my story

the beginning 

The start of this design studio was a bit of a happy accident. I was simply a bride looking for wedding invitations that represented my fiancé and I without breaking our budget. When I couldn’t find any that spoke to me personally, I used my art and design experience to create my own. Friends saw them and asked if I would do their invitations. Over twenty years, and over three thousand weddings later, I couldn’t be happier with the work I get to do each day.

getting personal

When I’m not painting or designing, you can find me spending time with my family: a number-crunching husband (the complete opposite of artistic me!) and two curious and kind teenage kids. Most often, we’re together on the golf course, or at home with our rescue dog, Abby.

giving back

Along with volunteering our time and design skills, each year Ivory Isle Designs donates a portion of our profits to Children's Hospital Saint Paul and Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. We experienced firsthand the grace of their mission as they both worked together to save our son’s life from an AVM brain mass, stroke and subsequent ruptured aneurisms in the summer of 2019.

my art history

Art has been in my family for generations. My parents are watercolor painters, my grandmother was an oil painter, and my great-aunt is a children’s book author and illustrator. My art is often inspired by the places I’ve traveled. I was born on the banks of Loch Ness, now live in the US, and have traveled to 37 countries in-between, including some college study in Inner Mongolia. (say what?!)