Trade Show Update & Pilgrim Imports Debut

New York, New York
When the middle of May rolls around, Karen Rossi can almost always be found amongst the hustle and bustle of New York City. It's at that time every year that the National Stationery Show and Surtex Show are held in the Jacob Javits Center. This year's trade shows ran from May 18th through the 21st and held as much as excitement as ever.

Au Naturel
Unveiling new products at a trade show is always a thrilling experience for any artist. After months of working on the latest greeting cards, sculptures, or artistic masterpieces, a debut always feels like a marvelous thing. As Karen set up this year's booth, she included several new collections of greeting cards, a sculptural line of folded metal animals, and many ideas for gift product. Most exciting, however, was her introduction of the natural metal "flights" that she has been creating with Milwaukee-based company, Pilgrim Imports.

Working For Good
Pilgrim Imports is a 23-year-old company that originated in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Once a poor, poverty-stricken area, the village now thrives as a tight-knit and healthy community. Over 400 residents work in collaboration with Pilgrim Imports, using traditional metalworking techniques to create metal jewelry and gift products. This work allows the Thai men to continue living with their families in the village. The pieces created by Pilgrim Imports and their Thai artisans are custom-made to suit a customers needs. The resulting pieces are unique, personal, and hand-crafted from silver, copper, and brass.

Get Connected
Karen first stumbled upon Pilgrim Imports while walking through a trade show at the end of last year. Her love of metal immediately drew her in, and the ability to create custom designs soon grabbed her attention. Once she connected with Pilgrim Imports and started working with their creative team, it wasn't long before prototypes of her flying characters began to arrive at Rossi Studios. The intricate ornaments and pins were astonishing. And, seeing her designs in natural metals was thrilling for Karen, since she had hand-crafted her very first flying characters in unpainted silver and copper.

Seeing The Response
The National Stationery Show provided a perfect spot for the "Flights Au Naturel" to make their grand debut. Customers and fans soon noticed the unique creations and began to show great interest. With additional designs currently in the works, Karen is taking orders and making a plan for the newest characters in her popular and whimsical line of creations. For any fans who would like to jump on the bandwagon and pre-order one or more of the "Flights Au Naturel", Karen will include a free Uncle Sam Fanciful Flight as a special "thank you" gift!

Click here to learn more about the Pilgrim Imports pricing and ordering.

Mermaid Flight in reusable Poly Draw String Bag