he wrote a pocket novel called 'the state that i am in.'

hello, friends! can you believe it -- the sun is out, the snow is melting, spring is peeking around the corner! and with spring comes change of all sorts -- we just rearranged the store, new merch is rolling in, and we're busy cooking up some new features for o'suz news. we've really enjoyed learning more about some of our fave peeps in our 'love it' posts over the past two years, and we'll still feature our artists, just maybe not every month. that being said, if there are any artists you've found in the shop and are dying to know more about, pop us an email to let us know!

and speaking of our favorite artists, we really want you to meet jen siomacco, creator of a pocket novel, saturday shop girl/blog revamper, and all-around swell lady. jen's been working at o'suz for nearly a year and a half now, and just before christmas we started carrying her super cute cards.

everyone loves elephants.

not only are we excited about the cards we have in the shop, but some of us have been lucky enough to get custom a pocket novel treats that we had to share. sweet and simple, and made for me!

these are my little pups, mick and romey, drawn by jen for my birthday!
she even gave romey her trademark blue eye!

and how amazing is this wedding card she made for aaron and moriah?!?
it's aaron! and mo! on a card!

we wanted to know more about jen's creative process and her inspirations, and she obliged. read her interview below! thanks, jen!

what was your first job and how did you end up doing design work?

My first job was at a bagel bakery when I was in high school, and there I learned that I never wanted to work in the food industry again. But there were always creative people around me growing up. My brother (7 years older) taught me to draw when I was young and would always let me pester him about his art projects. He is now an animator, and I would still spend every minute over his shoulder if he weren’t on the other side of the country.

I later went to the UVA School of Architecture, and after graduating I started using the programs I learned in school to create a few playful designs, and that slowly evolved into a pocket novel. I now also put my degree to work as an interface designer at a web publishing company. I really love that every aspect of my life is now somehow related to design.


what is your favorite piece/group/series in your work?

Up until the last year or two, my creative work mainly consisted of a few doodles, and plenty of mildly cartoony sketches of people, but it was always really hard for me to give form to the sketches, and to turn them into something more solid. I have really loved working within the medium of card design. It’s really allowed me to branch out and insert more personality into my work. But I think my favorite thing recently is my small series of animal cards.


who or what inspires you?

I love seeing what other people are doing, and there are just so many creative people out there. I really love industrial products and technology, and I think that people have been doing very cool things with repurposing industrial products into their work, whether it be representations of them, or the products themselves. I hope to further incorporate this in my own work in the future.

jen LOVES robots, she can even build them.

what three websites do you visit daily?

For Me, For You. I’m pretty addicted to Kate Miss’s blog full of her insights on fashion, design, and her adorable cat.

Note to Self. This not so little blog is run by a former resident of Charlottesville, and Sarah always has an amazing array of images and projects to display

Copenhagen Street Style. I spent a summer in Copenhagen a few years ago, and this blog allows me to indulge daily in my intense need for Scandinavian style.

it's the world-famous scotchie!

describe your ideal sunday.

It would start off with brunch with good friends at the blue moon diner, followed by lots of coffee and lazing about at home with my cat, catching up on my reading and enjoying the sunshine (when the snow lets it shine through).


what do you see outside your studio windows?

I work out of my home and here in central Virginia, snow is all I’ve seen lately.