What sets your business apart?
We are artisans and makers, and the heart and soul of my business is our workroom where we design and create beautiful things.
The studio is filled with natural light, a treasury of materials, and a range of tools – from old-fashioned scissors and paper cutters to high-tech embroidery machines and laptops. We bring our creativity, ideas, and heart to each project and everything we produce is made with the utmost attention to detail and quality.
Our workmanship is unsurpassed and we have won many industry awards over the years, but what matters most to me are the many happy clients who say working with us was the best part of their wedding planning experience.
We love collaborating with our couples to help them mark the moment and tell their story. The process and the personalized experience we provide to them is as important as the finished piece of art their guests receive in the mail.
What kinds of materials and processes do you work with?
Tactile papers imported from around the world are just a part of our rich and textured repertoire that includes metal, wood, acrylic, leather, suede, and fabrics of all kinds.
We do hand beading, embroidery and sewing, and have a depth of knowledge and experience in all printing processes, from letterpress and engraving to foil stamping, die cutting, laser cutting and embossing. Our complex handwork and design techniques include making pop-up books, handmade boxes, and invitations with lights, sound, and even video.
Can you tell us about your clients?
Our clients are the inspiration behind all we create. From couples looking for one-of-a-kind wedding invitations that express their individuality, to people hosting milestone social events like birthdays, anniversaries and mitzvahs, we find great joy in setting the tone for their celebrations. I’m very proud of our many repeat clients including some of the world’s most prominent families, celebrities, cultural institutions, corporations, and event professionals who turn to us for their most important events.
How does your company give back and make a difference?
Being someone who makes art for a living means there are often leftover materials to contend with in the studio. Recycling is a start, but there are also beautiful fabrics and other items that I’ve been sharing with schools and art programs in the community since the early days of my business.
Over time we formalized the donation program, gave it a fancy title, Scraps to Art, and have been quietly and steadily donating materials to schools, museums, art therapists, and other organizations large and small. We take care of the sorting and shipping, and all we ask is to see photos of the art that is made from our Hannah Handmade scraps.
It makes my team feel good to know we’re making a difference in the community, and our clients love seeing photos and hearing stories about the recipients of the materials related to their projects. We're told that Hannah Handmade is the ultimate scrap bin!
What is the most gratifying part of being a maker?
I love thinking about the many hands that touch our work from start to finish. It's a thread that begins with meeting couples for the first time and flows from working closely with them to design something personal for their love story, through the hands of our artisans in the workroom and out into the world as finished invitations that find their way into the hands of the invited guests. The finishing touch is being able to share what’s left as scraps to be used in inspiring ways by others – the whole process is a full circle experience that I find very fulfilling and am proud of.
Andrea Liss
Hannah Handmade | HH Design
Studio: 847-864-8292
Web: hhdesign.com
Email: [email protected]
Instagram: @hannahhandmade
Photography by:
