About

Hey there! I'm Laura Utz.

In the summer of 1999, I met my husband when I was "working as a waitress at a cocktail bar..." We were both living in the DePaul neighborhood of Lincoln Park in the Windy City. Nathan and his ND alum buddies frequented a little Irish pub by the name of McGee's, located at Webster and Sheffield. Little did we know - that would be the beginning of our story. And it's still my favorite story to this day. We lived in Chicago and built our sweet family of three babes until a job opportunity at ND brought him back to the South Bend Area. I had stopped teaching in 2006 and was a busy mom wearing many hats throughout my day. In those early years of staying at home and during my many hours of insomnia, I taught myself how to use design software and became instantly hooked. I ran a teeny-weeny e-commerce photo card website that specialized in custom photo birth announcements, invitations and holiday cards. Most importantly, it kept me busy and fulfilled when I wasn't feeding, walking or playing with a child. Once we moved to Indiana in 2011, our home became the inspiration for many of my projects. In efforts to stop tearing apart our home, I began offering design services to local clients. These days, you can find me back in a classroom again, where not only my time, but my heart is fulfilled. I currently work as a Reading Intervention Specialist in the South Bend schools teaching struggling readers, managing social media platforms and creating teaching resources. When I am not teaching, you can find me driving my kids around, painting something, designing on my computer, or snuggling with our dog, Louie. Thank you for stopping by - I'm SO glad you're here!