Post #574001 by !kopecky! on Mon, Jan 31, 2011 1:58 PM

WOW!

Thank you all so much, I am flattered and blown away by the response.

I'm an artist currently living in Minneapolis, MN (waist deep in snow, tropical tiki stuff on the mind sure helps!).
For the last couple years I have been designing for a small local giftware company called One Hundred 80 Degrees. They ask me to design all sorts of things, from Christmas ornaments to salt and pepper shakers, usually holiday related. So I draw little pictures of cute things, and if it's cute enough, they send it overseas and produce it.

It's a pretty fun job! (and I'm lucky to have it)

The end of last year was the first time I stumbled across my designs in retail stores. It still feels weird and amazing.

Last summer I was given the opportunity to venture further out of the holiday decor world, to create a line of every-day product, and "I Lava Tiki" was born. I honestly did not know much about the world of tiki until then. Minneapolis has an excellent tiki bar and restaurant called Psycho Suzi's (www.psychosuzis.com) that I have been a fan of for a long time, and I'm sure their bloodymary bar had a major influence on the decision to create a tiki collection. So I dug into tiki art and doodled totems till I was satisfied. I had so much fun delving into a kind of style I've never known, now I just want to make more...

Perhaps I should have waited a little longer to share the collection, since you can only buy them in wholesale orders for now. I was so excited I couldn't help myself! I will post again when I know they are available to buy individually, sorry for the wait.

Thanks again for the love!

and THANKS to Tiki Central for this awesome experience of connection. It's like an instant art-niche support group or something :)

• Carolyn!