Rachel Eden makes me laugh. Her responses to my queries are playful, just like the sweet plushes she creates for her shop Winks + Wildflower. Winks + Wildflower, opened in February 2018, specializes in the design of children’s lovies and stuffed animals, like llamas, owls, otters, moose, ponies, lions, cats, dogs and more. Eden draws inspiration from animals she loved as a child and she hand sews each of their little faces. The shop name is a reference to Eden’s daughter Charlotte, her “wildflower” and “official snuggle tester,” and her “lovie-stealing cat named Winksie.”
Winks + Wildflower plushes come in several sizes, including large and small snuggles, “love buds,” which are stuffed small snuggles, and “dew drops,” a smaller version of the “love bud.” Eden’s humor shines in both the names and product descriptions of the Winks + Wildflower plushes. For example, the Winks + Wildflower raccoon is named “Trash Panda” (“We wanted this to be as authentic as possible, so they have been marinated in our own trash cans all week”), and Eden’s long-tailed fox is “Faux Paw” (“How Embarrassing…”). Her recent cat unicorn design, aptly named “Meowgikal Kittycorn,” is described as “riding through rainbows sprinkling happiness and dreams clouds onto children.”
The Winks + Wildflower plushes come in soft, ultra-lux materials in every color under the rainbow, including a rainbow tie-dye print. You can even have your plush personalized with your kiddo’s name. “I love the design aspect, but I also really love the community aspect,” Eden shared. “I feel like we have created this little family and it is so fun to turn their ideas into a lovie or dew.”
Eden is currently working on a “mer-cat” (“a/k/a mermaid kitty”) for an upcoming shop release. I inquired which plush design was her favorite, but Eden responded, “I feel like you can’t ask me that. It’s like asking which of your kids is your favorite.” If you want a Winks + Wildflower Kittycorn, Trash Panda, or Mer-Cat, you better have fast fingers. Winks + Wildflower’s last restock sold out in less than five minutes.
Speaking of cats, Eden has noticed plenty of them, as in the copycat variety, but she shrugs them off. “As with anything in the art world, there will always be someone who sees an idea and takes it. It used to really bother me, but at this point, the copycats will always be a step behind. They’ll always be looking for the next thing instead of enjoying the process of what it truly means to create and be authentic to yourself and your brand.”
Even though the future is bright for Winks + Wildflower, Eden has a solid back-up plan. “If I wasn’t designing, I would be a unicorn. If all else fails, be a unicorn.” I agree, Rachel Eden.
Don’t miss out on the next llama-filled Winks + Wildflower release on February 2nd. More upcoming drop dates are announced in the Winks + Wildflower VIP Facebook group and on Eden’s website located here.
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