Hey! I’m Brittni Mehlhoff – the founding editor / art director / stylist of Paper & Stitch. I started this blog back in 2008 to catalog my inspirations and it unexpectedly became my full-time job. I actually quit my gig as a high-school art teacher to pursue Paper & Stitch full-time way back when and I can’t imagine doing anything else these days.
With a background in fine art (my BFA is in painting and drawing), I approach the content here on Paper & Stitch the same way I would a painting, with careful consideration mixed with joyful experimentation. Though these days when I pick up a paint brush, my blank canvas is usually one of the studio walls, a room in need of a restyling, a scrap piece of fabric, an old piece of furniture, etc.
As you might be able to guess from checking out the content around here, I create lots of DIY content – related to home decor, styling, fashion, and more. But I also love sharing interior inspirations (in 2018 I did a 12 rooms in 12 months series of room makeovers), cool travel guides (in 2017, Jeff and I are traveling at least once a month for the entire year – 12 trips in 12 months), quick and easy recipes and more.
And I’m a new mom too…casually navigating my way around the world of baby spit up and nursery design. My son, Hayes Moon, makes appearances every now and then around here and on Instagram.
F.A.Q.
How do you pronounce your last name? Mel-hoff. It’s easier than it looks.
I’ve seen your blog name written several different ways. Which one is correct? Paper and Stitch.
Where do you live? Currently, my husband and I live in Atlanta, Georgia. But something tells me we’ll be making our way back to the west coast at some point. I was born in California and would love to move back, but Jeff and I tend to move around a lot…and have lived in Seattle, WA / Jacksonville, FL / and now Atlanta, GA.
How would you describe your style? Organic modern with a little bit of mid-century. I also really like pretty much everything I post about in the interiors section, if you want to check that out.
Did you always know you wanted to be a mom? Nope, sure didn’t! You can read all my thoughts about to baby or not to baby on this post: Maybe Baby (which I wrote before having a kid).
Do you have any pets? Yes! I am a big time animal lover. Our dog Luna, was kind of the love of my life. She passed away in 2017, but she was a huge part of our family for 11 years. She meant so much to us that we named our son after her…sort of…His middle name is Moon and that’s what ‘Luna’ translates to.
So, yes I’m a crazy dog lady. BUT I’m also a crazy cat lady. Our cat, Franz is polydactyl (extra toes). Him and his sister were siblings that we adopted when they were kittens: Franz and Gertie. Gertie has sense passed away too. Franz is named after the artist Franz Kline, who is most well known for his black and white paintings. Franz is black and white, so that’s where his name came from.
I’m curious, what has been your most successful DIY project to date? As of right now, my most successful post to date is my tutorial for how to make a large scale rug from scratch. I never thought I’d be making a huge rug, completely from scratch, but it was so worth it.
I’m interested in sponsored content and/or a giveaway on Paper & Stitch. Do you do those? Totally! If you think your brand would be a good match for my readers and my content, head over to the sponsorships page for more details and then shoot me an email. I’ll get back to your right away.
I also offer styling and photography work for brands, outside of sponsored content, if you’d like me to create exclusive content that would be housed on your site, social media, shop, etc. You can shoot me an email for rates on that as well, based on your project needs.
What kind of camera (and other equipment) do you use? I previously had a Canon 7D that I really liked. But it was stolen on a trip to Miami with some friends. So, I decided to upgrade…and now I have a Canon 5D Mark iii. I mostly just use my 50mm lens f/1.4 and 24-70mm. I also invested in a good tripod (Manfrotto).
Didn’t you use to run an online gallery? Yes. I started the exhibition site back in 2008 and after 5 years of promoting artists and makers in that space, I decided it was time to move on. Now, I focus all of my time on this blog and freelance styling work. If you need a shopping fix though, I curate all of my favorites from around the web each week on the shop page.
I recreated one of your DIY projects on my own and want to show you how it turned out. How do I do that? Awesome. Just use the hashtag #paperandstitch on Instagram or @paperandstitch and I’ll be sure to check it out.
Do you have any other hashtags I can use to share my work with the community? Yes! The hashtags list continues to grow, so be sure to check back every so often to see if any new ones have been added. For now, here are all the hashtags that can be used for your photos on IG and beyond… #pslovesinteriors (for photos you’ve taken of cool interiors), #colorblockvibes (for any of your colorful photos), #psflowerpower (for all of your flower-centric photos), #psfoodcrush (for all of your drool-worthy food photos), and #pspastels (for any of your photos with a more muted or pastel palette).
Speaking of DIYs, do you have any tips for creating original tutorials that will get my blog noticed? Yes! I sure do. In fact, I teach a Skillshare DIY course about that very topic. You can go through all the content at your own pace and I cover everything from brainstorming original ideas to styling and photography. Over 1,000 people have taken the course so far! So be sure to check it out.
I still have a question. Can I email you? Of course. My email address is brittni(at)papernstitch(dot)com .
