About/FAQs

Hello!

I’m Kristin Elsen, aka Tibbin, and these are my designs. Tibbin is a nickname bestowed upon me by my dad when I was a kid, and it’s stuck ever since. It means nothing and everything.

I’ve collected pins and flair in some capacity for as long as I can remember. In 2018, burned out and drained after working as a corporate graphic designer for the greater part of 12 years, I decided to finally become a maker of the things I've loved collecting for so long.

I added stickers to my offerings in 2019, and jewelry in 2020.

I’m back in the corporate world as a multimedia developer in STEM, but I still do this as a fun outlet.

I run this one-woman operation out of my home office in Durham, NC, with my two cats.

Thank you for your support as I pursue this wild ambition. I literally couldn’t do any of this without you, and you all mean the world to me.

xoxo,
Kristin

FAQs

Did you make all of this?

Yep, sure did! I have designed, crafted, and/or assembled everything you see in this shop. I have a formal education in a wide variety of media types and art styles, and my work reflects this broad scope. Everything starts out as a pencil drawing! Designs for enamel pins and stickers are manually converted into digital renderings (raster or vector, whichever is appropriate) before I send off the images for production.

Enamel pins (obviously) and stickers are physically produced by manufacturing partners. I source my chains and brass charms from foundries in the United States. I cut and roll all my earring wires and jump rings myself, and everything is lovingly assembled by hand at my work bench, usually with a cat supervising my work.

Where do you ship?

Currently, Tibbin Designs only ships in the United States. It's just easier for me that way. Thank you for your understanding.

Why brass?

I like the way it patinas and how easily it shines back up. I like that its price point makes it more accessible for me as a maker and for more folks as customers. I like how malleable it is. I like its use in vintage hardware applications and think it's neat to use something that could be a hinge or a screw to make fun jewelry instead. But mostly I just like the way it looks!

Would you ever do [fandom] stickers/pins?

Much respect to the makers who do make fanart stickers/pins, but that ain't my jam. Dancing with IPs for anything that isn't Strictly For Fun makes me nervous, but more than that, there are already SO MANY incredible artists making amazing pieces for whatever fandom you're into! I encourage you to find them and give them your support.

Do you use AI in your work?

Ew. No. For as long as it is physically possible, I will personally never use generative AI to make my designs, write content, or develop code for aspects of this shop's layout. (I cannot say the same of production partners, but please know I will do my best to never pair with companies who boast about using generative AI tools for any part of their process.)