Samantha Hirst is the artist behind Inklore, a block printed housewares and accessories company, based in San Jose, CA. Her work is all block printed and sewn by hand so you can be sure that what you are buying is unique, well-made, and has a story. In addition to managing the Inklore website, she also writes a journal that follows her work and the lifestyle blog, Good Measure.

6:00 AM: Stumble out of bed and into the kitchen to make coffee.

6:10 AM: Turn on computer and publish blog post to Good Measure, say hello on Twitter.

6:30 AM: Have a cup of coffee and a morning chat with my husband in the stillness of the morning.

6:45 AM: Wake up the kids, make breakfast for everyone else, take shower/get dressed, make lunches, have a second cup of coffee, help kids get dressed, make beds, tidy rooms, brush teeth, comb hair, pack lunches, pack backpacks.

7:20 AM: Help husband get out the door for work with lunch, coffee, water; find keys. Make bed, start a load of laundry.

7:50 AM: Take kids to school.

8:10 AM: Back at home, take 30 minutes to do the dishes, tidy the house.

8:40 AM: Make myself breakfast, Greek yogurt and juice. Eat breakfast while checking and answering emails.

9:00 AM: Take a look at retail and wholesale orders for Inklore, making a list of what needs to be done today and put the list up above my work table.

9:15 AM: Finish sketch started last night and transfer to block to carve later.

9:45 AM: Print growth charts and set aside to dry.

10:45 AM: My parents stop by for a visit. We head to the local Kinokuniya (mom picks up some Washi tape) and I spend some time looking at Washi papers, trying to choose a few to frame and hang at home. I can’t decide so I take a photo to remind myself to think about it some more.

11:45 AM: We stop for a coffee and a snack at Peets.

12:45 PM: I take some photos of a new project and write another blog post for Good Measure. I also write a blog post for my Inklore journal and then stop by Twitter and Flickr.

1:30 PM: I cure the growth charts I printed earlier in the oven and then finish and package them.

1:50 PM: Pick up kids from school. Make them a quick snack and make myself a cup of tea. Sit in the living room with my tea and read a few blogs.

2:30 PM: Help kids with homework and start another load of laundry.

3:30 PM: Take some photos of the amaryllis that is blooming in the kitchen.

3:45 PM: Sew up some pillows, buckets, sachets that I printed and cured yesterday for a wholesale order.

5:20 PM: Make dinner and chat with husband who just got home.

6:30 PM: Help my daughter finish a pot holder that she made for her teacher.

7:45 PM: Time to get the kids ready for bed. While they’re getting ready, I check email again, answer a few and write down orders from the day.

8:20 PM: I think about doing some more work in the studio but decide to put it off until tomorrow. Sit on the couch and start carving a new print.

9:30 PM: My eyes are getting heavy, so I stop carving and watch a little TV before heading to bed.

Thanks, Samantha!