The name Babel Rose came from a dream my dad had way back in 2009. In October 2014 I launched my shop on Etsy. The path to get there wasn’t straight and started long before the name. I studied Art in college but, because I was afraid of becoming the cliche starving artist, I also studied Exercise Science. For many years my creative drive to make beautiful, useful things was in the background. Emerging around the holidays to delight friends and family but then submerging again as the grind of daily life kicked back in. I was waiting. Waiting for a time when my husband and I would be financially stable enough for me to pursue art. He was a volunteer fire fighter, working towards becoming full time. Once he was full time, I felt, I could take a risk. In the summer of 2014, my husband became sick. And that dream of stability vanished. But I decided to take the risk anyway. I signed up for the Etsy Craft Entrepreneurship Program in Santa Cruz that fall. I was still full time at the gym but that would only last until 2015 when the stress of being a full time manager and a caregiver caught up with me. After a short break I started working part time again, but I always had the shop. In 2016 I started designing my own patterns and screen printing my bags. Each bag is now a unique piece of art I get to share with you wonderful humans. It is a pressure valve when things seem unbearable. And while life might seem cold and dark, the things I make remind me of the bright, warm and beautiful times. I hope they help you keep summer in your heart too.
Hi there! I’m Danyelle. I grew up in Northern California, spent some time swimming at the University of Tennessee and now call Santa Cruz, CA my home, where I traded swimming in for surfing. This is my shop, I’m glad you stopped by. Everything in here is handmade by me and inspired by our connection to the sea. I think every item we use in our life is an opportunity to add some beauty to it. To me the best way to add art to your life is through the things you would have anyway. Art doesn’t need to hang on your wall, it can hang off your arm. And with that idea in mind I started printing my designs onto the simple zipper bags I was making for my shop.
I love making things. Anything. Everything. My family's motto growing us was "I can make that", even if we usually didn't. We really believed we could and now as an adult working with a budget I'm putting that to the test. This site is to show you what I'm working on, keep you up to date with what I'm selling in my Etsy shop and to showcase my artwork.And here's a few more things you should know about me:I used to swim, like, a lot. I swam at University of Tennessee (go Lady Vols!) and I majored in Exercise Science and Studio Art. I used to hate watercolors but now its my go to medium. I'm an only child from NorCal. I love chocolate chip cookies and surf dates with my husband.