The 2015 AmericasMart Atlanta - Artists & Trends, Part II

As mentioned in last week's editorial, Ming and I visited many showrooms at the 2015 AmericasMart Atlanta, although we only saw a fraction of what's there. It'd have probably taken a whole month to go through all of them!

While passing through we interviewed a couple of signing artists and noticed many interesting trends going on, some of which have been around for a while but some which seem to have the potential to branch out and develop more "new" directions.

ARTISTS AT THE MART

We met many fellow artists and took a few pictures to share with you all. Next time I will try to take more, although the lighting situation at the Mart and other meeting places is not in our favor, so I apologize if the images are not perfect.

Studio M had a great get-together with artists from around the country. It was so much fun to hang around with the very talented Ronnie Walter, artist, writer and agent for Two Town Studios and her husband Jim Marcotte, also a writer and agent.

Alex Colombo & Ronnie Walter at Studio M ~ Atlanta 2015

Ming and I had fun talking to artist Patti Gay of Two Can Art about her new product lines at the Mart. Patti did an artist signing with C & F Enterprises, featuring her Two Can Art coastal pillows she designed in collaboration with her son Noah, who is autistic.

Artist Patti Gay ~ Atlanta 2015, C & F Enterprises Signing Event

© Patty Gay, C & F Enterprises

It was also a great pleasure to meet R.B. Hamilton, a self-taught artist who has won Best-in-Show and First-Place (in acrylic mediums) for his work in various art shows. His wife, interior designer Betsy Drake, has expanded his art to include pocketbooks, totes, towels, and designer pillows. Hamilton's original art, limited edition reproductions, designer pillows and pocketbooks can be seen in fine gift shops, home furnishing stores, and galleries throughout the United States.

Artist R.B. Hamilton painting at the AmericasMart Atlanta 2015

Artist & Interior Designer Betsy Drake

ATLANTA 2015 - TRENDS

Watercolors are a strong trend seen at Surtex last year and also in Atlanta this year. This is a style that goes well with just about all trends.

© Alessandra Colombo

We have already seen the emergence of themes like woodland, forest animals, including owls, foxes, hedgehogs, and deer, but we heard people asking for "hunting, fishing & wildlife" several times, so this appears to be a branching out of the same trend: Nature, Earth, Organic.

Courtesy of Design Design ~ Trendspiration 2015

Birds are still going very strong along with more and more colorful botanical, florals and gardens. Farmhouse has a strong appeal with elements like distressed wood, roosters, pigs, cows and bunnies. And don't forget the dogs, cats and other domestic animals, they are also in demand.

Courtesy of Studio M

Consequently, the Rustic trend that started a while back, along with Primitive and Native Indian art appear to be stronger, although they are caught into the big mix of what is being called the "new Industrial Revolution" - the Makers Movement. I found a good definition for it:

"The maker movement, as we know, is the umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers. A convergence of computer hackers and traditional artisans, the niche is established enough to have its own magazine, Make, as well as hands-on Maker Faires that are catnip for DIYers who used to toil in solitude. Makers tap into an American admiration for self-reliance and combine that with open-source learning, contemporary design and powerful personal technology like 3-D printers. The creations, born in cluttered local workshops and bedroom offices, stir the imaginations of consumers numbed by generic, mass-produced, made-in–China merchandise."

by Adweek.com

Industrial & Urban Chic featured lots of metal, wire, textures and grays or neutral colors. We saw some beautiful hand stitching & embroidered details and natural textures (variations of burlap, twine, bark and other similar materials). Below here you can see a new collection from Cathy Heck Studio featuring their new product line with Primitives by Kathy.

Courtesy of Cathy Heck Studio

Beaded art was featured by several showrooms, and although is not new, it's being interpreted in new ways.

Courtesy of Certified International

Another strong trend that has been around for sometime is the Editorial, Sentiment & Inspirational art. This is coming out with more variations, in softer and perhaps more spiritual colors and quotes.

Courtesy of Midwest-CBK

Calligraphy and wedding styles with whites and creams are taking their spot in this market already full of ideas. Fresh and beautiful Paper Cutting art was found in several showrooms. Chalk art is still present although in the descending, it seems. Metallics are the new emerging colors.

Courtesy of Design Design

Another trend spotted although not new to the market is the Blue Prints, Science & Math one. Very nice, with deep blues and other elements.

