I’ve always loved design and well-crafted objects. So in 2019, with a lot of time to spare on the couch after an ACL surgery, I decided to open my own business. The Whimsy Shop was an online store featuring objects designed to make homes a little more fun – like porcelain elephants from Germany that help protect real elephants in Africa, and wooden birds made from the offcuts of tables and chairs in Italy. All the branding, website, photography, packaging, and shipping were done in-house. And by “in-house,” I mean in my small New York apartment with very limited closet space.