Been a Bit…

Hi friends! Wow, it has been quite a while since I have checked in! I hope everyone has been happy and healthy. To be perfectly honest, I have been going through a bit of a creative block. I had big plans for holiday designs, but every time I sat down to sketch, I came up empty. Also, it should be illegal for November and December to be so busy! Part of me knows that I should be grateful for the busy season. It means that I have friends and family and a community. But the other part of me? She wants to run away to Tahiti for the entire month of December this year.

It’s been frosty here in the midwest, although we finally experience a little thaw-out. This Sunday has been chilly and drizzly—perfect weather for puttering around the house. Puttering around the house has become a hobby of mine this new year, and I have found a sense of healing in it. Staying in coupled with cutting down on drinking alcohol has allowed me to relax more, and slowly I have felt the urge to design return. Today’s “wintry mix”, which I encountered briefly on my mandatory Sunday Target run, inspired these snowflake-esque designs. There are three new bag designs in total, with five colors to choose from. I feel like I could design these all day and never get two exactly the same, just like real snowflakes!

I made sure to add a few of these frosty designs to my journal line as well.

I am hoping to release more designs soon and to do some custom work. If you have any customization requests, please reach out!

Stay safe out there!

Take care,

Heather

End of Month Musings

I truly cannot believe that October is almost over! While my favorite season seems to be zooming by before it even begins, I am enjoying the very sudden pop of fall colors in the trees here in Cincinnati. It seemed to happen almost overnight, and it is finally really starting to feel like autumn. I am looking forward to adding some logs to my little fire pit so we can stay cozy while handing out candy on Halloween, and as I gaze out the bedroom window at the vibrant fallen leaves, glued from the moisture of last night’s drizzle like a haphazard collage to almost any surface that will hold them, I am now thinking I need to include some mulled wine in the Halloween festivities….

I also have some big plans for the shop to close out the year! I am currently designing personalized bags for my niece and nephews as part of their Christmas gifts, and will be releasing slightly different versions for purchase for everyone else (all which can be customized for a small fee.) I have some small giveaways planned, and I may even attend an in-person market to show off some of my designs!

I also have been designing some speed-cubing inspired items at the request of my partner Steve, who regularly goes to competitions. I am hoping to have some stickers and buttons of a few of my designs, as well as new ones, ready to give out as samples ahead of his next comp. All of the concepts are his, and he even pitches in with the actual design as well. This one has been my favorite so far, so I will definitely be sporting this shirt that day! The shirt is already available in the shop!

And finally, I am fortunate enough to get to work with my childhood best friend (not for Wild Beasts Co, but at an office) and her nickname there is Soup. It is a long story, and for the longest time I swore I would never call my beloved Sarah “Soup”, but I have somehow come to embrace the silly nickname. She requested a soup design, which you may or may not have peeped as a sticker in my giveaway. She requested a pillow case of my design, and I think it is adorable. Pillowcases will be coming to the shop soon, so stay tuned! I loved the Soupy Season spooky design, I ordered a t-shirt and wore it to our work’s annual chili cookoff. I think the vibes were just right, and while I didn’t win the cookoff with my vegan pumpkin chili, I still felt like a winner with the compliments I received on the shirt!

I hope everyone has a very happy Halloween!

Wild Beasts Co. October Update

Journals and tote bag won by my friend Amanda in a raffle benefitting 1N5. Photo credit to Amanda.

Can you believe October is already halfway thru? Or maybe I should think of it as still having half a month left? However you may be feeling about October, rest assured that I have been busy adding new designs and products to my shop this month.

My shop had its first giveaway, with my friend Chris as the winner. He opted to have a new bag designed, and I happily obliged! I will wait until he receives it before sharing the design, but believe me, it is CUTE!

My shop also participated in a raffle at my work to benefit 1N5, a mental health nonprofit. My friend Amanda was the lucky winner and snapped some great pics of the items she chose! Her kiddo plans on using the Ghosties bag for trick-or-treating!

My stepmom Jeannie ordered a tote bag from my Batty series and sent me some great pics as well! I love seeing my designs “out in the wild!”

The shop is also currently holding a flash sticker giveaway contest on the @wildbeastsco Instagram page. This one ends quick (Monday, October 16, 2023 @ 3pm EST) so head on over to the page and view the post to learn how to participate! Don’t have an instagram? That’s okay! You can drop me a line at wildbeastsco@gmail.com, tell me you saw the contest on my blog and let me know which sticker you would pick if you were to win! That will count as one entry. Three winners will be announced some time Monday evening. Link to the Wild Beasts Co Instagram page and pics of the sticker options are below:

Another shop update: I have added baby blankets! Just a sampling of options are featured below, and I plan to update designs often, because to be fair, it is ALWAYS baby shower season in Ohio! I can also do customizations. Please see my current customization policy, which is subject to change (but not without notice!)

As a reminder, you can save 10% with discount code SPOOKYBEASTS10, active thru October 31, 2023!

I have been brainstorming on ideas to close the year out, and am looking forward to sharing what I come up with in a future post! I want to thank all of my friends, family, acquaintances, and even a stranger here and there, for following along on my little journey! Hope you all enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Take care,

Heather