondly, I'm writing this post as I prepare for a "digital detox." It seems to be a catchy phrase these days used as a catch-all for taking time away from our devices, networks, and time-consuming sites. If you reached this post via my Instagram, then you are likely aware that I've decided to take a few weeks away from Instagram (and Facebook, although I mainly just use it for cross-posting from Instagram).
Why? Over the past few months, I've felt overwhelmed and sometimes annoyed by the role that social media sites have been playing in my life, both personally and professionally. I'm sure some of you feel the same way. While I LOVE connecting with my followers and customers via Instagram and am so grateful to be able to share my work with a wide audience via that platform, I have also started to feel a nagging urge to disconnect for a bit. I'll elaborate on these feelings in some future posts.
I have also been quite curious about what running my business would be like without the ability to quickly reach an audience on social media. What if Instagram disappeared tomorrow? How would my business and studio operations change? If you own a small business with a social media presence, this may have crossed your mind as well. Over the next month or so, part of my plan is to use some of the time that I have previously spent mindlessly scrolling to focus on other areas of outreach, improve my website, and write on my blog. I also want to make more space for creative exploration and experimentation.
Stay tuned for more blog posts about this digital detox. And I'd love to hear from you. Have you taken a social media break? Do you run a small business and sometimes feel tethered to social media? Do you have questions for me? Shoot me an email at hello{at}happycactusdesigns.com or add a comment below. I'd love to hear from you.
A few weeks back, I shared an Instagram post asking if followers had questions about me and my work. Here's my responses to what was asked!
How did you get started learning embroidery?
You can read about how I got started here. Long story short, I sprained my ankle and decided to teach myself embroidery while I was laid up!
Did you follow patterns or research/learn/practice specific stitches? Would a pattern be too complicated for a beginner?
I've actually never done a pattern! I used a few books and YouTube videos to learn basic stitches. From there, I practiced and started creating my own freehand designs. I started a stationery company in 2011 where my designs were based off of my own hand-drawn illustrations, so I took the same approach to embroidery.
Patterns are great, though, and there are many out there for beginners. I share a few good ones that I'm familiar with here. My advice would be to find a pattern that comes with very clear steps and illustrations.
What kind of fabric, needles, and thread do you use for your projects?
I work on linen, I usually use Clover or John James needles, and I prefer DMC cotton thread. I've found through trial and error that the supplies you use matter, and the pricier ones are usually of the best quality.
How do you start and end your floss? Knots? Anchor?
Both ways. Totally depends on what I'm stitching!
How do you choose your prices? Have they always been about the same, or have they gone up over time and with demand?
Pricing is a mix of many factors. I account for my time (pieces can take anywhere from a few hours to many months) as well as the size of the finished piece and the materials I use. With pillows, I also account for the upholstery work to finish them (I outsource this). As I mentioned in a previous answer, I invest in the highest quality materials - from linen to frames/matting to the glass used for paperweights - especially because I want my finished products that have an heirloom quality that can last forever, so that plays a factor. Prices have always been about the same.
Do you wash the linen before you stitch?
Usually not.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
All over the place! Living in Southwest Colorado (Durango, CO), I spend a lot of time outside, so I'm always finding inspiration from hikes. I also find a lot of inspiration from traveling. For example, my ferns series grew out of the amazing greenery seen during visits to Kauai and an upcoming cactus series was inspired by trips to Scottsdale, Arizona. I snap lots of pics on my iPhone when I'm hiking or traveling to refer to later. I also love thumbing through fashion magazines - it's my favorite place to discover color combinations.
Do you teach workshops?
I do not. Creating and hosting workshops is a huge commitment and isn't something I have the time or desire to do right now.
I'm super excited to share that I was named to Country Living's inaugural the Country's 100 Most Creative People list! What a way to kick off 2018! The magazine's January/February 2018 issue is all about creativity and I'm honored to be included amongst a number of makers, artists, and designers I've long admired.
You can pick up the issue on newsstands now!
With the stationery wing of Happy Cactus Designs, I created a hand painted wall calendar in 2016 and 2017. I closed down that side of the business earlier this year (shop the mega closeout sale here), but still wanted to do a calendar for 2018.
After the success of my hand embroidered photo note cards, I decided to stitch a piece that could be photographed and used for a calendar design.
