It’s All About Blooming
Emilie Kleiner believes she is a late bloomer. However, she was quite grown up even as a young child.
She created her own complex world in the basement playroom. Emilie built a massive Barbie land with handmade furniture and accessories.
Nearby, she built a classroom complete with a chalkboard and student desk, accompanied by an enormous stockpile of vintage office materials. With an older sister studying etymology in college, she also learned to love bugs — more about that is coming!
Emilie attended Towson University in Maryland and studied visual communications and photography, interning at an art gallery and learning a great deal about fine art. One of her first jobs was with the Rosen Group, where she worked in Buyer Services.
At that time, the Rosen Group produced the largest handmade wholesale show in the country — featuring hundreds of artists showing their craft. What a wonderful place to learn about marketing, displaying, and selling artistic products to galleries, museums, and shops across the country!
Remember that childhood classroom Emilie had? She works part time today in her U.S. government contracting job — analyzing and educating contractors about military construction. This job fulfills a side of her that enjoys teaching and guiding.
However, still yearning to express her creative nature, Emilie decided to start her own craft business in 2021, making and selling jewelry. She named her business Cicada Design due to her fascination with that bug.
Emilie explained that a cicada is hatched in trees, falls to the ground, and then spends up to 17 years underground before emerging as a winged adult. It is a late bloomer just like her!
cicadadesignrevival.com
The jewelry Emilie makes is uncomplicated and lovely. Her affection for nature includes beautiful flowers, and she translated that to search for her material. She was quickly rewarded, finding historic floral patterns made by the Liberty of London.
Emilie pointed out that Sir Arthur Liberty, who began making his fabric around 1875, profoundly changed the culture of women’s clothing. He replaced corsets and bustles with beautifully draped fabric adorned with intricate floral designs.
Emilie immediately knew that the ditsy floral pattern was perfect for her jewelry and ordered all her materials and configured her designs in a matter of days. Cicada Design blooms with beautiful earrings and necklaces.
Each piece features a wood disc covered with the lovely Liberty of London floral fabrics. A gold bezel frames each piece.
The earrings are in varied sizes and shapes, including a sweet pair of heart earrings. The necklaces are hand-strung on silk thread with handmade knots and fabricated elements. Emilie has recently added pieces with beads and dainty chains. Visit cicadadesignrevival.com to see her jewelry.
Like many artists, Emilie began showing her work at regional art fairs. Over time, she was accepted into larger, well-known shows. With her early experience at the Rosen Group, she quickly became an expert at display, marketing, and visual communications.
She realized that selling wholesale could grow her business. So, she sells on Faire — a wholesale-only, online platform. In 2023, Emilie did her first, in-person wholesale show in Philadelphia.
The past two years, she showed her work at MADE Our Show, which is open solely to store buyers and occurs each February in Baltimore. Not only is her visualization of owning a creative company becoming a reality, but Emilie also added her expertise there by conducting an educational session about “Artist and Buyer Relationships.”
There are few people as many sided, interesting, and capable as Emilie. She juggles disparate jobs, interests, and capabilities with charm and ease. Her jewelry is as beautiful and unique as she is!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Diane Sulg is executive director of CRAFT and founder and co-chair of American Craft Week (ACW). She is a handmade advocate who provides valuable information in her one-day seminars titled “All About Wholesale” at wholesale shows throughout the United States. Diane is the former owner of Maddi’s Gallery, in Charlotte and Huntersville, North Carolina.