Vendor View with Freshly Cut Cards & Lovely Day

One of the many special things about Shop Austin are the Up-and-Coming Vendor spots we have each year.  The spot is a smaller space which is less daunting for a newer vendor.  Each vendor in this category must have been in business less than 2 years on the date of our show.   This year we have some "fresh" and "lovely" vendors in these spots!


Freshly Cut Cards has a great tag line - "Handmade Greeting Cards that Won't Fade or Wilt!"  Stephanie Johnson creates custom, handmade greeting cards, invitations and pictures frames.  All of her items are one-of-a-kind and designed to be keepsakes.


What makes your products uniquely "Austin'?
I am a true Austinite and grew up surrounded by the work of local Austin artists. It was everywhere - in gift stores, on South Congress, numerous vendor fairs, and I became familiar with the Austin "vibe" early on. When I started this company, I made sure the products created encompassed this vibe. They're handmade. They're made with love. I use recycled paper products when available and re-purpose packaging and make something cool out of it.

Who is your biggest inspiration?
I love Austin's handmade, organic and down-to-earth feel. There are more gift stores that feature the products of local artists here than I've seen anywhere, and I love that, and I want to be a part of that! This talented community inspires me to be better at what I do - to go beyond the traditional and stretch my imagination and our resources. And the people who buy my cards appreciate the effort I put into them.
"Thank You Austin!!"

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Lovely Day is the beautiful creation of Mary Robin Fletcher.  She folds fabric and ribbons to make beautiful flowers to adorn your life - wear them in your hair, on your clothes, bags, shoes, or put them in a flower arrangement as "forever blossoming art"!

What makes your products uniquely "Austin'?
What makes Austin unique is we accept people for who they are. We don't try to change anyone to fit into a mold.  I create big bold flowers - not everyone's cup of tea, but everyone in Austin still stops and looks.  My flowers are not pre-fab, molded, uniform hexagons; rather, my flowers are shaped, textured, individual creations.  Much like Austin.

Who is your biggest inspiration?
My mother is a professional costume designer; she always is coming up with interesting ways to incorporate odd bits of the world into her creations.  She has given me courage to experiment and try everything once.  The result of a life time of support is Lovely Day.  I come up with some crazy combination in my head, and she says, "Go for it!  You won't know until you try!"  My mother never laughs at me or calls me crazy; she inspires me to go further.

We think both of these Up-and-Coming Vendors are a true inspiration!

XO,
allison