i am so wild right now!!! this is such a fun ride! we almost have our booth set up for the show, and all of our sample products are starting to arrive!!! it is so exciting!!! i am working like a crazy woman on projects…
i can’t wait to show you the line-up!!! we are putting on all the design work up today, and then i will show you pics tomorrow! yeah!!! i can’t wait!
things are coming hot off the press! literally!
i have been doing tons of artwork, designing, and creating. then tons more of editing, proofing and press checks. (I LOVE THIS PART OF MY JOB!!!!) the smell of fresh ink…warm paper…and late nights!
while i was going through the final line samples today at the print shop, i stopped on this paper and i smiled to myself. it is a paper from the ‘in this house collection.’ take a look at what it says, ”before every rainbow…there is going to be a little rain!” SO TRUE!
it has been a shaky few years…and now after all that time, i am finally here!! on my own…making it happen!!! yippee!!!! we are on our way to the show in just a couple days. here is our official invite. send it out to your local scrapbook stores…and tell them you gotta have this stuff!
ok!!!! we will be up the next three nights making samples, eating chocolate, and having fun…i will keep you in on the action!
everyone needs a snow day from time to time!
i have been going non stop with work. it is so fun…so exciting…and SO exhausting! today was the best day i have had in a long time. i love what i do, but it definitely takes me away from my number one passion…my AMAZING children.
we woke up to snow! (pretty uncommon in these parts!)
before we went out to play the girls started creating a set design…a forrest with trees, clouds, and flowers…even paisley got into it!
then while all that are was drying we headed out to play in the snow…
we came in to get warm and we built our backdrop and set, and the performances began!
later that afternoon it was back to work for me, until i was startled by a snowball thrown up at my studio window. i looked out and saw this cute guy…
rub-on transfer embroidery patterns! i wondered what my designs would look like stitched, so i thought of a way that you can stitch them on your projects. transferable rub-on patterns. ok, so i know you are supposed to hold off till you can show the real thing…but i just could not wait! we are introducing some really cool new products at the show and all these embroidery things are one of them! patterns for embroidery, projects with embroidery, and cool materials to embroider on. if you like to stitch on your pages, we are about to make it a lot more fun! i am so excited! i will be posting more about it later, but i just had to show you the sample patterns i have been testing right away!!! i LOVE it!!!!
i thought i would go ahead and show you a little bit of the the art for my new collections! we have some really cool things that we are doing for the show..and i can’t wait to share all of it, but we are working down to the last minute, so this is it for now.
yowsers! i am totally excited…and scared to show this. it is the first time i have shown my own personal work in a really long time!
among other cool things, clever handmade is releasing four designer collections. they each have super cute papers, stickers, and embellishments…and each collection tells a story. these are stories about someone…or something i just love, love, LOVE! stories that have a little piece of all of us in them. here is a peek at some of the art for my first ever clever handmade launch.
this collection was inspired by my sweet and every amazing paisley! she is simply magical, and she warms everyone around her just with a glance and a smile.
this line is clearly for my ever hilarious ireland! it all actually came to me at costco one day. ireland was walking around the place with this space helmet on completely baffled why people were staring at her…it was so funny! she was in her own little world.
my reagan has been dreaming of becoming a mermaid for as long as she can remember…and this is obviously inspired by her world. she has such imagination and a contagious zest for life!
this collections was inspired by everything our sweet family has been though over the last couple years. some days just seemed like we had a rain cloud over our house…but somehow there was always a big colorful umbrella keeping us safe till that rainbow appeared.
i am so excited for this new year, and this amazing journey we are about to take! thanks again to everyone for all the amazing support over the years, and last couple weeks!!! let me know what you think! here we go…let’s all enjoy the ride!
part 3: without you…
tomorrow we are going to be sharing some of the art i am working on for the new collections that are releasing at cha. i just did not feel like i could do that without first mentioning that it takes so many people to make all that happen.
just drawing the stuff is the easy part…but it takes a team of people to bring it to life! and without you…yikes…i don’t really like to think about that!
