Hey everyone, I’m excited to bring you today’s post which is a spotlight on Elle F Designs, a totally adorable Etsy Shop specializing in quirky and whimsical custom cake toppers. Leslie is the master mind behind these fabulous creations and I’ve asked her to share a little bit about how she got into this art form.
“Art Director by day…crafter by night!
From the earliest days I can remember, I have had a love for crafts! Even as a child, I was drawn to creating and decorating items created from things found in everyday life — scraps of fabric, interesting paper, string, buttons, trim, containers of various sort and such. This love for creating things transformed itself in an art school education and later employment as a textile designer for kidswear.
My work, even in school, has always had a whimsical quality —- more fun and carefree. I have found I enjoy creating things that are fanciful and warm from a variety of items that are cleverly composed to interest the eye.
Over the years, I continued to work as a commercial artist by day. In my spare time, I created prints, collages and decoupaged items. I gave away many of these items as gifts for family and friends. Over time, I was approached to create handmade items for the life events of those around me — baby gifts, wedding presents and items for special birthdays and anniversaries. To provide the supplies I needed for these projects, I scoured antique sales, flea markets and online shopping to find interesting textiles, trim and ephemera I could use for my various projects and to display around my home.
I first created a cake topper as a birthday gift for a friend. Later, I made one as a wedding present. The gifts were so well-received that it inspired me to consider making toppers for sale and on commission. From there, the work has evolved into creating more and different types of toppers from the various trims, textiles and paper items I have collected over the years. Each topper is a completely unique creation based on the materials I have at hand, those I collect at the time of the project, the color palette specified and the various needs of my clientele. Many of the items on the toppers are antique or vintage materials. I use archival quality glues and paints whenever possible to insure the topper stays fresh and bright over time. Many of my clients display their toppers under a glass covering such as a bell jar. This helps to further preserve the toppers and showcases their craftsmanship and charm. Some of the toppers rest on decorated boxes suitable for storing small keepsakes from weddings and other life events. However, above all, the toppers are meant to be a creative reminder of special times that provides a spark of whimsy to those who own them!”
How totally cute are these?! They almost seem a little bit Tim Burton-esque with their long, lanky bodies. Now we all know that the wedding industry is trendy and over the past 10 years or so I’ve seen a departure from cake toppers of old as wedding cakes themselves have become more decorative and elaborate. But I predict that the cake topper is coming back in a big way, but this time around couples have access to shops like this where they can have something really custom-made to suit their personality as a couple or perhaps to even use some personal elements in their cake topper which will be a keepsake…like your grandmother’s hanky or a swatch of mom’s wedding dress that was too outdated to actually wear?
Definitely go check out the shop and find out what Leslie can do for your wedding…
