Did You Know That Taxidermy, Cheese and Leopard Print Shoes Can Make You More Creative?
At least those are three of the things that Eunice Moyle, Creative Director and Co-Founder of Hello!Lucky, swears by when looking for creative inspiration.
Eunice
Creative Walkabout. Part day-in-the-life, part treasure hunt and part photo essay, this series of walkabouts is all about makers, their stories and their tips and tricks for staying creative. To get your own creative jolt, we highly recommend sitting down and taking Eunice’s online class, Letterpress at Home. In under an hour you’ll learn everything you need to know to create your own letterpress cards, gift tags and prints right in the comfort of your home!
From obsessing over (and buying) an amazing cactus-patterned kids’ jumpsuit to snuggling up to an actual fox tail, read on to explore Eunice’s favorite spots. And yes, we BOTH believe in the power of leopard print shoes on every day of the week.
1. Hello!Lucky Studio (+ Eunice’s Home!): We kicked off our afternoon with a good old fashioned studio visit. The Hello!Lucky studio is located in the top floor of Eunice’s incredible home, just steps from Buena Vista Park. Flooded with sunlight and an incredible view, the space is bright and cheery.
Though there are plenty of books, cards and materials at the ready, what I love about the studio is that it feels like just enough of a blank canvas to foster tons of brainstorming.
The house itself has been a labor of love for Eunice and her husband Daniel. But first, let’s hop in a short-term time machine to learn how Eunice found her most permanent home here in San Francisco. Growing up as diplomats’ daughters, she and her sister Sabrina lived in about a dozen places throughout Southeast Asia, never staying in one place for more than three years. Her first stateside home was in Eugene, Oregon, where she spent her senior year of high school. From there she went on to art school in Baltimore, and then finished out art school back in Oregon. The move to the bay happened shortly thereafter, and almost two decades later, it’s easily the place Eunice has lived the longest. Which brings us back to this stately house.
When Eunice found the house, it seemed like a scene out of San Francisco’s version of Grey Gardens. Out-of-date everything, strange fixtures and the vibe of being in a pirate ship-meets-Swiss chalet-meets-flophouse. Enter a brilliant DIY-er. Eunice saw the potential behind the upholstered walls and gaudy sconces, and set to work to revamp the heck out of her new home. It’s easy to tell that an artist lives here — every wall, corner and room is its own lovely work of art.
Now, let’s take a walk :)
2. Mapamundi Kids: Our second stop of the day was at Mapamundi Kids, a brand new children’s clothing and gifts store in Noe Valley. Described as “a curated kids store with an eye for design,” it’s no wonder why Eunice has been swooning about this place since it opened. She loves finding inspiration in textiles designed for kids, especially by artists and designers in Europe and Japan. Curated awesomeness that it is, Mapamundi carries a ton of international designers that are tough to find anywhere else.
Upon entering, I was pleasantly assaulted by the sheer volume of unique patterns, colors and textures in this store. Do they make that cactus jumpsuit in adult sizes? And is it socially acceptable to buy a gold glitter kids’ backpack as a 30-something? If you’re in the market for totally unusual goodies for kiddos, be sure to hit up Mapamundi and follow them on Instagram @mapamundkids for almost-daily vignettes of inspiration.
Mill Mercantile
Next, we hit up Mill Mercantile. Founded in 2012 as the women’s counterparts to Unionmade, this highly curated (do we smell a theme here?) store has a gorgeous range of responsibly made goods. While diving into the story behind this store, I stumbled upon their core values: authenticity, quality construction and effortless, enduring design. Now those are some values we at Brit + Co can 100% get behind.
Each season, the merchants of this mercantile create a new selection goods that reflect their core values, without for a second sacrificing artistry or craftsmanship. Eunice loves to frequent this spot for that sense of quiet curation. Unlike the neons she’s drawn to in her own work, there’s nothing loud in the store; the color palette is primarily natural with a good amount of denim, linen and warm rusty tones to boot. The mix of products ranges from ceramics to organic beauty products to the fanciest chambray button-down we’ve ever seen. We see a store such as this being like the yin to our (and Eunice’s) colorful yang. Speaking of seemingly contrary forces coming together for good, it’s time to move on to our next stop ;)
4. Paxton Gate: Boom. Paxton Gate. If you haven’t found yourself lost in this store of oddities and curiosities, it’s time to plan a wander. A store dedicated to the natural world, I instantly felt a wave of nostalgia hit me upon entering. I waxed poetic about spending hours in stores like The Nature Company and Natural Wonders in the late ’80s, searching endlessly for the perfect agate slices, obsidian rocks and Tiger’s Eye pebbles to add to my rocks and minerals collection, organized flawlessly in a caboodle.
Eunice then revealed that she actually worked in Natural Wonders back in the day, and has had a thing for giant crystals ever since.
Of course, the real show pony in Paxton Gate is the plethora of taxidermy. Bison heads, jack rabbits, small reptiles and actual fox tails are all fair game in this space. In fact, Eunice has toyed with the idea of buying this fox tail you see pictured above on more than one occasion — we’re sure she’ll find the perfect excuse someday.
5. Mission Cheese: Our second to last stop centered around an afternoon snack after my own heart: CHEESE! We opted for a cheese flight and cozied up outside to chat about our mutual love of Halloween costumes, late night dance parties and France.
Like a lot of us, Eunice takes Halloween VERY seriously. For last year’s quartet of family costumes, she found herself head to toe in yellow spandex dropping off her Spiderman son at school. As she looked around to see what other parents were wearing, she realized no one else was in costume! I think we’ve all been there, and the only thing to do is rock that spandex all day long.
6. Mural-Inspired Dance Break: And finally, I asked Eunice to take me to her favorite mural for an end-of-day dance break. Talk about the perfect ending to the perfect day. Thanks a million to Eunice for spending the afternoon with our photographer Chris Andre and me — can’t wait to do it again!
But wait, there’s more! Here are FIVE more ways for you to get up close and personal with Eunice and the ladies of Hello!Lucky.
READ: Read her Meet the Maker profile and learn all about how she got started and why drawings of cats can lead to the job of your dreams.
FOLLOW: Follow Hello!Lucky on Instagram @helloluckycards.
SHOP: Check out her section in the B+C Shop.
DOWNLOAD: Download Hello!Lucky’s exclusive computer desktop and iPhone wallpapers, made exclusively for Brit + Co!
LEARN: Take Eunice’s Letterpress class! In under an hour, you’ll learn everything you need to know about letterpress printing at home.
Want to go for a walk with me? Or know a maker who does? Leave us a note in the comments below!
