Valerie was born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas.  She met many of her wonderful customers while earning her bachelor's degree in Fashion Design at The University of Texas at Austin, fine tuning her style at the Paris Fashion Institute in Paris, France, working as an Executive Assistant to a United States Congressman on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and ministering to children as an Elementary Director at Christ Chapel Bible Church in Fort Worth. 

Valerie married David Riener in May 2004 and together they moved to the Lakeway area of Austin, Texas. Their son, Clay Davidson Riener, was born 13 months later on June 21, 2005.  Embroidery by Valerie was started in March 2005 as a way for Valerie to work at home while raising Clay.  Valerie would often see beautiful, elaborate monogram designs in magazines but never knew where to have them stitched.  She and her husband decided to open a home based business that would allow Valerie to create unusual, elegant monograms and make them available to others who appreciate the fine art of embroidery.  In October 2008, a change in David's job moved the Rieners, and Embroidery by Valerie, to San Antonio, Texas. 

In her spare time, Valerie loves to spend time with her tattooed, Harley Davidson riding, NASCAR watching husband, David (anyone who knows Valerie, knows she married her complete opposite!) and their son, Clay. She also loves to read (check out her favorite books page for some great finds!), surf the net and travel (her favorite vacation spot is San Francisco, where David took her on their honeymoon).