About Happy Hippo

Hello!! Thanks so much for stopping by my little corner shop on the internet. My name is Kari. I am an 80's baby, Mom, Wife, and Peri Anesthesia Nurse. My life is kept busy chasing my 3 children, 2 dogs, 1 rotten cat, and of course my handsome husband. 

Crafting and creating is a huge part of who I am. I have very fond memories of sitting on the floor in my Mom's craft room while she created incredible things at her sewing machine and crafting table. I am always so proud to tell people how she made earrings and clothes for all my barbies and dolls. She had a talent for making things. I love that I have that part of her in me. My Grandma Ellen also had a passion for sewing and was always sewing up the most cozy fleece robes, jammies and quilts. It was my Grandma Ellen that taught me all about sewing patterns and how to use a sewing machine. I can still see her sewing room if I close my eyes. I think of her every time I am at my sewing machine. 

As I got older and adulting required more and more of my time, I found myself doing less crafting and creating. I would occasionally craft, sew or paint something as a way to release stress. It would always do the trick to snap me back into place.

In May of 2023 my brother Isaac passed away pretty unexpectedly on Mother's Day. He was my partner in crime, my protector, and one of my very best friends. I found myself drowning in an ocean of grief. My world completely rocked and crumbled. I struggled with grief, anger, depression, and anxiety for months before telling myself "ENOUGH!" I started seeing a grief counselor who helped me manage my grief. She encouraged me to get back into crafting and creating, to create time and space for myself to do something that filled my cup. She talked to me a lot about affirmations. One of my affirmations was "Today, I will choose Happiness. Today, we will choose joy". Because, Happiness really is a choice we have to make for ourselves. It can be so incredibly hard some days but we deserve to choose happy for ourselves. Happy Hippo was born to help me fill my own cup, but its quickly turned into a place I hope to bring encouragement to others. My hope is to bring that hope, encouragement and positivity into Happy Hippo through the items that I design and create. Designing and creating brings me so much happiness. I hope that my shop brings you some happy. Thank you so much for being here.

Love- Kari

My brother and I