Virginia Woman Builds Business That Lets Her Be At-Home Mom

By Courtney Collins

After quitting her job to be a stay-at-home mom, one Northern Virginia woman decided that's a choice she shouldn't have to make. So she created her own business to combine her passions.

Kristin Matheis' workspace is a little untraditional.

Instead of file folders, she works with bagfuls of art and instead of heading to the office, she works above her kids' playroom.

Before deciding to stay home with her kids, Matheis had 16 years experience in design and marketing.

"It was a tough decision after I had children not to return to that because I really enjoy what I do," Matheis says.

But after Matheis was presented with heaps of her son's preschool artwork, an idea started to form.

"I thought there had to be a way to combine what I knew as far as publications and printing and his artwork, so I created the Preschool Palettes book," says Matheis.

Her business took off from there.

Matheis digitizes artwork and lays out the images in a hardcover book. She started small but now takes orders from the D.C. metro area and beyond.

"It's a great opportunity to be able to do both...and I think it's a great example to show my children," she says.

Matheis wants them to grow up knowing it's possible to both work and stay home with your family, as long as you're willing to get creative.