When it comes to Alma Loveland, “creative” is an understatement. She even met her husband, Mike, through her artwork! In 2007, the artistic duo was married and has since become an imaginative dream team — creating projects naturally inspired by their three kids. When the kids were toddlers, Mike and Alma created Olliblocks, a set of DIY blocks that went viral on Pinterest. Fast forward to the kids’ teenage years, and the Lovelands launched Your Very Favorite, “educational in a sneaky way” activity books full of puzzles, facts and jokes. These books are sold in a hundred stores all over the country (and some beyond)! Now, Alma, Mike and their team are working on an activity book for a children’s hospital network that will be used in the hospital to help relieve stress of families and kids in the ER and in long-term care. Alma is changing the world, one doodle at a time.
Fully Booked I make myself a coffee, take it out to the garden and indulge in TikTok. I’ll putter around the garden, then check on my husband and kids, and grab a stack of children’s books and magazines and my iPad. I return to my garden chair, and I read, making notes and sketches, writing out ideas. I get to bounce ideas off my family and get opinions all day long! Everyone in this house is funny, so I spend a lot of my day just laughing with my favorite people.
Plot Twist My life has been a series of turning points! A blog title that caught the attention of a stranger who became my husband, a spur-of-the-moment decision to buy software that changed my career trajectory from editing to design, signing up for a flower-growing class and turning into a lady who loves the garden.
Storybook World I could happily live in a “Where’s Waldo” world. Just doing my thing among lots of other people doing their things. I love the zoomed-out view that lets you consider more than your own experience.
Tired Trope Why don’t we use the metric system?!
Life Genre Light-hearted dramedy. I face an average set of challenges with optimism, good humor and a desire to learn and grow from both the good and the bad.
Character Backstory I grew up in a small town called Porcupine in northern Ontario, Canada.
Just My Type Bombay House. Chicken coconut korma.
The Sequel When I take a moment to daydream, I imagine us with a small office, a small staff, a small shop and a small space to engage the community with art classes and events. It’s a dream worth moving towards.