Welcome to the all new Christina Holland Deisgns blog & website!
Over the last year I have worked tirelessly on "rebranding" my look, starting with my business name change in time for the 2014 summer art fair season! Now that winter is here, I can finally catch up on my website & blog updates.
Formerly "Bad Cat Creations", I decided to make the switch to a new name after closing my brick & mortar store in downtown Bemidji. I had been creating jewelry designs under the Bad Cat name since 2002, then making a leap into a downtown store front in 2008. The Bad Cat Creations boutique and gallery lasted a little over 3 years and in the end showcased over 60 artists from local and far. It was my pride and joy, my baby. But in a difficult economy, adding in serious health issues within my family, I made the call to close it's doors in December of 2011, downsizing as it were, back to just me- the jewelry artist.
The connection I made with my community in those 3 years was a powerful one, and I realized in 2013 I needed to make a change if I was to continue on as an artist, I had to set myself apart from the store. After meeting my soulmate and having a name change of my own, I made the switch- Christina Holland Designs.
I remember my first meeting with my friend and amazing graphic designer, Samantha Nienow of Red Zest Design. She encouraged me to use my name for my new journey, and within a few days she sent me mocks ups of what my new logo could look like. In that first meeting I talked about making a slooooooow switch to the new name, spend the upcoming year little by little converting all my business cards, brochures, price tags, social media accounts, and more to the new name. But when I saw the mock up of the future look- I was no longer interested in hesitating! And to make a long story short (too late!), here we are! I couldn't be happier about everything!!!
I've been teetering with website vs blog for months, and finally decided I didn't want to pick one or the other, so I'm doing both. I love having a website to have a simple format to showcase my design work, but I'm so excited to start this blog and have the ability to interact with my friends, fans, and followers.
So here we go!
Some of the things I'm hoping and planning to showcase on my blog are:
My design process, how I plan the designs I create, from inspiration to completion.
Tutorials on jewelry making- stranding, wire work, metal fabrication, enameling, and more.
Features on some of my favorite gemstones and other design elements
Tool reviews on what I work with, what my favorites are, and what I covet from everything from hand tools and bench tools, to kilns and torches.
And much, much more!
I'd love to know what YOU want to see on the blog, from what's listed above and any suggestions or things you're curious about. Please leave me a comment from my Contact page (while I figure out adding comments here!) and thank you for sharing your thoughts and visiting!
~ Christina Holland