My Story

When I was a freshman in high school, I took a home economics class about design and I was hooked. I knew that’s what I’d love to do when I got older. My feelings have never changed. After graduation, I packed up and moved from farmland in Indiana to Chicago to attend Harrington College of Design. I didn’t know anyone at first, but I knew I’d make friends and learn everything I could dream of about Interior Design. That’s exactly what happened.

Fast forward through endless studio projects, late hours in the computer lab, sticky fingers from model making, the thrill of a good critique, the healthy competition with classmates, hours of hand drafting and sketching, art history papers and loads of fun later, I was ready to graduate with high honors. Thankfully, I had a part time job lined up with one of my professors who owned his own architectural firm. I worked there for two and a half years and really learned the nitty gritty of architecture and design projects. I completed full designs and construction drawing sets for residential and commercial projects. Seeing things accomplished in real life was amazing to me! Through a connection with my boss, I also did consultant design work for six months at another small interior design firm. There, I learned more there about finishes, fabric and custom millwork.

When I decided to leave both of those jobs, I was six months pregnant with my first child who ended up arriving seven weeks early. My husband and I were blessed to have the flexibility of me staying home and learning everything about being a mama. I quickly needed a creative outlet so I started creating and sewing baby blankets and teethers under the name Bright Eyed Studios. Since then, I’ve made bows and paci clips among other things, but in my mind, Bright Eyed Studios is just the place I get to be creative.

Since becoming a mom, I’ve done a handful of design projects with multiple church locations and a few friends. I’ve loved being able to use my passion in spaces where people I love enjoy family and community. I have seen how a functional, creative space can change a person’s life for the better. For me, bringing that to the world is a passion worth following