Get a Behind-the-Scenes Look at Stephen Brown's Glitterville Studios

From a dreamer to a doer, Stephen Brown creates a unique handmade aesthetic in his studio called Glitterville, where he takes designs dreamed up on walks and brings them to life on the studio floor. As former actor, costume designer and 5th Avenue window display artist, Stephen's creative streak runs deep. “I always loved holidays," Stephen says. "My Nana would always craft with me, and we would start crafting for Christmas in June. All the other kids were getting really excited that Christmas Day was coming, but the closer Christmas came, the sadder I got. Because the minute people unwrap their gifts on Christmas Day, it’s pretty much over. So I remember one Christmas my nana saying to me, ‘Well, we have to get up tomorrow and we have to make something else because we have to make every day a holiday.’"

"I was always sort of a dreamer kid," Stephen says. "I have a report card where the teacher said, ‘He’s always daydreaming. And that’s going to cause him trouble.' And while that’s probably true, the flip side of that is when you’re a creative person and you have an imagination, unless somebody else tells you that you can’t do these things, then everything is possible."

"After I graduated high school, I went to study costume design for television and film," Stephen says. "I immediately moved to New York, started working lots of crazy jobs and doing things that people said you can’t do, like designing windows on 5th Avenue."

While in NYC, Stephen started making ornaments for people while he was working as a costume designer. One day someone mentioned he should start trying to sell them. He took the chance, traveled to AmericasMart in Atlanta and was able to successfully sell the ornaments, accepting a deal with holiday collectible Department 56. He worked with them for a few years before moving on to found Glitterville with Bryan Wilkerson, head of the art department at a local college, in 2003. Bryan eventually returned to his teaching position after the birth of his son, leaving Stephen to continue developing the Glitterville brand. What originally started as a small studio operation has now grown into a glittery, multi-city operation with trade showrooms in several states. You can also visit and shop the Glitterville Studio Store in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Stephen creates colorful collections based on all the things he loves. "Now it wouldn’t be a Glitterville if I didn’t at least acknowledge my love of cake and frosting and all things yummy," Stephen says. "Like the mother of all things, Confection Marie Sweet, who even has cotton candy hair."

This larger-than-life non-nutcracker is actually called Colonel Cupcake, with peppermint buttons, a cotton candy staff and, of course, a cupcake hat. The seven-foot-tall resin figure invokes a playful nostalgia and whimsical wonder. "Glitterville is really based on living in my own mind and creating a place that I feel happy, comfortable and magical."

Stephen's signature color palette is a color story itself: The original Glitterville palette was a small set of colors, including lime green, sky blue, orange and hot pink. "It was a very basic set of colors," Stephen says. "It was really beautiful and it almost looked like a cartoon. But when people would come in, they would say it was so lovely but they could never have it in [their] home or store [because] it was so out there."

It wasn't until a friendly stranger at a trade show mentioned to Stephen that he should mute the colors a tiny bit, and the rest is Glitterville history. "We changed the colors to a completely different color palette, and at the very next show, it was like the world just opened up," Stephen says.

Glitterville's colorful collection caught the attention of Oprah, who loved the look so much that she placed Stephen's products on her list of favorite things. And that spot on the list eventually lead to Stephen serving as a set stylist for O, The Oprah Magazine.

"When I was little, I had a tiny little mug with a little Santa face," Stephen recalls. "I think that somewhere in my mind I’ve thought about it all these years, and I came up with Papa Noel. [He] has a funny little mustache, a little curl of hair and, of course, a cute little mouth at the bottom." And Papa Noel's cuteness earned Glitterville a spot on Oprah's Favorite Things List of 2022.

If tiny Santa mug is just too small, think bigger. Papa Noel also comes in a 6-foot-tall version donned with gold leafing, glitter and made of paper mache. These life-size figures are hand-painted in the Glitterville studio and displayed for sale, of course.

Another extremely sought-after Glitterville piece is both simple and elegant, and you'll soon want one, too. "You never know what the item that’s going to have huge popularity may be," Stephen says. "In this case, it’s a solid color ball. It may not be the most interesting thing in the room, but this set of Sugar Plum Pixie [glass ornaments] is one of the most popular things in the collection."

But Stephen says creating a successful product isn't as easy as decorating for Christmas. "Making product is an interesting thing," Stephen explains. "Because if you’re just making things for yourself ,you can make [it] any time and there’s a casualness to that. But when you have a line like Glitterville, there is a schedule that must be kept. Stores all around the world shop for their products in January, and you have to have next Christmas ready by this Christmas. And to do that, you have to start a year in advance."

