Tool Bag Must-Haves

My love for all things artsy-craftsy has lead to my having an office/studio that is crammed floor-to-ceiling with everything I could possibly need, and then some.  While that leads to a lot of fun, it also makes my 10x11-foot space feel like a closet on steroids.  Add our dog, Frisco, who likes to lay exactly in the spot where I need to stand, and the word crowded takes on a whole new meaning.

Of course, I wouldn't trade him for the world.

I inherited this room when Jess moved out and got married.  To say that I schemed, planned and drew diagrams for the 16 months leading up to her wedding would be an understatement.  The dream of having my very own space took root immediately upon her engagement, and while I didn't want her to feel like I was pushing her out of the nest, the tape measure I often wielded over her head and behind her back while she was making wedding plans may have given me away.

Soon after Jess departed with her new hubby for their honeymoon, I was cleaning out the remaining remnants of her childhood and setting up my new space.  It was such a relief after the stress of wedding planning and I enjoyed every minute of putting it together.

In the nearly three years that I've been in here now, the space has been re-arranged many times.  New pieces of furniture have come in, old ones have gone out and shelves have been organized and changed to fit my needs.

One thing that has not changed is the need to have the right tools for the job of creating new projects for my home or products for our business.  Through trial and error, I have come to rely on an army of gadgets to satisfy my need to create. Here's a glimpse at some of my favorites.

1.  HP TouchSmart computer with 23" monitor
I love this computer not so much for the touch screen, which I rarely use, but for the size of the screen.  When it comes to creating new designs, there is nothing like having a monitor that is nearly as big as the large cutting mat on my Cameo.

2.  Silhouette Cameo and Silhouette Studio software
We do a lot of work with vinyl and card stock.  None of what we do would be possible without these two items.  With its clean cutting, easy to use software and its independence from annoying and expensive cartridges, the Cameo is the best cutting machine I have ever used.

3.  Martha Stewart Scoring Board
When you want to make neat, crisp fold lines, this is the tool for the job!  With easy-to-read markings and storage for the included bone scorer, it is one handy dandy piece of equipment.

4. Fiskars Paper Cutter
This is the kind that chops, not the rotary kind.  I can't use the rotary style anymore because of a shoulder problem, and I miss it, but this "chop-style" cutter is perfect for cutting strips, trimming off edges or any other job where you need an accurate cut.

5. Google Drive
Jess and I use Google Drive for our business every day.  It allows us to share and edit files without having to email them back and forth and save them to our own hard drives.  We love it for listing product inventory, price lists and even keeping track of how much paint we have on hand.  It is really helpful when you are on the go and need to access something because you can sync it with your phone. For example, if I happen to be at Michaels and notice they have Folk Art paint on sale, I can look at my phone and see which colors I need to buy to replenish my stock!

6.  USPS.com
We ship a lot of stuff.  A LOT OF STUFF.  The ability to pay for and print out postage on line makes this so much easier!  An added bonus that saves a ton of gas and time is scheduling a pick up.  Yes, your mail man will pick up packages right at your front door so you don't have to drive to the Post Office! I don't know how I would get along without this amazing tool! Or without my unbelievably patient mail man, Jeff.

7.  Phone Apps
We all use our phones for calls, texting, checking emails, etc. but did you know that there are some very helpful apps that you can use for your business?
Dropbox - A great program for sharing files, photos and reports among numerous users.
Etsy - Because who doesn't love that "cha-ching" sound when you make a sale?
WhichStates - This app was created for people to keep track of states they have visited.  We use it to track where we have sent our products.  We have seven states to go before we can say we have shipped to all fifty states in the U.S!

8.  Tweezers
My fine point tweezers, made by Lake City Craft Company in Nixa, Missouri are the absolute best ever for weeding vinyl. I have several pairs because I tend to set them down somewhere and forget about them.  Just one word of warning, wear shoes when you are using these because if you drop them, they always land point-side down and they are sharp!  I can't tell you how many times I've yanked them out of the carpet right next to my foot.

