As part of our United We Flourish campaign, we want to foster growth of this amazing crafty community by making connections. We are better together! So each month please let us introduce you to some of our favorite brands and the amazing makers behind them!
Please allow us to introduce Melissa Hewitt, the sweet and talented creator behind Honey Bee Stamps!
HOW MELISSA STARTED CRAFTING…
I was very young when I started paper-crafting. My grandma was always crafting, and got me hooked from a very young age. I remember attending stamping demonstrations with her and my mom as a child at our church, and that is really what started my obsession with stamping and card-making. In grade school, I started making handmade cards (that were hand-drawn) and my mom allowed me to go around to our neighbors to sell them. (My dad was a born artist and entrepreneur as well, so this gene definitely passed along to me!) I was always finding ways to earn money with my art, and that just never went away. I always felt that I was destined to earn a living with my art, and thankfully I was blessed with amazing parents who always nurtured that and encouraged me to chase my dreams.
WHERE MELISSA FINDS INSPIRATION…
For me, inspiration comes from so many places. I find that most of my inspiration comes from nature and being outdoors. We live in the country, and I spend a lot of time sitting outside in the evenings which is when most of my ideas come to me. (My creative brain seems to kick in to overdrive during the evening and sometimes in the middle of the night!) I always have notebooks and sketch books close by, because I am constantly jotting down ideas. I also gain inspiration from my customers, and my amazing design team! They come up with the most creative ideas, and those spur on new concepts for me. They continually amaze me with their creativity, and supply me with an abundance of inspiration!
A TYPICAL DAY FOR MELISSA…
There are not enough hours in the day, truly! My day typically starts out with me sitting down to drink a cup of coffee and make a “list” for the day. I have to have a daily to-do list to keep me focused, so this is such a crucial part of my day. I do this at home, wherever I can find a quite spot to sit and think. I always enjoy this little block of quiet time in the morning, and I usually end up jotting down ideas that come to me for new products, as well. I typically head in to the office and check in with Felicia, our warehouse manager, to see how things are going and if she needs anything. My days are then filled with emails, phone calls, ordering, and working on new prototypes and concepts. Occasionally, I work from my home office and get to really focus on drawing new product for upcoming releases. We typically work 3 to 6 months in advance, so I am always thinking about holidays and themes for the seasons ahead.
CHECK OUT MELISSA’S FAVORITE PRODUCTS…
My go-to trimmer (that I carry with me wherever I go craft) is the Fiskars Deluxe 12” paper trimmer. It’s such a great paper trimmer, and always cuts accurately for me.
I absolutely adore the Tim Holtz glass mat – it’s been a dream to work on. I absolutely love having my working area of paints and markers off to the side of me, it’s so handy!
For adhesive, I love Be Creative tape. I love that it’s available in a variety of sizes, and easy to tear and work with for different sizes of projects.
For liquid adhesive, I find myself going for the Multi Matte Medium (and even Glossy Accents) quite often. If I am going for a smooth application without any shine, I reach for the matte medium.
If I want to add a little shine or glass / water effect to the top, then I reach for the Glossy Accents.
Narrowing down my favorite Honey Bee product is a really tough one. However, I would say that I am always drawn to use our Little Pickup stamps and dies. They are so versatile, and work for so many different applications. (Plus, that pickup is SO much fun to color and paint in different ways). I also love to color and paint florals – so I use a lot of our floral sets like Zen Bouquet, Zen Floral, and even our newer Chin Up Buttercup and Cosmos stamp sets. They are all such a great large size to paint!
1 Comment
Thanks for a great read!