OUR FIRST BLOG POST!

Blogs can be scary and so can starting your own business!

Our New Logo!

Welcome everyone! I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am to not only be on this amazing journey but for you to be joining my journey as well! I have put so much thought and effort into this, hours upon hours of research and just glad to finally be up and rolling.

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

Already, this has been an eye opening experience. Have you ever tried starting a website/blog? Did you answer, NO? Well so did I and let me tell you, it has been an experience!

The Beginning

There is so much I want to tell you and so much you must know! The beginning of my story with Owl Be Shabby was a rough one, I'll be honest. In September 2018 I lost my long term job and it completely devastated me. My fiance and I had just moved into our new home, used so much of our savings for down payments and deposits and I was terrified we would loose it all. I had to do something to help the man of my dreams, who was our sole supporter. With that I birthed Owl Be Shabby!

I sat down and had a heart to heart conversation with myself. What did I want out of life? Where did I see myself in the next 5 years or even the next 10 years? Where was I going to work and how was I going to help with the bills? I was so frustrated that I invested so much time into my previous job just for them to just dispose of me so easily. I cried myself to sleep and slumped into a state of depression I didn't know existed. It was an accomplishment if I got out of bed and brushed my hair, let alone if I ate anything. But one day, my light bulb finally light up!

I asked myself why I continued to invest all my time and energy into multi-million dollar companies, who could just dispose of me so easily and only see me as a number and not as person? Why not start investing that time and energy into myself?! Why am I not using all my hard work and dedication to not only make my life better but my family's? BOOM.....My small business idea came to mind!

I have always been crafty and I come by it honestly My mother is a master crafter, let me tell you, as well as my grandmother. I don't think I really had the choice of not being crafty. So with this, I dug my heels into the ground and took off running! I researched the tools I was going to need and bought my first table saw for only $30. (You'll find throughout this blog I am bargain shopper! I LOVE finding the deals. I'm talking getting 6 dinner plates for my thanksgiving table that originally would have cost $50, FOR $5!!!! GO ME!) I took the little bit of money I had and bought my first ever load of lumber, spray paint, sand paper, wood glue and went to work! I had my mind set on creating home decor and I went to town!

Low and behold I was good at this crafting thing and I didn't cut off any of my fingers! (That was a HUGE plus because I am super clumsy.) And let me tell you, my Pumpkins and Christmas Tree sold like crazy! I was busy in the shop every day, all day! I even was out there a two in the morning trying to finish for my very last craft show of the year.

I LOVE going to the craft shows but I had and still have a lot to learn in the craft show world. My booth was on point but getting people in your booth can be kinda tricky. I only did about $300 worth of sales at my last show which did not account for all the inventory I had remaining. So it was back to the drawing board. Back to finding what my niche was going to be and how I was really going to express myself. Finding what the people wanted and not what I wanted to sell them. (Whereas you don't get the money back, left over inventory makes for great Christmas gifts when you're broke!)

I got back to the drawing board and really found what I wanted to do........vinyl services! There is so much I can do to express myself! Tumblers, T-Shirts, Pillow Covers, Home Decor and more! So I did more research on products, watched a million videos, researched what all I was going to need to make this happen. I got my hubby to be to jump in and help get my new "studio" ready so I could start using my creative mind.

My studio really needed a major face lift. Remember, we just moved in September so we have not had a chance to paint everything yet. I'm not sure what the people who lived here before us were thinking with the paint, I mean they painted my kitchen and living room POOP brown and dark hunter green. But guess what, under that nasty carpet we had HARDWOOD floor! So, I got the fiance to rip up the carpet and help me paint and would you guess it, my studio is so light airy!

So now I play the waiting game while all my new stuff arrives, such as my Cricut, Shirt Press and more! I cannot wait to get creating and share this adventure with each and everyone one of you!

Make sure you subscribe to keep up with our updates, blog post, items being listed for sale and better yet COUPONS and DISCOUNTS!

Once all my equipment arrives and my creative process starts make sure you check back on a regular basis. We're going to be doing Tumbler Tuesdays, which will go over the process for the tumbler of the week, list to the sale listing and possibly even a kit for the DIY'er out there. I'll also have Wedding Wednesday. My fiance and I are getting married in December and I plain on making a lot of the stuff we need for our wedding, check back for tips, tricks and tutorials! Also, who doesn't enjoy the bliss of a wedding??

Over & Out,

Erin

Owl Be Shabby