These are just a few of our favorite tools but there are many more that we use every single day.  What tools, tips, apps have you found that you couldn't live without?  Please comment below and share with the rest of us!

Oh, and just for fun, here's a video of Frisco getting the mail.  It's how he earns his keep!

My Other Passion

Four-wide cars line up for the first Gold Crown Midget Nationals.
Shot from the back of the push truck, this was an amazing night of thrills!

It's April and for a lot of people, that means planting gardens, making the lawn beautiful, preparing for outdoor family gatherings and the like.  Our family is no different.

Best seat in the house.

Our yard is ready to go, flowers are potted and looking gorgeous, and we're ready to dive right into those outdoor gatherings, but our get-togethers may be a little different than some.  While many think bar-b-ques, Frisbee and a nice cold beverage in a lawn chair, we're thinking concession stand pork tenderloin sandwiches, spinning tires and a Coke with a lid to keep out the dirt.  That's because for my family, spring means just one thing: It's racing season.

Come a little closer, baby!

When people first find out I like racing, they usually assume I am a NASCAR fan.  That could not be farther from the truth. While NASCAR is ok, I much prefer the thrill of racing on dirt, meaning Midgets and Sprint Cars.  You can see pictures of Midgets here, and Sprint Cars look very similar, but they are a little bigger, and sometimes run with a big metal wing on top.

That's me in the seat of one of my
Dad's race cars when I was little.

My Dad is the one who got my life-long appreciation for speed started.  He raced when I was little, and my Mom took me to the track while I was still just a baby.  We traveled locally, racing Friday and Saturday nights, and sometimes on Sunday, at little tracks all over Missouri and Illinois. I wish I could say I have great memories of those days, but mostly I remember just wanting to go home because it was so noisy, hot and dirty.  I do, however, remember a few things, like the night my Dad got hurt when a rock flew up and hit him in the eye, the night he blew an engine and I thought he was going to burn up in the car.

My Dad and I at the track in 2012.

There are good memories too, of walking in the pits after a race, getting autographs from the same drivers week after week. Of always been warned not to touch the hot cars.  And I remember the first time I ever drove one of my Dad's trucks, around the track at a very low rate of speed. I would have sworn I was flying.

2011 Gold Crown Midget Nationals.

Since then, things have changed a little.  For one, I really enjoy just hanging out with all of the great folks that enjoy the same sport we do. The people who work with, race and travel for racing are some of the nicest in the world.  They are like an extended family, or a band of gypsies, crossing the midwest in search of the thrill of victory. I also enjoy photographing the races when I get the chance. It's challenging and fun and getting that perfect action shot is almost as exciting as the racing itself.

My first race sign.

We stay pretty close to home for races these days, mostly because we have a dog who is diabetic and post-cataract surgery.  He needs insulin and eye drops twice a day so we try to make sure we're around to take care of him.  Every now and then we recruit a family member to do it, but we try not to be a burden.  Even though we may not go as often as we used to, it's still just as exciting when the opportunity arises. The thrill of standing inside of a dirt oval as the cars roar past for the first time each season just never gets old!

My newest race sign.

With the advent of our small business, I wanted to find a way to incorporate my craftiness with my passion for racing. With that came the creation of two of my newest pallet wood signs.  They've been a pretty big hit on Etsy and through a local Midget organization, and I've now sent three shipments to the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa, to be sold in their gift shop.  It makes me feel good to know that something my husband and I made is being used to help raise money for such a great place.  Their mission of preserving Sprint Car racing's history is an admirable one. That's one of the reasons I created a special tag for these signs, it reads:  Made by race fans for race fans!

New tags, just for racing signs!

Being able to combine two of my greatest passions is a lot of fun, and I hope that in the future I'll be able to come up with even more fun signs and other projects that I can share with my racing family.

Spring Front Porch Make-Over

After a long, cold, snowy winter, it seems
as if spring has finally arrived in our part of the country...at least for today.  This is Missouri, after all, and we've had snow in April before!

