 ABOUT US:Â
As you probably know, in the spring of 2020 a pandemic began. I, (Elinore) was very sad because I couldn't see my cousins for a while. We are very close, and it was the first time that something had kept us apart for so long. Several weeks into our mandatory lockdown, my cousin, (Sophie) started sending me pictures of some paintings that she made. I was impressed; she had never been much of a painter before. (As far as I knew.) Even after the restrictions were lifted and we were able to see each other again, she continued to paint and experiment with other forms of art. Around early August, she started making stamps. For my birthday recently, she gave me a card. The back of the envelope was covered with cactus stamps. (I have a thing for cacti.) I exclaimed over the cacti and complimented her stamp-making skills. Then she told me that she had been thinking about starting a card business with the stamps. I think I said something like, "That's a great idea!" And the side of me that wishes I was a more creative person was like, "I wish I could do something like that, but I'm just not artsy enough." And then my dear cousin asked me if I would be her partner in this entrepreneurial endeavor. So of course, I said yes. And here we are.
- Elinore (15)
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During this pandemic, I (Sophie) made a promise to myself that I would do (or work on) a piece of art every single day. And I actually kept that promise for months, until we took a month-long vacation across the states. Of course, it is hard to paint in a 32 foot RV. I grew to love this daily routine of creating, and I made many things that I am very proud of. Not just paintings, but clay people, a little table, and I even painted a mini guitar. For my most recent birthday, I turned 14. My parents, knowing that I am into art at this point in my life, gifted me a stamp making kit. At first, I saw 5 thick slabs of erasure-looking substance, and thought, “What the heck is that?” Then I opened the rest. A red-handled carver, some ink, and a brayer. After a few days of experimenting, I was in love. I had so much fun making different animals and plants, and discovering that I might actually be kinda good at making stamps. Of course, I had my fair share of failed projects, but that just made me want to try harder. A few months later, I was drinking coffee at the Good Earth with my cousin. We were talking about making stamps, and I remembered what my mom had suggested. “What if you sold packs of cards with your stamps?” I mentioned this idea to my cousin, and she thought it was a great idea. I then had an idea. What if we did it together? And here we are.
- Sophie (14)