For over a decade before I ever drew a mahjong tile, I designed prints for a living — surface pattern work, the kind of thing that ends up on fabric, packaging, objects people touch as much as look at. I've been lucky enough to have my designs sold with Disney, Nordstrom, Saks, and even custom shoes for Steph and Ayesha Curry (but that's a story for another day).
I used to be in a bunco club, which I loved, but the demands of motherhood became my priority for the last few years. As my children are growing older, I've had more time to gather together with my girlfriends, one of which introduced me to Mahjong. I was hooked almost immediately — less because of the game itself and more because of what happens around it. I laugh more at that table than almost anywhere else, and I always leave in a better mood than I showed up in.
Of course I needed my own set right away. I went looking and found plenty of mats — florals, pastels, the same three or four looks reprinted over and over — but nothing that looked like it came from someone who actually designs for a living. So I started sketching my own.
Before I committed to it, I dug into whether anyone else wanted this — whether I was the only person tired of choosing between traditional-and-plain or novelty-and-cheeky. Turns out I wasn't. That gap was empty enough, and real enough, that I decided to build the thing myself.
Mats and tile sets were just the start. I've since added tablecloths, napkins, notebooks, a handful of greeting cards — and I've got a running list of what's next that's way longer than what's actually live in the shop. Mahjong's a game we already love. I just wanted to give us one more reason to gather around it.
See the current collection in the shop.