The Keepsake Studio spoke with Hallmark Artist Emma Leturgez-Smith about her background and shared a glimpse of an ornament she created for 2025.

Emma: “I went to school for art and illustration, and I kind of fell in love with sculpting while I was there. After I finished school, I really started to practice sculpting. That’s when I decided to try to get on at Hallmark.”

Emma: “It turned out my husband’s good friend from childhood was the connection. His mom was a previous Hallmark artist-sculptor. She brought me in to show me around Hallmark. I got to see the Rice Center and the Discovery Studio with Hallmark Artist Matt Kessler, who inspires creative teams to innovate and learn new skills—and that was very cool. Then she introduced me to the freelance director for the Keepsake Studio. I started freelancing in 2016, which gave me a nice sneak peek into how everything works. I continued to freelance until 2020, which is when I officially became a Hallmark Keepsake artist.”

Emma: “This is the Lady Blackburnian Warbler, the female companion to the series ornament for 2025. And yes, I always get to choose the bird for the series! And I also get to choose the birds for the miniature and KOC-exclusive designs. That means I have a rather full folder on my computer of bird ideas and research for the next few years.
 
Each year I might have a different inspiration that leads to which bird I choose. Maybe it’s a trending color or something that shares a similar palette to another Keepsake Ornament. Or it could be as simple as seeing a bird in my own backyard!
 
This year’s design has a special touch. I think probably all Beauty of Birds ornaments have either gold or silver decorative outlines. But this Lady Warbler has pearl white outlines instead, to mimic some of the soft, pale streaks of color on the real-life bird.
 
The Lady Blackburnian Warbler will be available in limited quantities at Keepsake Ornament Premiere in July!”

Lady Blackburnian Warbler
Limited Edition