Melissa Stephens Art

My father was a salesman – gregarious personality, boisterous laugh, firm handshake and all – he thrived in conversation. We joked that he could talk to anyone; sales came naturally to him. I inherited some of those traits, for sure. Every time I opened an exam room door in the Emergency Room to greet a new patient, I gave a silent thanks to my father as I walked in, smiled warmly, shook hands (not quite so firmly) and said, “Hi! I’m Doctor Stephens, what can I do for you today?” But sales? No thank you! I have always been, and still am today, complete rubbish at selling anything! From the age of about 8, when I proudly took home my first school fundraising brochure for Wolfgang chocolates to my, unbeknownst to me, incredibly discerning, chocolate connoisseur of a mother who said, “I only like Russell Stover.” It’s true, I couldn’t even sell chocolate to my own mother! With that failure internalized, it’s no wonder I’ve felt incredibly uncomfortable in any sales situation since then. Therefore, it is with ample trepidation in my keystrokes I write to announce I have, of all things, something to sell.

Before I get to my big pitch though, allow me to share a story that might explain my resurrected interest in sales. Miss Rumphius is the the wise and wonderful main character of one of my favorite, self-titled, children’s books by Barbara Cooney. I’m fairly certain I got WAY more out of the books I read to my kids than they did, especially this one! While they were plus/minus on Miss Rumphius, I adored her. In the beginning of the story, Alice, who will become Miss Rumphius, is a little girl living in a city by the sea. She wants to travel the world, see faraway places, and then come home to live by the sea, just like her grandfather. Her grandfather tells her that is all well and good BUT, he gives her one more task to accomplish in her life. “What is that?” asks Alice. “You must do something to make the world more beautiful,” he told her. Imagine, I’m in my mid-late 30’s, with 3 very young, very active boys born in 4 incredibly frenetic years, reading those lines. What? In addition to parenting, work, and all-the-things each day, I need to also make the world more beautiful? While I coveted a long weekend, by myself, in her little cottage by the sea, I took umbrage with Alice’s grandfather’s daunting request.

But children grow up and careers end and, as Thomas Rhett, in his country song, “Life Changes,” so eloquently croons, “you wake up ain’t nothin the same.” I remember those uncomfortable early years of transition, waking up and wondering, well now what? I returned to Miss Rumphius, found and reread the book’s well-loved pages, and began contemplating, with earnest, how could I, with a little more time to spare, make the world more beautiful?

Miss Rumphius is worth a read to your children or grandchildren or, like me, to yourself. But in case you never find yourself indulging in this lovely book, I’ll share more of the story. Alice does travel the world & see faraway places before she settles, as an older woman, into a little cottage by the sea. There she ponders her grandfather’s request and, in my favorite lesson from the book, quite unintentionally and quite simply, stumbles upon her answer. The cottage has a small, adjacent garden and one spring Alice planted a few tiny seeds in its rocky soil. She then grows quite ill and remains bedridden for months and months. Two springs later, when she has regained the strength to walk to the top of a small knoll near her home, she looks out over the coastal hills and valleys and sees, much to her amazement, waves gloriously tall, periwinkle blue and rose-colored blooms – lupines! The ocean breezes and birds had carried tiny seeds from the flowers she’d planted in her garden, spreading them far and wide, creating a floral tapestry that was nothing short of breathtakingly beautiful. She realized in that instant she’d done it; she’d made her little corner of the world more beautiful. It was that simple!

Close to a year later, while still pondering Alice’s grandfather’s enigmatic task, I too found myself stumbling into what could be a remarkably simple answer. A wonderful friend, who helped me hang my paintings for the gallery show last fall, texted me. She had just visited Tait Farms, a delightful little farm market and gift shop on the outskirts of State College. In the shop she’d seen greeting cards made by local artists and she encouraged me to take the cards I create from my original paintings into the shop. Really? Me sell something? I sat with that idea for a few weeks, replaying & wrestling with, as you can imagine, the core memory of 8-year-old me, standing in front of my mother, candy fundraising form in hand, doomed in my attempt to sell “less than” chocolate. Eventually I put on my big-girl brave shorts and drove to the shop. Me of all people, I made a cold call! It was terrifying!

I’m thrilled to report my cards were unbelievably, graciously well received. The shop manager could not have been more excited and encouraging. Driving home that day it dawned on me, because of that gentle nudge from my friend and the warm reception of the shop owner, perhaps I had found a way to make my little corner of the world beautiful? Like Miss Rumphius sewing tiny flower seeds, I could create colorful paintings and make them into cards to be spread, not by the gently blowing sea breeze but by the United States postal service, out into the world. In this way I could offer others the opportunity to send heartfelt messages of love and encouragement, congratulations and caring. Wouldn’t that be beautiful?

I’m thrilled to announce that, as of mid-September, Tait Farms now carries a variety of my individual cards and card packs for sale in their lovely shop. In addition (here it is, finally, the sales pitch!), this fall, I am offering card packs, created from my original acrylic floral paintings, for sale both here on my website (send me a comment), on my Instagram site @melissastephensart (DM me), or email me at melissastephensart@gmail.com. Each pack contains 6 art print greeting cards, each with a different front design, as well as 6 envelopes. The cards are blank on the inside and measure approximately 4”x6”. See photos of all 6 card designs below. The card packs will arrive to you in a clear plastic treat bag tied with a festive ribbon, ready to gift.

Pricing is as follows:

$18.00 + $5.85 for shipping (if needed) for 1 pack of cards

$34.00 + $5.85 for shipping (if needed) for 2 packs of cards

$50.00 + $6.65 for shipping (if needed) for 3 packs (18 cards)

I will accept cash, check or Venmo payments and can offer, if convenient, pick-up at my home in State College or drop off to your location to avoid shipping costs.

These card packs would make delightful stocking stuffers or small gifts for teachers, neighbors, friends, or yourself! They will be for sale through 10/24/2024  in order to deliver them to you by the end of November, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season.

There you have it, my big, bold re-entry into sales, inspired by my one of my heroines, Miss Rumphius! I’m not sure what my salesman father is thinking of my efforts but I believe my mom is now smiling with relief. I can almost hear her muttering, “thank goodness she’s moved on from chocolate!”