OUR STORY
2021 -
To our dear and loyal customers, It is with great sadness that we tell you that Elaine Pease passed away on July 29, 2021. She was the heart and soul of Huggable Heartwarmers and was so proud of this product. Huggable Heartwarmers became her new full-time job (after retirement). as she spent most days sewing all the critters for the shows, and loved it when we all got together to make them. She loved attending the Christmas shows and talking to all of the customers and vendors. We will miss her terribly. |
Huggable Heartwarmers were developed in 2013 after a collaboration from 3 creative women who decided to do something a little different.
The creative group at Huggable Heartwarmers are Tracy, Gwen and Elaine. Gwen and Tracy have been creating commercially since 2006 and have been seen in various craft shows, art sales, fairs and expos in and around Calgary. This group of three all have a creative eye and flair for design. They are an Artist, Graphic Designer, Jewellery Designer, Cake Decorator & Floral Designer.
The creative group at Huggable Heartwarmers are Tracy, Gwen and Elaine. Gwen and Tracy have been creating commercially since 2006 and have been seen in various craft shows, art sales, fairs and expos in and around Calgary. This group of three all have a creative eye and flair for design. They are an Artist, Graphic Designer, Jewellery Designer, Cake Decorator & Floral Designer.
The concept of Heartwarmers were born from a desire to create something new and do something different with a little inspiration after a family dinner.
Tracy , Gwen and Elaine were talking about their ideas over a cup of coffee. Gwen’s youngest boy, Jack complained he had a tummy ache. Elaine took a wheat bag out of the drawer and placed it in the microwave, then placed it on Jack’s tummy. We all looked at each other, and the ideas started to pour out.
Wheat bags for kids. Cute designs. Fleece for warmth but not too hot for kids. A removable outer layer for ease of washing and so on…We were so excited! The design ideas were flowing…the research was being done and the first one made. Jack’s brother Jacob had the idea of giving the animals a heart and that is where we got our name “Huggable Heartwarmers”
After 6 years of designing, making and selling handcrafted jewellry together, they had found a new endeavor and a new passion.
They started with 10 designs and booked 7 craft sales, Gwen, Tracy and Elaine got together at each others homes and worked for hours designing and creating each bag. An assortment of characters totaling 140.
The ladies sold 45 at the first craft sale which was a great, but they would have to make more, fast. After more than a few late nights, they came up with more designs and after 7 sales we sold all of them plus took on numerous special orders. WOW!
On our third year and we had over 70 designs for you to choose from, plus a few other new ideas, including the Snuggable Ped Pads for dogs and cats. We plan on showing our product at a few craft shows this year including the big one at the Telus Convention Center in November.
Production started right after Christmas in January 2015. We made over 1300 Huggable Heartwarmers plus 100 dog beds, with about 25 new designs added. We were at 4 different sales in 2015 including the big craft sales at both the Telus Convention Center and the BMO Festival of Crafts.
2016 started off with a bang...and we started production right after Christmas. We will be retiring a few designs this year, along with adding some new ideas to the table. We were lucky enough to get a few customers via email and by phone who have been ordering throughout the year which has been nice.
2017 started out fantastic as we continued to sell our product after the Christmas shows from email and phone orders. We worked hard all year to make product for the shows and it continued to be fantastic throughout the holiday season. We have had a lot of new and repeat customers.
Well, when did it become 2018? It is crazy to think that we have been making Huggable Heartwarmers since 2014. We started designing, cutting and sewing immediately following the 2017 shows, as we decided to try to make it into the big Spruce Meadows Christmas Market this year...and we got in! So now we are in 5 big shows which means a lot of product to make. So wish us luck and chat soon!
It is 2019 and we began sewing our hearts out in January as we have already booked 5 large shows. We are in The Festival Of Crafts, The Art Market and doing 3 WEEKENDS at Spruce Meadows at the Christmas Market so far. We may add another show depending on how many critters we get made. Last year we were contacted by The Lougheed House in Calgary and we decided to showcase some of our product in their store which has worked out well.
2020. The popularity of our product has not changed even though the way we are selling our product in 2020 has. In September we found out that all of the shows were cancelled because of Covid 19. We were going to give it all a miss this year until people started contacting us for Christmas orders. If you are interested in buying a Huggable Heartwarmer this year, please email us at [email protected].
2021. We were so happy when we found out that the Christmas shows were a go this year, and mum (Elaine) started sewing right away. In April 2021, mum (Elaine) was unwell and was sent to Foothills Hospital, where she sadly spent her last days - until she passed away on July 29, 2021. Elaine was the heart and soul of Huggable Heartwarmers, and it became her new full-time job (after retirement). as she spent most days sewing all the critters for the shows, and loved it when we all got together to make them. She loved attending the Christmas shows and talking to all of the customers and vendors. We will miss her terribly. With that being said, we have finished all the designs for this year and it will probably be our last year doing the shows.
2022 shows are coming up quick. Gwen & I are continuing on with making and selling our cute wheat warming bags as demand is high. We are not in the Telus Art market in 2022, but still have a few shows around the city starting October 21 and going through to December 11. If you are interested in buying a Huggable Heartwarmer, please email us at [email protected].
It is already 2023 and we have a few shows coming up in Calgary. We are at 5 different Christmas Craft shows in Calgary that start October 20 and run through Dec 10. If you can not attend any of these shows, please contact us for information on picking up items in time for Christmas. Thanks for all of your support over the years.
Tracy , Gwen and Elaine were talking about their ideas over a cup of coffee. Gwen’s youngest boy, Jack complained he had a tummy ache. Elaine took a wheat bag out of the drawer and placed it in the microwave, then placed it on Jack’s tummy. We all looked at each other, and the ideas started to pour out.
Wheat bags for kids. Cute designs. Fleece for warmth but not too hot for kids. A removable outer layer for ease of washing and so on…We were so excited! The design ideas were flowing…the research was being done and the first one made. Jack’s brother Jacob had the idea of giving the animals a heart and that is where we got our name “Huggable Heartwarmers”
After 6 years of designing, making and selling handcrafted jewellry together, they had found a new endeavor and a new passion.
They started with 10 designs and booked 7 craft sales, Gwen, Tracy and Elaine got together at each others homes and worked for hours designing and creating each bag. An assortment of characters totaling 140.
The ladies sold 45 at the first craft sale which was a great, but they would have to make more, fast. After more than a few late nights, they came up with more designs and after 7 sales we sold all of them plus took on numerous special orders. WOW!
On our third year and we had over 70 designs for you to choose from, plus a few other new ideas, including the Snuggable Ped Pads for dogs and cats. We plan on showing our product at a few craft shows this year including the big one at the Telus Convention Center in November.
Production started right after Christmas in January 2015. We made over 1300 Huggable Heartwarmers plus 100 dog beds, with about 25 new designs added. We were at 4 different sales in 2015 including the big craft sales at both the Telus Convention Center and the BMO Festival of Crafts.
2016 started off with a bang...and we started production right after Christmas. We will be retiring a few designs this year, along with adding some new ideas to the table. We were lucky enough to get a few customers via email and by phone who have been ordering throughout the year which has been nice.
2017 started out fantastic as we continued to sell our product after the Christmas shows from email and phone orders. We worked hard all year to make product for the shows and it continued to be fantastic throughout the holiday season. We have had a lot of new and repeat customers.
Well, when did it become 2018? It is crazy to think that we have been making Huggable Heartwarmers since 2014. We started designing, cutting and sewing immediately following the 2017 shows, as we decided to try to make it into the big Spruce Meadows Christmas Market this year...and we got in! So now we are in 5 big shows which means a lot of product to make. So wish us luck and chat soon!
It is 2019 and we began sewing our hearts out in January as we have already booked 5 large shows. We are in The Festival Of Crafts, The Art Market and doing 3 WEEKENDS at Spruce Meadows at the Christmas Market so far. We may add another show depending on how many critters we get made. Last year we were contacted by The Lougheed House in Calgary and we decided to showcase some of our product in their store which has worked out well.
2020. The popularity of our product has not changed even though the way we are selling our product in 2020 has. In September we found out that all of the shows were cancelled because of Covid 19. We were going to give it all a miss this year until people started contacting us for Christmas orders. If you are interested in buying a Huggable Heartwarmer this year, please email us at [email protected].
2021. We were so happy when we found out that the Christmas shows were a go this year, and mum (Elaine) started sewing right away. In April 2021, mum (Elaine) was unwell and was sent to Foothills Hospital, where she sadly spent her last days - until she passed away on July 29, 2021. Elaine was the heart and soul of Huggable Heartwarmers, and it became her new full-time job (after retirement). as she spent most days sewing all the critters for the shows, and loved it when we all got together to make them. She loved attending the Christmas shows and talking to all of the customers and vendors. We will miss her terribly. With that being said, we have finished all the designs for this year and it will probably be our last year doing the shows.
2022 shows are coming up quick. Gwen & I are continuing on with making and selling our cute wheat warming bags as demand is high. We are not in the Telus Art market in 2022, but still have a few shows around the city starting October 21 and going through to December 11. If you are interested in buying a Huggable Heartwarmer, please email us at [email protected].
It is already 2023 and we have a few shows coming up in Calgary. We are at 5 different Christmas Craft shows in Calgary that start October 20 and run through Dec 10. If you can not attend any of these shows, please contact us for information on picking up items in time for Christmas. Thanks for all of your support over the years.