PAST. PRESENT. FUTURE.

I’ve lived what feels like many lives in my 48 years. Here’s a glimpse at what that has looked like thus far…

I was born in California in the seventies. I was a beach-going, roller-skating, book-devouring, MTV-watching child of the eighties. I then became a teen Mom of the nineties.

I loved growing up in Southern California, the land of day spas and wellness clinics. It’s also the land of Hollywood, the beach, the desert, and the mountains, all within a day’s drive of one another. It’s also a cultural melting pot of art, food, music, strip malls, mall malls, and ever-changing pop culture vibes.

Being raised in that gorgeous melting pot, and under the bright, energy-giving light of the sun year-round, I was always dreaming of what I might become one day. Artist, writer, fashion, costume, or set designer, actress, and makeup artist were just some of my childhood aspirations.

It’s said that our environment, the people in our lives, and our life experiences shape who we are and what we become. So true for me.

My Mother was and is an artist, a creative powerhouse, and a domestic goddess. As kids, she always got us to the library for story time and book perusal. We visited the beach constantly, and she made sure to keep us busy with any sports, activities, or crafts that our little hearts desired.

My Nana was also an artist who specialised in creative, crafty, retro style domestic goddess-ing. She was a force, and a massive inspiration to me.

As a teen, I could be found working at the mall slinging pizza in the food court, or wrapping gifts at the Hello Kitty store.

Later on I tended bar in a menagerie of charming yet chic world-cuisine cafes & restaurants. I’ve blended smoothies and Pina Coladas for pool lounging guests at a destination resort in San Diego. I’ve found myself working behind the desk at an array of wellness centers, day spas, salons, and leisure centers, and at the customer service desk in a few luxury auto dealerships.

But my first job after arriving in Scotland was housekeeper at a small boutique hotel. Oh, the irony of switching from the silver stars at Mercedes-Benz to the cleaning and polishing of silver taps in wee Scottish guest rooms. After that experience, I am of the strong opinion that the world would be a better place if everyone had to take a turn at housekeeping.

Here in Bonnie Scotland, I’ve also helped customers find the perfect crystals, incense, and oracle cards in a crystal shop and I’ve developed and sold my own range of handmade skincare potions at craft markets, and lastly, I had a shop of my own for a few years.

Every experience has been valuable.

Somewhere in amongst the mouthful that is my work history, I made it nearly all the way through cosmetology school to the realm of hairdressing. At the time I’d had dreams of becoming a color specialist in a Bourjois salon like Vidal Sassoon - you can probably spot this aspiration from a mile away if you pay attention to my hair vibes through the years. For various reasons I ended up leaving school, returning later for my esthetician license (skincare).

I’ve got a skincare backstory, here’s the bite-sized version…

After earning my diploma and license - where at that time, we learned next to nothing about caring for your skin naturally, or from the inside out - it took me a few years of trial and error before I was able to repair my own congested skin. As I figured out how to fix it, I pursued other work. I also met my better half, the proverbial stars aligned, and everything changed.

At one point between my positions in automotive, I found myself briefly working at an upscale health food store. It was a short-lived experience, but it’s where I discovered the magic of natural ingredients - both in skincare and in the kitchen. These discoveries led me to the solutions for my skin, and to making my own skincare at home.

During this time I also started watching a lot of cooking shows with my other half, and we began to create gorgeous meals together with those beautiful, whole food ingredients. This was also one of those times where the past met the present. Back when I was slinging drinks in the fabulous establishments I mentioned, I experienced, and got a lifetime hankering for amazing world cuisine in my life. Now having a partner to learn and cook with, that was a whole new tasty chapter change in my life.

About motherhood & art. Growing up in the Los Angeles area with my mother and grandmother both being artists, and located about 45 minutes away from Hollywood, I was naturally drawn to all things creative. While I was in high school, I was even lucky enough to wrangle a couple of scholarships to attend some courses at ArtCenter College of Design (Pasadena).

I adored art, but life had other plans in store for me. My high school graduation ceremony took place on June 13th, 1995. Exactly one year later to the day, my beloved daughter Alijah entered my world with a halo and a scream.

I then focused on learning how to be a parent. Pursuing some form of art as a career may have taken a back seat, but you don’t lose your creative spirit; you find ways to be creative in your life instead. And being a mom gives you oh so many opportunities to be creative. Being a mom also teaches you about growing up, while preserving your youth. Being a mom also teaches you what it’s like to love someone more than you love yourself.

Looking at my past brings me to my present life, which is all about the different ingredients and materials I’m working with every day at home, and in my range. From blending skincare potions, to the ingredients in our meals, baking, and beverages. Then there’s the visual aesthetic element of living, and the mixing and working with different paints and materials to decorate our lives with.

The way I see it, all these different interests and experiences have been like a pot simmering away, melding together like ingredients.

The last five years were all about opening a shop and trying various incarnations within it, then closing after we moved further into the countryside and got a taste for quiet country life.

After closing up shop, we took a year to lean into living more quietly, creatively, naturally, and following whatever made us sparkle & shine. Then, earlier this year 2025, we both had some serious health scares come up. These health scares were a jolt, and got us focused heavily on a healthy, balanced diet, most of the time. Beyond being such a sacred part of our lives, we see food as part of our treatment plan. More importantly, we have been reminded that life is so precious, and to appreciate every day we get.

These last couple of years feel like they have been the final ingredients to make up the creative, tasty dish of our life.

On that note I find myself whole-heartedly walking towards making what I can make, and sharing what I can. The plan is to capture and distill here, what I’m doing in skincare, and in living an inspired, balanced, creative, and quiet-but-colorful, flavourful, meaningful life.

It all feels connected, because it is.