before i say anymore i must get it out there…THANKS SO MUCH FOR ALL THE SUPPORT!!!! we actually had the site shut down because there were so much traffic! i was not expecting that at all! i have read all of the comments and must say how much it means to me to have such loyal support. it does wonders for my creativity. yesterday, i was feeling discouraged about some things and then sam read this comment to me,
“I have been a long time fan of your work. (never commented though) I remember one CHA show meeting your father and he was so proud to be there and that you are his daughter. His face glowed with pride and admiration of what you were creating and what you were trying to do. Keep on doing what you do best and don’t let the greed of that corporate get in your way or get you down. So what? You cannot reference Heidi Grace Designs… Heidi Grace Kress is awesome and will continue to be. You are what made the brand but the brand is no longer you. You are so much more.”
thanks niki m…it was just the reminder i needed. those days when it was just me and my dad were some of the best days of my life. if my name comes from the roots of my mother and everything she stood for, my passion comes from my father. my dad lit a fire in me that will be difficult to extinguish. thanks for those kind words, and that reminder of such good times. we were a great team!
speaking of team!
the clever handmade team is AMAZING!!!!! i really…like literally, would not be able to do it without these guys. this team is truly awesome! these women are mothers, they are wives, and they are sisters…all with busy lives and things to do, yet…they have gone above and beyond to help me! as i see it they are creative, they are confident, they are genuine, and they loyal friends. simply put, they really are the best there is!
we have been working around the clock! (for real…kinsey, i love how awesome you are at 4 am! katy, you are a really cool cat with killer creative instinct! sam…sam, sam , sam…if it were not for you, this would not be happening! you are holding me together!)
they other day we worked and worked all day, then stopped for some dinner…it was such a great atmosphere! it is so wonderful to work with people that feed my creative spirit!
ryan has been a trooper! he already is a pretty spectacular dad! but has really stepped it up! oh, and he is our official food maker/delivery guy! he keeps us happy, by keeping us fed.
we enjoyed our meal and then it was back to work!!!
the kids came in to say goodnight…(this is my favorite part!!!)
and then…back to work. it has been like this for days!
so to you all, and to the amazing ladies i have the pleasure of working with…this may sound dramatic…but, i love you! i really do love you! your loyalty, your enthusiasm, and your commitment is like nothing i have ever experienced…and it means the world to me!
the products are not quite ready to show yet, but i hope you like the little peak of the art work tomorrow! be sure to tell me what you think!
WHAT A WEEK! as some of you know about a week ago i was contacted about a bit of legal action.
but, as it turns out, i don’t think i was doing anything wrong.
but, someone else thought i was…
but, i am heidi grace kress?
but, i am so tired of looking over my shoulder…
but, what they are asking me to do seemed unfair…
but, if i do what they suggest, maybe they will leave me alone…
but, i am heidi grace kress?
but, but, but….ENOUGH!!! this is what my kids say when we use the word ‘but’ too much…”butts are stinky!” and i am so tired of all this riff raff.
ok. so, just to clear…i am no longer affiliated with heidi grace designs and am working on taking references to that brand off this site.
just to be clear, i can’t give away heidi grace designs products anymore. (for those of you who were following the whole give away spectacular…we will do that again very soon… with my new clever handmade products. to those of you who won, you will be the FIRST people with the new clever handmade products that i am releasing at the show in 3 weeks!)
and just to be clear…my name is heidi grace kress, and when i use it, i am only referring to my personal being. i have no intention to harm or infringe on any person’s or entity’s intellectual property, especially that of the trademark heidi grace designs.
ok, so seriously, all this kinda freaked me out for a minute…but really it turned out to be such a good thing! in the last week i have had such an overwhelming amount of support! posts, emails, phone calls and notes! even actual physical support. (when you read tomorrows post you are going to be blown away by the kindness!) i am so proud of myself, of the art i have created, and to know such fine people.
i have checked and rechecked this product line release for the show, and all that i have discovered is that…it is SO CUTE!!!! (and it is almost ready to share!!!…well a sneak peak anyway!)
so…where do i go from here?
…ONLY UP!
i have a lot i want to say! so i have decided to say it over the next few days…this is kinda long, but it will explain some things…i hope you will stay with me as all this unfolds.
