If you have been following on social media for a while, you will know that I have been working on a collaboration project with Kara from Perched Bird. With the launch of our first product I thought it would be an ideal time to tell you a bit more about how our collaboration came to be. It has taken a few months (especially with lockdown) but we are very excited to share our Embroidered Bee Ornaments with you all. These delicate baubles are personalised with a handwritten name and finished with a little bee charm embroidered onto natural linen, and we couldn’t be more pleased with what we have created together.
Our first collaboration – Large & Small Personalised Embroidered Bee Baubles
I first discovered Kara’s work when leafing through the notonthehighstreet.com catalogue on the run up to Christmas last year. I was completely enchanted by her delicate glass cloches; the miniature scenes captured within the glass domes were beautiful and unique. From that moment I became a total fan girl of her work!
When I signed up for the Etsy Made Local Christmas Fair in Leamington Spa, I couldn’t believe my luck when I found out Kara would also have a stall. We spoke a little during the fair, and when I brought one of her gorgeous cloches, we discovered that we lived only a few miles from each other. What were the chances?!
Brainstorming ideas and deciding on designs to develop before Covid-19 hit!
Once the chaos of Christmas had passed, I was very pleasantly surprised to receive a message from Kara, asking if I would be interested in a collaboration. I had no idea what we would create but I said yes straight away. We arranged to meet for a coffee and chat about ideas, deciding on three designs we would like to develop. Unfortunately, we only managed to meet twice before Covid-19 hit!
Our socially distanced working method. Packing up embroidered bees to be posted through Kara’s door!
The situation has not been ideal but looking back I am so proud of the two of us for continuing to work through it, and develop our designs. There have been lots of WhatsApp messages, photos of mock ups, and samples posted through each other’s doors. I’m sure decisions could have been made faster at times if we had just been in a room together, but these few hurdles have made us all the more determined.
Collaboration promotional material created by Kara all ready for launch
Despite the distance, discovering each other’s skills and strengths has been very interesting. For example, I always find creating promotional material very hard work and spend lots of time worrying over layout. With Kara’s background in wedding stationary, design and layout was a breeze.
Original bee illustration taken from Perched Bird stationary, and first sample of illustration converted to embroidery
Merging our two styles has also been an interesting experience, which has made me realise just how strong the look of our individual brands is. From a design point of view, collaborating on a product is a great exercise on pushing each other’s boundaries. But I speak for us both when I say we are thrilled with the outcome.
Finished bee design ready to be made into embroidered charms
You can find our Embroidered Bee Baubles at notonthehighstreet.com, Perched Bird Etsy Store, or at katesprostondesign.com, so please pop over to take a closer look. I hope you have enjoyed learning a little more about our process, and for those that have got this far, here is a sneaky peak of what to expect from us in the near future.
A sneaky peak of our next product!
Kate x