We Asked, They Answered!

An exclusive interview with Kelly Shatat and Kristen Ley, the fabulous ladies behind Moon and Lola ❤ Thimblepress.

Curious to take a peek inside the creative minds of the duo behind our newest collection, ML xx TP? Read our exclusive interview with Kelly Shatat (a.k.a. Lola), and Kristen Ley (a.k.a. the leading lady over at Thimblepress) below!

Q: Whose idea was it to create this beautiful collaboration?

Kelly: Kristen and I became friends a while back. I’ve always admired her artistic talent and she also loved Moon and Lola, so we were waiting for the right moment to bring it all together and create something special.

Kristen: It was a magical, kismet moment of my friendship with Kelly. I have always loved Kelly’s genuine and authentic nature and the way she operates and inspires others through her business. I wanted to bring the spirit and creativity of both businesses together to create something we both loved!

Q: For Kristin, what about Moon and Lola makes it the perfect brand to collaborate with? For Kelly, what about Thimblepress makes it the perfect brand to collaborate with?

Kelly: Thimblepress is widely known and has 275,000 Instagram followers. They recently did a collaboration with Target which is huge. They have an amazing reputation, even among celebs. Lady Gaga posted a Thimblepress umbrella on Instagram while at Coachella.

Kristen: I feel like Moon and Lola is the jewelry based, colorful sister to Thimblepress. Moon and Lola has a lot of the same values as Thimblepress and seeks to inspire others through what they do and how they do it. Moon and Lola also loves color and confetti, which are two of the main forces in Thimblepress. Moon and Lola has always been so supportive and encouraging of our brand. They carry our products in their stores and truly try to encourage artists and makers to take their craft to a larger audience. You really can’t ask for a better company to partner with.

Q: When designing the products for this collab, what gave you inspiration?

Kelly: We were very much inspired by the fact that both of our brands embrace all things feminine/girly/happy/colorful. We took the confetti that Kristen uses in her infamous confetti pops and brought that to life in jewelry. We incorporated Kristen’s art, her geometric shapes and her handwritten letters into the collection. We even incorporated our beloved pets, Willow, Henry, and Mr. Monogram into the designs.

Kristen: Confetti. Confetti. Confetti. And the experience of our #thimbleconfetti. I get so much joy out of seeing our customers post images of them celebrating special memories with our Push-Pop Confetti® and I wondered how I could capture that same feeling and moment within other products. So I began to think about confetti, the movement of confetti and how confetti lands on you after it has fallen. When you pop a Push-Pop Confetti®, you usually end up dazzled with little bits of color and shine all over you. The Confetti Party Necklace is based on just that. It is an artistic take on confetti landing on you in the form of a super fun statement necklace. At Thimblepress and Moon and Lola we are all about positivity and inspiration, so the word necklaces, art prints, cards and wall acrylic decor are the perfect way to self-express and inspire. I love how the words are spelled out in the colorful acrylic! It’s the perfect way to wear exactly how you are feeling.

Q: What is your favorite trend right now?

Kelly: I’m really into the embroidered bandana trend right now! I’m super excited about the patterned bandanas we did with Kristen!

Kristen: Favorite trend? Hmm… I would like to say I keep up with trends in my head, but I don’t know if I know what is “trending” per say in the world. I love that the 90’s have seen a resurgence in the past few years from TV shows to fashion to photography and art. I loved me a slap bracelet when I was younger, so It’s been neat to see how companies have reinvented the slap bracelet.

Q: Tell us the name of your fur baby(s) and one thing you love about him/her.

Kelly: His name is Mr. Monogram, Gram for short (like grams of gold!) How can I pick just one? He is the best cuddler ever! I love how he goes from department to department at Moon and Lola, supervising all of our work. He just bounces around the studio in search of a cuddle and of course a treat!

Kristen: I have two pups, Willow and Henry, both doodles! They are my life for sure. I do everything with them, well, as much as I can. I love them so much. Willow, my sweet girl is the calm force of the two. She is a diva at heart and loves to model for Thimblepress. Seriously, I have created a dog-model monster. Ha! Henry is a ball of energy and loves to chase a toy down any hall, field of grass, tile, rocks, etc. I feel like they are part-human, but who doesn’t think that about their beloved fur-children?

Q: What inspired the super dreamy colors in this collaboration?

Kelly: The color inspiration really came from Kristen and her art, which I love!! One of my favorite things about colors is how they interact with each other and take on new life when combined. Kristen did a wonderful job capturing that in this collaboration.

Kristen: I love the way the colors I picked interact with one another. I feel like individually they are all strong, but they combine well together. Do you ever get that feeling like something “sings” when you look at it? I feel like once I picked these colors, the song that came out of them was the happiest and brightest song. They are colors that evoke joy in me, so I was hoping they would do the same in others.

Q: Fill in the blank. This collab would look great on ________.

Kelly: EVERYONE!

Kristen: Umm, everyone!!!!! Seriously though, I would love to see someone like Rihanna sporting the collection. DIE.

Q: What is your favorite design that you’ve ever created?

Kelly: I’ve always loved our Acrylic Monogram Necklace. It’s really what put us on the map. It brought so many people so much happiness.

Kristen: I really love our perpetual calendar design. I don’t know if it is a favorite as I always say the only favorite I have in life is a number, but it is a top one out there. I also love our gift wrap because it’s just cool and different.

Q: What does your current phone case look like?

Kelly: My current phone case is white marble, but I love to change it up based on my outfit!

Pssst… Shop our favorite phone cases here!

Kristen: You would think my phone case would be crazy colorful; my last one was. My last case was one of those floating-glitter and sparkles case from Amazon, but the case I have now is the Apple battery case. It is plain white, but it is an entire phone worth of extra battery. Honestly, I don’t know what I would do without it. It is amazing!

Q: What is your favorite quote to get you through a tough day?

Kelly: “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” -Kelly Shatat (lol)

Kristen: I tend to say aloud or in my head the following, “You are OK,” “God, I know you’ve got this. I need to trust you,” “What the heck is wrong with people,” and “One step at a time.”

Q: Lastly, what is one thing you want people to know about this collab?

Kelly: This is a true story of friendship. Kristen Ley is not only a gifted, brilliant artist but also one of the kindest and most genuine talents that I know. I not only want this collaboration to be successful for Moon and Lola but just as much for her because she is so deserving.

Kristen: It is truly a labor of love and friendship, and I hope people see the beautiful marriage of both brands in this. I am so proud of both the Moon & Lola & Thimblepress teams. I had the privilege of meeting a lot of the Moon & Lola team at the Atlanta market, and it was such a joy. I knew I always loved Kelly, the owner, but it was so awesome to see the joy & friendship in their team!