Knowing that the dimensions of the calendar would be 8" x 10", I wanted to stitch a design true to scale. So I went about creating two rows of rainbow flowers, along with "2018" stitched in green thread, on my favorite white linen.
After the piece was completed, I photographed it and used my Photoshop skills to lay it out, adding the calendar dates "on top" of the white linen.
The calendar was printed on 110 lb. smooth white card stock and I LOVED how it turned out. It would look great tacked on a pinboard, on your refrigerator, or framed and hung on your office wall. It will also easily slip into any standard 8" x 10" frame!
It's bittersweet to share that after 6 years, I've decided to close the stationery side of Happy Cactus Designs. I'm excited to focus full time on my hand embroidered artwork, but will miss the stationery world.
I plan to write some more blog posts about my decision to end the paper goods side of things, but first I'm having a huge - and I mean HUGE - sale!
Pretty much everything is on sale, with deeply discounted notepads, single cards, note card sets, and gift tags. I'm most excited about some bundles I've put together. These are a great way to stock up on the cards you always need to have on hand - birthday, new baby, Christmas, thank you, and more.
Shop the sale here and thank you so much for your support!
I wanted to offer a quick and easy 5-point guide for sharing someone else's work on your own Instagram feed. I often come across others sharing images of my work, which is wonderful and lovely, as long as I am properly credited and the image isn't altered. Sadly, just over the past two days alone, I've come across other Instagram users sharing my work without credit and altering my image to promote their own services. So, here are 5 quick and easy tips when it comes to reposting someone else's image on Instagram.
1. Check their profile to see if they have any specific details about sharing their work or contacting them.
2. Send them a direct message to ask if it is okay to share. While most people don't do this, I find it to be a super nice common courtesy.
3. Credit, credit, credit. Mention their Instagram handle in the caption AND tag the owner in the image.
4. Do not crop, edit, filter, or alter the image you are reposting in any way. It's just not cool or ethical to alter someone else's work without his or her express permission.
5. Do not pass the image off as your own, use someone else's image to promote your own work, share the image without credit, or add your own irrelevant hashtags (for example, #followme). Do what's right!
Also, if you come across someone that appears to be using another person's photo without credit, share it with the original owner. It is always greatly appreciated.
And, if you do find someone using your photo without permission, not providing credit, or passing it off as your own, report it to Instagram. They are pretty prompt in removing images that violate copyright, IP, or trademark.
Earlier this month, I took a quick trip up to NYC and visited the Chihuly Exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden. The show was outstanding and I was surprised to see that many of the pieces were actually fairly recent creations. I loved seeing how Chihuly played off the colors of the leaves and flowers with the glass sculptures.
Despite having lived in NYC for a few years, I had never been to the NYBG before. It is simply fabulous, and we were lucky to be there when many flowers and plants were in peak season, especially the peonies, roses, and allium. The conservatory, a Victorian-style glass house full of ferns, cacti, and tropical plants, was the highlight of my visit.
Here are some favorite snapshots I took. If you find yourself in the NYC area, please go visit this amazing exhibition!
I am so excited to be doing an online pop-up shop with the wonderful retailer Furbish! If you aren't familiar with Furbish, they are a Raleigh, NC, based shop with unique finds for your home you won't find anywhere else. Think one-of-a-kind vintage rugs, colorful artwork, and the cutest accessories.
I was so excited when they invited me to participate in their artist pop-up series. I spend much of the past months creating pieces exclusively for this sale. You'll find blue and white vases full of flowers, colorful rainbow flowers on bright blue and turquoise linen, and my favorite blue flowers pieces. And they are released just in time for Mother's Day! The shop goes live today (May 9) at 11am EST over at Furbish!
I've been bad about keeping up with my monthly favorites, so I decided to switch things up and write a blog post every so often about the things I've loving. Here's my latest picks!
One of my favorite artists out there - who happens to also be an embroidery artist - is Sarah K. Benning. Her work has become instantly recognizable for its amazing texture and detail and Sarah's unique point of view.
Sarah also started an awesome initiative called Craft with Conscience on Instagram about a year ago. The aim was twofold - to share the work of other artists, designers, and makers and to openly discuss how the internet (and others' work) can be a great source of inspiration without resorting to copying.
I was very honored to be the first artist interviewed as part of Sarah's new blog series. I talk about where I find inspiration, how I use the internet in my professional life, and how I deal with copycats. You can read the entire interview here.