PART 1: grace
i am going to tell you a story…
january 9th, 1961…exactly 51 years ago today, on a very stormy day, a young mother and her two daughters traveled from cuba to america. meet my grandmother carmen (abita), my aunt grace at 14 (auntie gracie), and my mother cristina at 9 (mom to me!).
my mother and her older sister grace were raised in havana, cuba. they had a simple and happy childhood with their mother, father and grandparents. my grandfather was a honest and good man. he was also a successful entrepreneur, and owned a import/export hardware business, bringing hardware supplies to cuba.
in the early 60′s, castro was beginning to take power and started his reform to indoctrinate the schools with his communistic ideals. knowing that this was not theories that they wanted to teach their children, they made the decision early on to leave cuba and come to the united states. my grandmother was born in the united sates so she was able to leave fairly easy and bring the two girls but my grandfather was in a more difficult position.
he operated a honest business that worked directly with neutral companies, castro required him to stay to get goods for the country. at that point in time there was a lot of political turmoil going on in cuba. my mom recounts many occasions where malitia would ransack their home, invading their privacy and helping themselves to any of their personal posessions.
convinced that the united states would step in and help with the country’s developments under castro’s rule, they were confident that they would once again be reunited, and so the family temporarily split because they simply could not support a communistic ideal. castor stated, “anyone who wants to leave cuba can do so.” and declared that those who were leaving the country were escoria, “scum”. they quickly bought plane tickets and made arrangements for my grandmother and two girls to move to florida. allowed only what they could carry they boarded a plane and left their father and grandparents.
they got of the plane in florida to be greeted by a terrible storm, got into taxi cab and went to a motel. they were alone, but they had each other. can you imagine? after bouncing around a bit they found work at a motel where my grandmother worked as a house keeper in exchange for housing and a small salary. my grandmother and the girls were used to their comfortable lifestyle in cuba, but they quickly adapted, learning that with hard work and commitment you can succeed. eventually they saved enough money to move to california to be close to some other family.
while it was the intention for my grandfather to meet them, the odds were against him. along with sickly parents he just could not to leave behind, castro was becoming more powerful by the day, and eventually gained the complete power he sought. he took over my grandfathers’s business not long after my great grandparents died. with in time my grandfather grew sick with cancer, and he himself died in cuba.
i asked my mother what the last memory of her father was, and she said it was that day at the airport. she was sitting on her suitcase waving at him, confused by his solum demeanor. that was the last time she would see him. she told me he was patient and kind, and she loved him very much.
to make ends meet, my grandmother worked a lot, so the girls were alone a lot…but they had each other. while they had their share of bickering…what sisters don’t…they were very close friends. they walked to school together, worked together, and played together. when i asked my mom what grace meant to her at that age…she simply said, “she…was safety.”
that is who i am named after. this story is what i am named after. heidi grace. grace has deep seeded meaning. i have always had a unspoken respect for my grandmother and her daughters. a respect that has only grown now that i am a mother myself. what strength to thrive in what could have been considered a powerless circumstance. what commitment to the truth of the expression of freedom. what an example of integrity. somehow that simple little name represents so much more than just a title. it represents the way i have always tried to tackle life’s obstacles.
(ps, my mom did not even know why i was asking for time lines and photos…i had been thinking about sharing this all this for a few days. when she came over last night to share the exact dates with me…she said, “it’s weird that you are sharing that story tomorrow!” when i asked her why she explained that today is the exact 51 year anniversary…crazy huh!)
wow…WOW! thanks to everyone for having such faith in me! it seems things are not quite ironed out yet. in my eyes there is A LOT of grey area, and i am in the clear, but i think i am going to play this one safe. so that being said i am reworking some things. i won’t let this get me down…and i am still planning for our new year release of 4 collections at cha! it’s a good thing i know how to recover quickly and work fast. i will tell the whole toxic story soon, and updates are coming…and sneak peaks!!! (and blog content will be back up in just a couple days!) thanks again friends!!!
if it weren’t for these guys i may have thrown in the towel by now. there’s no way i can fail with encouragement like this!!!
it’s 3 weeks before CHA…we were geared up and ready to go…but then an old friend gave me a ring (and it wasn’t calamity jane, at least she plays by the rules…) and to put it frankly we have a hiccup…for now.
just when i think everything is behind me.
there has been a threat of some serious legal action against me and my company and i’m tired of looking over my shoulder. this will not stop me for long, i just have to get it sorted out, and this time…for good. for obvious reasons i can’t share details just yet. i need your support now more than ever guys…hang in there with me…and stay tuned.
(sorry about the give-a-ways situation but we will get that sorted out too…because of the things said to me, i have to stop everything until i have talked to the right people.)