Courtesy of Certified International

Personal & Essential is a trend that comes from Europe. This general trend of very eclectic expressions of all sort features also some colorful Bohemian & Folk mixes. Mid Century is alive as well as contemporary art, with strong, vivid colors over neutrals.

Courtesy of Transpac

Travel & Places takes a spot in the trendy markets, with maps, scooters, bikes and famous cities or places.

And finally, the traditional Coastal is everywhere but with Mediterranean blues becoming prominent.

I am sure we missed some... we wish we had more time to spend with many more talented artists and creative manufacturers but we ran out of time. To the next AmericasMart Atlanta show!

~ oOo ~

AN INSPIRATIONAL VIDEO

I saw this video through one of my friend artists on a social media site. I thought to add it here at the end of this editorial as I found it very inspirational and encouraging for those artists who are just beginning in this free-lance & commercial art field.

Four Disney Background Artists Paint A Tree In Their Iconic Styles

~ oOo ~

References with links:

http://www.designsponge.com/2013/08/trend-watch-rustic-utilitarian.html

https://www.pantone.com/pages/index.aspx?pg=21163

https://editd.com/blog/2015/01/the-10-biggest-retail-trends-in-2015

http://www.creativebloq.com/graphic-design/huge-design-trends-2015-11513805
http://blog.likemodern.com/various-home-themes-can-apply-2015

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324063304578522812684722382

http://www.housebeautiful.com/shopping/decorating-trends/2015-color-trends#slide-1

http://www.sunherald.com/2015/01/08/6007578_home-style-trends-for-2015.html?rh=1

https://blogjnet.wordpress.com/category/trends

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424127887324063304578522812684722382

http://bcr8tive.com/etro-spring-2015-16-collection

http://www.pantone.com/pages/fcr/?season=spring&year=2015

DesignDesign, Inc.'s Trendspiration 2015

The 2015 AmericasMart Atlanta - The Nation’s #1 Product Destination, Part I

Ming and I just came back from an inspiring and busy AmericasMart Atlanta. What a fun show - so many people, markets and amazing products! I walked the same show in 2013 for the first time and it's still my favorite one.

It's very different from Surtex in that the Mart has over 1,400 permanent showrooms and some 2,500 temporary manufacturer exhibits. This makes it the ultimate market experience because everything is there; three enormous buildings full of all kinds of merchandise on display.

There a buyer discovers the styles that start trends and sees the actual products of an overwhelming amount of brands and designs. In short, you can shop the largest collection of gift, home, rug and apparel in one easy-to-navigate downtown location.

The Mart was very lively and busy as usual but I heard many artists and manufacturers this year celebrating a high volume of sales and successes across the board. We only got a glimpse of so much excitement and with the permission of the showroom owners, we took some pictures to share with you all.

We went by lots of showrooms. We stopped by Jellybean to see my new rugs and meet with Edward Chu, the owner. It's always such fun to talk to him!

Pictures above and below are © - All Rights Reserved - Courtesy of Jellybean

Midwest-CBK was one of our favorites places and we got a very inspiring tour through their amazing product displays by the lovely Vice President of Design & Creative, Margo Tantau. It was a pleasure to meet her in person!

Pictures above and below are © - All Rights Reserved - Courtesy of Midwest-CBK

Another very colorful and beautiful showroom was Certified International, where many talented artist products are featured and trends are made. It was also a pleasure to meet the owner!

Pictures above and below are © - All Rights Reserved - Courtesy of Certified International

We dropped by Magnet Works, which is now re-branded as Studio M - you can see the official video presentation by the owners, Sue and Curt Todd. It was also great to meet up with Anne McFarland Brown, Director of Product Development, and admire the bright new products that surrounded us.

Pictures above and below are © - All Rights Reserved - Courtesy of Studio M

Phil Cowley, Chief Marketing Officer at Design Design Inc. was very kind, too, to take the time to show us the new products in their very fun and colorful showroom.

Pictures above and below are © - All Rights Reserved - Courtesy of Design Design Inc.

By the end of Saturday we were ready to take a break. It was party time at Leanin' Tree, Inc. so we joined the many artists celebrating their successful show! We met the amazing Susan January, Vice President of the company and took photos of their great displays.

Pictures above and below are © - All Rights Reserved - Courtesy of Leanin' Tree Inc.

We left Atlanta so inspired and full of industry good news! We hope to share more of our insights next week when we will post more details about the market, artists signing events, and trends - so stay tuned for more!

A view of Atlanta downtown from the AmericasMart bridge connecting the buildings.

January 2014 Design Shows and Trends

With the new year many design shows start again in the month of January. The Atlanta Mart, for example, has been on all week as well as the CHA Trade Show in Anaheim, CA; I've heard they were both fantastic, as usual.

The 2014 Heimtextile Show in Europe also brought us the latest textile trends and products and soon Printsource in NYC will inspire the world of design with new and exciting ideas.

I recommend you read the various blog articles that will soon follow these shows. Since I wasn't able to attend any of them this month, I will update this post with the links to all the articles that will be coming out during the week.

Update on links on the Atlanta Show from other blogs:

www.twotownstudios.com/jims_blog.html

http://blogjnet.wordpress.com/2014/01/16/americasmart-showcases-licensed-art-themes-on-2014-product-lines

http://joanbeiriger.blogspot.com/2014/01/art-licensing-editorial-2014-atlanta.html

http://giftwarenewsmagazine.blogspot.com/2014/01/atlanta-january-2014-market-reaches-new.html

http://www.parablegroup.com/2014/01/atlanta-gift-home-show

All shows can be summarized with a few key and inspirational words: mix & play styles, personalized art and handmade crafts.

I've myself been playing around with some art and crafts for the past couple of months and have enjoyed experimenting with different styles and paints on linen, leather and other mediums.

Watercolors on Linen - © 2013 Alessandra Colombo

Acrylic on Leather - © 2014 Alessandra Colombo

Acrylic on Linen - © 2013 Alessandra Colombo

It has been really fun to just let my imagination and creativity run free - and it has been giving me some interesting insights into my own path through both the art and the art licensing worlds.

More on that, soon! In the meantime, happy creating, everyone!

Atlanta Gift & Home Furnishings Market 2013 - Show Recap and News

I am sitting on the floor at home pawing through a stack of impeccably designed trade magazines, directories and promotional pieces while pondering about all that happened at the fabulous Atlanta Gift and Home Furnishings show this past weekend. It's been a wild but amazing 3-day ride!

Amongst many firm shakes of hands, courteous presentations and vivacious chats, I kept hearing the word "trend." It's becoming trendy to talk about trends.

Courtesy of Design Design Inc. - From Their Catalog: Trends

By whatever mechanisms, trends are present. Artists set trends by capturing images and patterns artistically. Manufacturers do, too, through product choices, materials and quality of execution. Retailers try to capture trends through the products they offer to consumers and how they display and market them. And, finally, it is the consumers cumulative actions that actually set them.

I think it's best to look at this whole notion of trends in a relative way - your way. I try to discern trends for inspiration and for getting a pulse about other views and cultures; I don't necessarily have to follow them. I follow what I like and believe in. For example, there is an outdoor living trend that showed up everywhere at the Atlanta show, even on the huge electronic billboard in the lobby. I love this trend and started embracing it last year in my collections, because the outdoors has always been a big part of my life.

While outdoor living is an example of a trend that is developing more momentum, an example of a trend that is more of a classic style is coastal and seaside. Recently, I met a pelican at a local wharf. He ended up in one of my seaside collections and has now become a half celeb through a JellyBean rug! (By the way, the pelican's name is Gabriel...) Is he part of a trend? I don't think so. But he's a nice dude and it so happens that he does fit into the coastal trend.

Courtesy of Design Design Inc. - From Their Catalog: Handmade

Set or follow trends that are suitable to your creative process, similar to how Design Design Inc. created these cool inspirational boards for their catalogs. We had the great pleasure of meeting their Art Directors and Chief Marketing Officer at the show and had one of the best conversations of the whole weekend. Such nice people and what quality work! They get it. By the way, they also provide a very detailed artist submission guideline. How much better could it get?!

There are many other companies that offer such collaborative offers. So yes, trends are all of us as a whole, our families and pets, friends, sharing circles, close co-workers, and our houses and what's in them. Classic, vintage, retro, modern, transitional or traditional. As I see it, the challenge of a licensing artist and the real value of a show like Atlanta is to help you better see where all those collective interests and ideas are headed, and thus how to adapt and interpret them in your art to improve your manufacturing partner's chances of success.

