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Worthy Convos with WirrWarr Wraps (Say It Five Times Fast!)
Cassie Kruemcke has fun like it’s her job. And it really is her job. Kruemcke is the owner and creative mind behind WirrWarr Wraps, a cheeky and ridiculously colorful wrapping paper and goods brand that has conventional paper products feeling a little insecure no doubt. With an endless imagination, Kruemcke’s creations are almost better than the gift itself…unless it’s a flashlight.
Let’s start with the name. What inspired this tongue twister?
WirrWarr? What? WirrWarr is a German word that translates into mess, jumble, a mix-up if you will. We like to say it means creatively fun chaos. I am not German by blood, but I have a lot of German influence in my life. Just try pronouncing and spelling my last name! Then ask me about our dog, a nutty female Deutsch-drahthaar… with a full beard. I am also crazy fanatic about fun words and wording but even more so about symmetry and typography. The harmonious cadence of the spelling and phonics got me good. It may be a tongue twister, but I bet you won’t forget it.
You were a graphic designer for 25 years with an iconic portfolio. How did you go from working on brands for other companies to a brand of your own creation?
Oh, that is easy. I finally have a client (me) that will listen and take my advice and publish the work I so lovingly and passionately create. It’s the most glorious and rewarding work I have done. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had the pleasure of doing some amazing work for some amazing clients, but I’ve also done amazing work for a lot of not so amazing clients- soul crushing at many points in my career. But I am most grateful for all the skills and experience I have gained from those moments and from building successful brands that I can now apply to my own brand. I’ve seen strategies that work and don’t work, so I didn’t have to take a crash course in marketing like most people who build their own brands do.
Photo courtesy of Cassie Kruemcke/WirrWarr Wraps
Where do you find inspiration for your fun designs?
For starters, I am a voracious consumer of imagery. I used to consume periodicals like candy, now it’s the likes of Instagram, Pinterest and good ol’ Google. I have images saved everywhere (just ask my iCloud account. It reminds me daily). I consider myself pretty quirky and love most things with sass (crass) and humor, so when something strikes those chords and makes me smirk, I generally take a note and use it for design inspiration. And color, always inspired by color.
Tell us about your classes and events. They sell out quickly!
My classes are SO much fun. And that’s not just coming from me. I ask my participants to leave handwritten reviews after class – if they so choose – and the responses are incredibly touching and encouraging. I thought I was on to something when I began this journey, but seeing the love and joy exude from someone learning to wrap a gift in a beautiful and unique way is quite moving. It’s infectious and they get to take this skill and keep honing it and sharing it with others. The classes really began as something fun to teach after being asked time and time again how I wrap my gifts and create my bows. Now they are a means to teach while also featuring my own custom designed wrapping paper, accessories and gifts. I have a truly unique and bold sense of style that comes alive in all of my designs and in my one-of-a-kind wrapping techniques. I call it “The WirrWarr Way”. I conduct several different kinds of classes and demonstrations, both private and public, depending on the time of year, occasion and desires. Sometimes we wrap boxes, sometimes we mix in some champagne or wine tasting and wrap bottles, and sometimes I solely demonstrate how I do what I do. The constant will be fun, color and learning something new.
Photo courtesy of Cassie Kruemcke/WirrWarr Wraps
As an entrepreneur, what is the best piece of advice you received along the way?
The best advice I got is all finance based, especially since my mind 100% does not work that way. That is my weakness and where I need the help. It’s also the main reason for small business failures.
- Believe in yourself and your product.
- Figure out your margins! Make more than you spend. Seems simple and logical, but you’d be surprised.
- Stay on top of your books and taxes and don’t be afraid to ask for help doing so.
If you had to assign a color to 2022, what would it be?
Fluorescent PMS 806C. I am a child of the 80s and shocking pink will forever be my love. Now if they would make it an official color of the year. Veri Peri is nice and all, but let’s live loud!
What’s the best gift you’ve ever unwrapped?
Oh gosh, so many good ones and a lot of sentimental ones that are all considered the “best” for one reason or another. The one that comes to the forefront is the first gift my husband, at the time a very new boyfriend, gave me. It was a red Maglite flashlight. The power had gone out in the house I was living in, and he showed up unexpectedly at my front door with a brand-new flashlight in a bold color – he could have easily purchased a black one – and I knew he was something special. It was not wrapped, but the presentation was spot on. Now, I did not grow to love his practicality in gift giving. I have a funny story that we often tell about the worst gift he’s given me.
Although she prefers burnt orange to purple, Hannah Bush is happy to call Fort Worth her new home. She began freelance writing a few years ago to break up the monotony of her 9 to 5, and to prove to her parents that she’s making good use of her journalism degree. When she’s not hanging out with her cat, Hannah can likely be found on a patio with her husband, talking about her cat.
