The Story Behind the Studio
ARTIST CHAPTER
I grew up in Atlanta, GA drawing animals, faces, landscapes, pattern designs, and making all kinds of crafts - sewing, beadwork, weaving, stitching, and 3D projects. Art was something I loved and I chose to pursue it during my high-school years and beyond!
At Illinois Wesleyan University, where I earned my BFA, I concentrated mostly on drawing, painting, printmaking and graphic design. I co-painted a mural capturing the campus as it looked in the early 1900s. I was commissioned for house portraits, church drawings, calligraphy, and graphic design work while in college. During three summers, I worked for American School of Needlework Publishing Company, creating book layouts, illustration, and instructional design, and developing a deep love for the art and cultural history of quilts.
My senior art show was a collection of original works exploring women of the Bible through symbolism, portraiture, patchwork quilt design, and hand-lettered scripture - art and faith.
ENTREPRENEUR CHAPTER
After college, I worked as an artist and product designer in Atlanta at Yours Truly Inc. and Plaid Enterprises. I launched my own business, Ambler Originals and moved back to Illinois. What started as hand-drawn patterns and cross-stitch kits for my sorority, Kappa Delta, grew over time into a full product line spanning all 26 national sororities with buttons, notepads, stickers, and gift items sold in 380+ college bookstores and Greek shops across the country.
I created all artwork, product design, and marketing myself. Eight years later, alongside three kids, a growing business, and a basement that had run out of room, I sold the company.
Later, I created a collection of ten fine art prints with themes of flowers, fabric, quilts, and scripture and sold to Christian bookstores, art fairs, and conferences across the region. Art titles like Bloom Where You're Planted, Love Grows Here, and Time for Every Season Under Heaven, still feel like the heart of what I do.
TEACHER CHAPTER
Teaching art found me gradually through Girl Scout troops, Vacation Bible Schools, church art classes, and years of looking for ways to share creativity with children. In 2019, I said yes to a formal classroom.
At Naperville Christian Academy, I taught PK through High School two days a week, developing a curriculum built around the elements of art, cultural history, famous artists, and ,most importantly, learning to draw and really see lines, shapes, colors, and patterns!
I taught through COVID, launching a YouTube channel, Mrs. Murray's Art Class, to keep students connected to art during remote learning. In 2021, I joined East Lake Academy in Lake Forest as a full-time Art and Music teacher for PKâ8th grade, building the music program from the ground up in 2022.
In 2025, my husband and I came home to Bloomington, our alma mater town, and I opened the doors to a new chapter!
I believe art is for everyone. It's not just a talent you're born with â it's a language you learn to speak. And once you do, the joy of creativity blooms!
Whether you're five or ninety-five, I would love to help you find your creative voice.