Surprisingly, I Lived Through It

Well, I finally gave in and did the shopping video on Facebook live. It wasn’t awful…much. I lived through it. I know, I’m as shocked as you are. As usual, my husband, Mr. Lamar, was his normal charming and entertaining self. I secretly want to smack him for being so comfortable in front of a camera. At this point in the quarantine, no one would even question my actions. But still, our viewers enjoyed the video. They got a better look at our products, and it was something for them to watch instead of more virus news. I consider that a success.

We have decided to go ahead with the DIY kits. It will take a few weeks to get everything together and get some videos made. We have a few new items we have to finish first. We hope to put them in Rave Home Collection. They currently offer online shopping and curbside pickup, but hope to be opening the store to customers in the next week or so.

In the meantime, things are bound to get better and most of us will have learned a new skill, or a few. Take care of each other and remember to be kind because we’re all getting a little cranky.

Just hold on a little longer.

So Many Changes

Great googly moogly, there have been so many changes. However, life goes on and we go on with it.

So many services are now available only online. We are even thinking of doing a Facebook live shopping video. If you knew how much I dislike doing video, it would shock you to know that I am even considering doing a live video. So scary. Once you do it, it’s out there and you can’t take it back. It’s another hmmm moment.

However, then I think about all that’s going on around me, and I feel silly for worrying about a little video. Who knows, maybe it will be great and I’ll love it. Hahahahaha, that’s a good one!

We are also tossing around the idea of DIY kits. We’ll put together a kit for a simple wall decor, do a video tutorial (more videos, how lovely) and place them on the website for purchase. Should be a piece of cake, right? Besides, what could go wrong?

Hmmm, This is Different

In the last post I talked about a new shop in town. Now there’s a new virus in town. It’s causing a lot of trouble and it’s not an April Fools prank.

My, how things have changed in just a few weeks time. Everything has officially gone pear shaped. The world is in an uproar, job loss is climbing, sales are at a dead stop, and panic is spreading The news and the rules about what to do, and not do, are changing everyday. Soooo, what do we do now?

Whew! Let’s all just stop and take a breath. Life is undoubtedly strange right now. We can’t get out of it or around it, so it’s time to adapt. We need to show each other more kindness and give each other more grace. More grace to adjust, more grace to be ok with not being ok. Most of us will not get through this unaffected. Let’s be patient, diligent, kind and compassionate. Love your family, love your neighbor, and don’t forget to love yourself.

Be well and be safe.

There's a New Shop in Town

There’s a new vintage shop in town. It’s called The Rave Home Collection and is on the corner of Baymeadows Rd. and Bayberry in Jacksonville, Florida. They sell painted and distressed furniture, new and vintage home decor, and gifts. We received an invitation from them to sell some of our items on consignment in their shop. After going to the shop and talking with them, it looks promising. They have an eclectic mix of farmhouse, boho, vintage and shabby chic. They are also nice people. The grand opening is set for the end of the month. I’ll give more details about the grand opening when they become available.

We are working on a new line of rustic items using reclaimed wood and upcycled doodads. This will be a good opportunity to test this new line and see what kind of a response we get.

A big thanks to all those who have visited our website. Whether you purchased anything or not, we appreciate your support and encouragement.

It's Still Here

Here we are three weeks later and we still have not started using the CNC regularly. Why is that, you ask. Let me answer that for you. So. Much. To. Learn.

First we had to learn the CAD program to design the cuts. Fortunately this is a simplified CAD or we would be in real trouble. Next is the CAM program which runs the spindle (router). Also, we have had to learn something called feeds and speeds which determines how quickly the spindle turns, moves across the wood and changes cutting depth. This is an ongoing learning process as the feeds and speeds change with the type and density of the wood, type of cut, and type of end mill (drill bit) you are using. All this is rather intimidating for a couple of newbies. How so? Let’s start with the fact that the average spindle speed is 18,000 rpms and pieces of wood are flying around in a constant explosion of bits and dust that’s loud enough to wake the dead. I’ve discovered that I don’t like exploding wood. Who knew?