One of my favorite things to do to embrace the change of seasons is to spruce up our front porch.  No, it's not the rambling farmhouse-style space of my dreams, but it's a cozy spot that can be very welcoming when done up right.

It seems as if the porch becomes a gathering place for lots of odd things over the course of the cold months. Before I could even begin to re-arrange and decorate, I had to clear away some overshoes, a pile of plastic totes that were used to make bricks for an igloo out of our last big snow, and the few remaining logs.  Once those were disposed of, I swept off the remaining twigs and leaves and starting putting things back in place.

If you're like me, simply re-arranging a space is ok, but throw in a few fun projects, and you've got the makings of a pretty enjoyable day, or two.

The first thing I did was find a spot for this old wash tub.  It's one of the few larger items from the shop that we chose not to sell when we closed.  I at first envisioned it as a pretty sweet cooler for next to the pool, but then my husband reminded me that we already have a big cooler so I had to go to plan b.  That consisted of bringing up some clay pots from the basement that were just taking up space, buying a bunch of flowers in a variety of bright colors and creating a fun vinyl piece for the front. It brightens things up a bit, while still keeping with our vintage theme.

That was a great start, but then I looked around at all the blank walls, dug through some of the other items from the shop that I really wanted to re-purpose, and inspiration struck again.  I made the "No Soliciting" sign after looking at a few different ones that I found for sale online, taking my favorite parts and combining them to make one just for us.  Using the old window that was originally the sign for our shop, I applied the vinyl lettering.  Once we get some hooks installed, this will hang right next to the front door.

For my final project, I walked around the porch with these three shutters in my hands, trying to decide what to do with them.  Should I separate them and hang a couple of them horizontally over the step up to the porch?  Hang a couple of them vertically in the openings over the railings?  After getting my husband's feedback, I ended up leaving them together, painting them barn red and we decided we would hang them on the wall above the chairs and white enamel-topped table.

They were too boring on their own, so I added the two jelly jars using radiator clamps, and made the wooden cross out of leftover pallet wood scraps.  I painted it with warm white, a layer of crackle finish, and topped it with brown.  I love the way it turned out!  The white knob at the top came from Hobby Lobby, and I figure I can change things out on a whim, maybe putting up a wreath or a flag, or whatever.

To top things off, I hung up this pallet wood flag that my husband made.  It was the last one that we hadn't sold at the shop, and after it injured me at our recent show, I figured it needed to find permanent residence.  I really like it here and think it finishes off the space really well.


This chair usually resides in our kitchen, but I thought it would really fit in well on the front porch.  The enamel ware bucket was one of several in a stack that are destined for a resale shop near me. It may end up holding some flowers at a later date.

So that's our front porch make-over.  I'll probably add a few extra touches over time, possibly another plant or two, but the major things are in place and I love how it turned out!

I hope that spring is inspiring you to be creative too!

Valerie

Counting Down

It's hard to believe that just six months ago we were sweating our fannies off painting the walls, cleaning and moving in furniture to set up our little shop.

Now, here we are counting down the days until we close the doors and move on to the next chapter in our little business.

As I watch merchandise slowly dwindle down when each artist comes in to claim their products, it strikes me as a bit sad that this little dream is coming to an end.  But then I think about all that is ahead of us, and the excitement begins to build!

Once we close and lock the doors on March 30, we will be free from being tied to a schedule and making sure that all of the hours are covered.  We'll no longer have to worry about things like the DSL bill and the insurance payment.  Our time will be spent doing that which we love best:  Creating beautiful, useful, fun things and selling them to people who appreciate them.

We are so happy to have had this part of the adventure, if only to say "we did it!' We had dreamed for a long time of having a shop of our own and experiencing the joys and frustrations of full-on retail have been a great learning experience.

Now it's time to move forward, and see just what lies around the next bend.  Dip that paddle in the water, let's go!

Valerie

Heart Prints

It's raining here today. Again.  And truly, after the severe drought we've had, it's a blessing so I'm not complaining at all.

