Watercolor artist and entrepreneur Cami Monet (yes, her real name) started painting when she was just 3 years old, helping her dad put the finishing touches on his own paintings. Cami grew up in his studio/gallery in Tennessee, and has come full circle, owning her own shop and bringing her toddler to work with her. Her shop in Winter Park, a visual jewel of color and curated vignettes, showcases her hand-designed greeting cards, art prints, tabletop and party supplies, plus other fun accessories and novelties.

Her degree in journalism led her to Winter Park, where she worked for Bonnier Corp. on "Islands Magazine" for six years. In 2015, she rekindled her love of painting and started sharing her images on social media. That led to requests for prints and custom wedding invitations and stationery. Then Target and Anthropologie discovered her print and stationery line on Pinterest and entered into licensing agreements with her. National stationery chain Papyrus came calling next, and her designs and products are now sold in over 800 stores worldwide. 

"After my husband opened his sock drawer and found 500 greeting cards, he said we need to find a space to store our inventory," says Cami. "We were literally bursting at the seams!" They found a studio on Oglesby Ave. and snapped it up. "I thought it had cute curb appeal, so I had my husband completely renovate the front and create a retail store. It's sparkly and colorful and happy," she says with an infectious laugh. Her store, which officially opened in 2021, is truly a reflection of her fun personality. 

"I carry a notepad at all times, and I'm constantly writing down ideas or snapping photos of color combos that can inspire me down the road. I've learned you can't force creativity. It just has to come naturally," says Cami. She says her husband knows that if she breaks out the paintbrushes, then he better take over parenting duties so she can work. All of her designs are hand-painted, scanned, then printed on the highest quality watercolor paper available and hand packaged by herself and team of three. 

She says she got the best of both her parents -- artistic skill from her dad and the business savvy from her mom. She shared one of her dad's best pieces of advice: "You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus. Which basically means being creative and having fun with it," she says. Having fun she is -- her art brings joy to her customers and her customers bring joy to her. "I love being able to connect in person with my customers, and I love seeing their reaction to my work," she says.

Cami also has a podcast series she produced with a business partner offering lots of useful advice for starting and running a creative business. Powerhouse seems to be the right word to describe this entrepreneur who never slows down. "I'm always looking for new ways to make parties and gatherings fun, and I have some new products in the works," she says. She will be having a special event on Aug. 5, celebrating national Stationery Store Day. Customers can expect a big party, discounts and goodie bags.

Cami Monet boutique is located at 1801 Oglesby Ave. in Winter Park.