Thankful..

There is something deeply meaningful about creating things that find their way into people’s everyday lives. Pieces that aren’t just used, but loved. Held. Remembered. Thanked for.  

When I sit down to make something, I’m not thinking about trends or perfection. I’m thinking about how it will feel in someone’s hands. I’m thinking about the moment a child reaches for it during bedtime, or how it might quietly become a source of comfort on a hard day. These are the moments that shape the way I create.

Being told that someone is thankful for something I’ve made is never taken lightly. Gratitude, especially when it’s attached to an object, usually means that piece has become part of a story. It has offered comfort, brought joy, or filled a need that mattered. That kind of impact can’t be rushed or replicated—it comes from intention, care, and heart.

Many of the pieces I create are inspired by my own children. From watching their attachments form to seeing what they return to again and again, I’ve learned that what matters most isn’t how something looks on a shelf, but how it feels when it’s needed. That lesson shows up in every detail: the softness of the fabric, the simplicity of the design, the durability meant to last through years of love.  This lesson also came to my front door at the beginning of this week...

We've just come off of Easter break here which meant the kids returned to school.  A friend of my biggest kid  handed him $20 a few weeks back and asked if he could commission me to make a toothless keychain.  Oh boy!  All I could think was black yarn...IYKYK!  Well over the break I had a bit of time to play catch up so I set out on the task of making a toothless.  I thought "how nice would it be for him to go back to school with a special little gift for this friend!"  I did it!  A small little handheld toothless!  My son hooked him on his backpack and away he went.  Well shock came to me when at the end of the day my son came home followed by his friend, he took a detour on his drive home so that he could stop in and thank me personally!

Gratitude from customers often comes in small, powerful ways—a kind message, a shared story, a note about a child who won’t sleep without their lovey nearby. These moments are constant reminders of why I do this. They ground the work in purpose and make every step worth it.

Creating pieces people are thankful for means slowing down. It means choosing quality over quantity and meaning over mass production. It means understanding that what I’m making may hold space for big feelings, quiet moments, or lifelong memories...

I was on vacation with my brother and his family for New Years when I met a soon to be Grandma, a dear friend of my sister in law.  She commissioned me to do a piece for her soon to be born grandchild.  We sat talking about a dinosaur that her and her daughter came to love while she was growing up.  What made the connection so much deeper for me was that I know the town well from growing up and I knew exactly which art piece she spoke of as I too have driven by and seen it many times, I can picture it in my head as I type this!  As a tribute to her daughter and all of the wonderful memories that they made as well as a heartfelt gift to her grandson she really wanted to find a T-Rex lovey for her soon to be grandbaby but with no such luck.  Was it something I could do?  Absolutely!  Was it something I was excited to do? Absolutely!  

It took sometime, some inspiration from yarn colors and nursery colors but I finished that lovey and I loved how it turned out!  Soft chenille yarn, a squishy waffle stitch with the perfect amount of drape and the characteristic T-Rex head and arms.  I did up a video and some pictures, hit send on the text and waited... the reply: "He's perfect!!! Oh my gosh I'm so happy"  There were tears, from both her and I and I mailed him off.  She received her T-Rex today and the text again set off the waterworks!  It was my absolute pleasure to create this and to connect generations in love, laughter and memories.

I believe the most special pieces are the ones that quietly become essential. The ones people didn’t even realize they needed until they did. Creating with that hope—creating for comfort, connection, and care—is at the heart of everything I make.

And for every person who has welcomed one of these pieces into their home and felt thankful for it, I am truly grateful in return.  

Pattern credit for Toothless goes to Happygurumi

You can find the video on how to make it here: Bing Videos