Hey, I'm Phyllis Tulaszewski — writer, illustrator, designer, LinkedIn's self-proclaimed Queen of Polls, and proud employee of Shiri, my black cat and the actual CEO of this operation.

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Welcome to Joyful Objects. This is not a normal shop. You may have noticed.

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Here's the honest version of how we got here:

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For a decade I worked as a freelancer in Germany. I made things, I taught things, I created things — and in return, the German bureaucratic system sent me letters. Many letters. From the Finanzamt. From the GKV. From institutions that seemed to exist solely to remind me, at regular intervals, that existing as a self-employed person in this country is a form of extreme sport. I developed what I now professionally refer to as Mailbox Trauma. I turned it into a poster. This is called healing.

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Along the way I also made sourdough — from scratch, with a starter I named and talked to, because that is what burnout looks like when you have a creative soul. The sourdough rose. Eventually. Like Jesus, but slower and with more flour. I made homemade mayonnaise because store-bought felt like giving up. I built a LinkedIn universe out of dark Jewish humor, Eastern European roots, babushka energy, and polls — so many polls — including one where mayo appeared as an option five times with different emojis, and another where I asked my followers whether I should marry an American solely for the air conditioning, given that Germany simply does not believe in it.

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The people voted. The people understood. The Queen of Polls was born.

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Joyful Objects grew out of all of this — out of the trauma and the humor and the food and the heritage and the very specific experience of being a woman with a very Eastern European surname trying to survive German bureaucracy with her dignity and her sourdough starter intact. The products are funny because life is funny. They are warm because that's the only way I know how to be. They are honest because, after a decade of Finanzamt letters, I have nothing left to hide.

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Shiri oversees everything from the sofa. She has reviewed all products from a safe distance and found them acceptable. This is the highest praise she gives.

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I am, technically, the founder. Shiri is, technically, the CEO. The Finanzamt is aware of this arrangement. They have sent a letter about it.

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If you're here because you found me on LinkedIn — welcome, mishpacha. If you're here because you Googled "funny Jewish food poster" or "mailbox trauma tote bag" — you are exactly where you belong. If you're here because someone who loves you bought you something from this shop — you have a very good person in your life. Tell them.

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Everything here is made with love, printed on demand, and approved by a cat who has never once doubted herself.

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L'chaim.

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— Phyllis
(and Shiri)