Hello 2017! I've been a little neglectful sharing my monthly favorites, but with the new year comes a renewed commitment to the blog.
Watch: I got wrapped up in Black Mirror (Netlfix) over the holidays. Each episode is its own standalone episode exploring "techno-paranoia." What is the dark side of the technology that controls many aspects of our life?
Listen (Music): Every year I create a playlist of my favorite songs from the year. Here's my favorite songs from 2016 (opens in Spotify).
Listen (Podcast): I don't know how I had never listened to Reveal before until about a month ago - it's amazing! The podcast, from the Center for Investigative Reporting, is much like a piece of longform journalism. Each episode explores an issue in depth and from multiple perspectives.
Read: I usually like to juggle one non-fiction book and one fiction book at the same time. I just wrapped up The Case Against Sugar by Gary Taubes and The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis. Taubes' latest work is an extremely well-researched and fascinating read that tracks the rise of the sugar industry, the impact it has had on our health over the years, and how the industry has attempted to influence nutritional science and government programs. The Dollhouse is a lighter read that alternates between the Barbizon Hotel for Women in the 1950's and the present day. Part murder mystery, part gender study.
Follow: I love love love @urbanjungleblog. So much lovely plants and greenery spotted in beautiful nooks.
Shop: When I moved to Colorado almost two years ago, I pretty much had to overhaul my skincare routine given the change in climate and altitude from my former home of Austin. Over the past year, I've given even more thought to the products I use and, through much research, have begun replacing many items in my daily routine with organic or plant-based ones. I won't go into all of the details behind why I replaced each product (you can read more about that here and here), but wanted to share some of my favorites since many are from more obscure brands. I've always had fairly normal skin, but I must admit since switching to organic and natural products, my skin has been in the best shape ever. Favorites include:
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I can't believe it's December!! Are you busy pulling out all of your holiday decorations, trimming the tree, and checking gift recipients off your list? This year, inspired by my wintry environment here in Colorado, I embroidered a few snowflakes. These intricate snowflakes take quite a bit of time to stitch - creating a symmetrical design is always a test of patience, plus the designs incorporate metallic embroidery floss and were stitched with only one to three strands of floss.
Small Blue and Silver Snowflake (2.25" in diameter)
Red, Green, and Silver Snowflake (3.125" in diamter)
Blue and Silver Snowflake (3.125" in diameter)
I also just released a limited edition hand embroidery photo card featuring my "doodle tree." A high resolution image of my stitch work is printed on thick matte (non-shiny) card stock. The folded cards are blank inside and are sold in sets of 8. You can find them in the shop here.
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Looking to spruce up your embroidery stash? I've pulled together a rundown of my favorite hand embroidery products that may be something you'd like to find under the Christmas tree, too. Share this URL with those asking what's on your gift list and hope you end up happy!
My Favorite Fancy (and Very Sharp) Embroidery Scissors
Studio Carta Crane Scissors // Gingher Design Series Scissors
DMC Cotton Floss Packs - the more skeins, the merrier!
DMC Embroidery Home Decor Floss Pack // Popular Colors Floss Pack
A High Quality Floor Lamp - not the fanciest gift, but sometimes practical is best!
Lavish Home Sunlight Floor Lamp
Top Notch Hand Embroidery Books to Teach Yourself - never stop learning!
Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches // The Stitch Bible by Kate Haxell
Pouches to Hold Your Embroidery Tools - I have a serious pouch addiction. I can never have too many! Perfect for traveling with your embroidery.
Baggu Leather Stash Pouch (in Copper) // Loeffler Randall Pouch
Madewell Leather Pouch // Truffle Clarity Clutch
Want more of my hand embroidery tips? You can find them here.
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I've released a handful of brand new holiday cards and gift tags just in time for card-sending season. You can purchase single cards or boxed sets of 8 cards. And just a reminder, orders over $60 ship free! You can find all of the cards in the holiday collection here.
Merry Merry Card // Merry Christmas Stockings Card
Happy Hanukkah Painted Menorah Card
I've also included a sample sale grab bag to the shop which includes a fun mix of discontinued designs.
