Hazelmade

My niece arrived from Spain in early June to stay with us for half the summer. To go from having no kids to taking care of a 14 year old is a big transition, but it's given us an excuse to do the things you're always "too busy" to do.

Fun fact, I'm obsessed with the Titanic. If there's a Nova doc on the topic I've seen it. We headed to the science museum for the Titanic exhibit, and of course the astronaut photo op.

We dragged my niece vintage shopping and found the perfect chairs. Saw a new piece of art in downtown Cleveland. She helped my mom with some photo albums and found a real gem of me with my Aunt & Uncle. We got really great at making ice cream sundaes. And to top the month off, a new piece of .ederer 's work came home with us.

Here's your excuse to find a moment this summer to do something you've been "too busy to do." It's worth it.

Today and every day, you are perfect.

10 women over the course of 13 months contributed their efforts to create Hazelmade's new website.

It's proof that patience, trust, and a supportive community can truly bring something to life, in all its layers and complexity.

Head to the link in our bio and see all that's new at the Hazelmade online storefront: our curated corner of the internet.

One of my favorite books of all time is "Braiding Sweetgrass" by Robin Wall Kimmerer. The audiobook especially, read by the author, is a sort of balm that I go to when feeling stressed or overwhelmed. The chapter, “The Gift of Strawberries,” in particular, always helps ground me.

I wrote about "Braiding Sweetgrass," strawberries, and the "why" behind "For the Story Gifters." Read the whole piece at the link in bio. 🔗

Love a good "hand holding" pic, and bonus points if it's snacks.

A blue color story. From an island in Sicily, to matchbooks in Paris, blue flowers in my back yard and velvets in Cleveland.

Did you know we offer wrapping paper and other customizable options for making your Hazelmade purchase a gift?

We knew our old online storefront was clunky for adding gift wrap, notes or details to your gifts. We recently redesigned our website, and one feature we knew we had to have was a simplified gifting function.

A gift is a story, and every good story deserves a good cover. We have always wanted the gifts you give to your loved ones to be a complete experience, from beginning to end.

Have you given or received a Hazelmade gift? Share your experience in the comments!

Last April, I met a brand strategist at a conference. She was persistent, but also kind, and what struck me most about her was that she truly listened. We booked an initial meeting, signed the contract and embarked on a 3-month deep dive into what felt like a pretty gray area at the time: brand strategy.

We worked through who Hazelmade is as a brand and business as well as how we show up for our customers.

At the very end, Robyn said to go back to one of the first pieces I published. She said to look for some of the words we focused our new brand strategy around. And sure enough, in my first catalog from 2014, I found those words.

I didn't embark on this process to please the algorithm or optimize my business. I wanted to refocus, sift through the last 12 years of intention, decisions, influence and uncertainty, to find the very core I started with.

This is a small look at some of the elements we created. They are lifted straight from our new website (link in bio), which we hope feels like an invitation to pull up a seat and join us.

We recently started a project to refresh our brand's visual identity. The shift is subtle: softer versions of our original colors and more elevated typography. We've refined the logo and other brand visuals and are letting the photography draw on a slower pace. And, if you order through our online shop, you are in for a surprise!