A few years ago we moved from Chicago to Claremont so our son with Cerebral Palsy could attend a first rate public school with a fantastic special needs program. The move has been great for my son and great for our family since I decided to become a full time crafter. We enjoy living in Claremont, CA a small college town nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel mountains just east of Los Angeles. The city of "Trees and PHD's".
As a child I was always good in arts and crafts and enjoyed making things. I made a short series of coasters for a local gift store and friends loved the hand made quality and craftsmanship. They suggested I broaden the scope of designs. Fortunately I am married to a graphic designer who creates original graphics for my coasters. I take a lot of pride in creating these coasters. After a lot of experimentation I came up with an 8 step process that takes a whole day to make and then an additional 2 days to cure but the quality is first rate and worth the extra time.
I sell the majority of my coasters at a local craft fair. This is great because I get feedback on new themes to create so my inventory is growing as fast as I can make them. My Etsy store does not show all of my inventory because many times the items are sold before I can take a pic :) I can tell you that the pics just don't do justice to my coasters because you can't touch and feel how incredible they are. They have a nice mild grain to them along with a matte finish. Our customer feedback has been great. We get a lot of repeat business from the craft fair and it turns out that quite a few of our customers have started collecting the coasters and using them as wall decor or displaying them on a small easel on a bookcase or night stand.
Lately I have been retained to create custom corporate bulk orders. This has been exciting because it validates the quality and durability that I strive to maintain with each coaster set I create. Although my price point is a little higher than many others it is well worth the time and materials that I use to provide the best quality possible.
I hope you enjoyed my story. Please visit my store and let me know which designs are your favorites as I fine tune inventory and upcoming designs.
Debra
Made In Claremont