I'm a wife, stay-at-home mom, crafter, and blogger living in rural New England. As seen in Martha Stewart Living, Food Network Magazine, and more! | Tutorials, DIY, crafts, parenting tips, recipes, money saving tips, product reviews, local product features, New England living, intentional living, and more! |
So excited to have some of my custom ornaments heading down to ACK 4170, a beautiful gift shop located on the island of Nantucket! They are currently closed for the winter, but in the meantime you can shop their store online and then in-person again when they reopen for the season in April.
I wish I could mail myself down there with the ornaments - I haven’t been to Nantucket (yet) but have always wanted to visit!
Just stumbled across this sweet mention of our Ornaments on the Artists & Makers Page of Wiglesworth’s Mercantile’s website - thank you so much Anne! I was so honored to be a part of the opening of your shop and through your first Christmas season.
If you’re ever in Portsmouth NH, please be sure to check out Wiglesworth’s Mercantile in person - they cater to carrying New England-made products and have “Give Back” weekends once a quarter where they donate 10% of sales to local charities (how wonderful is that?!).
I wanted to spread some Christmas Cheer and thought it would be fun to host a little Giveaway over on my Instagram and Facebook! One lucky winner will win a set of my Hand-Etched Birch Snowflake Ornaments to keep and dress up their tree - or give to family and friends and spread a little more cheer themselves.
To enter, find this photo on our Instagram or Facebook and tag a friend - it’s that easy! Enter on both Instagram and Facebook to increase your chances ;)
Happy Small Business Saturday! Just wanted to hop on here real quick and share just a few of my favorite small businesses and makers, most of which are based right here in New England. Quite a few are having sales today, so please go check them out and support them if you can!
Small Business Saturday Picks
Wiglesworth's Mercantile - Wiglesworth's Mercantile is one of the newest shops in Portsmouth, NH. The owner Anne is committed to only carrying items made right here in New England, and this week she is giving back to local charities with every purchase at her store (I love that so much!).
Mermaids & Madeleines - Heather from Mermaids & Madeleines makes the most beautiful, bright coastal-inspired jewelry around. She's also such a positive, happy soul and a joy to follow on Instagram.
Wolfeboro Candle Company - Carrie from Wolfeboro Candle Company makes wonderful candles, and this season is offering Gift Boxes too (our Hand-Etched Snowflake Ornament is included in the Large Gift Box).
Maine Rope Mats - Maine Rope Mats makes amazing recycled lobster rope mats and products. We personally have two of their mats and love the fun it brings to our doorways.
S.Lynch Knitwear - Samantha isn't actually from New England, but is a New Englander at heart and it shows in her beautifully made knitted items. I just love her chunky knit hats and her craftsmenship is beautiful!
Daytrip Society - Daytrip and Datyrip Jr., both in Kennebunkport Maine, are some of my favorite stores around. They are beautifully currated and have such thoughtful and unqiue gift ideas.
Watts in Maine - Watts in Maine is best known for their Perfect Catch Cuff, but also offers other jewelry and accessory items as well. They also have made donations to help with Shark Research.
Sewcialite - Roula of Sewcialite hustles so hard every day, working fulltime and creating the most amazing coastal-inspired rope creations and jewelry in her spare time.
I’ve had some inquiries about my Etsy Shop this season. Due to the uncertainties regarding Covid over the next few months likely affecting my ability to get materials and go to the post office regularly, I’ve decided to keep my Etsy shop closed for the time being.
However, some of my Stockists will still continue to carry my ornaments during this time, in particular Wiglesworth's Mercantile in Portsmouth and Wolfeboro Candle Company should be well stocked at the moment.
Like everyone else I’m looking forward to a hopefully healthier, more normal spring and will reopen my Etsy shop once it’s practical. Thank you so much for your understanding and stay well!
As you know by now, I love sharing about companies and products we love on the blog and our Instagram - and most especially those made right here in New England. Today on the blog in our New England Maker Series, I’m so excited to introduce you 11-year-old(!!) Grace Howe of Rock Art by Grace Howe - our youngest New England Maker by far! As a mom of girls myself, I find Grace so inspiring with her hard work ethic and entrepreneurial spirit.
Rock Art by Grace Howe is best known for her fun and whimsical wall art made of natural stones, paint, and ink.
Tell me a little bit about yourself and your business.
My name is Grace Howe. I just turned 11 in October. I love nature, animals, making digital art, vintage campers, and so much more. I really want to live in a tiny house when I grow up and become an interior designer/art teacher. Making art is my favorite thing to do all the time!
