A former elementary school teacher is translating her talent for watercolors into a debut collection of wallpaper and textiles.

While watercolor artist Riley Sheehey’s nearly 70,000 Instagram followers may have rejoiced when she announced her debut textiles and wallpaper collection, there was one person who remained skeptical of the venture: her mother. “When I told my mom, she was like, ‘Wallpaper? We just had all our wallpaper taken down a few years ago—I thought it wasn’t cool anymore!’” she says with a laugh. “I had to tell her, ‘No, people like wallpaper again! I promise—it’s having a moment.’”

The artist at work in her Virginia studioAbby Grace Springmann