Behind the Details: Getting to Know the Designers, Part II

Hi all. Here's my dish. Amanda's was much more concise, but when you see what I majored in, you'll understand all this madness. It's basically my life story-- which is why I included some pics from the past to keep you entertained. Enjoy. Or if you're wanting the abbreviated version of me... scroll to the bottom!

I actually don't know when it all started-- my obsession with details. I remember when I was in first grade, my teacher Mrs. Folkman (who is still probably one of the best teachers on the face of the planet), told my mom that she loved my drawings because there were always things like eyelashes on the people. At the time I was confused why she would point this out, since "DUH, people have eyelashes!" But in retrospect, I guess none of the other kids were drawing eyelashes at the time.

I've always been in love with the creative process; with making something that otherwise would not exist. I took all the art classes I could in school and even an extracurricular art class from the amazingly talented Donna Osmond Kearney. I've been blessed to be surrounded by many creative minds that have taught & inspired me through the years. My parents never limited my creativity and let me do things like paint murals on the walls in our house when I was just a young teenager (yes, they may be a little crazy! Note: see photo above of my dad "air-smootching" a llama). Oh and thankfully I was a "yearbook nerd" in high school and became familiar at a young age with layout, design & the Adobe Creative Suite. After high school I decided to pursue a degree in Interior Design at Utah State University. I loved the art classes and grew to appreciate all forms of art. I studied Interior Design for a year & then began to question the practicality of a degree in that field (since my dad thought people in Utah didn't pay for stuff like interior design, ha). I ended up changing my major to English after loving a 4000 level poetry class I accidentally landed in my Freshman year (since I didn't realized the number of the course had anything to do with the difficulty-- genius, I know).

Anyway, I ended up getting married after my 2nd year of college (even though I swore I wouldn't think about it until I was about 28). Marrying my husband just happened to be the best decision I ever made-- thank heavens! I've known my husband since I was about 12, though we never really spoke until I was 15-- thanks to him dating one of my good friends at the time. Yeah, long story & I'll spare you the juicy details of our charming teenage relationship, but basically he was just always Mr. Right and even after dating a lot of really great fellows after him, he was the only one I could say "yes" to for an eternity.

When we got married I couldn't find any wedding invitations that fit my taste or our wedding style-- I'd been working for a yearbook company doing design using the trusty Adobe Suite and realized that my design experience + software knowledge would also work great for designing a custom wedding invitation. That's where Polka Dots & Daisies began. I was 20 years old, recently married, away from my previous design job (we moved to Provo, UT for my husbands job), away from my college & everything I'd been used to. I wasn't sure what to do with myself. I did nothing for awhile-- except school (I transferred my credits) and continued pursuing my English Creative Writing Degree. I would clean our apartment everyday and attend class, but of course this wasn't enough for me. It was just the situation I needed to drive me to do something brave & different. I read a little bit about starting a small business after my mom mentioned how many people had called her to ask where my husband & I's wedding invitations had been designed, she said I should think about designing wedding invites for others. I wasn't sure where it would all go, but I needed to do something. I filed the necessary paperwork, paid the fees and became the official owner of Polka Dots & Daisies, a custom wedding stationery company.

Fortunately, my husband is amazingly supportive of EVERYTHING I want to do. That is why I was able to start my business & finish my degree even when it required me driving 4 hours round trip from Provo to Logan and living in the Freshman dorms with my sister part of the week at Utah State since I decided I really wanted to graduate from the college I'd started at. Thankfully that was just for one semester. In Spring 2009, I graduated college & celebrated 2 successful years as a business owner. Now, 6 years after filing that business paper work unsure of what would come, I love what I do and feel blessed to have stumbled upon such a perfect career. And again thanks to a really fantastic husband (who doesn't care if the house sometimes looks like a band of monkeys raided it or if we eat take out for a week straight) I run my invitation company, a small boutique (Pear Twig) and this lovely blog (all of which with an almost 2 year old & baby on the way-- silly me!).

My son is such a gift. He's funny, smart & energetic-- the total package according to me & my husband (although sometimes the energetic part we could use a break from). He makes me laugh daily. I've come to learn that while raising children is quite challenging at times (not to mention, I had major reservations about even getting on the parenting bandwagon in the first place), I've also come to recognize how many joys I experience would be impossible without him.Life is pretty crazy most of the time and to be honest, I don't know if I could have it any other way...(???) Sometimes it's difficult to try to find the perfect balance with everything (I probably still haven't), but I think as long as you find happiness & joy in each day (no matter how small) and you're not taking the important people in your life for granted, then everything is good. I'm definitely obsessed with projects & creating as you'll notice from this blog. Design Loves Detail has become a perfect outlet for me in sharing these things. I also feel ever-so-lucky to have met my dear friend & business partner, Amanda. We're really two peas in a pod with similar visions & dreams and more ideas than we know what to do with sometimes! We hope you'll join with us on this blogging adventure & share with us your own inspirations and thoughts. We're happy to share our insight, so please feel free to leave a comment on any blog posts you may want more info on.ABBREVIATED VERSION [since that ^ got a little out of hand, haha]:

•  Loves: treasure hunting (yes, this means yard sales, DI, antique shops-- the reason why my garage is full of projects & most things in my house cost less than $50), re-purposing (see last comment), waking up early, outings with my husband & little man, painting (the art kind-- not so much the wall kind), snowboarding (which I miss!), any extreme sport really (I am a daredevil), designing (of course), daydreaming, good food (it sometimes make me cry happy tears-- mostly when I am pregnant), vintage clothing (probably if your grandma wore it in the 50's I adore it, I am so giddy when I find a real gem), imported chocolate, tropical vacations, beautiful fabrics, colors, patterns & textures...
• Dislikes: going to the gym (which is why I don't.... ever. And I'm good with it. It left my new years resolution list long ago and I don't foresee a return), judgmental people, copycats, the "woe is me" card (life is hard-- for everyone. Let's make the best of it).

  P.S. I find it funny that some of my favorite things ever are: polka dots, bows & hearts (all of which can be found on the dress I'm wearing in the pic when I'm like 5). Thanks mom for the rockin' duds. I kinda want that same dress in my size now... if only!