© Courtesy of Demdaco

All together the world of art, design and products is really one big cohesive whole that is made up of multiple people and views. I think this is the key concept I was reminded of at the Atlanta show. It was fun. It was thrilling. It was friendly and positive. It was so productive for us as it was for the majority of the people we spoke to. It included collaborative insights and a source of unexpected friendships. We'll definitely be going again next year!

Here are some more cool photos we were able to take with the blessing of the exhibiting manufacturers. We didn't have time to see every single showroom or meet each of the exhibitors and artists at the show, but we picked these to talk about because we thought they would be of broad interest to this audience, not because they are the most important or the best of the show.

© Courtesy of Demdaco

The Atlanta Gift Show is one of high-quality merchandise. The displays were bright, cheerful and tastefully displayed throughout the market floors. We spotted several that were retro/vintage inspired, with the red and blue popular color combos as a fun alternative to more traditional holiday colors. You can see them in the photos from the Demdaco and Enesco showrooms.

As mentioned above, trends and themes such as gardens, eco-green, indoor-outdoor living were very prominent throughout the show.

© Courtesy of Enesco

There is continued growing interest in this natural, nomadic, primitive, explorative direction as represented through visuals, words, scents, colors and other senses, talked about at the 2012 Surtex show. It's a mix of concepts. The themes are pretty much the same, but reinterpreted by artists in partnership with their manufacturers, retailers and their respective niche of consumers.

Walking through the floors was exhausting but most of the displays were very inviting and always colorful, some peaceful, with classic outdoor elements dressed up with whimsical images, shapes and/or inspirational phrases meant to uplift the spirits. We saw many little birds, owls, cardinals, butterflies, frogs, bugs, florals of all sorts and hues. Mixed media designs with enchanting themes, graphics, geometrics, natural materials, and vintage backgrounds were also abundant. What a mix!

© Courtesy of Demdaco

Two terms seem to be growing in interest: "boho" and "gypsy." We also noticed many industrial elements, like heavy metal objects mixed in with vintage/farm elements and inspirational concepts and words. Word art and fancy calligraphy are still big, either hand painted, hand drawn or typed, with chalk, pen, brush or simply pencil. Jute, burlap, cord, felt, and other craft materials are also coming to the market in a strong way. The home design and home products showrooms were full of them, from lampshades to chairs, accessories and wall art - even Christmas ornaments!

Dimensional art was also popular with colorful cards, gifts and accessories. Many Christmas fantasy themes were presented with sleek polar bears and regal foxes, or the more everyday themes such as farm life with roosters and pigs, or ponds with hoppy frogs and dragonflies; cute raccoons and hedgehogs are joining the already crowded parade in their debut to the consumer world. And of course family dogs and cats are still pretty much everywhere along with horses and deer. If there isn't a trend in there you can relate to, then you should take up knitting! Which, by the way, is also a trend!

© Courtesy of Vietri

As the Atlanta Mart logo says, this show is for international wholesalers. Many of them do not license art. They have in-house design teams or occasionally hire freelancers. Some of them are distributors only so they don't license directly but work with manufacturers and their exclusive artists. Some of them are a company umbrella representing artisans from other countries. People attending the show come from all over the world, including Europe, Asia, and South America, although most are from the U.S. As a result, while you do see a global market it is still mostly domestically-oriented. We got to chat a bit with the National Sales manager for Vietri - their showroom was breathtaking. The collection shown here is by Italian artist Giovanni De Simone but they include over 40 different Italian manufacturers in their product offerings. It was so inspirational to look at!

What else? We met with many manufacturers and introduced The Moon from My Attic to them, although were pleasantly surprised to find out that many were already regular readers. There is an increasing excitement about this collaboration between artists and companies, about what we are doing to help bridge the two ends of the product development process and create more collaborative partnerships. We have discovered that manufacturers are noticing artists through this blog and vice versa. We are happy about this new evolution. In upcoming months we will surprise you with more special referrals, editorials and promotions!

We got to meet some great artists who we'd previously only met via email or Facebook. What a treat! We wished we had more time to see everyone who expressed interest in connecting up at the market; more trade shows are on the horizon, with Surtex 2013 being our next stop. We'll be exhibiting there at Booth 446! So we are sure we'll connect with many of you who also have a booth or just want to walk the show.

