Who are you, what are you, and why do you have a lion?

All very good questions, to be sure. We'll start with the first.

I am a multi-crafting college undergrad studying Art Education at BYU. I knit, I draw ('art' might be a more accurate verb, considering how just drawing isn't really the half of it), I write fantasy, and now I want to add beading, metalworking and sewing to that already rather time-consuming list. I kinda grew up on HGTV...

And as for the lion, it is a sort of personal symbol for me. When I first got to college, I started carrying around an old lion-shaped backpack my grandfather had given me for Christmas when I was six. I named him Leo, but never really used him much before then. As I walked around campus however, people started recognizing me for having him and it struck up a lot of conversations that I otherwise would never have initiated. I'm kind of shy like that..

But! I've gotten a lot better thanks thanks to him <3