{"id":10822,"date":"2018-07-25T14:13:50","date_gmt":"2018-07-25T14:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wpblog.accentdecor.com\/?p=10822"},"modified":"2018-08-27T15:41:25","modified_gmt":"2018-08-27T15:41:25","slug":"10822","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/10822\/","title":{"rendered":"The Artist Behind Eric &#038; Eloise"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"width: 750px; text-align: justify;\">Accent Decor\u2019s beloved artist, <a href=\"http:\/\/jessicahiemstra.ca\/\">Jessica Hiemstra<\/a>, worked with us to bring the joy of the holidays to life through an exclusive line of products based on her storybook, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/eric-and-eloise\/\">Eric and Eloise<\/a>, the tale of an unlikely friendship between a fox and a hare.<\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10823 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_2560.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1000\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_2560.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_2560-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_2560-740x987.jpg 740w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/1000;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10823\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_2560.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_2560.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_2560-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/IMG_2560-740x987.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/noscript><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>We asked Jessica a few questions about the creation of Eric and Eloise, and here\u2019s what she had to say.<\/p>\n<p><em>Can you tell us a little bit about creating Eric and Eloise?<\/em><br \/>\nWhen I make things, what I\u2019m trying to do is make a kinder, more habitable world. To me, that\u2019s who Eric and Eloise and their friends are \u2013 this gaggle of totally different animals that can sit down at a table together and be different and be friends. I think, in our world, we sure need that. We need to be able to sit down at a table together with people who are different from us and laugh, listen, be kind and play. I hope the world of Eric and Eloise encourages us to imagine together, laugh together, respect each other, and honor friendship and all our differences.<\/p>\n<p>In all my work for Accent Decor I try to imagine the world I think we all want to live in, and I see my job as doing my small part in imagining it and bringing it to life for us. When I make things for Accent Decor (from showrooms to product development) I begin with wonder and love &#8211; and I try to end with wonder and love too! In between, of course, there are logistical details and sometimes some hair pulling. Sometimes even a LOT of hair pulling \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10825 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"751\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01.png 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01-740x741.png 740w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/751;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10825\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"751\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01.png 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Photo-2018-07-25-14-10-01-740x741.png 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>Share how you go about coming up with ideas for products?<br \/>\n<\/em>First, I brainstorm. I just let whatever pops into my head land on the page. Then I present rough concepts to our design team. They start to cull. I ask them what they like, what stands out. Sarah (our creative director) is amazing at seeing diamonds in the rough \u2013 edging me in one direction or another, articulating what she likes, being both creative and pragmatic. It\u2019s wonderful to work with someone who gives me creative liberty and direction at the same time.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10826 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2082.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"375\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2082.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2082-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2082-740x370.jpg 740w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/375;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10826\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2082.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2082.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2082-300x150.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2082-740x370.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/noscript><br \/>\n<em>Where did the idea for Eric &amp; Eloise come from?<br \/>\n<\/em>I grew up in the forest with foxes and hares and snow in winter. You know that moon in the book, and those stars flung across the sky? That\u2019s the view from my little bedroom window as a wonder-filled kid. I\u2019m also a cross country skier. I brought my childhood winters to life through drawings and then Accent Decor brought that little story to life for our customers. And now our customers can bring it to life for their customers!<\/p>\n<p><em>Did the concept of characters come first or the story? (The chicken or the egg?)<br \/>\n<\/em>Eric and Eloise as characters arrived fully formed! I started with the forest of my childhood and then thought about who lived there &#8211; and I made a story for them\u2026 a totally impossible story \u2013 because, uh, we know what would happen in the real world with a fox and a hare \ud83d\ude42 Another little secret is that, if you look at the dedication in the book you\u2019ll see it says \u201cfor Sarah, of course.\u201d Sarah is the Eloise to my Eric. I\u2019m the awkward Eric. Sarah is the graceful Eloise. It really is all about friendship, isn\u2019t it? Yes! Everything I make for Accent D\u00e9cor is improved through friendships \u2013 friendships with our factories and friendships with each other. Friendship, in all its forms, makes life sweet and our designs strong. I like thinking of what we do at Accent Decor as acts of friendship. In my mind that\u2019s what it is to be a responsible company \u2013 we don\u2019t use each other, instead, trade is a kind of friendly collaboration. When it&#8217;s good, it\u2019s good for everyone!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10829 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2276.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1000\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2276.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2276-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2276-740x987.jpg 740w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/1000;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10829\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2276.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2276.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2276-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2276-740x987.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p><em>Can you share a bit more about collaboration?<\/em><br \/>\nI love thinking about all the hands that touch what we make along the way. It\u2019s my hope that in some way Eric &amp; Eloise bring each person who touches them delight. They aren\u2019t mine &#8211; they belong to each person who is part of making them come to life \u2013 from our customers who sell them to our customers\u2019 customers, to the craftspeople in Nepal and China and India who make them.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10830 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2081.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"501\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2081.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2081-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2081-740x494.jpg 740w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/501;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10830\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2081.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"501\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2081.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2081-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2081-740x494.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/noscript><br \/>\n<em>So, there\u2019s more to the story than just Eric &amp; Eloise. Can you tell us a bit more about the \u201cframily\u201d<br \/>\n<\/em>Well! There are eight other characters, as you know, who join Eric and Eloise at their dinner parties. They are a fun, motley crew, including a porcupine from Zambia, a divorced puffin, a pretentious photographer mouse and a Marten (who everyone thinks is a cat!) If our customers love our crew, we\u2019ll keep putting love and energy into new designs.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10831 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/92451-00_2_blog.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/92451-00_2_blog.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/92451-00_2_blog-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/92451-00_2_blog-740x493.jpg 740w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/500;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10831\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/92451-00_2_blog.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/92451-00_2_blog.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/92451-00_2_blog-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/92451-00_2_blog-740x493.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/noscript><br \/>\n<em>Well, that begs the question: will there be another book \/ story?<br \/>\n<\/em>I\u2019ve already written the next story! It\u2019s pretty fun! We\u2019re waiting to see how much our customers like the &#8220;framily&#8221;, and if they love them, we\u2019ve got a fun sequel to be printed in Nepal! I would be ecstatic to be able to bring this sequel to life for us \ud83d\ude42 So stay tuned!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10832 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2376.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1001\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2376.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2376-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2376-740x988.jpg 740w\" data-sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 750px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 750\/1001;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-10832\" src=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2376.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1001\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2376.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2376-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/IMG_2376-740x988.jpg 740w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/noscript><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Accent Decor\u2019s beloved artist, Jessica Hiemstra, worked with us to bring the joy of the holidays to life through an exclusive line of products based on her storybook, Eric and Eloise, the tale of an unlikely friendship between a fox and a hare. &nbsp; We asked Jessica a few questions about the creation of Eric [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10823,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685],"tags":[622,400,724,404,426,508],"class_list":["post-10822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trends","tag-eric-and-eloise","tag-holiday","tag-holiday-collection","tag-holiday-decor","tag-holidays","tag-jessica-hiemstra"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10822"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10855,"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10822\/revisions\/10855"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.accentdecor.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}