about me

Hi! My name is Amanda; designer, writer, lover of travel, good food and wine, and all around badass (in my own mind at least.) No matter where I go, my heart remains rural, my days eclipsed in a life where the country is on the edge of the world and the city is at my door.

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I grew up in a pretty small town in Louisiana and moved to the ‘big city’ just after I turned 18. It’s not THE ‘big city’, but when you go from a population of 10k to 100k, it’s kind of a big deal. After a very quick stint as an engineering major, I graduated college with a degree in Interior Design and practiced for about 20 years. (20! omg) I’ve done a little bit of it all, but my favorites are residential construction and grocery store design. (I know, random!) 

My husband and I got married in 2015 after becoming friends in design school and reconnecting a few years after graduation.  After eight years and two cross-country moves for him to attend grad school, we got married in the wedding of my mother’s dreams. Ok, let’s be honest, if it was the wedding of her dreams my invitations would have been full of embossing and calligraphy and not the more modern typeset fonts we used, but my dress did have a train and I did wear a veil…

We purchased his grandparent's home and renovated it a few years ago. I've never seen so much pink in one place that didn't involve Barbie, but I guess Mamie Eisenhower really did lead a trend in design. We tore down a wall, flipped the function of the rooms, added a 8' long dining table and now we’ve become the de facto location for all things holiday and party.

Speaking of party, my friends rarely turn down an invitation to come over for dinner and we're constantly on the lookout for our next culinary adventure. When we're not in the kitchen, we're looking ahead to plan the next trip, whether it's the two of us or with friends or family. And sometimes, friends and family!

about LooseLeaf Design Group

I have a problem. I’m obsessed with paper and pens, markers, pencils, you name it. I have an entire stack of notebooks that I haven’t written in because I cannot decide what is worthy of marking up such cute paper products. About 15-ish years ago my best friend and I were looking into opening up our own paper studio – aptly named Looseleaf. That never happened and we returned to our regularly scheduled lives: she as an elementary schoolteacher and me as an interior designer. 

But the writing never really left.

Over the years, my professional path evolved into content creation and storytelling, helping businesses shape their voice through website copy, blogs, and brand messaging. Words, it turns out, are just another form of design: structure, tone, and rhythm working together to create something that feels right.

And then… friends started getting married.

I’m still not quite sure how it happened, but one moment thrust into the limelight with a microphone and a glass of champagne turned into an engagement toast, then a wedding toast, and nearly into serving as the unofficial MC for an entire wedding weekend. Like a true designer whose projects are complete but never finished, I would find myself replaying the toast afterward: Oh, I should have said this. They would have loved if I mentioned that. The attendees were none the wiser to my constant “what ifs,” and years later we still talk about some of those early speeches.

Finally, at a group dinner (and after a few drinks) a couple of girlfriends convinced me I should try my hand at ghostwriting toasts for other people. I called it the Cyrano Effect…they referred to that scene in The Wedding Planner where J.Lo feeds the best man his speech. Eh, same thing.