Hey, you rock! Thank you for your part in making this first full year of Vivid Cottage a most excellent adventure (hat tip Bill & Ted...)
We've got 5 things we are celebrating from 2022 - don't miss #5, it's a doozy!
1 - Celebrities Yes, we gave Vivid Cottage stationery to some remarkable people.
2 - Fairs & Talks We showed at 28 fairs, including the Greenwich Historic Society, the Westport Farmers Market, and the Connecticut Flower & Garden Show. We were featured in 2 art shows - a solo show at The Westport Book Shop in June, where they sell our stationery, and at Hayvn in Darien where four pieces are still on display (here is the Hayvn interview with me!)
I gave 2 artist talks in 2022 - below are the links.
Artful Start: Becoming an Artpreneur for Hayvn Halftime: This 30-minute talk is packed with helpful tips if you want to create a business with your art!
Upside Down: Beechwood Arts talk at the Westport Library by Kerstin Rao, May 13, 2022. This seven-minute talk shares the vulnerable story of how the pandemic upended my sense of identity, inspiring me to start both Vivid Cottage and Curate Your Mate.
3 - Products We developed new products to delight our customers!
Our Hydrangea Hues and Nantucket Blooms lines were created after several customers asked for, well, hydrangeas...
Our best-sellers continue to be our Vivid Cottage Variety Box of 8 cards, followed closely by our 2023 Wildflorals Calendar and our tea towels.
Our most popular drawing video was this 30-second tour Peak Peonies:
4 - Charitable Giving. Vivid Cottage values service to others and giving back is fundamental to our brand.
Our Sunflower Resilience products proudly support Save the Children's efforts to help Ukrainian refugee families.
In a very personal connection, we partnered with my sister Sarah Lister to support her private charity, The Zinnia Project. In 2016, Sarah was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and immediately hospitalized for 127 days. A bone marrow transplant saved her life, and she never forgot what it felt like to be a blood cancer patient.
Sarah created The Zinnia Project to bring comfort and cheer to the University of Kentucky Hospital patients. This year, Vivid Cottage created a Zinnia Bouquet image which we use for cheerful cards, coloring sheets.
We created a Zinnia pillow which Sarah and her son Charlie brought to be delivered to 34 adult blood cancer patients. It's so important to let the patients know someone is thinking of them, particularly at the holidays.
A BIG thank you to all you DONORS who made this beautiful gift possible!
Sarah Lister, left, and her sister Kerstin Rao, right, with The Zinnia Project pillows and cards - December 2022.
Sarah Lister, center, with her son Charlie, delivering Zinnia Project pillow gifts to all the adult blood cancer patients at the University of Kentucky Hospital in Lexington, Kentucky - December 2022.
5 - Adventures. This is the DOOZY!
Ready for this?
In 2022 - Vivid Cottage cards made it to both the NORTH and SOUTH POLES!
Really cool, right?
Here are the details:
Our cards were taken to the Arctic Circle by writer and improviser Katy Schutte, who was an artist-in-residence on an Arctic expedition. I was a sponsor of her trip, and as a reward she posted this charming 30-second video about using Vivid Cottage cards to keep in touch with friends. It's really touching - check it out!
Later, our cards were taken to Antarctica by my sister Elizabeth Warner, who is a talented photographer. She went on a bucket-list trip with National Geographic.
My sister, Elizabeth Warner, in perhaps the most epic portrait ever, exploring Antarctica.
She watched for her opportunity to set some of my cards down near a group of penguins and got the shot on the right:
Seriously, how many greeting card brands can boast they've reached both poles?
Thank you, everyone, for your kind support and encouragement. We are delighted to have you along as we start our adventures in 2023!
Hey Scavenger Hunt people - Want your reward?
From now until Wednesday Jan. 11th you can get 23% off your full order if you use the code 23for23 - Thanks for playing our scavenger hunt!
HERE WE GO INTO 2023!!!
Photo by Elizabeth Warner