“My husband and his brother decided to buy this house together before we were married. The original plan was that my brother-in-law would live in the house and my husband would build a shop for his custom motorcycle business in the backyard. But years have passed, and the land is harder to divide than they thought, and now we have kids, and everyone’s plans for the future are always shifting, etc. So, right now we are taking a turn living in the house for a year or two until we all decide what to do next.”

Artwork by a friend of Erin's.

"We moved into this house in March, just as everything was shutting down, which in some ways felt like a stroke of luck. The last place we lived was on a busy street with a very small yard and it was a great change to be able to spend a lot more time outdoors, especially being home-bound."

"At this point in our lives, I think we are just happy to have a home in a place that we love. I actually think that 100% of our furniture was gifted to us from our parents and grandparents, and that works for us for now. I recently read Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer and there’s a beautiful part of the book where she talks about the difference between gift and commodity. I think that is a lovely distinction to be aware of and it's something I think about a lot. We haven’t made a lot of style decisions in our home yet really, but everything around us was a gift from someone who loves us and that’s pretty cool."

"My favorite piece of furniture is my bureau because it belonged to my great grandmother, and then my mother, and now is mine. It’s also just a really cool piece. I love the details and intricacies of old furniture. We also have some really cool jade sinks that my brother-in-law found at an old farmhouse. I have made some colorful quilts and stuffed toys for the kids too and those things feel really special."

Violet wears a shirt from an upcoming collection by Erin's label, Pulp.

August wears a shirt from Sēm label and pants from Miriam Starling.

"I definitely have a 'less is more' philosophy on life in general, but our home is really small with limited storage, so perhaps my philosophy right now is more like 'conceal, don’t feel.' I am a bit obsessive about not having anything that I don’t need or actively use, but when you live in a small space it always feels like you have a ton of stuff. What I am most drawn to visually are spaces that are very simple and minimal, but with lots of color. And plants."

Making a break.

"It’s a lot of fun to relive the magic of childhood through your kids. My kids are full of curiosity and fascination about everything and I love watching them discover the world around them. I am also supremely fascinated by them. Their ideas, their interests, their wonder, their sense of humor."

“Probably the thought of my kids becoming teenagers.”

The cutest little face.

Violet wears a shirt from Red Creek Kids. Erin wears an organic thermal shirt from Gamine. They both wear matching pants hand-made by Erin.

“Yes, I think so. I was the third oldest in a family of nine, so I became comfortable with ‘mothering’ at a young age and I’ve always wanted to have my own children.”

"I don’t know what excites me about their genders specifically, but it is definitely wonderful and exciting to watch them grow and observe all the ways that their personalities are so different. We chose not to find out their sex until they were born and it didn’t matter to us either way."

Kid art and a pic of August and his daddy.

"Both of their first names are just names that we loved. My son is August Stillwell (Stillwell is my father-in-law’s middle name) and my daughter is Violet Winslow (Winslow is my husband’s middle name)."

"I grew up in a big family. As I mentioned, I am the third of nine kids! We had a crazy, fun, and busy house and spent a lot of time outside. We grew to be each other’s best friends and still are to this day. I feel incredibly lucky to have my family."

"I think we are relatively laid back in general, but strict about the things that feel the most important to us like kindness, generosity, and honesty. We have two really good kids and we adore them."

Colorful tabletop treasures, including the classic children's book Little Bear's Visit.

"August is five and loves Legos, the skatepark, digging for worms, painting, reading stories, and making 'ventions' (inventions)! He wants to take all of his toys apart and build them into new things. Violet is two and she loves babies, the swing set, puzzles, and changing her clothes 100 times a day. Both kids love to ride four wheelers with their dad."

"I would say that one thing I forgot to do was to prepare my first child for the arrival of the second. I think I spent time mentally preparing myself for the transition, but for some reason I didn’t think about how this was going to be such a big shift and change for him."

“My mom, who is the most amazing person. My grandmothers and aunts, who have taught me so much by example. And countless other women who have mothered me in one way or another. Also my friends as we all figure this out together.”

Getting buckled up to do some nature-centric exploring.

“We both grew up here, so it’s home for us and we love being able to share that with our kids. I am pretty adventurous and I would love to see more of the world, so I would never completely rule out living somewhere else, but I think this place will always feel the most like home to us.”

“We live in a small coastal town with beautiful beaches and plenty of farmland and conservation land. There are so many places for us to enjoy exploring close to home. This past year we spent a lot of time wandering in the woods, walking the beach, hiking our favorite wooded trails, picking flowers, digging for bugs, and swimming in the ocean. I am definitely missing things like museums, galleries, libraries, and coffee shops—but thankful for so much time to enjoy being outside together.”

Inside the gorgeous local nursery Peckham’s Greenhouse.

"Pulp originally started as a school project. I studied graphic design in college but in my senior year I became specifically interested in textiles and surface design. I started doing a lot of pattern design and fabric printing. The most exciting evolution for me during this time was becoming enamored with the process of applying digitally designed artwork to real, tangible objects. I started making my printed fabrics into all sorts of different things and that was how things first began. In the coming years, as Pulp became a more established brand, what I became more focused on was a desire to be a colorful, organic option for folks. Things are changing now, but there was a time when buying organic and ethically made clothing meant a variety of 'bran' or 'wheat' colored items. I like plain stuff too, but what drives me is to create pieces that are colorful, fun, and artistic while still made in the least harmful way possible. As Goethe says, 'All living things yearn for color.'

"What felt really important to me right from the start was to be very mindful about what materials and processes I was using to make these things. The world is so full of things already and the fashion industry specifically is one of the most harmful industries on the planet. I couldn’t sleep at night if I knew I was just making more things that would end up in a landfill. I worry endlessly about making things that I think people really need, that serve a purpose, that are well made and special enough to be cherished for a long time, and that aren’t like anything that’s already out there."

