Licensed artist Penny McAllister, who created many works for Midwest-CBK and Bayberry Cove, died March 26 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after a battle with cancer.
McAllister's whimsical and sweet collections brought charm to holiday folk art. The sewing bug bit her at the tender age of 5. Nearly 50 years later, the former elementary school librarian had woven her passion for folk art into a dream occupation, making paper mache creations full of wit and whimsy.
"The chip on my nose, the worn paint on my clothes ... they're all supposed to be there," she once said. "I was designed this way, lovingly aged."