Today we’d like to introduce you to Des’ Rae Matthews.
Hi Des’ Rae, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
The idea of CraftroomCreations began in 2017 as a way to share my creative ideas and projects. In 2018, my now husband thought I should just go for it and for my birthday gifted me a CraftroomCreations “starter pack” which included a logo, shirts, an email address, Instagram and Facebook account all set up for me. The next couple of years I shared posts on and off and even tested out selling my items by doing a few vendor events in my local area. I really enjoyed doing the events and posting about my projects and wanted to continue but with school, work and planning a wedding it was all very difficult to manage. In November 2020 I married the love of my life and a week later we found out we were pregnant with our first child! We were so excited and looking forward to meeting our little nugget! Throughout my pregnancy I continued to be creative making cards, wreaths and glassware just for the fun of it. In July of 2021 I gave birth to our daughter Aubriella! Prior to giving birth I never wanted to be a stay at home mom but once I saw my little one’s face, heard her cry and watched her grow and learn so much throughout her first month of life I didn’t want to miss a single thing when I would have to go back to work. When I was considering to pursue a small business, my mom told me something that really stuck with me and influenced my decision. She said “you don’t want to look back in 5, 7, 10+ years and wonder where would you be now if you had just went for it”. In August of 2021, I decided I would pursue CraftroomCreations as a small business and was back out at vendor events in October of that year. It has been a difficult journey being a first-time mom figuring out how to care for a little one and still trying to grow my small business, all while working as an ASL interpreter. Although it has been difficult, it has also been the most rewarding thing I have ever done. I have learned so much already and I have plans for so much more in the future!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
From the beginning, it was hard to commit the time and effort I wanted into CraftroomCreations. I was in my final semester getting ready to take an exam that would make me a certified interpreter. At the same time I was planning my wedding and doing a lot of the DIY projects myself. Once the wedding was done and finding out I was pregnant it was hard to focus on CraftroomCreations because all my time was spent preparing for this new little life. Now that my daughter is here, it is still difficult to manage my time and grow my business but it is something I want to do and be able to show my daughter that you can do anything no matter the obstacles you may face.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I am multi-passionate and love to create a variety of handmade items! Currently, I focus more on wreaths and wood round signs, glassware, and apparel that is geared towards moms and spreading positivity and encouragement. When people see my work I want it to make them smile and feel good. Being a crafty person is something I have loved since I was little but the idea of starting a business began with making handmade greeting cards. Although I do not create as many cards any more I am still very proud to say I am a card maker and love making them for any special occasion. There is something so sweet and special when you give or receive a card and to know that I had a part in making someone’s day is one of the best feelings.
What matters most to you?
What matters most to me is showing my daughter and anyone else that is watching my journey that anything you want to do is possible, even if it is challenging. You can still view things as the glass half-full even if others think it’s half-empty. For such a long time I doubted myself and thought that I could not pursue this. I thought no one would like my handmade items. I thought I could not be a good mom while doing this. I even thought that I would just be embarrassing myself in front of my friends and family. But when I finally decided to just go for it I have seen just the opposite of that. I know there are so many other people that have wanted to try something for a long time but may have the same thoughts and feelings as I did and still do sometimes but I want my daughter and those people to feel like they can do it and I am there with you! I am not as big and “successful” as some of the other business out there and sometimes I feel like I can not get anything right but, with an amazing support system I can do it and I want to join in with other people and help encourage them too!
Pricing:
- Starting at $45 – wreaths and wood round door signs
- Starting at $16 – youth apparel
- Starting at $18 – adult apparel
- Starting at $8 – glassware
- Other custom creations available – price will vary
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/craftroom_creations/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftroomCreations
