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ABOUT


Hi!! I'm Jessica Kirkland, the face behind Pen + Paper Flowers!!
I'm so happy you are here!!

I'm very camera shy so you won't find too many photos of me around here but I thought it was certainly appropriate to put a face with a name while I introduce myself to you.

In a nutshell, I'm all about Making + Baking + Photo-taking…in real life and on this blog.

If that's not enough information for you then keep reading…otherwise you can stop here and know that I hope you'll be back to visit often!!

The story behind the blog name...Pen + Paper Flowers

The short story.
Pen + Paper are my jam and I consider myself "one with the wildflowers". 

The longer, deeper, more personal story...

PEN - the inkessentially the dreaming stages of my creative ideas as well as my love for having a pen in my hand for doodling, lettering, writing, handwritten letters, creating lists and journaling.
PAPER - the foundation - the start for all of my creative projects as well as representative of my obsession for tissue paper, wrapping paper, gorgeous paper products + packaging, beautiful stationery and the printable art prints, home decor + celebratory signs I design and sell in my shop.
FLOWERS -  my three beautiful daughters that inspire my world. Also a symbol of my ongoing thirst to learn, grow + bloom.

Clara, Ella and Emalyn - October 2014

There's a lot of different things I do and love
but I've figured out a simple word that defines who I am in all of the different areas I'm passionate about...I'm a designer.  I love graphic design, interior design, baking, party styling but mostly I try hard to focus on designing a life and home that has an organic authenticity with an heirloom quality and I wish hard on the stars for a fairytale ending. (don't we all).


I'm not a cowgirl girl…but I'm a country girl...
The cowgirl hat I'm wearing might fool you into thinking I'm the kind of girl that…
rides horses, owns a pair of western boots, does line dancing, and listens to country music. 
But that's not me at all. 

The "cowgirl hat" is actually my favorite BEACH hat.
However, open prairies, old farmhouses, acres of farmland, dilapidated barns, old tractors + vintage trucks, aged hardware, authentic pine wood flooring, century old oak trees, old architecture and the good ole USofA speak to the deepest parts of my soul.

Illinois - 2009

At the same time, I also have an intense love for sunshine, having sand in my toes and listening to the soothing sound of ocean waves. It's part of who I am…part of how I grew up here in Florida…and still what I crave today.

I'm just NOT a city girlI don't crave a fast-paced life at all.
Slow, charming towns with cute shoppes, character and rich history are always where it's at for me.

I believe in dandelion wishes, true love, happily ever-after and that attitude is everything.
I'm a list-maker, goal-setter, go-getter and an absolute hopeless romantic.
I love to paint and I'm inspired by things from the past like pieces of old French Ironstone and antiquated baking tools.

My heart skips a beat for porch swings, picket fences, farm fresh eggs, creamy whites and a bouquet of hand-picked wildflowers.

Illinois - 2009

I absolutely LOVE music…like I can't imagine my life without it.
It's always been a powerful, healing, influential and inspirational part of my life.
I listen to everything from Mozart to Madonna…
Sarah McLachlan to Staind...
Baroque to Booty Music. (because I LOVE to dance) *wink*

I'm a sponge for learning new things, I'm a sucker for charming baking books and I have an addiction to collecting pretty cake plates.

I love magazines and books that focus on home decor, baking and cooking. (my bookshelves hold old + new publications of Southern Living, Martha Stewart, Country Living, Better Homes and Gardens and the occasional French Country publications).

I rarely sit down for t.v. but I'll make time for a funny movie every now and then because I LOVE to laugh…and I don't think I do enough of that!! (fave funny movie is Elf - Ha!!).

UPDATE: I'm now addicted to HGTV's Fixer Upper t.v. show and I live vicariously through Joanna Gaines. I just love her cute family + funny husband, Chip but I'm mostly addicted to her design style which is exactly what I'm going for in my own home. Is she my sister?

I prefer sweet to savory, I rarely do "boxed" anything, I only use real ingredients and I would rather bake and cook from scratch. (although that's not always possible)

I'm all about home-cooked meals around the table with my family, getting lost in the magic colors created in the sky by the rising/setting of the sun…and rainbows…I'm all about the rainbows.

I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, I can throw a football better than some guys I know and when it comes to weather I prefer the heat to the cold…all day…any day.

T-shirts and jeans are my favorite, (though most days you'll find me in yoga pants - NOT doing yoga by the way), and I wear the same pair of diamond stud earrings nearly every day. You'll find my hair in a messy bun most days, I don't wear makeup aside from mascara, a little bronzer, and lip balm and I'm terrible at keeping my hands moisturized. (oh wait…I do wear lipstick and lip liner on special occasions).

I'm a girl who LOVES her family - and not just my own kiddos. I'm talking every single one of my aunts, uncles and cousins. We're close…really close. My grandparents did an amazing job at keeping us connected and I'm determined to keep things that way - despite the occasional drama...because let's face it…we all have it! *wink*

I stop for turtles, brake for squirrels and I want to swim with the dolphins one day.

I don't feel complete unless the oven is on, I'm wearing an apron, I'm baking up something sweet and the cookie jar is full.


read into everythingover-analyze most things and struggle to just keep things simple.
Which in all honesty is all I really want…simplicity.

I know the value in keeping confidences, I always give people the benefit of the doubt, I am trusting and a bit naive…which oftentimes leaves me vulnerable.

I've had my heart deeply broken, my world turned upside-down and have felt and still feel, the deep pain and sorrow that accompanies loss and all of that other "upside-down-world" stuff I just mentioned.

I've experienced tremendous joy and sadly, crushing heartbreak. I'm still putting my heart-pieces back together to keep me grounded, to prevent my heart from becoming hard and to tear down the walls that have left me guarded. I am so guarded you guys and I wasn't always this way.

My story is nothing like I had imagined it would be and yet it's still MY story…
a story that's incredibly beautiful + messy + confusing + hard to follow and yet so wonder-FULL.

I'm doing the best I can…with all I have been given…but I'm always dreaming and reaching and struggling…just like the rest of you. And through all of my dreaming + reaching + struggling I'm always hoping to inspire others along the way - especially my three daughters!!

It's funny…I think I'm pretty simple but I've been told I'm not nearly as simple as I think.

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