I first met Dani several years ago when our mutual friend invited us over for a craft night. Soon we were all getting together nearly every week to make things.

We carted our sewing machines to each other’s houses and gave each other tips. Dani was just learning to sew.

Our craft nights eventually came to an end, but Dani never stopped. A forest pathologist by day, she gets out her creative energy at night by sewing purses, clothes, fanny packs, and more.

Fast forward a few years, and her hobby is now a burgeoning side business called Icelandic Ponies. She’s impressively prolific, and people are loving it. They go crazy for mushrooms and Japanese cat prints, she says.

Dani has been selling at local festivals and arts market, and she also sells directly through her Facebook page. Her work was even featured in Morgantown Magazine not long ago.

This kind of independent creative energy makes me so happy to see. We took these photographs in Dani’s back yard, where she’s growing veggies and raising chickens. When she’s not working or sewing, she’s out kayaking whitewater or riding her bike.

She’s making West Virginia living look good.