Why i started salted vinegar studios

Why I Started Salted Vinegar Studios

If you had asked me twenty years ago what I’d be doing today, I don’t think I could have guessed this.

I’ve been a teacher, a cheer coach, a military spouse, a homeschool mom, a photographer, a woodworker, a painter, a blogger, and now a surface pattern designer.

For a long time, I thought changing directions meant I hadn’t found “my thing.”

Now I see it differently.

Every season of my life taught me something that eventually led me here.

My husband served as an Army helicopter pilot for 27 years. Military life meant learning to bloom wherever we were planted. During our 38 years of marriage, we’ve lived in 15 different homes across the country. Every move meant starting over, making a new place feel like home, and often reinventing my career to fit whatever season our family was in.

Some seasons I taught preschool. Others I taught PE, math, or coached high school cheerleading. I spent years supporting military families during deployments. I homeschooled our children in Hawaii. Every chapter looked different because it needed to.

Looking back, I realize I wasn’t changing who I was.

I was learning new ways to use the same creativity.

I’ve never been someone who fit neatly into one box.

I painted beach sunsets because the coast has always felt like home, no matter where we lived. I built weathered wood frames for my paintings. I learned to use a CNC router to create carved signs and furniture. I designed T-shirts, vinyl decals, quilts, pet portraits, and handmade gifts for family and friends.

If there was a problem to solve, I wanted to figure it out.

If there was a system to organize, I’d probably build a spreadsheet.

If there was something I wanted to learn, I’d teach myself.

My family jokes that I’m an “OCD artist.” I prefer to think of it as being endlessly curious. I love finding better ways to organize life, solve problems, and create something meaningful.

One of my biggest inspirations has always been Walt Disney. Not because of the theme parks or the movies, but because he kept moving forward, even when success didn’t come easily. That willingness to keep trying has stayed with me.

When my husband retired from the Army, I thought I’d reopen Salted Vinegar Studios as a woodworking business. Then COVID changed everything. Craft fairs disappeared overnight, and I found myself asking what came next.

I wanted to build something that wasn’t limited by shipping large furniture or waiting for local markets to reopen. I was already spending time in Procreate and Adobe, creating artwork just because I loved it.

Little by little, surface pattern design found me.

It wasn’t part of some grand plan.

It simply felt like everything I’d learned over the years finally came together.

People often ask where the name Salted Vinegar Studios came from, and the answer is much simpler than most expect.

Years ago, I was writing a blog called The Patriotic Pam. Around that time, the Army encouraged military spouses not to use their personal names online. I needed something new.

My husband was sharing recipes, I was painting coastal artwork, and one of our favorite seasonings was salt and vinegar. We joked that the name worked for both food and beach paintings. It was memorable, a little unexpected, and available as a website name.

The name stuck.

What began as a simple blog eventually became the home for everything I wanted to create.

That’s really what Salted Vinegar Studios has become.

Not just a business.

A place to house everything I’m capable of doing and everything I still want to try.

Today my focus is surface pattern design because it brings together so many things I love. Art, storytelling, interiors, color, collections, and the idea that the spaces we live in should feel personal.

I hope my work helps someone walk into their home and think, “This feels like me.”

The artwork we choose says something about us. It tells our story before we ever say a word. My favorite pieces in my own home came from other artists whose work spoke to me, and that’s exactly what I hope my designs do for someone else.

If you’re another creative reading this, I hope my story reminds you that there isn’t one right path.

You don’t need an art degree.

You don’t need permission.

You don’t need to have it all figured out before you begin.

Every skill you’ve picked up along the way matters, even if it doesn’t make sense yet.

For years I worried that I’d done too many different things.

Now I realize every one of them led me here.

So whether you’re here because you’re decorating a home, searching for the perfect wallpaper, looking for fabric for your next sewing project, or simply following along as I continue learning and creating, I’m glad you’re here.

Welcome to Salted Vinegar Studios.