Wire & Whimsy

My business cards are a physical example of my expertise with my cnc machine.

I have news! Multiple things! 😁

As many of you know, my small business journey has been wonderful, stressful, eye opening, a great source of growth, and at times, infuriating.

I love what I do; unfortunately, I'm not doing it enough.

The market is very saturated and in order to drum up enough business to make this my full time source of income, I've had to essentially under price my items significantly to get my name out there. This was to be expected, however, I didn't expect it to take 6+ months. I am still learning.

That being said, I have a family, financial obligations, and dreams that I cannot achieve whilst scraping pennies together. My children and partner deserve better. I deserve better.

I am taking a *BIG* leap that some will not agree with and some of you will be excited about.

When I left TC in 2023, I was not in a good mental head space and had little respect for myself and those around me. My depression was at an all time high and my ADHD/OCD were not being managed in a positive way. This is nothing to do with my doctor; she is phenomenal and has been my GP for just short of 13 years. I was not putting in the time and work to better myself. Pity is easier to achieve than respect.

Shifting to employment within Cascadia changed that. I began to enjoy people again and more importantly, I began to enjoy and respect myself again. The change of peace and scenery revived me.

I left TC in a bad way. I'm well aware of that. It was disrespectful and not a good show of who I am today. I'm rebuilding bridges and learning that just as I have grown, so have many others. Many apologies have taken place and I will continue to do so.

I have accepted a part time position to help with my gap in income and I will start "re-training" at TenderCare tomorrow afternoon.
I understand this is surprising to many. I miss being carefree and fun and silly with children. It has always been my niche and I'm ready to try again.

For those of you who have burned that bridge and have no intentions to rebuild it, I can't blame you. I will never know exactly how you felt or what was said. What I will say is the things I said during that time, I meant with all my heart. Now I look back and am ashamed with how I acted because I wasn't trying to find a solution or a silver lining.

I am still me.
I am me with self respect.
I am me with solid goals.
I am me with a plan.
I am me showing that vulnerability does make us stronger.

I've never been a grudge holder and I never will be.
Life is too short to stay mad about things you can't change.

Isn't she a beauty? 😍
I love how this stain looks on bamboo.

Hello everyone!

After a months long hiatus, I am happy to announce that I am back and better than ever!

During my break, I've taken the time to educate myself on several different cnc and laser properties as well as learned the ins and outs of e-commerce.

I'll be spending the next 24 hours completing orders that I had to abruptly cease as those clients have shown me the utmost patience during this time and they deserve their stuff!

After my queue is clear, I'll be open for orders once again.
I will post an item list and pricing per item.
Follow my page for updates.

Thank you all for your support!!

If you need somewhere to go due to the fires, our home is open! It isn't big but we have food, multiple bathrooms, air purifiers, and air conditioning! Our yard is large and fenced if you have animals.
Please please reach out if we can help! ❤️🖤

Hi friends.
This summer has been pretty hard for my household and I've not been transparent about it as I never want to burden others but am constantly trying to carry baggage for others at my own insistence.
In February, I resigned from a career I loved, to focus on my small business and be more present in my families lives, namely my kids.

Things went really well until May.

May 10th my business PayPal was hacked and $922.18 was drained before I realized it. PayPal has fraud insurance and many safeguards but once it's been done you are playing the waiting game while the proper actions are taken by the company to restore your lost funds. Less than $1k doesn't sound like a big deal in the grand scheme, but running a business out of your home has so many costs anyway and having something like this happen is a big blow. I got an email yesterday that they've reconciled everything and my funds will be replaced this week. I am elated.

May 21st, I uncovered my cockatiels enclosure to find that Buttercup, my first and oldest bird, had passed 10 years earlier than her predicted life expectancy of 25 years. It killed me. I have not lost a pet I was as connected to in my adult life or adolescence as I was to her. My 3 remaining male birds have been fighting aggressively for the role of alpha and are hurting each other every day. I think it's going to be Lucky as he was Buttercups mate and she was the alpha before her death. It's been hard watching them go from a united flock to a bunch of squabbling dudes but I know it'll work itself out.

May 29th (I think, I'll have to look,) my cnc machine began to malfunction. Upon further inspection I realized that a bolt had loosened and was carving a divot into one of the running belts that moves the actual laser on the x axis. The laser I have does not have an automatic home position so the laser continued to try to return to its start position which jammed the belts and fried the mainframe. This issue was technically caused by user error, meaning the warranty will not cover it. A chunk of the PayPal money will go to a new mainframe, or a new machine, depending on price difference. It's been a really crummy learning experience but I will definitely be checking my machine before every job in the future.

In June, I lost my first biological grandparent. It wasn't unexpected but that doesn't mean we weren't dreading it. I've thankfully not had much experience with grief in my life so it has felt more like an emptiness than a sadness which I truly was not mentally prepared for. The fact that she is no longer suffering gives me solace but I selfishly want to see her and hug her one more time. I don't think that yearning will ever cease but day after day I accept it little more.

All of this being said, I'm going to try to jump back into the business very soon and hopefully get that drive back that I had. I think I'm ready. I'll be completing the projects that I had to abruptly stop and will slowly be taking on new orders. I've begun working a freelance position as a scribe for a large company and will continue doing this to supplement income while I take on more intricate projects within Wire & Whimsy.

Thank you all for your patience and if you have messaged and gotten no reply, I am deeply sorry and will do better.
Have a great day!!

Still looking for unique gift ideas? 😍

Not only can I engrave designs and custom graphics, I can also engrave high or low resolution images on wood, glass, and metal.
With my editing and retouching software I can sharpen an image and improve the contrast to create a one of a kind, custom creation.

Recently I was commissioned to do a 12×12 with this fantastic photo. Historically it's been difficult to transform a color photo into an engraved photo due to similar tones and textures. Technology and patience make this a seamless process.

Mother's Day, Graduation, Memorial Day, and Fathers Day are *RIGHT* around the corner. 🎁 💝 🇺🇸

Mother's Day Sale!! 💜🩷❤️

My largest bamboo boards will be on sale for $20 and each additional item purchased from my shop will be 25% off!

Message to order yours today!!

Celebrate your state pride with a customized bamboo cutting board!

These laser engraved boards are dishwasher safe and require no general maintenance unless desired.

Included is an interlocking display stand to elevate this statement piece.

Order yours today for $15!

Custom engraved cutting boards are a wonderful gift for so many occasions!
Mother's day is right around the corner! 🤰🤱👩‍🍼

❤️

Did you know I make bamboo coasters? 😍

This comes as a set of four and I can do four different designs, two of each, or four of the same.

Need inspiration?
I can absolutely help you create a custom design for no extra fee!

These come with cork feet to prevent sliding and have an included nesting dock for easy storage.

$14 for a customized set, $10 for a set unmarked. 😁

Made this cutie today!

Friendly reminder that my boards ARE food and dishwasher safe.
If you want to prolong the life of your engraving, use the other side of the board.
If you've had both sides engraved, coconut oil will help prolong the life of your board and engravings!

This little guy is for sale if you are interested!

Thanks friends!!
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Come see us!!!

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I am grateful for you all. 🍁