Gina's History

My first business, "Wooden You Like It"  was founded in 1987.

It was a decorative woodcraft business named:  Wooden You Like It.  I designed patterns, established a woodworking shop in my garage, and sold my designs at exclusive boutiques in the San Francisco Bay Area. This opportunity gave me an idea of how to watch market trends, understand the buyer, and ultimately create artwork for best selling products.

In 1995 I began drawing black and white line art illustrations and sold them for a small flat fee of $50 per illustration to a very small Rubber Stamp Company. That company was Sonlight Impressions in Corona, CA.  After one year of designing for them, I was ready to take the leap and find a manufacturer that had a bigger share of the market.

In 1996 I learned about product licensing from a friend who made patterns for brass stencils. She suggested I go to the library and read some books about the Business of Art Licensing.

One of the books I found was "The Artist's Market".  They publish an annual catalog of manufacturer's who are seeking art for their products.

I found some great resources at the public library and began my search for a manufacturer that would pay royalties for my artwork. (This was before the internet took off...)

While researching Art Licensing and learning about the business side of it; contracts, territories, royalty amounts, etc, I also began an intense search for Rubber Stamp Companies that would pay royalties for my drawings.

What I mean by ‘searching’ meant:

actually going to local shops, and chain stores that sold rubber stamps.

This method of searching for potential licensing opportunities is still one of the best ways to find manufacturers who are interested in my artwork.

I discovered Commotion Rubber Stamp Company in Tucson, Arizona. — I contacted them through 411 - by calling the operator… (That was before you could Google a manufacturer and get their contact information.)  That first phone call was nerve-wracking, but the owner of the company, Vesta Abel, was delightful!  I sent my designs to her by fax machine. She sent a licensing agreement and immediately presented my designs at a Licensing Trade Show.  Wholesale Buyers from Michael’s Craft Stores looked over my designs that had been mocked up on the rubber stamps, and they selected 15 of the 50 designs I had licensed with Commotion.  That was my first really big-money-making-deal in licensing. My first royalties for that artwork were paid about nine months later when the first shipment went to Michael's.

The first royalty check I received for fifteen pen & ink drawings for rubber stamps was $6,000.  By the end of that year, I had received about $20,000 in royalties for fifteen line art drawings made into Rubber Stamps and sold at Michael's Craft Stores in the USA.

In 1999, I began designing full-color illustrations.  I met a Creative Director for Provo Craft at a scrapbooking convention. She referred me to the Art Director for Provo Craft’s Digital Product Line, and they quickly signed a licensing deal that paid 10% of all retail online sales for digital art downloads.

In 2002, Gina Jane designed the Honeyville Graphics Project. It was the largest project I had ever designed; with over 200 illustrations in line art and full color.  I was given 60 days to complete the project.  The CD and that artwork generated several thousand dollars under Provo Craft's digital site. The Honeyville Collection is still sold as a digital collection of artwork. This artwork is the original pioneer frontier series created to celebrate my ancestors who were noble and fearless pioneers. 

As a descendant of the Hunsaker Pioneer family who settled Honeyville, Utah, I consider myself a truly authentic pioneer woman.

In 2005, I was discouraged by the limitations of selling my art as flattened JPEG artwork and ventured out to sell my artwork as high-resolution PNG format files. I started my own digital download business and canceled my contract with Provo Craft.  There was a shift in the digital industry.  Most online companies selling digital art were not selling 72dpi JPG files. They were selling 300dpi PNG files.  Provo Craft's digital company PC Crafter refused to take that leap. So I left and never looked back.

In April 2006, I launched my website;  www.daisiecompany.com.  The company generated a solid income for sixteen years. My best-selling patterns of 2007 were designed wit inspiration from my childhood sewing quilts and pioneer dresses to celebrate the 24th of July and Pioneer Day.  Remembering the early years when my sisters and I dressed up and marched in the Pioneer Day Parade in Salt Lake City, I created a line of patterns named: "Frontier Woman."  These designs have inspired the crafting and scrapbooking of kindred spirits and our love for the farmhouse style so popular in today's marketplace.

In 2010, I contracted with a candle-making company. I designed their boxes to look like little Christmas Cottages. The product sold out on QVC in four weeks.  They had hoped the product would sell out in 16 weeks. It was an amazing boost for me as an artist, and I knew that I had been successful at recognizing trends, what makes "best-selling" products. I proved that I could format my artwork to fit a difficult template.

In 2013, I signed on with an artist agency. 

In 2021, I left the agency and ventured out on my own once more.

In 2022, My artwork was included in many art calls by major manufacturers. I was able to license many new pieces of artwork that will be on the shelves in specialty shops, Amazon, and mass-market retail stores across the USA.

Through the years, I have become known for my colorful designs, traditional and whimsical art styles, attention to detail, and a keen eye for design.

Manufacturers know they can count on me to follow creative direction, and meet deadlines.

My designs continue to lead the industry with best-selling products across the globe.