When Artists Take Over | Emma Garland of Little Red AppleMeet Emma Garland, the ‘everything’ behind fabulous local jewellery and greetings card brand Little Red Apple.
Emma had an online residency with ArtPort in March, ‘taking over’ our Instagram and Facebook pages for 5 days to share the story of her brand and beautiful jewellery. It’s a really interesting journey! |
Day 1
“Hello! Emma Garland here! “When ArtPort asked me to ‘take over’ for a week, I was delighted - it’s always great to be given an opportunity to showcase your work - but the ArtPort ethos is also very close to my heart: creativity AND community - it’s that double strand, of wanting to celebrate and highlight Portishead itself, that I really like. So i think I’ll start my takeover talking about just that - Portishead! We moved here in 2019 from Knowle in Bristol; “we” being me, the husband, dog and two children (now teenagers!) We were drawn - like a lot of people, I think - by the sky and space to bring up our family. It’s just such a great quality of life. The thing I love most about living here is being by the coast and all that brings with it - the estuary views, the sunsets and watching the huge ships navigating their way up to Avonmouth. As a small, independent jeweller, I’m a “one woman band’ who works from home, so those things make all the difference! I love having the coast bath, beaches and woods close by to walk in. It’s important to make time to go outside and see the sky when you spend the day at a desk or workbench. I’m a natural introvert, but I’ve recently joined a community choir and I love it. There is a real sense of community here, and things like ArtPort, the community choirs, Christmas lights, and all the other amazing community initiatives people put so much time and effort into, are a real testament to that. |
I’m really looking forward to sharing my creative journey with you and I hope it might gives others the confidence to take that first step! See you tomorrow! - Emma.“
Day 2
“Hello again - Emma Garland here again, on day 2 of my ‘sit in’ at ArtPort! Today is all about….The Apple! 🍎 I’m often asked why I chose the name, does it have any special meaning? There must be a story behind it! Well…the truth is perhaps a bit more prosaic and practical than people expect! The first reason I chose it was because it wasn’t a business name already in use on the online selling sites like Etsy that I knew I would have to learn to use to be able to sell my work on a big enough scale - so a pure business decision! The second reason is more creative: I wanted something clean, crisp, simple and fresh, - all qualities that inform and underpin my designs. So, once the apple was decided upon, I simply used the technique I use to design all my cards: I carefully used my scalpel to cut out my apple from a square of red paper, added a tiny green leaf - and there it was! Little Red Apple. |
The reason I’m telling you all this? Well, the logo story is actually a really good example of the balance so many creative people have to strike between pursuing a creative life and making it work as a business. (And being a one-man-band means you have to quickly acquire the skills to do everything yourself!)
Hope you enjoyed hearing about the apple! I’ll be back tomorrow at around 11.00AM for day 3 - how it all started. - Emma 😀”
Hope you enjoyed hearing about the apple! I’ll be back tomorrow at around 11.00AM for day 3 - how it all started. - Emma 😀”
Day 3
“How it All Began… Well, it all started with the cards. I’d been making cards by hand occasionally, for friends and family for years, just for fun. But after being frustrated at not being able to find really lovely birthday cards for kids locally that I liked, I decided to design my own! I was honestly surprised at how quickly my cards became popular - soon I was selling them regularly at craft markets and then began to have them stocked in a few shops! It was a great feeling. But I knew that I’d need to get online if I wanted to reach more people. So the next step was to set up my Etsy shop ( link here @littleredapple). That was quite a nerve-wracking experience in itself! But online marketplaces like Etsy and Folksy are very good at getting you online quickly, with lots of easy to follow guidance. Soon I was the proud proprietor of my own online shop! |
Things really started to pick up after that. Having access to a much wider audience meant that orders grew, and I was able to consider having stocks of my designs printed from my original hand cut designs.
I still make all the original card designs by hand with cut paper collage, then scan the original and have it reproduced onto responsibly sourced card stock by a small family-run printer.
I’ve had to learn a lot along the way - everything from product photography, to book keeping, to IT! But I enjoy learning new things and there are so many opportunities to learn new things via online training.
Visit my page @littleredapple for all the links to my Etsy shop - I also stock my cards and jewellery at @ebbandflopics on the High St ☺️
This is fun! I hope it’s helpful to others out there. I’m back tomorrow to tell you about my hand-made jewellery!”
I still make all the original card designs by hand with cut paper collage, then scan the original and have it reproduced onto responsibly sourced card stock by a small family-run printer.
