Meet Elise Flannigan, or as she prefers, elsiecake.

“I'm a 28-year-old designer who goes crazy for bubble tea, falafel and little puppies. I love painting and making pretty things, especially things I can wear! I keep journals and make huge messes.”

Such is the mantra behind Red Velvet, an “independent boutique full of magical handmade and vintage things” located in Springfield, Missouri.

Red Velvet is DIY culture on crack: there’s nothing this artist doesn’t create, from music, to home decor, Flannigan is the one-woman show behind Red Velvet.

Flannigan also manages her online store, “A Beautiful Mess,” which features handcrafted items, from accessories to stationary to baby clothing. That’s not all— she also offers a blogging e-courses, with tips, stories, and ideas for young bloggers compiled on a CD for online purchase.

Her website reads more like an open diary than a conventional business blog, complete with doodles, photographs, and hand-drawn hyperlinks. Flannigan’s innovative and artsy designs have been featured in The Knot, 417 Mag.com,  Modish.com, and Vintage Indie.

The artist has also penned two books and is the creator behind Love Elsie, a scrapbooking line distributed through Hobby Lobby.

Is there anything this twenty-eight-year-old doesn’t do?

Images via: redvelvettart.com

Amanda Cosco
		About the author:
		Amanda Cosco is a freelance writer. The city is her muse.  After completing a master’s degree in English Literature at Ryerson University in Toronto, Amanda packed up her life and moved to the city in pursuit of jazz, sex, and soup. Amanda completed her bachelor of arts at York University, where she had one foot in literary studies and one foot in journalism, earning her a double-major in English and professional writing. Amanda has presented her scholarly work at academic at conferences across Toronto, and her research on the metaphor of hunger in women’s fiction has received over $30,000 in grants and prizes. With her pen name, Lady Medusa, Amanda has left her digital footprints all over the internet. Currently, she’s blogging for several social media websites, and composing her first book of poetry, entitled "Autobiography of Skin. Follow her on Twitter @ladymspeaks
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