Magnet Works Flag - © Alex Colombo

In summary, the whole show was an amusing and very productive one for us, in addition to getting to know the market a bit better and meeting very nice and friendly people. Etiquette is an important part of how to navigate such a show, with respect to many who are working really hard at this business. All people we talked to had a positive and encouraging result from the show. We also had a chance to see some of my art on products, which was really fun. We hope more will come!

As a final note on the Atlanta show, I think it's a fantastic experience for licensing artists for doing market research; it gives you greater insight into art, products and how the product development-wholesale-retail-consumer business operates.

I am sure other show participants can add to my observations so feel free to comment on this article. I invite you to also read other licensing and trade blogs about the show so as to get multiple views. For me, seeing the whole chain of production at work re-enforced my main purpose: partnering to make the world a better place through art!

___________________________________

A Trade Show Face-Off: Surtex vs Printsource - The Sisters Gulassa

Trade show season has started! This January there are several interesting shows coming up: the Atlanta International Gift and Home Furnishings Market^® (Jan 9-16) and the Atlanta International Area Rug Market^® featuring the National Oriental Rug Show (Jan 10-13); the Craft and Hobby Association 2013 Winter Trade Show (Jan 12-15) in LA; and Printsource (Jan 15-16) in NYC.

So the "buzz" is on and this year The Moon from My Attic will be present at the Atlanta show and will report from it live via Facebook and Twitter whenever is possible, but for sure via this blog afterwards. So join us in this exciting new adventure!

Artists Cyrille and Lise Gulassa

Meantime we invited the Sisters Gulassa to share with us their fabulous journey in the field of licensing and surface design; their upcoming show is Printsource in NYC in a couple of weeks, where they have exhibited in the past. They also exhibited at Surtex last year. Lise Gulassa will tell us about their experience with both shows and tell us what the difference is between them.

Lise says: "My sister Cyrille and I grew up in an uber-talented family of 6 kids and have had a life of traveling and living abroad. We both came from careers in creative industries before we embarked on our Sisters Gulassa venture ~ Sisters Gulassa is a Design House connecting our love of patterns, design, travel and culture, and building a patterned community of visual travelers. We call it Vivid Living!"

Lise's back ground is in fashion design and her sister Cyrille's background is in graphic design. At one point they were both recruited to work for a start up company in Bucharest, Romania. "I think without knowing it, working together on various projects there became the foundation for Sisters Gulassa!" says Lise.

They started Sisters Gulassa showing their beautiful designs at Premier Vision in Paris. Lise tells us: "I had been to the show previously in my career as a designer - while my sister attended the show to see specifically about selling our artwork. She was living in Vienna at the time and called me after the show telling me that she thought we should exhibit at the next show. That was how it all began - just like that!"

I asked them to give us a description of their art and style and the immediate answer was: "Vivid! Exuberant! We also have an esthetic of putting together unique combinations with mixes of patterns and color. We provide exciting design solutions! We both come from a background of painting and fine art before we began surface design so we bring a different approach to our work."

They have many (the list is long!) favorite artists and designers who have influenced them before they began surface design from Matisse, to Sonia Delunay, and more recently Beatriz Milhazes to name a few. Lise also says: "We are also influenced by our surroundings; Cyrille lives in Vienna in the heart of what was the Vienna Secession Art Movement, with influences from Gustav Klimt and the Wiener WerkStatte and I live in Santa Cruz with the sun and the surf. These influences have a way of showing up in our work."

© Sister Gulassa - Asian Fusion

So what kind of main/overall art theme do you use? "We select a series of themes and color concepts each season to develop our collections and portfolio around, which for us become our way of telling a visual story of what we are inspired by for that particular season. This helps to give a framework for designing and it is exciting to see how we both interpret it into our work. The theme may also dictate the style or techniques that we want to include to communicate our telling of the story." She also adds: "These themes are often about current cultural influences, travel experiences, art and design influences, they may be about what we are reading; this all goes into the mix which always get reinterpreted in new ways."

What's exciting about their creative work is an immediacy to their work. Lise comments, "the hand is evident, we do the preliminary work by hand and then translate that to the computer and sometimes develop it further from there. We explore different processes and because we are both painters, we approach design from a slightly different perspective."

As for inspiration, it comes from many different things for Lise ~ it is all encompassing: traveling and art, her garden and the outdoors, colors, textiles, especially from other countries, different cultures, music, pottery from all of the world, literature, music! "I can find inspiration anywhere! Living near the beach is tremendously inspiring. I also have many inspirational books!"

