A Love Letter to the Places That Held Us This Year (and What’s Coming Next)
As this year quietly folds itself away, I keep thinking about place.
Not the postcard version. Not the polished, perfectly-straight-lines version.
The lived-in places. The ones with uneven brickwork, familiar front steps, crooked railings, and doors you could find in the dark.
This year, I had the honour of creating custom whimsical house portraits and favourite place illustrations for people across Toronto and beyond. Homes they grew up in, houses they had to say goodbye to, cafés where first dates happened, and the evolution of a salon that started with three friends out for a drink one night.
Every single drawing reminded me why I do this work.
My drawings aren’t intended to capture a building accurately. They’re intended to capture how the place felt.
The quirks stay. The imperfections stay. The tiny details that only matter to the person who loves that place? Those are the whole point.
What This Year Taught Me
This year taught me that nostalgia isn’t about the past… it’s about connection.
It’s about wanting to hold onto something meaningful. It’s about saying, this was a part of me.
I heard so many versions of the same quiet sentence this year:
“This brought back all the memories…”
And somehow, putting ink to paper gave people a way to keep those feelings close.
That still amazes me.
Thank You (Truly)
Whether you commissioned a portrait, shared my work with a friend, left a comment, sent a DM, or simply paused on a post…thank you.
Small businesses like mine are built on trust, word-of-mouth, and human connection. Every bit of support told me that this slow, intentional, imperfect way of creating still has a place in a fast, filtered, perfection-focused world.
I don’t take that lightly.
A Raised Eyebrow Toward 2026
As I look ahead to 2026, I’m feeling excited - and just a little bit cheeky - about what’s coming next.
Think:
More storytelling around the why behind each portrait
Favourite places that aren’t houses (👀 yes, really)
Bigger-scale illustrations that invite people to interact, not just admire (tad nervous about this one…)
Playful ways for you to step into the process, not just the finished piece (wouldn’t that be fun?)
Let’s just say: ink will still be black, lines will still be imperfect, and places will still be doing most of the talking… but the canvas might be getting a little bigger and the opportunities for interacting more frequent.
If there’s a place that still pulls at your heartstrings, one you haven’t quite been able to let go of, I have a feeling 2026 will be a very good year to honour it.
Thank you for being here. Thank you for trusting me with your memories.
Wishing you and your loved ones a fabulous, memory-filled holiday season!
