A Brief History

Designed by Distraction is small online business, based in a small town in Central  Illinois, and owned by Gail Warner and Kimberly (Kimber) Blum.

Gail started the business in 1996 as Moon Essense Designs, operating in Art Space, a brick-and-mortar shop in downtown Charleston, Illinois across from the Will Rogers theater. Kimber joined the business in 1999. Moon Essense also sold our handmade jewelry at art shows and festivals in several states, including Alaska! In 2020, we started selling online to raise money for Pets Are Worth Saving (PAWS), the rescue transport organization where we volunteer to this day.

In February 2022, we opened our own shop online, and are adding new items constantly. Gail is the primary artist, and Kimber is the computer geek and occasional artist.