I like to think of myself as a hope-FULL romantic with a side of spice. I’m one that thrives on classical and 40’s era music but knows my way around a tool belt. I don’t mind a little grit under my nails, though my husband will claim I like to get dirty just for the fun of it… I roll my eyes.
I grew up in Amish Country, Ohio and in the fall of 2012, headed to the big city of Pittsburgh to dive into photography at the Art Institute. I graduated in the spring of 2014 and went directly into shooting retail photography back home in Ohio.
A year later, I married my high school sweet heart beside a gorgeous waterfall in Portland, Oregon. We bought a small little house where my hands began to renovate and design in a different way. I loved the process of visual change and the product of hard work. This is where Cottonwood Shanty was born. I started to blog our home renovations and design inspiration.
In the fall of 2016, I came up with the idea of paper scrolls for wall art. I dreamt of something different and after a year of prayer, my hands started to roll scrolls. Since then, hundreds of scrolls have been rolled and I now know that the home interior market is where I’m meant to be.
In the spring of 2019, we opened our first brick and mortar shoppe in the heart of Amish Country, Ohio. This space feels magical and is a constant reminder that with a little sweat, grit and grace…. dreams can come true.
Hugs, Alyssa
