The Changes Through Time

Northgate Mall November 2012

     Dee Dee and I started out as Hand Made 4 U. We only had jewelry with plans for other items as we both have a multi-talented creative streak. At this time we only did a couple of craft shows and sold to friends. I started a Facebook page but really had no clue what to do with it other than posting our creations (if I only knew then what I know now). We dabbled around at this for a while until she moved to Murfreesboro. The distance made it more difficult for us to craft together and work on planning shows and such so we kind of took a break from it for a while. During this time I opened my first Etsy store. I had one sale the whole 2 years it was open (again if I only knew...).

     One thing we struggled with was photographing our creations. I can't tell you how many times I have photographed the same pieces only to realize they still weren't good enough. As I go through the timeline of that page and look at the photos I cringe. I can see the improvements but it's still cringe-worthy, and I'm sure 5 years from now when I look back on the pictures from now I'll say the same. I should have paid more attention to my Dad's photography sessions.

     In 2016 I teamed up with my ex-mother-in-law and my ex-husband and we opened a craft consignment shop. We had a couple of good runs but ultimately ended up closing in December 2017. My ex-husband had been diagnosed with liver cancer and we knew that Mom needed to focus on him. 

     In 2018 Dee Dee and I teamed up again since I moved closer to her and we are working it the best we can. I joined Flourish at Artisan Indie and have learned so much. I can look back and see all that we have done wrong over the years. We are working hard to learn and implement everything we are learning and expect 2019 to be an awesome year for us with nowhere to go but up!