All aboard!

"Before launching Pulp I had a job that I loved at an educational travel agency in Boston. On maternity leave I was designing and printing fabrics at home for fun. When August needed a hat and I couldn’t find one I liked, I started making them out of my printed fabrics. Keri from Found Company (an online concept shop at the time) saw them and asked to order some. Once they got out there, I had a lot of people asking for them and started having a hard time keeping up with the orders. Things moved fast and I didn’t start with a really solid business model or vision in place, so that’s something I had to develop over time, but that was how Pulp first transformed from a personal project into a real business."

Second stop: Picking up veggies for dinner at Walker's Roadside Stand.

"Timing was so lucky on this because in 2020 I had decided that for the first time I would not make all of the hats myself. The previous summer was so intense that I worked with a production team this year to take over sewing all of our hats. Due to COVID, there were so many delays and the hats we had scheduled for March finally landed at the end of July. The shirts we started last December finally arrived in November! But it wouldn’t have been possible for me to sew all of those things by myself with my two little ones at home full time, so it was good timing in that regard."

Being the best mom ever.

And again!

"I once heard 'do what you do best and source out the rest.' That was important for me to hear at the time because I was trying to do everything. I printed rolls of fabric by hand, would cut and sew every piece, package, ship, email, keep the website updated, do all of the design, photos, social media, etc. I sat with this idea of doing what I do best and decided what I really love most is design. I like to be thoughtful and intentional and create a product that I feel is different, functional, and meaningful. I like to imagine something that doesn’t exist and then move it into motion and watch it come to life. I am now happy to have help with everything else! My fear is that I don’t want things to move too fast. I don’t ever see myself becoming a mass producer of things. I would much prefer to have a few thoughtful, well designed, and useful pieces that can serve a purpose for people than to have a huge catalog."

A hatch-back picnic in front of the flower fields at Moniz Farm.

"I don’t think anyone in my life would consider me terribly stylish. I really love fashion and I am fascinated with it as an art form, but in practice I am a pretty simple person and I usually need my sisters to get me dressed. Most of my clothes are from thrift stores, but I have a favorite pair of work jeans from Gamine (run by my friend Taylor just a few miles down the road) and I wear them almost every day. I am the type of person who will find an outfit that works and wear it until it falls apart."

"I definitely wear stretch pants more than I’d like to admit."

"Beauty routine? Is that something people have? I wash my face (I like Coco Kind's Sea Kale Clay Mask) and sometimes fill in my eyebrows a little, but that’s it. I don’t actually know how to use makeup and I don’t really like how it looks. After two kids, I am definitely starting to notice myself looking older, but to be honest, I like aging. I think age is beautiful and it’s kind of a shame that our society sees it so differently. I can’t think of anything more beautiful than an old wrinkled face, full of life and wisdom. I wish we treated age more like an honor."

Best bumper sticker.

"This is always changing. Pre-pandemic, I would go to the YMCA and play squash with my mom and sisters. We would always go in a group of three so that whoever wasn’t playing could entertain the kids on another court, and it was a lot of fun. At this point in pandemic life, my main wellness activity is trying to sneak in ten minutes to read when my kids fall asleep in the car."

"I think pre-pandemic, my main 'me time' was working. I love the work that I do and it has been especially exciting for me to create Pulp and watch it grow. That time spent working definitely helped me feel alive and driven and purposeful. This past year it has been a lot harder to find regular 'me time,' both because we are home all the time due to the pandemic, and also because I am not sewing any of our products anymore, which means I spend a lot less time working. I am hoping to sign up for a design class this coming semester and I think going back to school will be a much needed creative outlet for me."

Last stop: the beautiful Dundery Brook Trail.

Erin wears a top from Sugar Candy Mountain, Levi's jeans, and Blundstone boots.

"I think the most important thing is balance. When you work for yourself it’s easy to feel like you should be working all the time because there’s always something you can be doing. At first, I tried to do it all with August in tow, but that was really hard. It took awhile for me to learn that I needed help watching him so that I could establish designated work time and designated family time. I want my kids to know I am fully present with them when they are with me."

"Yes! I think until very recently I have felt so much mom guilt. When August was first born I couldn’t imagine missing a single second of his life. I thought initially that to be a good mother I had to to be fully focused on mothering and let go of working for a while. What I have realized over time is that if I am not doing anything for myself then I have less to give my children. Working and creating are things that make me feel full and alive. When my life is full I have a deeper well to draw from for all the love and attention and encouragement my children need. Of course I want to be with them all the time, but if I am not able to thrive as a woman, I have less to give them. To me that means that part of being a good mother is to do whatever I think makes me the best version of myself."

"For me this past year has been one of accepting responsibility for the role that I play in all that is wrong in our country/world. I think that I have always considered myself a 'good person,' but in reality have done very little to actively combat racism or inequality in our country or even in my own community. I have a lot to be educated about and there are no excuses. I recognize that I am part of the problem and I want to change."

"One thing I have done for my own wellness is to get off of social media, which I have found incredibly liberating. At first, Instagram felt a little bit like a community for me and a great source of inspiration. In time though, I have become disenchanted with all of it. I feel the resounding message of Instagram is something I don’t really want to buy into. Also, for me, too much inspiration almost has the opposite effect and makes me feel less creative. I appreciate Instagram because so many of our customers have found us that way. I still have an account and can use a desktop computer to check my messages, but it doesn’t feel like a place that I want to spend my time and removing myself from that has been great for my wellness. I am so much more creative, driven, and present in my real life."

"Trust myself and don’t touch my face."

For more on Erin and her company, be sure to visit Pulpco.us and follow @pulp.co on Instagram.