Blog

Hello, so glad you have ventured over to my Blog. My very 1st Blog!
I thought I would tell you about my creative journey and how I decided to design 2 magazines, 2 phone apps, Online course Quilting Digitally, and Buy Artists Motifs store (coming Soon).

Customer painted their own design for a sink to put in their home

For 24 years of my career as a Systems Engineer, during that time working in the corporate world.
I also started a floral business, Ives Florals. Then when the internet was just getting going, I decided to start a business called WebWebWeb, helping consulting corporations and web design.
Then in 1999 went on vacation to an area called Destin, Florida. Fell in love with the area.
I was trying to figure out how I would be able to shift from what I was doing in Missouri to living in Florida.
I came back to Destin 2000 a couple of times and found a business that was selling their Pottery Studio that was supposed to be in Seaside, Florida.
I couldn’t find the business, so I asked the realtor about the business, and she said, it was in a brand new building. So, I took a trip back again to check the business out. I was so excited about the location it was just across the street from the Gulf of Mexico. The water was gorgeous! Also, when I first saw Seaside, Florida I was there in 1999 during Christmas, it was 75 degrees and they had wonderful bands playing in the amphitheater in Seaside, Florida. So, I really fell in love with the area. There were a lot of women that had their own businesses there. There was a lot of networking with the business owners. I really liked that as well.
So long story short I bought the Pottery business In March 2000 it was in a brand-new building not yet opened. Originally the owner had this business in another building in Seaside and moved to this new location. I packed all my things I needed in a van no place to live my husband drove me down and dropped me off on April 30, 2000, and he flew back to Missouri.
I stayed in different vacation homes for a month which was very costly. The buildings inspection was approved and on May 1st I was open for business the back of the building didn’t have stairs to use yet they were still building the back porch, but everything else was in great shape.
The thing was I didn’t know anything about the pottery business, so the person that
originally owned the business I had her for 40hrs to learn the business. Well to my amaze middle of May we were slammed and it didn’t matter if we had stairs or not in the back they still came through the back door as well. I didn’t have any employees at the time.
Since it was a tourist area everyone in town came back to their beach houses. Ready to have fun on vacation. It was quite an exciting venture. I was glazing and cleaning into the morning hours and still had to get everyone’s pieces in the kiln and fired for the next day’s delivery. Since they were vacationing some needed their pieces to go back home with them the next day. The place was a wreck, but everyone had a great time. That’s what counted! I had a headset on to answer the phones I’m not sure where that energy came from, but I surely was multi-tasking.
It was certainly a different environment everyone happy and doing some exciting things on their vacation. Met a lot of interesting people and a lot of networking with the ladies that had their own businesses. Quite the difference from having
your head on the computer all the time. Also was able to get creative with painting pottery.
A lot of people never painted on the pottery, so I was there to help them with designing and learn how to use the paints, etc.
Everyone was so excited that they painted a piece of pottery they were proud of. They were back the next day to do more.
My story goes on… I had the best time even though a lot of hours. As time went on, I owned and operated 4 pottery studios up and down the coast in resort areas, I lived in Florida for 12 years. Great memories! I’ll leave you hanging to come back to hear more about how I reinvented myself for this new career I’m doing now… Talk with you soon……. Here is just a few pictures of the customers painting, and some pottery pieces that were glazed and fired.

We also offered Mosaic, Glass Fusion, Silver Jewelry, wheel pottery, and hand building pottery workshops.

Huge coffee cup used as a planter someone painted. I have pictures I need to find that shows we made planters in front of the store. It turned out very nice. Great eye catcher. So, this was one of our big sellers too!