Why Hello There!

Nice to meet you! I’m a self-made entrepreneur who loves to create.

Nice to meet you! I’m a self-made entrepreneur who loves to create.

I was born in South America and arrived here in the United States at 8 months old—I was just a little ’empanada’, as I like to say ;). I grew up in a small town of only 7,000 residents in the middle of central California—a place where farmers, ranchers, and oil rigs reigned.

I would love to stay I become an entrepreneur because of my desire to be self-sufficient however, the truth is, I chose to start my own creative business because after graduating college I spent 6+ months trying to find work and all efforts proved fruitless. I needed to work to support myself, so I decided to work for myself. In order to hold me over until I could get on my feet, I found a full-time job, gave myself a year deadline, saved up my money. On July 3rd, 2003 I was able to leave my job and start my own business full-time and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

It’s been a long road. To be frank, it’s been full of mistakes, lessons, and learned humility, however it is one I would choose again and again. Now my goal is to help others, like myself, find and pave their own road by helping them create brands with impact, poise, and purpose.

Some Extra Fun Facts

Our Love of Dogs

I am very fortunate to have been raised and live in a culture that holds these beautiful beings in high regard. Not only are dogs celebrated here in the U.S.A. for just being so darn cute, they are celebrated because they ARE family. Entire industries are currently being built around our pets and I am so pleased to see this come to fruition, since many organizations and/or businesses are created with helping people by and through the means of utilizing the amazing love and temperament of our dogs.

Simply put, as a Christian, I believe that all living creatures are a Biblical act of delight and love created by God as well as created for us. This of course includes all animals; namely dogs. I also strongly believe that dogs and all animals alike, are sentient beings and have an important place here in this realm, in which God Himself has ordained.

Last but certainly not least, I believe that ALL dogs go to heaven. This goes for all animals. (Will I See My Dog In Heaven? by Jack Wintz)

Gretchen

I was 3 years old when I got my first dog. She was a doxie (dachshund). Her name was Gretchen and she was sweet yet sassy, faithful, patient and a stealth hunter of mice. She lived to be 14 years old. I still miss her and think of her. She’ll always be in my heart.

Binky

Next came Binky, a sassy and lively Cocker Spaniel. When I took my high school senior pictures, she was right here with me. Naturally… I miss her silliness and her antics and just sitting and snuggling with her.

Lucy & Molly

Next came Lucy & Molly. Lucy, a beautiful black Cocker Spaniel who was one of the most grumpy dogs. I adored her. Around the same time, Molly also arrived. She was a sweet sweet beagle who gave Lucy run for her money. They spent hours harassing each other only to end up sleeping cuddled up together at night. To this day, I miss them both terribly.

Mina & Max

After waiting for YEARS, I adopted two dapple doxies who were rescued by the Sacramento SPCA. I named them Mina + Max, short for Willamina and Maxamillion. They quickly became my ‘fur’ kids and I was adored them. They were my little muses when I started my other creative venture: Sniff Design Studio. And starred in a dog cartoon series I created called The Funny Bone. (www.asdasasd.com) These two even have their very own bio in the about us page, on sniffdesign.com. They lived to be about 11 years. Max went first and Mina soon followed. My heart aches for them very much.

Mia

My current love, light and muse is Mia. She is a wonderfully wild, sweet and silly wire haired dachshund. Mia arrived in December of 2015. Mia is a 3 year old wirehaired miniature dachshund (SQUEAL!).

She is also a rescue from Florence Humane Society. The last time I had a puppy was when I was three year old and she is my first puppy in a very long time. I absolutely delight in her and look forward to spending many many many years with her, spoiling her, taking her for Oregonian style hikes and walks, putting my photography to practice on her and taking her on countless photos. Yes, she’s that cute. 😉 In fact, if you like you can follow her on instagram: Meet Ms Mia