Something small can triple in size with the right amount of interest. "Sometimes an item starts as an ornament, like Calowishus the Camel," Stephen says. "And then, he’s so popular that we make him into a big display version."

Or the reverse could happen. A five-foot, studio display snowman with a fun top hat and pink embroidered vest could spark the idea for a smaller, seasonal figurine made from paper clay, wire and dowels.

A mini version of the popular Frosty Folly Snowman seen in Glitterville studios is a fun and easy holiday piece to craft. Stephen uses wooden dowels, wire, paper clay and a ball to make a very merry, skinny snowman.

The secret for creating sharp dressed characters is to use paper clay. "This is my favorite kind of clay for this project because it's very forgiving," Stephen says. "And the end quality looks like paper mache."

Stephen's inspiration for frosty figurines or life-sized sugar plum pixies can strike at any time — but he doesn't see his work as a planned out project. "I may see a bumblebee on my way to lunch, [feel inspired] and come back and start drawing a bumblebee," Stephen shares. "And instead of thinking of [my art] as a collection that’s been well thought-out, it’s usually just, 'Oh! That sounds fun!'"

Create a whimsical, handmade chenille-stem tree display that you can use throughout your home with Stephen's pink mini tree DIY. Decorate your tree with colorful ornaments made from a variety of craft beads and display it year-round or during the holidays on table tops and mantels.

"I like to use two to three shades of chenille-stems for each tree," Stephen says. "For this one, because it's a pink pine, I'm going to use two shades of pink." Read more about holiday crafting in Stephen's book, Glitterville's Handmade Christmas: A Glittered Guide for Whimsical Crafting.

It wouldn't be a holiday every day in Stephen's Glitterville without a heaping dose of Halloween. And these adorably named Big Boogey Buckets are made using two of his favorite crafting supplies: paper mache and gold-leafing.

Although some people see Halloween as a scary holiday, Stephen sees it as a way to celebrate costumes, candy and glitter. Mr. Treats Candy Favor Box is a DIY that's sure to impress guests with a painted, striped glitter box and jolly pumpkin character.

Stephen's secret for this happy pumpkin DIY is to use sewing tape and a pencil to create perfect, vertical lines that can be painted, glued and dashed with glitter. But Stephen says you can't just use basic orange glitter. "I think of it almost as a recipe — no simple orange will do," he says. "I use orange, hot pink, gold and light pink to create a multidimensional color palette for Mr. Treats' signature look."

Everyone loves candy corn, even if you don't love to eat it. There's just something about the shape, the color and the nostalgia of the sweet treat. At Glitterville, Stephen's vision of candy corn comes with a hand-painted look, quirky grins and gold leafed accents.

Stephen's love of Halloween also dives into the world of plush with this adorable, no-sew, spider hand puppet, appropriately named Wacky Webber. Delight kids and kids-at-heart with this fuzzy DIY.

The Glitterville creator's trick for the no-sew spider puppet is to trace your hand onto a piece of card stock and outline it oversized. Then, take a piece of black fur with an extra shaggy look and pin your pattern down to the fur with a few straight pins. Use sharp fabric scissors to trim out the shape and you're halfway there.

In addition to cute, kid-friendly spider hand puppets, Stephen's studio store also carries handmade items like these resin and crepe paper flower, hand-painted skulls to celebrate Día de los Muertos.

This isn't your standard shopping mall Easter Bunny. Stephen revels in all things holiday, especially ones that fall easily into a bright, spring color aesthetic. "I’ve always believed that craft supplies should be really simple," he says. "What you turn them into can be extravagant, but I don’t ever want to have to depend on a particular product or something that I can’t obtain."

Make an adorable paper mache Easter Basket using two of Stephen's favorite craft supply hacks: bathroom tissue and uncooked rice. Newspaper and a balloon isn't the only way.

"Create clay-like paper mache with bathroom tissue," Stephen says. "Just take several wads of the bathroom tissue and put it into a bowl of hot water — you'll need about 2-1/2 cups of wet bathroom tissue. Then, slowly tear the tissue up until its no longer paper. Use a strainer to remove the mixture from the water. Add 1-1/2 cups of school glue and 2 cups of joint compound and mix until a smooth paste is formed. Add a little flour to create a little texture and then cover with plastic until use."

Make a fuzzy bunny bonnet to go with the Easter baskets next. Stephen guarantees the kids (and adults) will want to wear this DIY party hat long after the big bunny's visit.

"Use cardboard to make your hat sturdier and add a coat of gesso — a thinner paint that has plaster in it," Stephen shares. "This will not only create a more durable hat but allow it to hold the ears, fluff and, of course, glitter!"