Kristin Hussey is a ray of sunshine as she walks into the High Five Coffee Bar, a place she chose because she loves their Diablo Cubano. She’s crazy about what she does and it is not hard to tell – she’s smiling from ear to ear as she talks about her fairly-recently cultivated passions: designing greeting cards, posters, and wedding invitations for Sable & Gray, a company she started in January of this year. Kristin specializes in watercolor paintings and “love[s] to include nature, whimsy, and happiness into [her] designs.” She went to school for architecture, which gives her a unique perspective on design. She didn’t, however, stick with that route after she graduated because she “missed the freedom of being able to design without there being a ‘correct’ answer.” After recently taking a letterpress class at Asheville Bookworks, Kristin says she was reminded why she fell in love with design in the first place – she likes being an integral part of the process of creating, rather than sitting in front of a computer. “I am a firm believer in doing what you love,” Kristin tells me, “If you can find a way to do the thing that brings you joy for a living, and share that joy with other people, that is just amazing. I feel incredibly lucky to be able to do what I love every day!” 10 Reasons Kristin is Smitten with Asheville:

1. The North Carolina Arboretum (100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way)- Kristin really enjoys hiking the trails at the Arboreteum with her husband and two dogs
2. The Bywater (796 Riverside Dr)- “I love going there with friends on a beautiful summer day. Tip from Kristin: Try the Dirty French Broad mixed drink!
3. Asheville Bookworks (428 1/2 Haywood Road)- Kristin loves this place, especially the Letterpress Studio. She says, “It’s such an amazing creative outlet.”
4. Dessert at Well-Bred Bakery & Café (26 N Main St, Weaverville)- “Ah-mazing!”
5. Asheville Community Yoga Center (8 Brookdale Rd)- Kristin recommends Lea’s Hot Power Flow class to de-stress.
6. Fish Tacos at White Duck Taco Shop (1 Roberts St #101)- Mmmmm….
7. Biltmore Estate (1 Lodge St)- She loves exploring the trails here and says the azalea gardens are incredible.
8. The Wedge Brewing Company (37 Paynes  Way)- Especially when there’s live music
9. The Diablo Cubano at High Five Coffee Bar (190 Broadway)- Kristin’s favorite :)
10. Duncan & York Modern Market (33 N. Lexington Ave)- “I love shopping at Duncan & York! I could buy everything."

Kristin Hussey- Sable & Gray Paper Co. http://sableandgray.com/ https://www.etsy.com/shop/sableandgray http://instagram.com/sableandgray https://www.facebook.com/SableAndGray sableandgray@gmail.com