Hi, I’m Summer!
I wish we could be talking over a cup of coffee in my kitchen—but until we can do that (send me an email, maybe we can set something up!), here’s a little background on who I am, how this business began and what we’re up to.
I was born in Florida, but I've found that I’m a Pacific Northwest girl at heart. There’s something about the rugged moodiness of the PNW and the propensity for it to always be espresso and hoodie weather (except for about 3 weeks in August) that make it the perfect place for a creative to live. It's the ideal backdrop for wistful piano music and sitting down with fresh watercolors, a blank piece of paper and a mug of something hot.
I was seven when I moved North, and by that point I was already well into my creative career. It started after I saw a performance of the Nutcracker ballet when I was four and wouldn’t stop drawing ballerinas. I told everyone I was going to be an illustrator when I grew up. My parents, to their credit, never told me that wouldn't be a viable career.
Drawing was always accompanied by a plethora of other creative endeavors: Designing backyard forts (complete with kitchens for my dandelion soups and water/flour bread loaves), creating restaurants in my bedroom with hand-drawn menus, sewing clothes for my American Girl dolls, sculpting tiny clay food, and making jewelry out of clay, cards, watercolors, and graphic design—which I started teaching myself on Word.
In college, I studied the Liberal Arts (which means you study a little bit of everything, but nothing in particular that qualifies you for a real job) and simultaneously worked as a graphic designer, incorporating my artistic skills into digital design work. After I came back from a four-week trip to England my sophomore year of college, I dug out the paints again. Inspired by the people and landscapes I encountered both abroad and here in the United States, I started creating pieces that celebrate the beauty and diversity of the world around us—from the mundane objects and experiences of everyday life to the most majestic mountain ranges.
In 2017, I started selling my artwork through an online shop from a shoebox in my bedroom closet. As a one-woman operation, I would take envelopes, stamps and my box of products with me on vacation so I would never miss an order. Seven years later, I now manage the business from my home in Washington and your orders are fulfilled from our little office in Idaho by a team of three, all united by our love of nature, travel, art, and creativity. My amazing team ships hundreds of packages a week to customers and retail partners all over the country.
Why the subject matter that I sell? I’ve always been drawn to illustrating characters and scenes from books, movies, or stories in my head. That love of people and story influences the character art I paint today. I stumbled upon my Fifty States series when I created an Idaho sticker after looking for an Idaho design and not finding one that wasn’t a potato. Other people wanted to see their home states drawn and now I sell 350+ state-themed products - and the rest is (living) history.
Currently…
I live in Spokane, Washington in a dreamy 1940’s cottage nestled among the trees of an old historic neighborhood with my husband, Brian, and our baby boy, Roman. Brian’s older three kids come live with us on the occasional very busy, super fun weekend, and we’re a full and happy house! I spend my time managing our very on-the-go, always-doing household, raising Roman, running the business, doing yoga, trying out new healthy and delicious recipes and continuing to pursue creative endeavors wherever I can.
I’m so glad you’re here. ❤️”
Meet The Team
Summer Schlect
Beatrice McIntosh
Noelle Franco
