our story
The idea was born one evening in a living room surrounded by amazingly supportive sisters. Alison had been considering the idea of writing a devotional for years, but wasn’t exactly sure what that would look like. After brainstorming, she landed on the concept of a magazine-like-publication that was perfectly curated to include the voices of strong women, support small businesses and encourage readers in their walk with Christ.
By Design is a quarterly publication intentionally designed to foster personal growth, create connections and encourage readers. Part editorial magazine, part thematic devotional entries, the journal as a whole serves to stretch women of all ages and walks of life as they discover who God has designed them to be. With each new issue, expect to find unique guest authors, fresh devotionals to use in your quiet time and fun surprises like hand-lettered prints!
meet the team
alison stoner
Alison is By Design Journal's Founder and Editor in Chief. Alison curates the content of each issue - setting the theme, organizing the guest contributors and writing each of the eight devotionals that are included in every issue. She's the person behind the scenes of our social media, and if you reach out via email you'll be communicating with her! She's a wife and mother to four beautiful children, and a lover of flowers and pasta!
chelsey dankert
Chelsey is the Creative Director for By Design Journal. Chelsey passionately brings to life the stories shared by all of our writers by prayerfully considering design concepts that covey emotion. Chelsey is the owner of Wilderness Roads, a marketing and design company specializing in working with small businesses and nonprofits. Chelsey is the mother to four little ones who keep her busy throughout the day. She loves summertime, especially camping, but when the cold Michigan winters bring her inside, her adventures take place in the kitchen, where her favorite thing to create is soups!
emily marshall
Emily is the Proof Reader and Copy Editor for By Design Journal. She dives into each article with a meticulous eye, ensuring commas are in the right place and no typos are overlooked! With a big heart for others, Emily spends her days working with the elderly and disabled as a social worker. She enjoys the cooking and cuddles of her beloved husband, John. She enjoys sleepless nights as a new mom to a beautiful baby boy, Dexter. As a coffee aficionado, she can often be found with her steaming cup and a good book in hand. Emily goes on daily walks and runs in her neighborhood, earning points for her Harry Potter themed running club.
carly beard
Carly is the girl behind the camera at Carly Kristin Photography, and is taking on the lead photographer role at By Design Journal. Carly's pride and joy is her family - her husband, Joe, and their three children Kinzlee, Charlie and Everly. Always seeking an adventure, Carly loves to travel! Whether it be to campsites in Michigan with their camper, a beach house on the Outer Banks, or their most favorite vacation spot - Disney World, Carly and her family love to experience life together in new places!
bethany bradford
Bethany is the Prayer Mother for By Design Journal. Beth prays over each and every contributor to our journal - for their success, their protection and their personal growth. She prays for our readers - that they may hear what God is revealing to them specifically. She prays for our growth, both as a new publication trying to reach an audience, and for our spiritual depth as content creators. Beth recognizes that prayer is a powerful and effective tool against the schemes of the enemy (James 5:16), and is prepared to fight any battles that come our way on her knees. Bethany and her husband Cole are raising their three boys, Graham, Garrett and Grady to be little adventure loving men of God. She is currently a stay-at-home mama, but also holds a doctorate in Physical Therapy.
chelsea woods
Chelsea joined the By Design team in 2022 as the Community Cultivator. Chelsea is passionate about creating environments for women to support one another so that they can thrive collectively and individually. She has a heart for youth, serving faithfully every Sunday in her church's student ministry program, as well as overseeing a mentor-based reading program in the elementary schools in her city of Jackson, Michigan. A lover of pretty words, Chelsea is also a talented hand-letter and shares her gift through digital art that usually has a beautiful God story paired with it!
2022 featured contributors
cassie showerman
In each issue you will find a discipleship teaching under Cassie's column entitled: Going Deeper. Cassie is a Bible Teacher and Christian Apologist. As someone who didn’t become a Christian until her mid-twenties, she has dove into studying the Bible and searching for logical reasoning and historical evidence to back up her faith. When Cassie isn’t with her four kids and husband, she is working at her church. Cassie also enjoys pouring herself into teaching discipleship and theology basics through her Instagram account. As an extrovert, she loves connecting with people and learning their stories. Cassie also loves cooking and baking - often imagining herself on an episode of Chopped as she tries out a new recipe she’s found online.
lit sis
Haley Kingsley and Maddy Burkholder, together known as “Lit Sis”, are two sisters who love literature and sharing their thoughts, reviews and ratings on all genres of books! In each issue, you will find the sisters' commentary in the Book Nook column. Their weekly podcast “Lit Sis” (available on Spotify) covers their monthly reads, all things happening in the literary world and just fun conversation. Maddy has been a writer her whole life and is currently working on publishing her first novel. Haley has been a lover of books and being in the “know” when it comes to new releases! Both have been avid readers since they were very young thanks to their parents, and have devoured books in a plethora of genres. Haley’s favorite genre is Thriller/Suspense and Maddy’s is Historical Fiction. When they’re not reading you can find them working as a nurse (Maddy) or singing and teaching dance (Haley), but they always make time to spend with family, too.
alyssa tangney
Alyssa is a suburban mom of five (almost six) who turned farmer in early 2021. In her column, Hope from the Homestead, Alyssa shares with our readers what life looks like on the farm, and how the Lord is speaking to her through hard work, motherhood and marriage. Alyssa is passionate about creating community, leading a mother's group at her church, but also designing an online presence that fosters connection and encouraging support. She loves pouring into books, podcasts and is always dreaming up new adventures!
halie conley
Halie is a self-taught hand-lettering pro who designs practice sheets and lessons for our readers in each one of our issues! She and her husband, Hunter, own Wholehearted Woods, a hand-lettering and home décor shop. In the fall of 2021, Halie made the leap into full-time self-employment, leaving behind the elementary classroom she once taught in. Now, she is devoting her days to stepping into her creative ideas, teaching others how to hand-letter through in-person and on-line classes, and learning the ins-and-outs of running a small business. In their free time, Halie and Hunter love spending time outside, hanging out with their family and indulging in ice cream!