lumii market inc. stems from wanting something more for myself.
It also stems from wanting more for Canadians.

A little bit about me...I'm an open book - I have never been one to have something to hide.

I was born Canada to Finnish parents who immigrated here in 1977.

I was raised in Edmonton, Alberta, spent 3 years in Campbell River, BC (Vancouver Island), and I also spent 3 years riding horses in Norway. After each move, we came back to Edmonton and since moving back from Norway in 1996, at which time I could speak in 5 languages (not anymore though, lol). I have been in Edmonton since.

I am a mom. My life revolves around my crazy blended family of 12.

My wonderful Quebecois partner Sébastien, our 4 kids (grade 1 to grade 12), and 6 pets: A Senior bluenose American Bully named Bailey, a stubborn English Bulldog named Sir Benjamin Grim (aka Ben), an adopted Pitbull named Ty (who is the biggest scaredy cat and gentlest giant ever). Then we also have Spider (we never named him lol), the Mexican Red Knee Tarantula who is more like a pet rock, a pink Axolotl named Zucchini (the cutest tiny savage you ever did see), and a very persistent Bearded Dragon named Bob who loves watching tv, people watching at the beach and going for dips in our garden pond.

I am a Graphic Designer with more than 20 years of Marketing experience.

I have worked everything from advertising agency, major events, government, and international pet food. I have also spent 3 years teaching new design students at a local college - including writing the curriculum. I have freelanced on and off since I graduated college in 2005 under the alias Babblebox Creative. I have a diploma in Visual Communication & Design with a Major in Illustration. I have some UX Design, and Self Employment education. I have designed just about anything you can imagine, and no task is too complicated, too big or too small. My work style is playful, colourful, fun and quirky - which I feel fits the handmade world far better than corporate (although I have always been so lucky to get amazing jobs over the years!)

I am not a competitive designer. I prioritize collaboration over competition. I never design things with the intention of being "the best", I don't care about winning awards within my industry. I design from my heart and intuition - and my goal is to make my clients excited about their brand, and watch them succeed.

I am also a very hands-on creative.

I paint, draw, sculpt, paint murals, sew, sublimate, cricut, make hand dyed concrete decor, make stickers, tshirts, beaded bracelets, design themed rooms and make decor, I pour metallic epoxy floors, I love repurposing things, painting rooms, like a Candyland themed Christmas for our new home last year! I love decorating for the seasons. So you will always find me making something. I even have a 3d printer I haven't even tried yet because I haven't had the time!

I am constantly exploring new techniques and mediums and starting new hobbies (adhd, hello!), and I have the overstuffed art room and craft supplies littering every room of my home to prove it! Marketing is a career I cannot see myself doing until I retire due to its intensity - but making stuff is something I will always do. I am a creative person, through-and-through.

In 2020 I learned I am Neurodivergent.

I had been a single mom of two for 10 years - and was diagnosed with ADHD in 2021 at 41 years old, during the pandemic. It became so obvious (to me, and everyone else apparently - lol) once I knew about this - I could not believe no one had ever suggested this to me before. I was always a weird, artsy kid, but I generally embraced it. I knew I wasn't like most people - I just didn't know why - but I kind of liked that I was different.

I learned that ADHD wasn't considered a diagnosis for females until the early 2000's. I looked back, realizing how much harder I had been working my entire career compared to my neurotypical counterparts - masking my true self in corporate settings, beating myself up when I failed to control my impulsivity, working extra hours to avoid my distractability interfering with my heavy workload, only to take my exhausted self home and overreact over everything with my kids. I got medicated, and my focus improved dramatically - I stopped being paralyzed on the couch during any free time away from work. However the burnout was too real.

In September 2024, I quit my job with no plan.

I started feeling resentful and undervalued, and like no one cared how hard I worked at my job every day, how dedicated I had been, and how it had been 7 years without a promotion, or even mere recognition - and my mood would be brought home. I knew if something didn't change, my very promising relationship would fail and it was time to find a new path. Nothing was going to ruin the love that I had found after 10 years, and it has been just what I needed to reset my brain. I am so greatful for my wonderful partner supporting my decision and giving me all the patience and love in an uncertain time.

I took a year off to recoup my energy levels. I did a lot of self-work and felt like I was able to find time for myself again. I did a lot of creative projects, I did 6 weeks of daily rTMS treatments, I went to hot yin yoga regularly. I finally started getting my brain and energy levels back. I even went back to school. I was accepted into a government-funded Self-Employment program, that has given me the focus and discipline to focus on building lumii, with regular mentorship from a local business owner to support my journey. Building a business is what I feel I was made to do - but it has taken me more than 20 years to really figure out what KIND of business it had to be. I need my business to incorporate all of my interests - design, crafting, business - but also accommodate my ever-changing interests.

I explored handmade avenues I might take.

I tried a couple of markets. I liked them, but knowing how introverted I am, I felt I know myself well enough to recognize I would not be happy relying fully on operating my business in a public space. Plus I have the experience with digital work - so I thought maybe I would try selling online.

...Then I started realizing the costs involved for Canadians selling across the border. The shipping times, the customs, the platform fees, the member fees, the commissions, the exchange rates and now the added tariffs and trade wars going on... it started to seem like building an income, especially in THIS economy - just seemed... pretty much impossible to sustain. Especially in an already overcrowded market. What's worse, is I could not find many alternative options..let alone Canadian ones. I felt stuck, and a little stressed out, because the dread and anxiety the thought of going back to corporate life gave me, was starting to creep back in, and it was not a welcome feeling. Yet I wasn't going to give up. Going to school was going to be the extra boost I needed to stay on my positive path of self work. I was ready for take-off!

Then, tragedy hit my family.

In April (2025), my brother suddenly passed away. He was 52 years old. We knew he was very sick, but he kept insisting he was getting better. He did not tell anyone he was dying (or what from), and it became clear that he suffered in silence, in his very stubborn fashion.

I had just three days with him at the hospital with him, while I watched him die. He knew I was there, and he was so happy I was. He was rapidly losing cognition - with brief, intermittent moments of him being aware. On the third day, my mom made it to the hospital after driving 9 hours from BC, and I brought my son - we knew it was time to say goodbye. He had already been moved to intensive care and was hours away from his passing.

My brother had so many plans for life, and worked hard to reach retirement in a warm place, which he never got to enjoy. He was ambitious, hard working, and very creative and intelligent, stubborn and reckless. Like a cat, he definitely had 9 lives.

His life may have been cut short, but he was a fighter until his last breath. He also lived his life to the fullest with what he had.

Nothing quite like someone's death makes one realize - life is short.

My brother's death gave me a new perspective on reaching my goals. Now I see life is about doing everything I can to meet my true potential, in the time I have left on this Earth - I believe this is through helping others reach theirs and by building a supportive and collaborative community.

I dedicate lumii to my brother, my guiding light in this journey. Keep sending me signs!

Rest Easy, Pasi. 1977-2024