To make her plush toys as environmentally sustainable as possible, Jessica contacted Bears for Humanity, and lovely cooperation resulted. We got down with Jessica to talk about how Curious Little Market came to be, what she hopes to teach her sons and other curious kids, and what it was like to work with Bears for Humanity.
Cute Animals for Inquisitive Kids
Jessica tells her tales about the strange creatures that live in nature at The Curious Little Market. In nature, I can always find calm, consolation, and stability," said Jessica.
Her frequent forays into the forest with her kids serve as the seed for new tales and characters, which she initially enjoys with her sons before sharing with the rest of the world through Curious Little Market. Her magical animals, like the ethereal EverWilde, inspire children and adults to venture forth and explore with loving hearts and open minds.
Jessica is devoted to sharing and protecting the beauty of the world's natural regions. Curious Little Market plants a tree every time one of her books or plush toys is bought. Since collaborating with Bears for Humanity, Curious Little Market critters are produced using soft organic cotton that is 100% cotton, as opposed to polyester.
The Artist Discovers Her Medium
Jessica was nurtured by two artists who instilled in her the calming art of using her hands to make things. She experimented with materials like clay, dough, fabrics, and other things under their direction. Jessica admitted that when she was younger, she occasionally found social interaction challenging. She chose to immerse herself in the field of artistic production since it allowed her to express herself visually rather than verbally.
Young adult Jessica continued honing her sculptural techniques and experimented with cake decorating. Even while the hobbies gave her mental peace and a place to reconnect with herself, she still felt as though something was lacking. Cake making was enjoyable, but the finished product lacked "huggability" and was transient. Although sculpture produced a long-lasting work of art, she claimed that something about it was still too "cold."
Jessica finally found the components she was looking for to finish her creative process one day at a sewing class. Jessica achieved the required softness with materials and textiles, and the finished item would be comfortable for a long time. Jessica's first boy was born in 2016, and she immediately started using her inventive sewing talents to produce items he could relate to.
Collaboration between BFH and A Curious Little Market
Through her Instagram profile, Jessica's cute animals and the tales behind them gained fame. Jessica made all of her plushies in small quantities, using hand sewing and cutting. After having her second child, Jessica suffered from a diagnosis that made it challenging for her to carry on with the intricate craftsmanship. She also discovered that she needed a technique for keeping up with the escalating demand. Jessica started collaborating with a producer to generate more oversized orders of her animals. This worked for a while, but Jessica started to wonder if her produced stuffed creatures were harming the environment.
In actuality, many of these things are made in methods that injure our planet's inhabitants and destroy them. There are frequently few environmental or ethical regulations required of polyester producers in nations like China. Although it has been established that polyester goods are dangerous to the workers who make them and the consumers, they are still in use.
Jessica started to doubt if carrying on with the plushies was the correct course of action. She didn't want her line to unintentionally hurt the environment because it was intended to promote amazement and the preservation of nature. She happened to discover Bears for Humanity's bespoke production around this period. She was thrilled to discover a reliable manufacturer of 100% certified organic cotton products that adhered to the same principles. BfH creator Vijay said, "This is a method for you to keep doing what you enjoy while keeping your soul intact."
BfH assisted Jessica in selecting the ideal organic cotton textiles to reflect her distinctive animals. The stuffed animals from Curious Little Market are designed to be snuggled, taken on journeys, and used as a guide for kids exploring their environment. Now Jessica can relax knowing that even the most sensitive youngster may enjoy her organic stuffed animals, and there won't be any long-term environmental effects due to their creation.
In a way, Jessica said, "I feel that Vijay and Bears for Humanity saved Curious Little Market and also myself, because if I had lost (Curious Little Market)... I would have been shattered.
Curious Little Market's Sustainable Future
Since Jessica's cherished plush toys are now created from only organic cotton, she is developing new narratives and characters. She will publish her third book this year, and we can't wait to see which new characters will be added to her charming collection of plushies. Jessica and Curious Little Market are working hard to teach kids about the natural world and protect it for future generations.
How do you tell if the plush toy your toddler is holding is secure? What to stay away from is listed below.
1) Fewer rules were in place when toys were created in the past that are now (safety standards for chemical use are more restrictive now). They are probably filled with toxic metals (antimony has been discovered in the eye beads of older plush animals), or they might even contain prohibited flame retardants that are no longer permitted owing to their ties to cancer.
2) Eco-friendly statements might be deceptive. Animals that have been "bio-stuffed" or manufactured from maize are frequently not organic and may include pesticide traces.
Organic cotton stuffed animals that are filled with synthetic polyester stuffing are common. Consequently, the plastic and microplastic fibers inside your child's organic stuffed animal are inhaled by them.
3) China-made toys raise questions about quality control. Heavy metals like lead and hazardous flame-retardant chemicals may be present in them.
4) During the production process, synthetic fibers are frequently treated. The dangerous substances touch your child's skin and swiftly penetrate the bloodstream. Cancer and hormone imbalance are directly linked to synthetic fibers.
Additionally, synthetic fibers shed tiny pieces of plastic that contaminate the world by settling in our dust, our streams, and our lungs.