“It’s so easy to do too much, but I have to be selective with the glitter. Just a highlight,” explains Susan Medart, owner of Knollwood Lane. And just like that, with a gentle stroke of glue and sprinkle of fine indigo glitter, a delicate shimmer is added to the manger scene on one of her vintage-inspired Christmas cards.
In an era of mass-produced holiday cards, where personalization means a preprinted family photo and a hasty signature, Knollwood Lane’s handmade Christmas cards are a breath of fresh air. Medart finds images on old wrapping paper, antique greeting cards and flea-market treasures. She transfers the pictures to high-quality notepaper, and then brightens them with a smidge of sparkle. Each glitter-adorned card is sold individually. “We have people who collect them and buy them by the dozens. Our customers just love that they’re unique – you can’t find them in a big box store,” says Angie Mathey, owner of The White Rabbit boutique, where the cards are sold exclusively.
Medart works with two other women, designer Julie Frizzell and photographer Crystal Lindsey, to create and sell the one-of-a-kind décor, accessories and children’s apparel for which Knollwood Lane is known. The items are always vintage-inspired and handmade, but vary according to the treasures that the women discover. Pieces of wood become banners, monogrammed table chargers and wedding guest books. Brass doodads make their way onto felted wool purses. Old dog tags are reborn as bracelets. “We’ll see something and think, that’s so cool. We create around the special things that we find,” Frizzell explains.
The women work closely together, bonding over their love of country music and peanut M&Ms. They’re also united by their deep Christian faith. “We believe that God put us together. It’s what leads us, and why we make sure our [creations] are good,” Medart says. In fact, Medart credits faith for the next chapter in Knollwood Lane’s story. “Every time we pray about our business, we get a wholesale order. And that’s what has led our business to [selling] wholesale,” she says.
Knollwood Lane has shipped as far away as Brazil and Australia. But if you’re in the St. Louis area, you can buy their Christmas cards ($3.75 each) exclusively at The White Rabbit. To see more of Knollwood Lane’s handcrafted items, visit her Etsy shop or Facebook page.
