Mary admits it’s not easy to produce artwork that she loves while keeping the whims of an ever-evolving marketplace in mind. She calls herself the “She-EO” of Mary Engelbreit Studios, running the business side of the company and creating and overseeing the artwork. Her staff helps adapt her illustrations to thousands of different products.
   “It’s an adjustment, trying to find time to do it all,” she says. “Luckily, I like to draw at home late at night, so I do the business part during the day.”
   She’s never too busy for HOME COMPANION, now celebrating its 10th year. “I love showing how artists and others express themselves creatively through their homes.”
   As if that weren’t enough, a few years ago Mary returned to her childhood love of illustrating stories with Mary Engelbreit’s The Night Before Christmas, a bestseller published by HarperCollins Children’s Books. She’s currently lending her timeless style to a book of classic nursery tales, a companion to Mary Engelbreit’s Mother Goose, published in 2005. Next is a collection of fairy tales.
   Don’t expect Mary to rest on her laurels. “The real kick is doing what I love to do. To tell you the truth, the most exciting moment for me was seeing one of my books at the library. I felt that meant that I had really made it!”