About Us

I became Momma Owl shortly after we adopted our then 3-year-old daughter. One day, while we were at the grocery store, we got separated. My wife, fully expecting our daughter to call out “Momma,” asked her to find me. But instead, our daughter started yelling, “Hoo! Hoo!” And in that moment, I just knew—it was her calling to me from two aisles over. Without thinking, I “Hoo! Hoo!”’d right back. She kept calling, her little voice echoing down the aisles, until we were finally reunited. When she reached me, she wrapped her arms around me, looked up with the most sincere and gentle eyes, and said, “You’re my Momma Owl.” Cue the tears. My wife teared up right there in the middle of the cereal aisle. I felt a lump in my throat and warmth spread through my soul, as I whispered back to her, “And you’re my Baby Owl.”

I promise you, this isn’t a story from a children’s book—it’s our real, beautiful, magical moment. This is the moment that started it all.

Flash forward a few years to the summer of 2019 on the shores of Hawaii at a once-in-a-lifetime play therapy retreat. And of course—if you're going to have a play therapy retreat in Hawaii—you have to include some sand tray training on the beach, right? Retreat instructions were to bring 5-10 sand tray figures for creating your own sand tray. By that time, I had been making “minis” for a few years, so I brought several homemade figures with me. My MO for making minis was simple: create what I needed for my own sand tray work or make what clients needed but couldn’t find or afford. At the retreat, a few folks saw my minis and were impressed—nothing too dramatic, but definitely kind compliments. Some of my figures were even used by my table mates during activities, which made me feel really good.

By the end of the 5-day retreat, I had given away most of my homemade figures to various people because I felt they might need or benefit from them. It was during our time in Hawaii where we were encouraged to start a business selling my figures. While flattering (and admittedly a bit flattering in a "Oh, maybe they know something I don’t" way), starting a business was not exactly on our calendar—especially since our calendar was mostly full of things like "eat food," "sleep," and "try to figure out what exactly this whole 'business' thing involves."  

Somehow, someway, when we returned from our trip, we figured out how to open an Etsy store, create products on a large scale, and do it practically overnight in our "home studio" (aka the kitchen). There were a lot of late-night “what did we get ourselves into” moments, a few too many cups of coffee, and a lot of glitter in places it probably shouldn’t have been. But somehow, we made it work. That was back in 2019—and honestly, it feels like a lifetime ago.

Fast forward five years, and we’ve definitely outgrown Etsy, which is kind of like growing out of your favorite pair of sweatpants (a little bittersweet but definitely necessary). We’ve since launched our own website, which has become our digital home for all things sand tray magic. But the real upgrade came when we finally outgrew our home studio—also known as “the kitchen”—which was great for creativity, not so great for being able to make dinner without accidentally stepping on tiny sand tray figures. So, in an effort to preserve both our marriage and our sanity, we built an art studio in our backyard. It’s amazing. It’s spacious. It’s definitely not the kitchen. And it’s helped keep our sanity intact.

We now travel the country several months each year, connecting with people, vending at conferences, and spreading the word about our handmade figures. From kitchen chaos to backyard bliss, it's been one wild (and very paint splattered ride--no seriously I don't think I own a t-shirt without paint on it at this point!), and we’re so excited to keep growing and sharing our creations with all of you!