Designing Moms: Meet Kira

I have admired Kira's (of Tiara Cards) work for a quite some time. Her work is candy on paper...joyful, tantalizingly sweet, melt in your mouth designs that anyone would be so lucky to receive in their mailbox (I mean how cute are those snail cards?!). Please help me welcome Designing Mom Kira!



About Me: Born in San Diego, CA, my parents decided to move us to cold Wisconsin winters at the age of 12. I guess you could say my heart is still in California, but my husband and family are from Milwaukee, Wisconsin where we currently reside. We have a very sweet 16 month old daughter and two rambunctious cats.


What I do: In my past life I was a banker and would stroll over to a local paper store, Broadway Paper, during my lunch breaks. I decided that it was time to put my BFA to use and started designing a greeting card line in 2002. In 2003 I launched the line and now own my own stationery company, Tiara Designs. Two years ago I released a new line of cards focusing on eco-friendly materials and and studio practices called Tiara Tomato which can now be found on my new Etsy shop. Recently I licensed a collection of 52 cards for Groupe Editor of Provence which will be available in the European Union in May. I daydream of trips to France regularly so it was the perfect opportunity for me to channel my inner French girl.

What I'm inspired by: Vintage wallpaper, textiles and magazine, flowers, anything French, art museums and galleries, trips to the zoo, children's books, New York City, the ballet, my creative friends. Designing greeting cards was something that I wanted to do even in college but it took me awhile to work up the nerve or the know-how to make a move towards being a greeting card illustrator. I love designing greeting cards and am so appreciative that I get to do so.

A day in my life: During the day, I watch my daughter and work starting around 4:30. My mother-in-law babysits on Wednesdays which is my full-speed-ahead workday. A typical day starts with an out of the house activity such as story time, a walk to the park, or a play date. I try to answer calls and emails during nap time and also start dinner during that time as well. My husband takes over around 4:30 and I go up to my studio on the 2nd floor of our house to work until dinner time. Then, if all is well, I kiss the little one goodnight and work until around midnight. I am a bit of a night owl, so this schedule works out well for me.