At home with Seattle-area artist, author, collector, and crafter Tif Fussell

The first time I met Tif Fussell was at a celebration for the release of her first book, The Suitcase Series Volume 2: Dottie Angel. She was lovely and funny and I was thrilled to meet her. The next time I saw her was when I attended an event called Girl Crush where Tif was the resident artist. That day I got to know her better as she shared her stories of the ups and downs of being a working artist and the different types of creative blocks the she (and many others) face.
After getting to know Tif, I knew that it would be inspiring to see where she lived and worked. Right now, these are one in the same, but eventually Tif plans to have a brick-and-mortar "atelier of sorts" where she'll do her work as well as sell the things that she makes or finds on thrifting and traveling adventures. Tif describes her future atelier as, "a little working studio space where I can beaver away on my crafty makes and designs, or take time out to pen a few words of wisdom upon my blog or for my next book. And then, as and when I feel the need, I can open up the door and announce to passing folks, "tis open, come on in," and in they will come looking to buy."
Tif resides in a town east of Seattle, but dreams of a more lively location for her future shop. "I see it in a city, slightly off the beaten track, amongst other creative and quirky establishments but alas, for now I am misplaced in suburbia, waiting for the last of my clan to leave the nest. For now I plot and I plan and I have made 'an atelier of sorts' in my own front room where I can practice the fine art of having an atelier of one's own. I plan to open my 'atelier of sorts' online in the fall, and if all goes according to my well thought-out plan, a few years down the road, when we up sticks and move, I can start to look for my bricks and mortar atelier, in a side street off a bustling road, in a charming neighborhood in the heart of a city somewhere out there."
Tif was born into a family of collectors and fills her home with things that make her happy. "It was quite the norm for us to spend our Saturdays trawling round the antique and vintage markets. Now later in life with a clan of my own going out into the world, I still find myself feeling the pull towards the thrill of the secondhand find. When in a thrift store I trust my gut, if I stumble across something and it speaks to me, I will take my little forsaken find home and more often than not, give it a lick of paint, or perhaps a bit of fabric therapy."
Learn more about Tif and her work on her blog Dottie Angel and at Raverly. Keep up with her "atelier of sorts" by following her on Instagram and Facebook. Her first book is out of print, but Granny Chic is available.