Meet a Christmas-Obsessed Abstract Painter Who Designs Custom Nutcrackers

Cassie Birchette is a multi-talented certified public accountant by day and artist by night, dipping her brush into everything from painting to bedazzling in her Atlanta home. She’s also the creator of Colorfully Cassie, her happy, vibrant brand and storefront where she sells a rainbow of her very own abstract paintings. A lover of all things Christmas, you’ll also find a collection of thoughtfully designed, hand-painted nutcrackers available for sale on Cassie’s website.

Cassie wasn't always known for her artistic side. In fact, she admits she never really considered herself an artist (and definitely not a crafter) until she started painting and the creative bug bit hard.

Cassie comes from a family of artists. One of her sisters is a graphic designer, and the other is a makeup artist and photographer. So maybe it was destiny that when Cassie was looking for a new hobby after moving away from family in her Boston hometown to live with her now-husband in Hartford, she picked up a paintbrush. She took an abstract art class, which she says woke up her artistic side. And as Cassie continued to develop her painting skills and style, people took notice. “People starting asking, ‘Are those for sale?’” she says. As interest grew, Cassie was able to begin selling her paintings and start her business, Colorfully Cassie. Her art was also featured in galleries in Hartford, and she began painting out of a studio space that became a "place of peace" for Cassie.

In early 2020, Cassie relocated with her husband to his hometown in Atlanta. Cassie continued painting and selling her work while the couple settled in, moving into their current home later that year. Their new place gave Cassie the space and opportunity to design her own home studio for her creative endeavors. And while Cassie has no plans to quit her day job just yet, painting and crafting has allowed Cassie to explore the full spectrum of her interests.

Cassie’s vibrant, layered paintings are influenced by the Abstract Expressionism movement of the 1940s and 1950s, which saw artists like Jackson Pollock creating expressive, emotional works that were often made using unconventional methods. “I think what I love most about painting is there's no restrictions,” she says. “I love that there's no rules. I love that there's no right way to do it. It really could be anything that you want it to be. And it's just amazing how it could touch different people and ignite certain emotions in different people.”

Cassie also takes this freedom of expression, no-rules mentality into her holiday decorating each year.