MEET DENA

When I was little, all I wanted to do was draw.

In the late 80’s, 8-year-old-Dena was told that, in order to be a successful illustrator, one would have to come up with something “as brilliant as Garfield or Peanuts” – and even then, there was no money in it, so don’t bother.

Dreams squashed, I continued doodling for fun, took some drawing courses in college (which were basically the only classes I attended), dropped out and ended up “workin’ for the man” for the next decade or so. After a series of very major life events in a very short period of time, I realized that life is too short to hate your job. With the support of my husband, I quit working and started down a creative journey that gave birth to Hearts and Sharts.

The name was born after a few glasses os whiskey and some giggles over the phrase “arts and farts”. I put my own spin on it with a name that covers everything from cute and colorful to snarky and irreverent.  This all became the perfect foundation for the Hearts and Sharts tagline “a little cute, a little unexpected.”

Hearts and Sharts has had many iterations since it began in 2012. I started out selling handmade girls dresses, baby onesies, and custom pet pillows on Etsy.

In 2014 Hearts and Sharts became a DIY blog (super cringe) as well as furniture refinishing business. I started doodling and drawing again in 2016 and realized that my 8-year-old-self had it right all along. The best and most recent iteration is Hearts and Sharts as a greeting card and gift line, born in early 2018.