Karen from Belgium has a solution for everything, all of it in little boxes. She makes funny, sweet little gifts to convey a nice message to someone.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
I love lists, collecting, ice cream, M&Ms and word games. I always lick the chocolate off a Ferrero Rocher bonbon before I eat the rest. I’ve tried twelve times to kick my addiction to sugar. I think the cherry pip pillow is one of the sweetest inventions in the world. My dog Bruno always cheers me up. His hobby is barking. And there’s Wilfried the rabbit too. My piano fingers sometimes dare to play the accordion. I’m on the ‘press, promotion and production’ staff at JazzLab Series, the leading organizer of jazz concerts in Flanders. And my thirtieth birthday was a wake up call to get started on my never-ending dreams.
Why did you start making these boxes?
I’ve always had a thing for little boxes. As a child, I was fascinated by all things tiny. Recently I came across a matchbox that I made when I was about five. It served as a home for two tiny toy trolls. Meanwhile I was regularly making them as custom gifts for friends or family. Then a few friends asked me to make a box that they could give to someone else, and I realized that my market could be bigger than just my circle of friends and acquaintances.
What’s the most fun you’ve had so far in your shop?
Some people let me know afterwards how surprised or moved they were by a particular box. What also makes me very happy is that here and there boxes from defirmadanktu will be lying under the tree this Christmas. But perhaps the most special is the request from a romantic soul who wanted to ask his girlfriend to marry him with a box.
Defirmadanktu.be
