I never would have thought.
My current business endeavor as an on-line crafter is far from my former career…a heavy equipment operator/ dump truck driver.
My crafting began in 1989. Three of my girlfriends and I, who had known one another since high school, decided to plan a weekend get together every year at a cabin during Christmas time. It was decided that we would each bring a handcrafted ornament to exchange. At the beginning, we were all 24 years old and weren’t all that excited about crafting, but continued to forge ahead with our limited skills. After 25 years we have become seasoned crafters and I am pleased to say that all my Christmas decorations are those created by my best girlfriends.
Over the years our lives have gone in very different directions. I went to a heavy equipment operator school in California and, upon my return, accepted a position with our local county road department. I continued in this position for 13 years before making a decision to resign and stay home with my young children.
About five years ago my husband and I started our own hobby farm, raising healthy, happy food, which, of course, included chickens for eggs.
One day, as ornament weekend was approaching with my girlfriends, I looked around the farm, chuckled to myself and thought,” I’m going to make a chicken coop ornament and give them a piece of the farm.” When my girlfriends, all being city dwellers, opened the chicken coop ornament, they all loved it! “You should sell these,” they said, and my business was hatched.
My first farmer’s market day was in October of 2011 and, having never done this type of thing previously, I was really nervous! My friends thought it was hilarious that a person able to work for 13 years in the construction field would be so fearful of selling crafts at a farmer’s market. It only took the first sale and I was hooked; I enjoyed the social aspect of meeting people and they loved my creations!
In December of 2012, I posted my items on Etsy for the first time. I continue to participate at farmer’s markets and craft fairs, as well as selling my creations in two local stores.
So there you have it…heavy equipment operator/dump truck driver turned crafter!