How did you start Rock Art by Grace Howe? Had you been making rock art for awhile or was this a new leap for you?
I started my business 3 years ago when I went on vacation to Maine. I saw this cool artwork made out of rocks in a storefront and thought it would be fun to try and create something similar. Before we left, my dad and I picked up some smooth flat rocks from the oceanfront and my mom was rolling her eyes because she didn’t know what I would do with ALL these rocks. When we got home my dad made some frames and I started making some rock art themes. They turned out pretty good, so I started selling them at Farmers Markets and fairs that I go to with my family's farm. Eventually I was able to create my own Instagram account and started selling at local storefronts. I currently sell my rock art year round at Gilford Country Store in Gilford, New Leaf in downtown Laconia, seasonally at Live Love Lake and Wolfeboro Artisan Barn both located in Wolfeboro NH, Concord Handmade on Main Street in Concord (November/December), and most recently I am located at the Beyond Gallery in Bennington VT.
What does a typical day look like for you when you work on your pieces?
When I get home from school, my mom has a snack for me and I usually check if I have any orders, respond to any messages or emails that I have received. I typically work on rock art designs in the evenings. I usually work in phases. Paper and glue frames, sort rocks by size, design and create, sign and put hangers and tags on. I have swim practice three days a week, so any orders that I need to put in the mail, I take them on the way so I can get them out quickly. This may also include a trip to the bank to deposit my earnings.
What is your favorite part about running your own business? And least favorite part?
My favorite part about my business is seeing happy customers and seeing how many states and countries my rock art is shipped to. I also love to update my favorite Fed-Ex and bank tellers on my progress. My least favorite part is having so many customers at once that it gets very frustrating to get all the orders done and on time. When “famous” people give me a shout out on social media, orders tend to pour in all at once. Most of the time, orders are made to order. I don’t generally have a stockpile of rock art.
What has been the most exciting moment for Rock Art by Grace Howe since you started?
The most exciting moment for Grace’s Rock Art was achieving my $10,000 car goal! It took me 3 years, but I am so happy that I succeeded. Another one was getting a letter from Dave Ramsey saying to keep up the good work! My parents have taught me about saving, spending, and giving. I have donated to several organizations that I am passionate about with funds from my business.
What advice do you have for kids just starting out in their own business?
Be patient. There are a lot of things that go on during your first few years of starting your business. You learn what goes right and wrong and what works best for you. It takes a lot of time to get the flow of it. My parents and our family’s farm have really taught me about how to be successful. I am currently helping two other friends learn about the ins and outs of how to start.
What is your long-term goal? Where do you see yourself in five years?
In 5 years I will be buying that first car I saved for because I will be 16. My personal goal is to buy a vintage camper and make it my mobile rock art store. I love vintage campers! Maybe I’ll have a website too and I won’t have to have a typical job someone who’s 16 has; I can continue to earn income from being an artist.
Who’s one of your favorite New England Makers?
Some of my favorite art makers in New England are Dan Tavis, @dantavis. He is a watercolor, digital artist, and illustrator. He has been one of my biggest fans. He is very inspiring with his work. He sells prints, calendars, books he illustrated and original art works. I have an original Dan Tavis that I purchased from the sales of my business. I think it’s important to support local artists. Two others are my swim coach Liz McBride @elmacb who creates unique nature inspired pottery and Natalie Robitaille @handmade_by_nattie who makes the most incredible pillows and now facemasks thanks to COVID-19.
Keep Up with Rock Art by Grace Howe
| Instagram | Shop Locally in New England at: Gilford Country Store, New Leaf, Live Love Lake, Wolfeboro Artisan Barn, Concord Handmade, + Beyond Gallery |
All photos courtesy of Rock Art by Grace Howe.
DO YOU OWN A NEW ENGLAND-BASED BUSINESS AND WOULD LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING INTERVIEW? OR WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN HAVING ME STYLE, REVIEW, AND FEATURE ONE OF YOUR PRODUCTS? Please drop me a note.
Wolfeboro Candle Company has put together some wonderfully curated Gift Boxes for the holiday season. These are full of great New England-made products and I am so honored to have my Hand-Etched Birch Snowflake Ornaments included among them.
As you know by now, I love sharing about companies and products we love on the blog and our Instagram - and most especially those made right here in New England. It’s been a little while since I’ve done an interview on the blog in our New England Maker Series, but I’m excited to get back into it with Mary Zambello of ReclaiMEd Maine Co.!