Christmas Card Sample Sale Grab Bag
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I'm excited to share that I'll be launching a new collection of hand embroidered artwork and pins tomorrow, November 15. You'll find over two dozen new items in the shop. I plan to have at least one more collection launch between now and Christmas, but if you have your eye on something as a holiday gift, don't wait!
Here's a peek at a few new pieces.
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I've been playing around with this amazing new clip-on macro lens for my iPhone all week. It's been so fun to see all of my stitching details up close - up to ten 10 times closer than the regular lens.
The lens is easy to use - I just clip it over my iPhone lens (I have to take off my case first) and I'm ready to go. It would be fun to experiment with taking photos of anything with a lot of texture. I'm excited to take it out on hikes with me, too, to capture flowers and leaves up close.
I thought it'd be fun to pull back the curtain a bit and share the steps it takes to launch a new collection of hand embroidery. I released a bunch of new work last week, including brand new pins and pillows. I'll share more about those new products and how they came to be in a future post, but for now wanted to write about releasing a new artwork collection in particular.
I spent a lot of the summer stitching away and creating new pieces (Happy Cactus is my full-time job), so I built up a stack of new embroidered works and kept them tucked away in a box. I released a handful of these new works just after Labor Day, knowing that I wanted to release another batch at the end of September.
Once I have a collection release date in mind (in this case, September 30), I create a few additional designs if I want to, develop a master spreadsheet of all of the pieces (with design notes, dimensions, price, etc.), and then begin preparing to frame the pieces.
Framing is a time intensive process. First, I make sure that I have enough frames, mat boards, and related accessories (the hardware, the backing foam core, etc.) on hand and order more as needed. Each mat board is carefully selected to coordinate with each piece of embroidery, both in size and color. Once I'm ready, I inspect the frames and mats for any blemishes, trim the linen down to size, adhere the mat board to the piece, screw in the spring clips that hold the pieces together, hammer in the hanging hardware, and then do another check for any blemishes. Exhausting, right!?
Next up, I photograph all of the new pieces. I mainly shoot these photos on a DSLR camera and then edit the images in Adobe Photoshop. This usually takes a few afternoons with a few more afternoons spent editing. I do all of the photography in my living room because it has amazing natural light, so I'm able to capture the embroidery details well. I organize all of the uploaded photos by SKU into folders on my desktop and add my favorite high-res images to a special Dropbox folder reserved for press access. I also shoot some photos on my iPhone so I have some Instagram-ready images available.
Now it's time to create product listings so you can shop the items. Happy Cactus Designs is hosted on Shopify, and their interface is pretty easy to work with. I write copy for each piece, upload photos, double-check price and SKU. At this point, each product is saved on Shopify, but marked hidden.
The day or two before launch I'll create a newsletter draft in MailChimp using some of the new product photos and include any important studio news. In the weeks leading up to the particular launch date I've set, I'll tease the new releases on Instagram and encourage followers to subscribe to my newsletter. Newsletter subscribers get first access to a collection before anyone else.
Finally, it's release day! I'll spend the morning publishing all of the previously hidden product listings and then double-check everything once they are live on my website against my master spreadsheet. I sync the new products with my inventory cloud software (Stitch Labs) and add a new slide to my website homepage announcing the new collection. I push send on the newsletter and cross my fingers that people enjoy what I've created!
I've been able to streamline this process over time and now have a checklist that I go through before each launch. It's taken months to truly get this process down.
Want more of my hand embroidery tips? You can find them here.
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As I've shared before, I taught myself hand embroidery when I was laid up on the couch following an ankle injury. I really enjoyed watching YouTube videos because I could easily see how to create particular stitches. That said, I also relied on a number of wonderful embroidery books that I still reference today.
These are my favorite books that are "stitch dictionaries" and cover everything from a basic running stitch to incredibly complex stitches. They are chock full of photographs and diagrams that help you practice. It's also worth noting that a number of these books also cover cross stitch.
