I was in 4th grade when my Mom and I decided to take a trip to the mall to get a new outfit for our class field trip to see Romeo & Juliet. I picked out some ridiculous silver pants that seemed too big, but my Mom did not want me wearing the smaller ones because they were pretty tight. When I got home, I sat in my room staring at these pants, trying to figure out how I can make them tighter. I then turned them inside out, studied the seams and stitching, took a needle and gray thread, and began hand sewing them. Wallah ! I had tight, silver pants ! When I was ready for school the morning of the field trip, my Mom told me how pretty my new outfit looked, and stared at my pants. She asked me what the heck happened and why they were so tight ! I probably made up something at this point, but she of course now knows the truth, and we giggle about that very day I learned to sew !

My stories always involve my Mom because if it wasn't for her, I would not be doing what I do today. No, she did not teach me how to sew... She actually doesn't even know how to sew ! But growing up, I had every single craft you can imagine. All of the boxed craft sets, for example, "how to make jewelry", "how to make ceramic pots", "how to make buttons"... I had every single one. You would think I would grow out of it the older I got, but it was my absolute passion and still is.

I hand sewed for years, and my Mom bought me my very first sewing machine eventually. I still have it to this very day. For years and years I created so many things and gave them away as gifts. Everyone continuously bugged me about selling my work, and after a while, I began to listen.

My shop, Pepper and Roxy, is a Chicago boutique for people and pets, founded in 2009 under the name Merry Designs. My loving dogs Pepper and Roxy had both passed away by 2010, which made me decide to change the name to Pepper and Roxy, so they would live on forever. I get to think about them constantly since their names are posted all over my studio, business cards, postcards, banners, clothing tags, etc. : )

P&R adores ALL animals and people :] What pleases me the most is when customers receive their orders and they send me messages letting me know how much they love my work and how happy I made them and/or their pets ! I love imagining a dog having a ball with MY creation, or a family adding my decor to their home and guests commenting on it, or ladies matching their outfits to their new P&R pouches !