I’ve had to learn a lot along the way - everything from product photography, to book keeping, to IT! But I enjoy learning new things and there are so many opportunities to learn new things via online training.
Visit my page @littleredapple for all the links to my Etsy shop - I also stock my cards and jewellery at @ebbandflopics on the High St ☺️
This is fun! I hope it’s helpful to others out there. I’m back tomorrow to tell you about my hand-made jewellery!”
Day 4
“The leap from cards to jewellery isn’t as far as it might first appear. Transferring my ideas from card to wood seemed like an easy step to make - but would it work? I began experimenting with decorating wooden shapes to make brooches, and once I was confident that the concept would work, I began to build on that, adding new pieces. Now I offer a wide range of earrings, necklaces and brooches in different styles and patterns. I like that the material is really light-weight - my earrings can be worn all day or night and you won’t even notice you have them on. The wooden pieces are laser-cut to my designs by a local company, then returned to me to be transformed into the signature colourful, eye-catching jewellery for which Little Red Apple is known. All the pieces are put together by hand, and hand painted, making each piece totally original and unique. I’ve also expanded my range to include some jewelled items for a bit more sparkle. I think my style is really fresh and fun - and customers clearly agree! The simple, clean shapes and bright colours that are the distinctive features of my greetings cards are carried over into my jewellery designs. I really like the idea that people can visit my online store and come away with gifts and cards that really complement each other - it raises the gift experience for the intended recipient to another level I think, because everything ‘sings’ together visually. You can find my entire range in my Etsy shop (follow the link in my bio here @littleredapple ) and my work is also stocked in EBB & FLO Gift Boutique, Glass Designs Gallery on North Street, Bristol, We Make Bristol in Westbury, and Eclectic Gift Shop in Hanham. I’d love to know what you think of my designs! Feel free to drop me a line or comment below. Back tomorrow for the last day of my ArtPort residency. - Emma.” |
Day 5
“Before I talk about what I’m planning for the future, I just wanted to mention
sustainability. Its absolutely important to me to know that Little Red Apple is an ethically sound enterprise.
From the start I’ve made conscious business decisions to use local suppliers and to be environmentally friendly; that’s a key issue for me. My packaging is minimal and recyclable, and the wood used for my jewellery is FSC-certified.
So, what does the future hold?
Well, I’d certainly love to keep growing Little Red Apple, up to a point! My business is so flexible and fits around my family, which is perfect for me. I’m very happy to keep it a one-woman business, but we all want to keep improving. Streamlining my range and designing some new earring styles is also next on the list.
Well, that’s my story! I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing it. You can find Little Red Apple on Etsy ( https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LittleRedAppleCards?ref=items-pagination&page=1&sort_order=relevance ) and in local outlets: EBB & FLO Gift Boutique on Portishead High St; Glass Designs & Gallery on North Street, Bristol; We Make Bristol in Westbury and Eclectic Gift Shop in Hanham.
I have a guest artist spot at Independent Design Collective Independent Design Collectiveon North St coming up in April, and I’ll have a stall in there on Saturdays in April.
I’m also participating in North Somerset Arts Week 28 April - 8 May, so come along and say hello!
Thanks for having me ArtPort, it’s been great! - Emma 🍎”
“Before I talk about what I’m planning for the future, I just wanted to mention
sustainability. Its absolutely important to me to know that Little Red Apple is an ethically sound enterprise.
From the start I’ve made conscious business decisions to use local suppliers and to be environmentally friendly; that’s a key issue for me. My packaging is minimal and recyclable, and the wood used for my jewellery is FSC-certified.
So, what does the future hold?
Well, I’d certainly love to keep growing Little Red Apple, up to a point! My business is so flexible and fits around my family, which is perfect for me. I’m very happy to keep it a one-woman business, but we all want to keep improving. Streamlining my range and designing some new earring styles is also next on the list.
Well, that’s my story! I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing it. You can find Little Red Apple on Etsy ( https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LittleRedAppleCards?ref=items-pagination&page=1&sort_order=relevance ) and in local outlets: EBB & FLO Gift Boutique on Portishead High St; Glass Designs & Gallery on North Street, Bristol; We Make Bristol in Westbury and Eclectic Gift Shop in Hanham.
I have a guest artist spot at Independent Design Collective Independent Design Collectiveon North St coming up in April, and I’ll have a stall in there on Saturdays in April.
I’m also participating in North Somerset Arts Week 28 April - 8 May, so come along and say hello!
Thanks for having me ArtPort, it’s been great! - Emma 🍎”