New Look for the French Tangerine

I have been busy!

In recent years, following the holiday rush of selling a million Czech Christmas trees, I’ve seriously contemplated closing up shop. A few months ago, I realized (thank goodness) this feeling wasn’t a result of overwhelming sales, but a lack of inspiration. I had been consolidating my inventory year after year and it wasn’t sparking the intense joy I once felt while shopping for the shop.

In February, I had a burst of creative energy. The quiet period of rest following 18 months of wedding planning was nice at first, but I was craving a project. As many of you know, we worked with Happy Menocal for the wedding paper suite, and it was so incredibly inspiring and fun! We are her biggest fans, and turns out a new project was just what the doctor ordered - a good shot of Happy!

My logo and branding has evolved a bit since I started in 2011, and I didn’t dislike my triple tangerine logo for the blog or the storefront logo for the shop, so I entered this collab with slight hesitation. The colors are recognizable, and I have stickers and stationery, tissue and ribbons, and all the things, and wondered, was it really worth it to commission original art, change everything? The answer is yes. Such a blast to reconnect with Happy and her team, and a privilege to have the opportunity to collaborate with such an artistic genius.

The illustrations were amazing from the getgo. Every single thing Happy presents is outstanding, and I’m pretty good about recognizing what things might need tweaking for my personal preference, so we move fairly quickly. It’s a gift to work with the HM team and few things bring me the amount of joy that an email from Happy does. I can’t open it fast enough to see what she has conjured up. I become greedy and keep asking for more. It takes real restraint to stop myself from driving them crazy, and I’m not sure I’m successful, but I do make an effort. I send multiple emails and apologize profusely (per customary for my personality) and they respond with such care - always professional and grateful for the opportunity. Happy will casually sign an email with a quick little sketch, and I’m immediately obsessed and request it be added to my toolbox of illustrations.

Here is the shield which serves as my “main” logo…

Absolutely love the lettering!

The storefront could not be cuter with the boxes inside which is my literal reality 24/7. Boxes coming and going… every single day! And the tangerine topiaries?!

The collection of illustrations will be featured here and there, but keep an eye out for the new website coming soon… that’s where lots of Happy’s art will live.

Another contributor to the re-design of my logo and branding was the discovery of a few new artists from the UK. I spend hours online researching an artist, which leads to a gallery, which leads to another artist, which leads to another gallery, and so on. I found so many new ceramicists! I had not been carrying much other than French pottery, but now I have over a dozen new ceramic artists featured in the shop. I have built new relationships with the artists, with several gallery owners, and it has been so rewarding and inspiring.

Unwrapping and organizing the new ceramics has been such a joy and inspired me to have a pop-up shop, here in Omaha! We also had a photo shoot to get some new images of the gorgeous new merchandise for the new website!

Here are just a few of the many new items you might find when the new website is launched.

A little trickle of inspiration quickly became a goldrush of artistic expression and merriment.

Turns out, I don’t want to close up shop at all! I just needed a refresh! The new website and branding will roll out in September/October, but I’ll continue to share a few sneak peeks. I can’t wait to share everything with you!