Hi! I'm Brannon Addison, the owner of and artist behind Happy Cactus Designs. I create one-of-a-kind pieces of hand embroidered artwork and home decor items from my home studio in Durango, Colorado.
I come from a long line of needleworkers, but didn’t pick up hand embroidery myself until the end of 2014. While sidelined with an ankle injury, I ordered supplies on a whim and taught myself various stitches. I launched my first collection of work for sale in August 2015.
With each piece, I have a general concept in mind, but I don't work with a template or pattern. All of my embroidery work is freehand, and I find beauty in the unknown of how a piece will turn out.
Each piece of hand embroidery is sold framed with a custom mat board selected especially for that design. No two pieces are alike and each takes many hours of hand stitching to complete. The hours of stitching that go into the creation of each piece, combined with the final framed presentation, gives a sense of heirloom quality. Learn more about the process here.
My embroidery has been featured on Design*Sponge, Vogue, Martha Stewart, and more. A career highlight was being commissioned to create a special embroidered piece for the April 2016 issue of House Beautiful. I was also honored to be named to Country Living's list of The Country's 100 Most Creative People in 2018.
I previously ran a successful stationery line featuring my illustrations. My paper goods were featured in the pages of Sweet Paul, Uppercase Magazine, and on the cover of Stationery Trends magazine. After 6 rewarding years, I closed the paper goods line in 2017 so I could focus full-time on hand embroidery.
When I am not busy stitching, I love exploring the mountains of Southwest Colorado with my husband and dog, traveling, and trying new restaurants.
Check out the blog to learn about what's happening behind the scenes at Happy Cactus Designs.
So just where did the name for the design studio originate? While living in New York City (where I launched my company), I bought a tiny one-inch tall cactus to remind me of my Texas roots. With loving attention (and a lot of sunlight), the little cactus grew into a thriving plant…a very Happy Cactus indeed! Now residing in Colorado, the Happy Cactus enjoys the strong mountain sun. Just like the plant, my goal for the studio has been to take the tiny seed of an idea for a design company and grow it into a line of products that bring color and happiness to everyone.
The best way to find out about new releases is to sign up for my newsletter. Newsletter subscribers get first access to the collection. Items are sold on a first come, first serve basis. To be notified when new pieces are listed, sign up for the newsletter or follow Happy Cactus on Instagram where I often share works in progress (#happycactusembroidery).
Press: Please contact hello{at}happycactusdesigns.com for inquiries and access to high resolution images.
Portrait photography by Christina Walker Photography