Portfolio
The Forged Flare® Story
Building a brand from the ground up. Six years of designing, building, learning, and growing.
The Beginning
Forged Flare® began in 2020, in the middle of a pandemic, with an idea and a willingness to figure things out as we went. My husband, Chris, and I wanted to create something meaningful together, combining my background in design, technology, and e-commerce with our shared love of making things. What started as a creative experiment quickly grew into something much bigger — a brand, a business, and one of the greatest learning experiences of my career.
From the very beginning, I built with one question in mind: How can we continue to make this better?
Building Forged Flare® meant building far more than a collection of products. I had to create the brand, design the products, build the technology, learn the legal and operational side of running a business, find and connect with customers, and continually adapt as we grew. Here's a look behind the scenes at some of the many pieces that brought it all together.
Creating a Brand
Building an identity from the ground up.
From developing our visual identity and brand voice to forming an LLC and protecting our intellectual property, I learned what it takes to turn a creative idea into a recognizable, legally protected brand.
Logo • Voice • Business • LLC • Trademarks
Designing the Products
Turning ideas into something you can hold.
Every Forged Flare® ornament begins with an idea. I developed our products from initial concepts and original illustrations through materials, manufacturing, packaging, photography, and the final customer experience.
Illustration • Manufacturing • Materials • Packaging • Photography
Building the Store
Creating the digital home for the brand.
I built and continue to manage our Shopify store across the customer journey — from architecture and product discovery to UX, SEO, accessibility, integrations, and conversion optimization.
Shopify • UX • Navigation • SEO • Apps • Customer Journey
Building the Technology
Making all the moving pieces work together.
Behind the storefront, I built and managed the technology ecosystem connecting our sales channels, marketing, inventory, shipping, analytics, and operations — continually finding ways to automate work and improve efficiency.
Integrations · Automation · Inventory · Shipping · Analytics · Operations
Marketing
Finding the right people and giving them a reason to care.
From email and social media to SEO, advertising, marketplace marketing, and product launches, I've developed and managed the marketing behind Forged Flare® — testing ideas, learning from customer behavior, and continually finding new ways to tell our story and build meaningful connections.
Email • Social • Amazon • SEO • Ads • Launches • Campaigns
Scaling Operations
Figuring out how to grow without losing what makes us special.
As the business grew, so did the complexity behind it. I've managed production, vendors, inventory, forecasting, fulfillment, and customer service while developing processes that help a small handcrafted business operate more efficiently at scale.
Vendor Management • Forecasting • Production • Customer Service
Partnerships
Turning shared values into meaningful collaborations.
I've developed official nonprofit partnerships and co-branded initiatives from the initial pitch through product design, licensing agreements, legal approvals, and ongoing marketing coordination — creating products that allow our work to support causes we genuinely care about.
Susan G. Komen • Youth Villages • Official Licensing • Legal Approvals
Recognition
Watching something we built reach farther than we imagined.
What began at home in 2020 grew into a brand that reached customers across the country and earned recognition from national media and organizations. Each feature and milestone became another chapter in a story we're still writing.
Press • Media Features • Awards & Recognition • Brand Milestones