#PROMOFRIDAY! dragonflies and dahlias
Something BRANCH + ANTHEM is totally into is bringing awareness to smaller, less known artists, bloggers, local artists and restaurants, etc. We want to tell the world about such cool people! We think they're pretty groovy, and we think you should like them too.
What do we look for in the people we promote? Simple. Positivity and gratefulness. We look for people that spread joy with what they do or what they create because our readers deserve good people. The world needs good people.
So, for this week's PROMO FRIDAY, we are proudly featuring the amazingly talented & lovely...
I have to say, within in the first few minutes of "meeting" ('cause in this day and age, emailing is meeting someone, right?) Kylee Sims, the creator of Dragonflies and Dahlias, I was overwhelmed by how kind she was towards me, even though I had been a total stranger to her until now. She greeted me with open arms and an open spirit, and I knew right then and there that BRANCH + ANTHEM had picked a winner for today's Promo Friday.
Kylee's specialty deals with handmaking signs that have replicated handwritten words or phrases on them; in her eloquently said words, her concept for what she does is "turning a loved one's handwriting into a piece of art". She makes some breath taking pieces that are personal, pretty, and encouraging.
A little bit about Kylee: first of all, she is living the life we dream of! She and her "adorably nerdy husband and two crazy boys" recently moved into a little country house on some land outside of Topeka, Kansas. She told us that in her family's spare time they enjoy "adventures in renewable energy, gardening, canning, furniture building, and all things home improvement". How amazing does that sound? We know even you fast-paced, go-getters, city slickers would love even a week of her life. And hold up...girl loves sweet tea?! Who doesn't love sweet tea? It's sweet nectar from the gods is what it is! Kylee also loves "anything made with peanut butter and chocolate, and every shade of lovely that falls between blue and green" and penguins! We can't get enough of her ALREADY.
So, when we asked Kylee how Dragonflies and Dahlias got it's name, the response was both inspiring and heartfelt, and it kind of took our breath away. The actual name is incredibly important to Kylee and the story behind it added so much more meaning and weight to what she does.
"This whole concept of turning a loved one's handwriting into a piece of art came to me at Christmas the year my beloved grandmother passed away. I wanted to give my mother something really special because I knew how hard her first Christmas without her mom was going to be. I found an old birthday card that said, 'love you so much, mom' and decided to preserve it so she could see it every day. It sits on a shelf in her home near a photo of her mom and dad on their wedding day more than 60 years ago...And then I just couldn't get enough. I felt like what I was doing was really significant to my healing process, and perhaps healing to others. I wanted to honor Mema in my brand's name, so I spent some time reflecting on who she was and what she loved, and she loved everything gardening. The street in the cemetery where she was laid to rest is named 'Dahlia' so I knew I wanted to use that, and my favorite garden critter is the dragonfly. So there you have it: Dragonflies and Dahlias was born."
Truly, her pieces are the works of a real artist who feels deeply and sees the world through different eyes. It's not every day you meet someone who has such a grounded outlook on life. Kylee's pleasantness translates into her products as well as her customer service.
Her store has two different products, but her true love for what she does is in the customized "handwriting" pieces. Kylee works closely with her customers to create something that is so unique and special, you can't find it anywhere else. Each piece is one of a kind since her customers send her a photo copy of something handwritten. She establishes new relationships with people through her work to provide a heartfelt product. According to her the "handwriting is made into a single use stencil and then painted on a quality pine board, turning a tattered old card or note into a beautiful, everyday reminder, suitable for hanging on the wall or sitting out on display".
Besides the beautiful "handwriting" signs, Kylee also has really fun and vibrant motivational signs that would look amazing in anyone's home! Her goal for these pieces is to make people smile as they pass by them. She is spreading positivity wherever she goes, and we think that's pretty darn awesome. Kylee most certainly is that person everyone needs in their lives, even if just for a moment because you do not leave from talking to her feeling anything other than uplifted and loved.
Kylee's been creating things for a while, but it wasn't until three months ago that she started her "handwriting" designs--can you believe it?! We would've never guess because it seems to us that she's got her method down to a "t". She had so much great feedback that it didn't take her long at all to use that encouragement to take that big step and open up her own Etsy store; "even when it was scary to me...I'm so grateful that they did. I had no idea how much I would love seeing all these old notes and pouring over each and every letter, praying for the recipient and what it means to them. I create because I have to. It's part of my being, and without it, there's a void. I love having a purpose for my creations".
As smaller artists on Etsy as well, one of our bigger questions we want to ask all of our featured guests is what keeps them motivated? Sometimes, in this big bad world of social media and networking, it's easy to get lost amidst the bigger names and it can be incredibly discouraging. So, we had to ask her what keeps her motivated and this was her response:
"As my favorite little blue fish, Dory, says, 'just keep swimming!' Some days it's hard not to compare yourself to the 'Etsy rockstars' with thousands of sales, but always remember that everyone's pace is different and everyone's story is special. Yours is worth telling, so keep creating! And drink more coffee!"
We are "YAS"ing to that! If you don't know what "yas" is, it's saying "yes" with an extended "ah" sound. It's our little way of highly approving something. ;)
We're CRAZY about what Kylee's doing and we think you should be too. Find her on:
ETSY www.etsy.com/shop/dragonfliesndahlias
FACEBOOK facebook.com/dragonfliesanddahlias
INSTAGRAM @dragonflies_and_dahlias
15% OFF in her Etsy store for reading this post!!
CODE : BRANCHANDANTHEM15
Thank you, Kylee, for inspiring us and teaching us so much today. We definitely will "just keep swimming"!
Love & Stay Magical,
Sam
BRANCH + ANTHEM SAVAGE EARTH & LACE