Oh, and even though I draw my own designs, I have to upload them into the CAD program with a certain file type. So, you guessed it, I have also had to learn a new design software along with the CAD and CAM.

Life is good, but I’m tired and a bit confused. I need a nap.

It's Here, It's Here!

The new CNC arrived and my husband was like a kid on Christmas morning. This is not just a new tool, this is a super cool new tool that has made some of his friends quite envious. He’s currently the popular kid.

The CNC arrived well packed with many, many parts. The website tutorial video said to expect 2-3 hours for assembly. Most of the how-to videos from other customers said to expect 6-8 hours for assembly. It took us 8 1/2. Not great, but not bad for first timers with no CNC experience. Everything went together correctly and worked the first time, so you can’t ask for much more than that. We were even able to run the initiation program that tests that everything is working correctly. Woohoo for us!

Now we just have to figure out how to actually run the thing, get it to cut out what we want, and not get wounded in the process. You know how it goes, old dogs and new tricks.

Buying Expensive Stuff

As we continue on our journey, we have decided to make our first major equipment purchase. We bought a Cricut a few weeks ago (which I love, by the way), but it’s not a really big investment. It was time for us to step up, so here goes.

Nearly all the wood items you see on our website currently, have been cut by my husband. He uses a scroll saw for the intricate designs. Fortunately he loves working with wood and the tools that go with it. However, all that cutting is time consuming and tedious. If we are going to move forward, we need something that can take some of the work off of him. So (drum roll please), we purchased a CNC machine.

If you’re not familiar with a CNC, it’s a type of computerized router. You put your designs in a CAD program and the CNC cuts out whatever you’ve designed. It has it’s limits, and there is a lot to learn, but we are excited (and a little scared) to try something new. It should be here next week. It will arrive unassembled, so it should be loads of fun from the get go. I’ll let you know how it goes.

A New Year

We are officially launching our business on January 1, 2020. We hope this to be an exciting new year and we are looking forward to seeing what great things are in store. We are off to a good start, but who knows. Everything could look very different by the end of this year. Maybe we’ll find that this is the perfect fit for us, or maybe we will find something else to pursue. Life is not set in stone, so here’s to the new year and the new journey it brings!

May this new year bring you adventure, discovery and joy.

Our First Show

Last Saturday we did our first show. I have done several shows as Sharon Crumbliss Art (fine abstract art), but this was our first show as Crumbliss Art featuring our combined woodworking and painting talents. It was a small show at a local church. The venue was lovely and the organizers was accommodating and easy to work with. Unfortunately, the weather was miserable. It was terribly cold, rainy, and generally dreary all day. Yes, we have dreary days in Florida, not often, but we do have them. The weather kept the crowd very small and we only sold one item. Now, you might consider this to be a complete loss. I, however, like to look at the positive side. What, you say, could be positive about sitting all day in a church fellowship hall while making only one sale? I’m so glad you asked.

Shows can be quite stressful with all the preshow prep, show setup, meeting potential customers and navigating the personalities of other vendors. Since this was a small show, the stress was much less, and it proved to be a great opportunity to fine tune our packing, transport, and setup procedures. We met some new fans, made a few new friends, and found some interesting gift ideas.

Now for the best part. There was food! Not just any food; church lady food. If you’re not from the south, let me tell you, church lady food is legendary. Church ladies have been honing their craft and perfecting their recipes since childhood. Many of them learned to cook at the knee of their grandmother. I had a pumpkin crème cake that was so delicious it will live on in my memory for many years to come.

In life, most things are out of our control. We can only control our actions and reactions. We can choose to grumble, or look for the silver lining. I like to look for the silver lining. And when there doesn’t seem to be a silver lining, well, there’s always church lady food.

A Year of Big Scary Changes

2019 is a year of big changes for us. We both retired (one voluntarily, one encouraged to do so) and we began a new business. The business combines our talents, providing a creative outlet and an opportunity for extra income. We get to do something we love, and get paid to do it. It’s the dream job, right? We hope so. When we first retired, friends asked what we were going to do with our time. Our response was always the same. First we will rest, then we will do whatever we darn well please, thank you very much.

This business is currently what makes us happy. We hope the results make you happy too.