We love highlighting Omazing female entrepreneurs. So imagine our excitement when we had the opportunity to collaborate with an O so talented designer and business woman based in our home town, Dallas. We met Jenny Smiley of HONEY + HANK Design House with our friends at Oprah - Jenny's designs and our Big O Key Rings and Card Cases have both been one of Oprah's Favorite Things and the editors at Oprah were so kind to highlight both companies at a recent Atlanta market. To blend Jenny's two best selling prints with our silicone Big O Key Rings and card cases seemed like a best seller in the making. Look closely at HONEY + HANK's hydrangea and peony prints and you'll see that within each flower, you can find the shape of all 50 states! Available in Big O Key Rings, Mini Silicone Pouches and Large Silicone Pouches, this fun floral print is a timeless classic - with a twist guaranteed to bring your handsfree accessories collection to a whole new level.
We sat down with Jenny Smiley, founder of the HONEY + HANK, to learn more about her design inspiration and how she balances it all as a female entrepreneur and mom of two.
OV: What inspired you to launch HONEY + HANK?
JS: I’ve always believed that the places and pastimes that shape us are worth celebrating. In every print, there are surprises that make people feel seen, special and celebrated. At first, you see a tasteful basketweave, stripe, or floral. Looking closer, you’ll see the shape of your favorite state, pastime or pet that makes up the pattern – that’s the “aha!” moment that makes people melt. All of this comes together to create what I like to call an “I know you” moment between the giver and the gifted.
OV: How did you create the 50 states print?JS: Many of the prints available now stem from one whirlwind night of inspiration when I decided to throw the map of the USA out the window and treat the states like any other shapes. After sketching each state, I let my imagination loose and began manipulating the shapes to create patterns like the 50 States Hydrangea.
All of my designs begin as hand-drawn sketches that are digitized and then brought to life as the colorful patterns you see in collaborations like the new Oventure x HONEY + HANK collection.
OV: Of all of the state shapes you've worked with, what is your favorite shape to incorporate into a design?JS: I'm a Texas girl born and raised, so it's no surprise that I've created a total of ten designs that give a wink to the Lone Star State! You’ll also see it as the center of the 50 States Pink Peony print.
OV: As a mom and entrepreneur, what is your number one tip for women who are doing it all?JS: My advice is to remember that you can’t do it all! Working moms are always making trade-offs. Sometimes it means ordering food so you have time to connect with your kids after a long day of work and other times it means postponing an important meeting in order to give some TLC to a sick kiddo.
My decision to transition HONEY + HANK to a design house that works with brands like Oventure is primarily to gain back margin in my life as a wife and mother to my two small children. Designing is what I love, and partnering with the Oventure team has been a dream come true.
Shop the limited edition HONEY + HANK Collection today at Oventure.com! We hope you love Jenny's designs and philosophy behind her work as much as we do.
