The Country Style feature story illustrates that from difficult circumstances, beauty can emerge. A cancer diagnosis for me was simply terrifying, but the silver linings of a painful recovery process appeared everywhere and very frequently.

I found myself surrounded by love and care from family and friends and a ground-swell of good vibes that certainly helped me heal.

It also prompted me to take the leap and pursue a life-long passion for textiles and design, by launching PieceByPieceHome.

When I lived in London 12 years ago I would regularly visit the Victoria & Albert Museum and stare in awe at what people had created with fabrics and embellishments.To now find myself working everyday designing home and fashion textile pieces that are one-of-a-kind is a dream come true. 

Akira Monagawa, a Japanese textile and fashion designer, has a philosophy around his pieces being made with joy during the manufacture process and this joy then being experienced by the owner of his creation.

I love and respect Monagawa's approach to design. I aspire to have some of the magical, joyous feelings that I experience when I design my one-off pieces to make their way into the lives of my customers.

Thanks so much to the fabulous team who helped me share my story in Country Style Magazine:

Sharon Misko - art director & producer

Alex Speed - Journalist

Abbie Melle - photographer 

 Click here to view the online Country Style Magazine feature: