Today we’d like to introduce you to Angie Wyatt.
Hi Angie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Almost 3 years ago, my husband and I moved our family down to Texas from Northern Indiana for my husband’s job. I was the school counselor at an elementary school for the last 14 years and was a mom of two. Everything about moving was hard and we were pregnant with our third child. Moving away from our family and friends during the start of the pandemic was challenging. Once we got settled in and had our baby, I found myself letting my creative side come out more since I had nap time to myself. I started with customizing tumblers with vinyl since my husband had bought me a Cricut machine for Mother’s Day one year and I had never really had time since I was working full time. One day I came across another crafter on Instagram who was screen printing with her Cricut. I was intrigued and knew that was something I could do along with tumblers. So after watching hours and hours of tutorials I finally bought the supplies and screen-printed my first shirt! I was obsessed with the process and loved the idea of from start to finish, it was a handmade item by me. Now, almost 3 years later, I am still screen printing by hand, running my Etsy store, and attending markets as a vendor. There are days I do miss my school counseling job, but being a mom of a toddler right now, the flexibility of running my own small business is exactly what my family needs.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t believe in anything just being easy or smooth to start out. I think one of the struggles I came across is how to market myself while trying not to be pushy or annoying on social media. Since I really don’t have roots here yet in Texas, I do rely on social media and markets to get my name out there. I think another obstacle in any business is learning that not everyone is going to love your product as much as you do and learning to be ok with that. I care deeply about what others think, so this is a continuous goal I am working on.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the owner of Lovely Simple Handmade established about two years ago after having our third child. My main focus is custom screen printing although I enjoy making signs and yarn tapestries. What makes me unique is I do it all by hand. I design, make the vinyl, apply it to my screen, and pull the ink through. From start to finish, it is all me. There are various methods of screen printing and not one of them is the best, but I have always enjoyed handmade gifts and I take a lot of pride knowing that each product is 100% handmade with love by me.
Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
So far, my time in Texas has been great! I absolutely love Georgetown and the square. I love all to the markets in the surrounding areas. The fact we can be outdoors all year long has been a nice change from living in Northern Indiana. My family and I love going into Austin for the day just roaming around. My daughter and I enjoy paddle boarding. One thing I miss is the beach, in Northern Indiana, we lived about 20 minutes from Lake Michigan with the most beautiful soft sand. Summers up north we lived at the beach so I do wish we had a beach with soft sand close to us, but we have enjoyed our time down by the river so that has been a nice alternative.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.etsy.com/shop/lovelysimplehandmade
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lovelysimplehandmade/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lovelysimplehandmade/
