more about me

Hi - welcome to The Messy Nest … I’m Jen Osborn, an artist & maker living in a tiny forest in rural Michigan. I used to write for the craft magazines before I started sewing for a living, and my favorite thing to do is art journal. I looked all over & tried SO MANY different journals, but I could never find exactly what I was looking for so I started making my own. I wanted something sturdy enough to withstand daily use, but fun to look at & interesting to touch … I wanted something that looked like it was made just for me. Plus I like to work flat so I needed pages I could take out & then put back in … and I wanted to be able to insert a variety of things depending on what I was using it for. ( so needy right?!) That’s how the watercolordori was born … a refillable sketchbook with watercolor pages & a unique to you quilted cover with a pocket to hold all the weird things I collect on the daily (like $2 bills & feathers). My artist friends liked it so much they started asking me to make one for them too, and next thinkg I knew I was making them for everyone & I’ve never been happier.

I don’t just make journals; I sew totes & pouches and all kinds of other homegoods too. Everything in my shop is handcrafted lovingly by me from my very quirky fabric collection. I have a knack for blending colors & prints in unexpected ways. I try to always have pre-made goods in my shop, but I ALWAYS love making something special just for you, EXACTLY how you imagined it in your mind … or maybe if I’m lucky it’ll be even better.

Now offering Gift Sets - each one a collection of coordinating prints & colors so you don’t have to wonder what matches.