Remind my kids that I graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and they’re likely to shrug while asking you to pass the crayons, but that’s okay. I would choose doodling with them over schmoozing with gallery types any day. Thus, I’m an artist by trade, professional homemaker/mother by choice. And by “professional” I mean paid in frozen yogurt and small hugs. I am a firm believer in the power of creating things by hand and giving my kids opportunities to do the same.

I blog over at Grey House Harbor in an effort to maintain my creative sanity. If my decor ideas, photo tutorials and inspirational life stories empower and touch even one person, then I consider the effort worthwhile. Whether the medium is paint, pen, pencil, fabric, wood, hot glue, digital design or photography, I adore it all.

My days are a perpetual balancing act between my desire to make “neat stuff” and the demands of being (ecstatically) married to a military man. I pride myself on handling power tools alone, baking a mean batch of peanut butter cookies, knowing a bargain when I see one, wielding a sailboat against a breezy afternoon and being a fiercely loyal friend. Life itself is a DIY adventure, and I’m all in!

– Hayley, Grey House Harbor

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