Coffee & Conversation

Coffee & Conversation with Melissa Shepard from EmmieSueDesigns. She is the creator of the Crocheted Coffee Mug Koozie in the February MilSO Box!

Q. Please describe your connection to the military? A. My husband was in the US Navy for almost 9 years. He was an FC on the USS Vandegrift for his entire sea tour. I'm now living life as a law enforcement wife but look back on my life as a mil spouse with joy. Q. What is the story behind EmmieSueDesigns? A. During my husbands 2nd deployment I was a young milspouse in a new state with 2 toddlers. When the kids went to sleep I was incredibly lonely. I wanted a hobby to keep me busy but one that would also help me unwind from the day. When I saw some books on crocheting in the Navy Exchange one day, I remembered I had loved learning basic stitches from my aunt in high school. So I grabbed the books and began to expand my skills. I spent the rest of that deployment creating. Moving around so much and my husbands crazy schedule made it difficult to find work at our new duty station so I began selling my items to help stretch our budget. Q. Is crocheting therapeutic for you and why?! A. Crocheting is very therapeutic for me. I'm a homeschooling mom of 4 so life can get a bit monotonous at times. Crocheting and working on my business is my way of expressing myself when motherhood and marriage seem to swallow my individuality. I'm constantly surprised that people actually like what I make because all of it is stuff that I genuinely enjoy making. It's more fun than work. Q. And what about coffee? Do you love coffee?! Talk to me about that?!? A. I LOVE coffee. Like I mentioned I have 4 kids. It's not just something I enjoy drinking. It's how I function every day. I'm a 3 cup a day girl and my mid day cold brew usually has a shot of espresso in it.