Ileana Rodriguez is a mover, shaker, and lovely-thing-maker. She lives in a cozy house in Raleigh, NC with her favorite guy and two little troublemakers named Mr. Henry and Applejack.

Ileana also is a member of The Handmaidens, a North Carolina collective of designers and artists. Together, they produce Raleigh, NC's The Handmade Market, a semiannual shopping event that features a selection of the best and brightest designers from NC and beyond.

When she's not sewing or dreaming up new lovely things to make, Ileana is probably trying to convince The Mr. that they need a dog, some chickens, and a few more kitties. Or perhaps she's making iTunes playlists full of good tunes and guilty pleasures, hunting for vintage treasure at the thrift store, taking photographs, or drawing silly doodles.

Take a peek behind the scenes of Ileana's design studio and read about her adventures in cooking, crafting, and leading A Candy-Colored Life.