Sometimes, as a kid, that creativity would spill over during dinnertime.
"My mom says I used to draw pictures in my spaghetti sauce," Murphy said with a chuckle.
Murphy, a lifelong resident of Ottawa and 2016 Bradley University graduate, recently sat at Jeremiah Joe coffee shop in downtown Ottawa on a crisp January night, recalling how her small business of handmade bath and body and graphic design products has steadily grown in the past year.
The business, The Delia Co., is still small — her workshop for the bath and body products is a tiny counter in her kitchen and her dining room — but Murphy has attracted an ever-growing customer base.
"It's all natural and locally made," she noted. "There's no added preservatives — no weird names or acronyms you can't pronounce."
Murphy's bath and body products also reflect the seasons and holidays. For instance, throughout January and February, she was marketing romantic fragrances such as strawberries and cream, and strawberries and champagne. A kit that included aloe vera hand soap, moisturizing whipped body butter, foaming salt scrub and more was one of her specials.
She also offers candles, lip and beard balms and massage oils.
Customer favorites include the eucalyptus mint body butter and aloe vera-activated charcoal soap.
And what sets her products apart from others?
The customization, Murphy says.
For instance, customers can request goat's milk be used in a product, or if they prefer, their items be unscented.
"There's been a few sleepless nights," said Murphy, who also works as a marketing specialist at Ottawa Dental Laboratory. "It's been a whirlwind but it's worth it."
After graduating from Bradley a few years ago, Murphy was looking for a creative outlet and found herself watching how-to videos about soap-making. "There was a lot of experimentation ... with color consistencies, fragrance, and so on," she said. "I started with soap, and thought, 'Why can't I make moisturizer and body butter too?' "
Soon after, her fiancé helped up her game.
"His Christmas present to me was supplies," Murphy said with a wide smile. She expanded her hobby to include bath bombs, scrubs and oils — giving them away to family as gifts. And having earned a graphic design degree at Bradley, she soon realized that not only can she create these bath and body products from scratch, but she can package them with her original designs.
Soon, Murphy was toting her goods to the local farmers market every weekend it was open on Ottawa's Jackson Street, and found a following at that venue. "I love local; I love Ottawa," she added.
When the owner of Say I Do & More, a one-stop event planning business in Ottawa's downtown, was looking for a vendor to create wedding stationery, she reached out to Murphy.
Today, Murphy's creations have a display area at Say I Do & More and she recently was invited to sell her products at another downtown Ottawa business, A Mess of Things. You can also find her products on Facebook, Instagram and Etsy under The Delia Co.
At this point, the venture still feels like a creative outlet for Murphy rather than a business. And Starved Rock Country has proven to be an ever-growing market that she is proud to call home.
"Home is really where your heart is," she said of living in Starved Rock Country. "All these people I grew up with have always supported each other.
"I want to support and give back to my community, and to help build it."
Where to find The Delia Co.
Say I Do & More
203 W. Main St., Ottawa
Browse products online on Facebook, Instagram and Etsy