The Wonderful World of Larkspur Lane & Creator Lib Mead

When you first walk into Lib Cummings-Mead’s home on Dalton Street in Daniel Island Park, you aren’t aware that upstairs, on the third floor, Lib is busy creating a whole other world. Downstairs, her elegant Charleston home is tastefully decorated for the holidays, the dining room table set and ready for the next round of guests to arrive. But if you look closely at the decor, you begin to notice that a collection of charming figures has found their way onto shelves, tables and other nooks and crannies throughout, playfully beckoning you to search for more.

These are members of “Larkspur Lane,” Lib’s world of bright, wonderful, whimsical characters, all created in her third-floor studio, which she shares with her husband and the family dog, “Sparky Pancakes.” Inspired by attic treasures, Lib has created a storybook world, brought to life using paper mache, vintage colors and her vivid imagination.

Lib, who began her career as an illustrator, began working on “Larkspur Lane” six years ago. Named after the location of her previous home in Minnesota, the line of adorable figurines includes a variety of characters with names like “Tadgarrish,” “Bearly Right,” “Bearly Wrong” and “Bearly There.” Each year, she creates a new line of characters for select holidays, including Halloween, Easter and, of course, Christmas. Her handmade prototypes are shipped to China, carefully reproduced and sold to collectors and retail outlets throughout the country.

“It’s a labor of love,” Lib says. “I really become attached to these characters, and I enjoy bringing them down from the third floor to decorate my home for the holidays each year.”

The “Larkspur Lane” line is currently in transition while Lib switches to a new manufacturer. But she is hard at work on next year’s line – a colorful cast of angel characters – which she expects will be in stores by next winter. In the meantime, you can check out some of the characters from previous lines in the photo gallery below: