A designer, a purchaser, and a lifestyle blogger right here in the Region, Eve Adams dominates a sphere of influence that she’s created for herself after years of hard work. As the owner of E. Adams Design, as well as a blog, her work has made the lives of countless individuals a lot easier, with her advice and tips going a long way.
Before settling in Valparaiso, Adams did quite a bit of moving around in her life. Born in Massachusetts, she moved to a little island in the Caribbean called St. John when she was young, which is a part of the U.S. Virgin Islands. Since her mother was an artist constantly in search of the next inkling of inspiration, living arrangements turned hectic for a handful of years, but that’s not to say that those journeys weren't full of fun.
“My parents divorced when I was two, and my mom decided to try out island life. We actually lived on a sailboat when we first lived in St. John, but then we moved into an eco tent. We were trying to figure things out, and she found a shack that we refurbished and turned into a house. When I was 10 years old, I ended up moving to Ormond Beach, Florida, and then I attended Seabreeze High School,” Adams said.
Upon graduating from high school, Adams went on to attend the University of Central Florida (UCF), where she earned her Bachelor of Science in early childhood education. In the years following, she taught in a satellite classroom on her alma mater’s campus, having a unique experience.
After noticing negative social and emotional issues plaguing her students, Adams decided to get a dual master’s degree in mental health counseling and school counseling. Not long after that, she met her husband, a native of Northwest Indiana, and finally made her move to the Midwest. Adams’ family quickly grew, and her lifestyle shifted into a position that’s made all the difference ever since.
“After I had my son and my two daughters, I worked from home, writing freelance articles and providing photography for two local lifestyle magazines. This is the time in my life where I learned that I truly loved writing and doing complementary photography for my writing,” she said.
Just because Adams loved the writing and photography she was doing did not mean that the opportunity to expand was no longer part of the picture. Last March, she launched her design-and-lifestyle website, Hello Eve Adams. Since her husband worked in construction by way of the masonry business, she started getting into the intricacies of home design, using her already existing talents to broaden the scope of this new endeavor.
“My husband and I have built four homes together, including a spec home. We're building them to turn them around and eventually sell them. I have always really enjoyed design and choosing finishes for homes. When we built the home we live in now about a year ago, my website stemmed from it. I would be online, looking for ideas and trying to research what I wanted to do, what design elements I wanted to implement, and that's what gave me the original idea. I was able to incorporate all of my passion purposes — writing, photography, and home design,” she said.
All of these contributions are not just for Adams, either. She’s aware of her readership, and she’s always mindful of how far a message of hers is capable of going. She’s used what she loves to bring brightness to what she does.
“If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life. I really strive for my readers, or people that follow me, to relate to my work. I want them to be inspired by my creativity and my design ideas,” she said.
Even in her spare time, Adams has no difficulty affecting the community around her for the better. Besides being a monthly contributor for Mom to Mom, she’s also the mastermind behind Valpo Rocks, distributing positive messages by decorating rocks with neat art and planting them all around the Parks and other recreational areas. Every Popcorn Fest, she can be seen dressed as a Flanigan Fairy, bringing joy to children of the community.
Adams always cherishes the time she gets with family. She, her husband, and her children take an annual trip to Marco Island, taking long walks on the beach and making competitions out of who can collect the most shells. When back home, it’s board games galore.
Adams’ favor for Valparaiso is easy to understand, as it’s simple in nature: it’s the overall sense of community that she feels with each day, and wherever she goes.
“My favorite part about living in Valpo is the people. I truly cherish all of the friends I have here. I feel like I can go anywhere in Valpo, whether it be Target, the grocery store, the post office, and see people whom I know. It's just really nice. It's like that show "Cheers" where people always know your name. I just feel like my friends and family are what make Valpo feel like home to me,” she said.