About Visual Treats

Growing up as the only child of a musician father and a fashionista mother, Joni Ulman Lewis was encouraged to be independent and explore her Fredericksburg, VA neighborhood on her green bicycle and to entertain herself with books and creative projects. Admitting to boredom and eye rolling were not good ideas. After graduating from art school in Richmond, she began her career as a display trimmer for a department store, but also waitressed for many years. She started hand sewing cards as birthday keepsakes for her close-knit group of restaurant pals using funny snapshots and found materials like matchbook covers, can labels, and vintage cookbooks. After repeated cries of "you should sell these" a successful sales call was made and Visual Treats became a brand. Created by hand on the same Christmas present sewing machine she was given while in college, Joni's designs utilize the found materials and vintage snapshots that she collects. A self-proclaimed pack rat, flea market dumpster diver paper junkie, Joni hates onions and litterbugs. She loves summer, thrift stores, the library and laughing hard. Best of all is the satisfaction she gets from earning her living using the same smart mouth and bad attitude skill set that got her sent to detention hall. Read their story