Please can you tell us about how you became interested in cross stitch?

It was a crisp Canadian December in 2017 and funds were low, my family and I had decided to have a handmade holiday. While scrolling online image boards I stumbled across cute and kitschy cross stitch patterns and had a thought…I am sure I could make everyone a custom cross stitch. I hadn’t stitched since I was a kid, but knew the basics pretty well and had a little training in pixel art. Fast forward to New Year's Eve and I posted a pattern to an online marketplace. Within an hour I heard the little “Cha-ching!” I shot out of bed, did a little happy dance and the fire was lit.

Tell us about your design process. How long does it take you to design a typical piece?

My process isn’t linear and changes almost on a pattern by pattern basis. Sometimes the art just trickles from my brain to my fingers and it morphs into a pattern. Other times I draw out my designs and then convert them to a chart. My art in any medium has always been organic and without rules, as soon as I am confined or restrict myself I get a creative block. I’ve learned to just go with the flow and not be frustrated when the finished product doesn’t look exactly like what I had envisioned. It is a step to improving my art. I design with passion, intention and draw from decades of art knowledge and experience.

Where do you get your inspirations for your patterns?

Everywhere that shadows lurk. Horror movies, architecture, history, music, poetry, moonlit nights…inspiration is everywhere and often feels like a bottomless well. The world is full of so much beauty. Right now I am finding a lot of inspiration in antique filigrees, lithography prints, vintage Halloween, and in severe contrast…the bright and wild 90s. I am currently working on a Nostalgic Tarot series that blends spooky and neon, a far cry from where I usually reside in the art world, but I am loving it!

Where did your interest in all things spooky come from?

It wasn’t Maybelline, I was born with it. I have always loved all things spooky, creepy and weird. If I had to pinpoint where it really took over it would be with the 1993 release of Hocus Pocus. That movie had a chokehold on my younger self, and still does to this day. From that day forward Halloween became a huge part of my personality.

What are your top tips for beginners?

Don’t fear big projects! They can seem overwhelming but every project is just one stitch at a time, no matter what the size. For your very first one I do recommend a small one, once you feel what it is like to finish a cross stitch project you will want to feel that again! Also don’t worry about your backs…who cares if they are a mess. My book is full of endless tips and tutorials leaving no stone unturned.

Are you able to tell us about upcoming projects that you’re currently working on?

I do SALs (stitchalongs). A SAL is a group of stitchers working on the same project/pattern together.  This can either be of a theme or with a special design set up to be stitched in sequence. I do mystery stitchalongs where you don't get to see the end result till you are DONE! It's a blast and a fabulous community has grown out of it from my first SAL ~ The Universal Monsters.

Right now I am working on one set to launch in the summer of 2026. Other than that I always have multiple projects in the works, and no less than 5 patterns and 5+ stitches in progress. I create and thrive in chaos.