ReclaiMEd Maine Co. (formerly known as ReclaiMEd Sign Co.) started as a sign buisness but has branched out into much more - including apparel, drinkware, and stickers. They are probably best known for their iconic "Pine Tree Coast" design, sales of which help support Natural Resources Council of Maine - I just love a company that gives back!
Tell me a little bit about yourself and your business.
ReclaiMEd Sign Co. started as a way to show love for Maine and its environment. Will and I both grew up in Maine with a love for the outdoors. I have a creative background in design and Will has an extensive background in building and craftsmanship, so we knew there were endless possibilities. In hopes of giving back to the environment, we chose to use all reclaimed wood for our projects. This helps to prevent deforestation, which in turn helps sustain habitats and decrease expended energy needed to extract and process new materials. Less wood ends up in landfills and carbon remains in our projects instead of being released as fossil fuels. There are a lot of sign companies out there, but we pride ourselves in the fact that all of our items are custom designed and handmade. Each wood sign is hand cut with a jigsaw or scroll saw, crafted and painted. Our glassware is custom designed and hand-etched. We choose to source USA-Made items and work with local small businesses when we can, and give back to Maine environmental organizations. These pieces were all incredibly important to us and are what we've built our brand on.
How did you start ReclaiMEd Sign Co.?
Honestly it all started in our backyard in Portland. We liked to have fires during the summer time and occasionally picked up pallets for fire food. Will had this idea that we could cut out the shape of Maine, "If only I had a jigsaw, I could..." So, when his birthday came around, I went out and bought him one. No longer were there any excuses as to why we couldn't make these things. With an abundance of unused pallets in the area, and with my design background, ReclaiMEd Sign Co. was born.
What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day begins with our actual day jobs. ReclaiMEd Sign Co. is just a side business. I'm the Marketing Coordinator for Sea Bags and Will owns his own property services company, so we generally both work long days. I often wake up early to work on packaging and shipping, and spend my evenings working on online orders or trying to restock items for local stores. Most of ReclaiMEd work happens late nights and on the weekends. Due to the lack of free-time we have, I often have to take items down from our site in order to find a little extra time to work on new ideas. Never enough hours in the day!
What is your favorite part about owning your own company? And least favorite part?
I love that ReclaiMEd gives me a constant creative outlet. There is always room for new designs or ways to perfect your craft. I'm able to create these incredibly personal designs and gifts that I know people are opening up and putting in their homes. Least favorite part is definitely never having enough time. I am full of ideas and am really constrained on the amount of time I have to experiment and work on projects. I'm often conflicted when I have a free moment, whether I should be working on ReclaiMEd or getting out to enjoy the outdoors myself.
What has been the most exciting moment for ReclaiMEd Maine since you started?
The creation of our Pine Tree Coast design has been my absolute favorite. I loved creating the design and being able to translate it to apparel, glassware, and stickers has been so much fun. We're not only able to support another local screen printing company, but now have a complete collection that is giving back to a local Maine environmental organization. The end of last year, we raised $350 dollars and this year we have a goal to raise $1,000 for the Natural Resource Council of Maine. These products embody our love for this state, the outdoors, and our desire to protect the Maine woods and coast. I love being able to give back 10% of all sales with this design to help protect, restore, and conserve Maine’s environment.
What advice do you have for people just starting out?
Build a brand that you love and stay true to it. Stay creative and push the boundaries. Try new things. Love your work but remember that work-life balance is important. This continues to be my biggest struggle! Will has recently taken a step back from ReclaiMEd, realizing that he needed some time back to fish and relax. I still struggle giving myself a break when there's always so much I want to do and accomplish. It's important to take time for yourself and refresh before diving back in to work.
What is your long-term goal? Where do you see yourself in five years?
That's a difficult question for me! I love this company. As I mentioned before, it's tough when I have so many aspirations to grow but am somewhat at capacity with how much I can handle. In 5 years I hope that I have brought in some extra hands in order to be able to expand our wholesale business. We love being in select stores throughout Maine, but often find that we're turning down opportunities just so we can stay on top of our current projects. I'd like to have a little more time to perfect my scroll saw skills and continue to put out more intricate designs.
Who’s one of your favorite New England Makers?
I love La Marée Art and A&E Stoneworks, who are both fellow Maine makers. I have been such a big fan of their beautiful work and they have both shown me so much support over the years!
DO YOU OWN A NEW ENGLAND-BASED BUSINESS AND WOULD LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN AN UPCOMING INTERVIEW? OR WOULD YOU BE INTERESTED IN HAVING ME STYLE, REVIEW, AND FEATURE ONE OF YOUR PRODUCTS? Please drop me a note.