But the thing is, the rain is making me a little bit morose, and I don't like to feel that way.

Here's what's on my mind:

Reminders of all that a friend is missing out on today because he took his own life a few years back.

A dear cousin who is losing her battle with cancer, yet surely gaining a special place in heaven.

A family who is waiting for the birth of a baby with anencephaly, which means that the child has a 1% chance of surviving more than a few hours after delivery.

The speed at which life passes, especially the older we get, as evidenced by my grand-daughter's first birthday in just a few days, my son's 20th birthday not long after that, and my Dad's 80th birthday in October.

Individually, these things are enough to choke me up, but add them together and let me ponder them on a rainy day, and I should be a rapidly expanding puddle of tears.

What keeps me sane, what binds my heart and stops the tears from overwhelming me is the knowledge that God is bigger than each of these events, and stronger than the emotions of all of them combined. I know that He holds each person involved in the palm of His hand, leaving fingerprints of comfort upon each heart.

I know they are on mine, some smudged, some barely visible, and some as clear and sharp as if cut by a laser.

God is good, in all things. And for that, on this rain-soaked day, I am thankful.

Valerie

Beyond Black & White

Several months ago, we began creating signs and game boards out of used pallets.  My husband brings them home from work and does all the construction. I get to do the fun part:  Designing and painting, as well as a bit of sanding to finish off the piece.


Originally, everything we did was black and white, but after several customer requests, we've started doing other colors as well.

Here are two of our most popular, the 10x10 signs, "It is Well with my Soul" and "A True Love Story Never Ends," in five different colors. Shown are black, brown, patina, barn red and Navy.

Other colors are available by request, so if you have something in mind, drop us a note.  Remember that it works best to have lighter words and a dark background.

Have a blessed day!
Valerie

Closed doors, open windows

It's been a tough winter here in our little neck of the woods.  Yes, we've gotten more snow than in the last few years, but that is really a good thing.  With the drought and low rivers, we can use all the moisture we can get!

The reason it's been so difficult is because traffic in our little shop has been slow.  When I say slow, I mean really, r-e-a-l-l-y s--l--o--w.  We knew that once Christmas was over, things would taper off considerably, but I really don't think we were prepared for this.

When you run a small business, every penny counts. Our shop was opened on a shoestring budget, and we have kept expenses as low as possible.  Unfortunately, it's just not enough.  Just six months after opening, we will close our doors on March 31.

Losing our little shop makes us sad, but it also opens up a world of opportunities.  Without the worries of staffing, inventory, making the rent and paying the insurance and internet bills, we'll be able to focus more on the parts we really love:  Coming up with new products, and having the time to make them!

So even though our store is going dark, that does not mean that the lights will go out  for Poverty Barn.  In fact, we have a lot of exciting things ahead of us.  For one thing, our Etsy shop has really taken off!  We're learning fresh ways to promote our products and new customers find us every day. There are several handmade marketplace-type shops in our area, and we'll be working with as many of them as possible.  We've also started doing more wholesale work, which has turned out to be quite a blessing. Along with that, there are other options available to us that we know are going to help us continue to grow and market our product lines.

Yes, we have come to the end of a chapter, and it really was a good one.  We learned a lot about ourselves and about doing business, and we are so grateful to have had the opportunity to make a dream come true.  How many people spend their lives thinking, "Some day I'd like to open my own business"? We had the chance and it was really fun.

We have made a lot of great friends along the way, met some amazing artists and have an expanded our foray into the world of handmade.  As the door closes on this chapter, we can't wait to see what windows God opens for us in the next one!

Thank you to everyone who supported us, especially our family and friends.  You spread the word well and we are extremely thankful for each of you!  We also met a lot of new people and we appreciate so much how you made us feel welcomed, at home and loved in Historic Cottleville.

Keep checking back for more news and lots of exciting product additions, as well as our show schedule and the ever-expanding list of retail locations where Poverty Barn goodies can be found.

Blessings,

Val & Jess