TAKE A PEEK BEHIND THE SCENES
& INTO MY BRAIN- THIS BLOG IS BASICALLY MY PERSONAL THERAPIST
( SPRINKLED WITH SOME DIYS SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ IT )
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Lauren Callis, Carli Vergamini
- Apr 30, 2019
- 5 min
BIZ CRUSH: An Upcycled Closet
Lauren's responses have left me to believe that we may possibly be soul sisters. A fellow upcyling activist, jean mending maven, clothing swap extraordinaire & badass shop keeper, she's rockin' the motto, "secondhand first," in style. Prepare to laugh, cry, &- if you're like me- cry from laughing from her answers below: What kind of kid were you growing up? I have always been curious. That coupled with great comfort and confidence in asking questions has always spurred my cr
Meg Floersch, Carli Vergamini
- Mar 30, 2019
- 6 min
BIZ CRUSH: Nine56 Studio
I met Meg at a pop up event last year where her enthusiasm & passion shined crazy bright. We quickly discovered some similarities- our alma mater, favorite professors & love of sewing. Her sister squealed with delight when I was the first person who responded "yes" to the question she'd been asking everyone all day, "Are you familiar with slow fashion?" Since then, a lot of things have rocked Meg's world, but through it all her positivity shines through the darkness. Read
Alanna Stapleton, Carli Vergamini
- Feb 19, 2019
- 5 min
BIZ CRUSH: Alanna Stapleton
Alanna is part badass illustrator, part embroiderer extraordinaire & has a sixth sense for color like you wouldn't believe, oh, and she's making part of her new wardrobe. As in sewing her own clothes, not building a wooden transport to Narnia. Her style is undeniably recognizable & it's sure to charm you as it has me. Keep scrolling to find out more about Alanna Stapleton, her work, her process and her keen pencil balancing skills. What kind of kid were you growing up? Is “
Carli Vergamini, Jordan Sundberg
- Jan 31, 2019
- 8 min
BIZ CRUSH: Tin Cup Design
I met Jordan through the local pop-up scene where her bright, loving, down to earth personality was as obvious as her talent. She’s a true creative spirit with a knack for color, pattern, texture & has a style that’s positively recognizable. She’s also got a really cool story. Keep reading to hear it. Photo by Anna McParlan What kind of kid were you growing up? I was eager to please and be good, but also thrived in weird. I was lucky to have friends and family who, with me,
Carli Vergamini, Kait Schroeder
- Jul 23, 2018
- 3 min
BIZ CRUSH: Pink Linen Designs
Kait has a killer sense of style, color & an overall eye for design. She turned what started as some doodles & some cut outs into a thriving business often seeking creative suggestions from her 3 daughters. Clearly, they have great ideas, because everything Kait creates is ultra whimsical & crazy cute. Keep reading to learn more about Pink Linen Designs + get a giant dose of playfulness. Photo by Beth Cath What kind of kid were you growing up?
I loved playing outside, bein
Carli Vergamini, Mandi Smethells
- May 30, 2018
- 4 min
BIZ CRUSH: Mandi Smethells
If the fiber community was a band of superheroes, Mandi would be Wonder Woman. Her knack for creating colorful rainbows & fringe-y animal shaped artwork caught my eye on Instagram (it also caught the eye of The Loome who’s featured her on their social platforms & in their email newsletter!) One glance at her work & you’ll get addicted, too. It’s mesmerizing, whimsical & in Mandi’s words, “imaginative.” She enjoys mixing unexpected materials, photographing her creations & t
Carli Vergamini, Joeleen Torvick
- Apr 24, 2018
- 5 min
BIZ CRUSH: Joeleen Torvick
Us Stouties stick together, follow each other’s journeys, cheer each other on & feature each other on our blogs. And when we’re lucky enough to live in the same city, we also catch up over a beer. Such is the case for Joeleen & I. I’ve been obsessed with her minimalistic style ever since crossing paths on social media & hearing our former prof talk her up. She makes each garment herself, handling the entire production process on her own including patternmaking, grading (sizin
Carli Vergamini, Ashley Mary
- Feb 21, 2018
- 7 min
BIZ CRUSH: Ashley Mary
The colors, the shapes & her love for a good vintage coat- that's how I stumbled across Ashley Mary & her art on Instagram. If that wasn't enough, she's creates kick ass installations, teaches a class on Brit + Co, PLUS she's designed products you can buy at Design Loop & Target. So yeah, she basically does it all. Keep reading to find out how she paved her path in the art world. Photo by Kelsey Lee Photography What kind of kid were you growing up? I was a tiny ham with curl
