We recently had the pleasure to ask artist Lexi Grenzer alllll the questions, and we could not wait to share her answers with you.

Lexi is the artist behind the new Fern Fables Transfer, and if you've seen her work, you already know she has this incredible ability to make color feel like joy. But what we weren't fully prepared for was how much her story would sound like something so many of us have lived.

Pull up a chair. You're going to want to hear this one. ☕

Lexi grew up in a home where making things was just... what you did. Her grandmother and aunt were both well-known artists in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and creativity wasn't something you studied. It was something you breathed.

"Art was as natural as breathing for all of us," she told us. "It carried into our cooking, sewing, gardening... everything was rich in color and texture. I think it's why I love so many mediums, there's endless opportunity to create in everything we do in life."

She tells us the story of her elementary school teacher pulling her mom aside for a conference. The verdict? Lexi was a lovely student. But all she wanted to do was make art all day.

We love that for her. We also deeply relate. 😅

You'd think someone who grew up surrounded by artists, who has been creating since she could hold a paintbrush, who has licensed her work globally, you'd think she'd have felt like an artist pretty early on.

Not quite.

"I was saddled with imposter syndrome for years," Lexi admits. "I told myself, you'll be a real artist when you get published in a magazine. Then it was when I got a licensing gig. Then it was when people I didn't know bought my work online. There were so many excuses I made to convince myself I wasn't a real artist."

Reading these words from her, the so matter-of-fact nature of it, that we had to sit with it for a second. Because that's the thing about imposter syndrome, it's incredibly good at moving the finish line!

"At some point, I just embraced it and realized I was born to create. If that made me an artist, then so be it. Just do what you love, the rest will follow."

Lexi is largely self-taught in watercolor, acrylic, and leathersmithing, which basically means she learned the way most of us do: she opened the paints and played!

"I can understand the fundamentals of a technique, but I need to explore products and mediums all on my own," she said. "By doing this, I have been able to create a style that is all mine."

And her advice to her own students? (We're writing this one down.)

"I always encourage my students to copy a technique first to learn it, then allow your own personal voice to come through. Be patient and kind to yourself while exploring, but also trust your instincts, then run wild!"

Run wild. YES. That's the whole thing, isn't it. ✨

Ask Lexi where her love of birds and botanicals comes from and she gets a little nostalgic.

"Being an only child, you find lots of quiet ways to keep yourself busy. Bird watching, cloud gazing, fishing. All outdoor activities. So nature is what spoke to me most, and it just stuck with me."

And it’s like we can see her grin... "Secretly, I always wished I was like Cinderella or Snow White and could speak to all my fur and feathered friends. Nevermind the prince stuff, I just wanted to frolic in nature and speak with creatures."

Honestly, Lexi. Same. 🐦

That same sense of wonder is exactly what you see in Fern Fables. Every element feels like something she found and loved before she ever painted it.

This is Lexi's third transfer with IOD, and she says each one feels completely different.

"I have the unique position of handing my original artwork over to IOD and letting them breathe new life into it. It's literally a surprise and grand reveal every time I see what they do with my work."

For Fern Fables, IOD's founder Sally gave Lexi a simple brief: folk art, Lexi's style, total creative freedom. Which, if you know Lexi, is basically handing someone a paintbrush and saying "go be yourself."

"Folk art has been around forever, the whimsy of it is right up my alley," she says. "If I had to identify a mood, it would be the child-like freedom of letting go and simply coloring just to color. You can use all the bright and happy colors, the shapes don't have to make sense, no flower is the same, and there's no wrong way to approach it."

No wrong way. That's not a throwaway line. That's genuinely how this product works. Because Fern Fables is a multi-sheet Transfer, you can layer, rearrange, and build your own composition, which means every finished piece ends up looking a little different. A little yours.

We asked Lexi what she hopes someone feels the first time they use this transfer, especially someone brand new to IOD.

"I hope everyone just feels inspired to play, to feel joy and pride in making something pretty. That's the beauty of IOD, you can make the most wonderful projects with these products."

Play. Joy. Pride. That's it. That's the whole brief.

If you've been on the verge of trying something new, or if you've got a piece of furniture quietly waiting for its moment, Fern Fables was made for exactly this. Lush botanicals, folk art whimsy, and one artist's lifelong love of color poured into every single sheet.

Find Fern Fables at your local IOD Stockist. Not sure where to shop? Hit the Where to Buy button at ironorchiddesigns.com to find a store near you.

Lexi Grenzer is a licensed mixed media artist based in Northern California. Fern Fables is her third transfer with IOD, following the beloved Whispering Willows. Both are available through IOD Stockists.