The Stitch Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to 225 Embroidery Stitches and Techniques by Kate Haxell
Mary Thomas's Dictionary of Embroidery Stitches by Mary Thomas
Embroidery: A Step-By-Step Guide to More than 200 Stitches by Lucinda Ganderton
Embroidery Pocket Guide by Leisure Arts (this isn't a book, but a handy little laminated guide)
Rebecca Ringquist's Embroidery Workshops: A Bend-the-Rules Primer by Rebecca Ringquist
Want more of my hand embroidery tips? You can find them here.
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I can't believe it's already September! I've spent the past two months stitching up a storm, trying to get a headstart on the holidays, and enjoying the last few weeks of summertime. Here's what's been on my radar lately.
Watch: I've been flying through The Americans, FX's series about KGB spies posing as Americans living in the DC area in the 80's. It's fast paced and intriguing. I can't wait to catch up to the current season.
Listen (Music): I'm loving the new songs that Bon Iver is sharing ahead of the new album release.
Listen (Podcast): In one day, I binged on Reply All's four-part series "On the Inside," a Serial-esque series of episodes about a man in prison for a murder he says he didn't commit.
Read: I love my Kindle, but ended up ordering a number of actual books this summer and am happy to report that I finished almost everything on my summer reading list! It's quite an eclectic mix of fiction and nonfiction. Here's what I read:
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
I Saw the Light: The Story of Hank Williams by Colin Escott
Death of a King: The Real Story of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year by Tavis Smiley
Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
The Psycopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry by Jon Ronson
Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
Follow: I've been stitching little blue and white vases full of flowers and was thrilled when I stumbled upon Botticelli House, an Australian shop with the most vases and jars. Serious eye candy here.
Shop: I've been addicted to acai bowls ever since I visited Kauai last February. They are so delicious and wholesome. I've been making bowls for lunch all summer, topping them with almonds, coconut flakes, and fresh fruit. The best brand I've come across is Terrasoul Superfoods. I usually mix two spoonfuls of acai berry powder with two bananas, a little coconut oil, almond milk, and some almond butter. Blend, add toppings, and enjoy!
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Have you signed up for the Happy Cactus Designs newsletter?
Here are a few benefits of signing up:
- First access to new shop updates. Newsletter subscribers always get priority access to embroidery and paper goods collection releases. I will be releasing a bunch of new works of hand embroidered artwork next week. They are one-of-a-kind and sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, so signing up for the newsletter is the only way to guarantee you have first dibs!
- Exclusive offers and advanced notice. Newsletter subscribers receive special discounts and news about product sales before anyone else.
- Studio news and sneak peeks. Learn about what I've been up to and new products that are in the works. Newsletter subscribers last week received a sneak peek of the new collection that I haven't shared anywhere else.
Like you, I don't enjoy companies that email you all of the time. Those daily emails from stores you occasionally shop? No thanks. I usually send out an email newsletter about once a month, and I promise it will be worth your time to read it!
You can sign up for my newsletter here.
I'm so excited to share that I was interviewed for the June/July issue of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles Magazine and you can now read the article online.
I had a great time speaking with Jennifer Drawbridge, the journalist who wrote the article, about my background, what led me to creating a paper line, and the circumstances that led to me picking up embroidery.
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I love spending time pouring over textile books and learning about the history behind textile designs, stitching and dyeing techniques, and how design has shifting over the years. These are my three favorite books on my shelf:
The Fabric of India by Rosemary Crill - I could spend all day looking at this book! It's the exhibition book that accompanied the Indian textile exhibit that was held at the V&A Museum last year. I was so sad to not be able to make it to London to catch the exhibit, but the book is all encompassing with gorgeous photographs.
Embroidered Textiles: Traditional Patterns from Five Continents with a Worldwide Guide to Identification by Sheila Paine - This book provides a wonderful overview of different styles of embroidery from around the world. It helps the reader identify traditional techniques from countries like Pakistan, India, Tunisia, and Russia. Paine also addresses common motifs found in traditional techniques and their meanings.
Textiles of the Islamic World by John Gillow - The best part about this large book are the vibrant full-bleed photographs on nearly every page. This book also covers motifs and techniques found in textile creation with a specific focus on the Islamic world. My favorite section in particular details the amazing designs coming out of Indonesia.
Top image via Fabric of India, V&A
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