Patience Brewster's Krinkles
Patience Brewster - her real name that traces all the way back to her 11th great-grandfather - is an artist and illustrator of childrens books and has even authored a few herself. With a degree in printmaking and bookmaking – her career has been varied. She eventually started designing greeting cards for a few companies, but was quite frustrated when she was told that the general public wouldn't "get it" when it came to some of her most interesting work. 

However in 2000, Dept. 56 wanted to convert some of those card designs into holiday ornaments. Launched in the same year – Krinkles became an instant success and have remained very desirable ever since. When her contract with Dept. 56 came to an end, Patience launched a new company called simply Patience Brewster and her first ornaments debuted in 2009.