Blog

Dec 29
Sketching the pattern

Tackling the quick pattern sketch across both sides of the heart was a simple, but impactful undertaking today. The hardest part of the process so far has been setting up this projector. It was well worth the effort, though, to see the first glimpse at where this thing is heading – life-size! Once the projection was […]

Dec 27
Paint and tile prep in progress

Our family has stayed busy with (heart)work through the holidays! I’m taking advantage of some incredible time out of the office to really soak up this process with our kids. Our 4-year-old son and 2.5-year-old daughter have loved every minute of having the heart on our farm. Mornings are packed with “let’s go check on […]

Dec 20
Why aren’t women business owners getting the support they need?

Wendy Doyle, President and CEO of United WE, drops some incredible stats an insight in this commentary on women-owned businesses and the lack of support for them in the Heartland. “We learned women lack fruitful relationships with banking institutions – indicating that relationships are most commonly transactional in nature. From our town hall research, 66% […]

Dec 18
Local business owners leave their marks on the heart

As I started to dive into the art part of this process, it was important to me to have the words and inspiration of local female business owners incorporated into the heart. The first opportunity to do this was to fill the blank white space. I started by teasing the opportunity on social media. Then, […]

Dec 10
Prepping the color palette for the heart

The ‘Takes Heart’ color palette includes 22 different colors and varied shades to create the effect we’re aiming for. It’s intense. Today, I got to work on the color component of the artwork by picking paint swatches that coordinate with the initial design. Here’s where we’ve landed: View this post on Instagram A post shared […]

Dec 08
Meet Laura, the ‘Takes Heart’ artist

Work on the heart is…progressing. Nothing ever seems to go fast enough at this stage, but we’ve been doing lots of experimenting with materials, planning the execution, and gathering all of the supplies. While we anxiously await the first look at fresh art in progress – let me (re)introduce myself. View this post on Instagram A […]

Nov 30
A logo for ‘Takes Heart’

The ‘Takes Heart’ artwork is visually complex, but the end product needs to include quite a bit of digital work too. I decided to whip up a quick logo that could represent the heart online (and probably on some stickers too!). Say “hello” to this gorgeous gal! View this post on Instagram A post shared […]

Nov 21
Our heart design kicks off

Today, we were honored to snag one of the first blank Parade of Hearts hearts to leave the warehouse. I have my work cut out for me now that we’re assessing the realities of building the design I dreamed up months ago. I’m not quite ready to show it off yet – but let’s just say […]

Oct 21
8 Must-See Places in Kansas City and the Innovative Women Behind Them

An awesome spotlight on some of the women-owned business magic happening in Kansas City right now…

Oct 19
‘Takes Heart’ selected for 2024 Parade of Hearts

Takes Heart – a design inspired by women-owned businesses across Kansas City – was chosen for the 2024 Parade of Hearts this week. The heart’s artist, Laura Crossley, submitted 1 of 468 entries that were considered for the honor. Her design? “It’s an interactive heart with a lot of Easter eggs,” said Laura. “Everything about it has […]