^I was customizing necklaces on the spot by adding the hand cut heart. It was a little stressful to do it with people watching but well worth it to see how excited they were.
In November I was a vendor at Renegade Austin. It was super exciting for many reasons but the top 2 were:
1. It was my very first craft show.
2. It was in Austin-a place I had called home and where my business actually had begun.
I spent about 6 weeks making a display (which was both stressful and fun) and making as many Texas Necklaces as I could. When the weekend arrived I was so nervous because I had no idea what to expect. But as with most things my nerves quickly went away and I just enjoyed talking with all of the super nice people who came to the show that day. Seriously everyone was so nice! Probably one of the reasons I love Texas so much.
It was a super great learning experience for me and one I would absolutely do again. And guess what? Renegade is coming to Seattle! The dates are on my calendar and I will be applying just as soon as the applications open. I can’t wait!
I met Megan in January at ALT and I just loved her personality-she’s so funny. We connected over being midwest girls having lived in Texas (well she currently lives there) and we thought it would be fun to work together. I sent her a couple of necklaces and I loved seeing how she styled them. It’s been so great working with her and following along with her life over at Greetings From Texas.
Last week I saw her most recent post and my thoughts are with her and her family. If you’ve got a minute I just ask that you head over to her blog or instagram and leave a word of encouragement and love.
Yeah! Story number 2! I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was starting a new feature where I share some of the amazing stories I get to hear all the time! I started with my own and 2 weeks ago I shared Alexis’s story and today I get to share my good friend Steph’s. I’ll tell you a bit about my good friend first. I met Steph after having lived in Austin for about a year. We were initially drawn to each other because we are both around 5 ft tall and we like good beer (we met at a beer related event). Since that initial meeting we discovered we had much more in common and formed a wonderful friendship. (As she will share she met a boy from Michigan-my home state and where I’ve been spending my summer- and just moved here with him! I think that brings us even closer even though we’ll be so far apart)
The story as Steph tell it:
Texas Will Forever Be Home
I was born in Texas. San Angelo, TX. Yep, my dad was in the Airforce, which meant we moved – A LOT. Two weeks after my birth, the traveling began: Texas to California to South Korea to Maryland to New Jersey to Ohio…and finally, Texas again – Austin, TX – where I stayed for the past twenty years of my life. It is Austin where I learned to play softball, met my first loves, graduated from college, started me career, etc.
Austin means so, so much to me, & when I saw Jessica started making these awesome state necklaces, I HAD to have one of my own…to show my love of the place that made me who I am. Since buying & wearing my favorite necklace daily, I met The Man who convinced me to move with him to Michigan (where Jessica’s from!). I love, love, LOVE that my favorite necklace sparks up SO many conversations & I get to talk to new people about my loved Texas.
Thank you so much Steph for sharing a bit of your story with us today! I’m so happy for you and Kevin and I love that you get to experience all Michigan has to offer. If the winter gets to0 cold or long you always have Texas to escape to (just a week or so though because Kevin will be missing you).
If you like reading these stories please come back in 2 weeks as I’ll be sharing yet again! Also in the comments below tell me about a relocation you’ve had in your life or maybe a state you’d be willing to relocate to if the opportunity arose.
^I was customizing necklaces on the spot by adding the hand cut heart. It was a little stressful to do it with people watching but well worth it to see how excited they were.