Carli Vergamini, Sara Lloyd
- Jan 11, 2018
- 9 min
BIZ CRUSH: Snark Studios / The Snark Shop
I "met" Sara several years ago by being a creep on the internet. I found her shop on Etsy, internet stalked her {just a little} then sent her a totally normal love/like letter via email telling her I thought she was cool & that we should collab on something. Either she's just as big of an online weirdo, or the feeling was mutual. We've been in touch ever since & what seems like a hundred years later, we've finally joined forces in some respect. She's currently crushing the
Carli Vergamini, Erin Hogan-Braker
- Dec 11, 2017
- 7 min
BIZ CRUSH: 7th Bone Tailoring
Erin is a fellow University of Wisconsin-Stout alum & I've been following her journey + living vicariously through her business endeavors ever since I found out about her tailoring services based in NYC. Her client list is long & includes a slew of celebrities, stores + brand names. Read on to hear more about her story & what she's most excited about next. 7B tailors Thao Huynh, Erin Hogan-Braker, and Dominique Jernigan about to take on Aspen, Colorado What kind of kid were
Carli Vergamini
- Sep 14, 2017
- 2 min
EMERGING
Throwback to when Zappos let me sell on their website. But equally as exciting when I realized what opportunities come forth when I tell my story. So this is me continuing the circle and telling you the story of how I learned to tell my story. Weird, huh? I had met with a mentor before this prospect was even a glimmer in anyone’s eye. We were talking about life and how I got started creating with recycled leather and his most memorable piece of advice was to TELL MY STORY
Carli Vergamini
- Sep 8, 2017
- 4 min
The REAL Story Behind HANDMADE Pricing
As we handmade business owners are gearing up for the holiday season, let me take a moment to address one of the most inconspicuous critiques I receive at nearly every pop up shop, craft fair & probably behind many computer screens: A wide eyed stare at the price tag followed by a snicker/snide comment. Let me preface these next few paragraphs by saying that this in no way is intended to be a rant, cause belittlement or make you feel less than {just in case you are one of the
Carli Vergamini, Brittany Nelson
- Sep 4, 2017
- 6 min
BIZ CRUSH: Simply Gypsy Events
I met Brittany on the very first installment of Tuesdays Together Duluth. I showed up alone & was incredibly nervous to be in a room full of fellow creatives + afraid I wouldn't know anyone else there. I pulled up a seat next to a cheerful brunette, she stuck out her hand and said, "Hi. I'm Brittany." We've been in touch ever since. Her passion for traveling & collecting life experiences is apparent through her work & also the way she convinced me that a solo flight to Lo
Carli Vergamini, Michelle Raven
- Aug 7, 2017
- 6 min
BIZ CRUSH: Thrift Stylist, Michelle Raven
Have you ever stumbled upon a business idea so genius that it stops you in your tracks, makes you drop everything just to find out more, drive a few hours just to partake in the genius-ness, and then write a blog post about it because you just want everyone to know? Enter Michelle (AKA Thrift Stylist exclusively at Arc's Value Village). She & her team of stylists work on an appointment basis to basically take all the hard work out of thrift shopping. They scour the store (yo
Carli Vergamini, Marisa Morrison
- Jul 1, 2017
- 8 min
BIZ CRUSH: The Neon Tea Party
Marisa is a social media super star. We met via Instagram when her colorful photos, love for tassels and adventures through NYC caught my eye. She's currently planning a wedding that would make your Pinterest page jealous (there are llamas involved- that's all I'm going to say) & she's always got something crafty up her sleeve (just past her kick ass arm party AKA bracelet stack). After collaborating on a few AMAZE-BALLS DIYs, I had to find out a bit more. I think you'll e
Carli Vergamini, Britta Kauppila
- Jun 5, 2017
- 7 min
BIZ CRUSH: Britta Kauppila of Britta Lynn Design
Britta and I have a lot in common. We love creating things with our hands, we seriously enjoy peeking into makers' creative spaces, and we both think we've been living in Duluth for shorter amounts of time than we actually have (#timeflies). We went several years in the city without ever crossing paths, and once we did- we couldn't stop running into each other! She's got some serious skills and works with some amazing materials to create one of a kind pieces that have been k
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