I had first met Morgan in the summer of 2022 at a market I was attending for Switch Stitch. I was doing my usual stroll at the end of the market when I came upon Morgan's table and it caught my eye. the detailing in her pieces, the interesting color combos she used, the simplicity of her display and of course her cute self sitting amongst her work.
I stopped and chatted with her and I remembering saying in my awkward way...I'm not buying anything from you today but I want you to make me something in the future. I wasn't sure what that would be but my gut told me this would be a good fit.
after that market we had a few coffee dates chatting about the life as a maker/artist, our pets, our paths that led us to current time and we seemed to hit it off well. the second or third date I told her about this idea I had brewing for a line of things. and I asked her if she'd be interested in collaborating with me to help bring this idea to reality.
she loved the idea and that's when we found out how much of a similar perspective we had on handcrafted pieces. not only on just the beauty of handcrafted pieces but also the impact these pieces have on entire environment they're in and the people who are in those spaces. yes! we aligned on the belief that it's important to be intentional about the things that fill our spaces we choose to be in!
that was it. the next time we met Morgan busted out her sketch pad and we got into the nitty gritty of my line of things. I wasn't really sure what that was and it was so fun to brainstorm with another creative. we talked about color and types of things that would be in the line and then got into details of the first piece we would bring to life...the butter jar.
the butter jar design was inspired by one that I had previously bought. I told her the things I loved about it and the ways I wanted to tweak it to make it more my style. I loved the size and the simplicity but I wanted it to have a more modern feel to it. I wanted a cleaner, more streamlined feel and so we decided on a straighter, more even container shape.
we had originally decided on a knob or handle on the top and Morgan shared her preference for flat knobs. this is so when placed upside down on the flat knob the lid would have stability vs rolling around. a detail I didn't consider and I loved the thought and preplanning. ultimately we went with no knob at all for the most stable option when reloading the butter into the jar.
we both liked the idea of adding a foot to the bottom of the jar to give the base a little height off of the counter. the foot would be minimal, clean and distinctly different from the base of the jar. I think Morgan mentioned something about a foot on a jar giving the appearance that it has its own space and I couldn't agree more. I feel like by raising it off the counter just that tiny, tiny bit, defines the jar and allows the eyes to see it as separate rather than a continuation of the counter. and this is what helps the counter seem less clutter.
and then came the color combos. because our color preferences are fairly different this one was fun. I want my line of things to be representative of my style and aesthetics. and I also want to keep the vibe of the maker I'm working with. as I write this [jan 2023] the butter jars are still in the works so I can't say too much about what the end result is because I'm not sure yet!
I'm confident each butter jar will be so amazing. we met up after she finished the first one and the way Morgan pulled this off was seamless. she nailed the prototype. no exaggeration, my mouth dropped open when I saw the picture she texted when it was done. I had to see it in person and it was even more beautiful in real life.
the one absolute I had going into this collaboration was that I wanted leopard print. it was a non-negotiable. I can also say that we're excited to blend my love of dark, moody, earthy with her style of muted pastels. and we both love botanical prints so that will probably come out in some form. Morgan's excited to try different techniques she's been wanting to play around with and I'm so pumped to see what the different designs will be.
I'll be creating a shop on my site to give these ultra exclusive butter jars a spot they can be shared and displayed. and that way if anyone else wants to embrace the story behind the butter jar design they can order one too!
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