I asked her to tell us about a particular project they are currently working on that is exciting. "We are getting ready for the next Printsource show and getting all of the new artwork together and printed is always very exciting! We both have a shared love of silkscreening; we grew up with our mother working on various silkscreen projects and getting ready for a show is a lot like that; it is always a thrill to see all of the newly printed designs hot off the press!"

© Sister Gulassa - Brazil 

They also have a new collection of art work being launched in Brazil which they are very excited about. Lise shares: "We just saw the new catalog and it looks beautiful; there are a few more projects in the works which we will share the minute we can!"

Then she says: "We currently have a number of licensing agreements with a variety of companies. We license our fine art and some photography in Brazil,as well as a selection of accessories including e-covers in the USA. We license tables in Vienna, a fabric collection in Canada, and e-stationery in the USA. Most of our licensing agreements have come from exhibiting at trade shows. Some happen quickly while some may take longer. It is always interesting who you meet at trade shows and oftentimes surprising to find out what product they are looking to find a design for."

What's the difference between Printsource and Surtex? Many of our readers have asked this question at different times and we want to share your experience since you have exhibited at both shows.

Lise says: "Printsource is one of the premier international markets in the USA for Surface and Textile Design catering to a wide variety of industries looking to purchase designs outright and/or license designs from artists and design studios for any product that has a design or pattern on it. This means it could be anything from fashion-related industries: clothing for women, children and men, which might include all aspects of clothing and accessories, i.e. dresses, lingerie, swimwear, backpacks, skiwear, e-covers etc. as well as any other industry looking for textile or surface designs. This means textile mills, paper companies, and interior design companies to name a few. This show is held three times a year."

"Surtex is also an international trade fair which caters to the sale and license of design and artwork for textile fabrics, apparel and contract textiles, wall and floor coverings and paper products as well as many other product categories not listed here. Surtex is held once a year. The primary difference between Surtex and Printsource is that Surtex has more of a focus towards licensing where as Prinsource has more of a focus towards outright sales."

© Sister Gulassa

Lise continues saying: "Some companies want the look or voice of a designer's hand or esthetic to help sell their product, whereas other companies want a new seasonal design for their product and don't need the designer's endorsement to help sell their product but need fresh seasonal designs that are right for the market."

In summary, some companies are set up for licensing programs and other companies are not, which is one of the many reasons they may prefer to buy a design rather than license a design which may also determine which show they will attend as a buyer.

"From my personal experience," Lise says, "more fashion designers attend Printsource to buy for two reasons: Printsouce caters more to the fashion design industry and does not cost the buyer anything to attend the show. She then adds, "while fashion designers do attend Surtex, I'd say there is more of a focus on gift type products and paper goods at Surtex than at Printsource."

"The challenge for designers showing their work at Printsource is that the focus is more on selling designs than licensing, meaning that as a designer you have to produce a lot of new work every season to replenish your portfolio where as if your focus is about licensing you have fewer sales but potentially more licensing opportunities. All that being said you have to develop a look or style of art that is desirable for licensing. You may have a look or design esthetic that is better suited to one show or the other."

Thank you Lise, I think that clarifies for many what the difference is between the two markets. And now, based on your experience from having done many shows in different parts of the world, what tips can you share with our readers?

Lise suggests, "walking any show you are thinking about exhibiting in is critical. Every show has a very different personality and client base. I also think it is great to start out with a vision of what types of products you can imagine your designs on and develop your collections with that in mind. This helps to give you focus. I also think one of the biggest challenges we face as artists and designers who have our own companies is finding the time to make art and design! As silly as that may sound, when you are running your own show it is easy to get caught up in the myriad of everyday tasks! Good art and design takes time to make. Even when it may look effortless there may be more to it than meets the eye!"

To conclude Lise says, "we have had some ideas that we haven't had the time to focus on and develop fully which we are excited to move forward with this year. We also have a couple of exciting collaborations we are working on and we can't wait to share them with you but we will have to wait a little longer before we can ... and we would also would love to go to Brazil! We never stand still for too long; there is always something new and exciting on the horizon!"

Come "like" the Sisters Gulassa on Facebook and see what they are up to on their website and blog, and don't forget to follow them on Pinterest!

Web: www.sistersgulassa.com

Blog: www.sistersgulassa.blogspot.com

FB: www.facebook.com/pages/SistersGulassa

Pinterest: pinterest.com/sistersgulassa