MEET THE TEAM!

TRISHA LEBARON

When I started this blog, I wanted to share the home-improvement filled part of the life I share with Mr. Always-Building-Something (aka my hubby Kevin.)  We’ve had an amazing relationship for 30 years where I get to design stuff and he builds it.

I know that we don’t give ourselves enough credit.  We know that we want to create, and once we start to play we gain clarity about WHAT we want to create.  That’s why it’s so important to play!  Intuitively you know how you want your home to feel, how it should function and how it should flow.  Your home shouldn’t look like anyone else’s (unless you want it to.)  You can learn to decorate your own home, and create amazing hand-made items for your home, family and friends.

The creative process taught me a lot about what it means to call a house your home and what it takes to make a home that comforts you, supports you, and speaks to you.  Maybe what you do within the walls of your home matters more than what you put on those walls but the journey of fixing up our homes, and crafting to create everything (exaggeration) for it brought our family together, and that’s truly magical.

The second magical journey for me has been crafting and blogging.

I knew nothing (and still don’t know much) about blogging.  I was totally unprepared for how hard it was, and naively thought that it might make money, but mostly it’s brought me purpose and has made me feel less alone about being an unapologetic crafter because, until this blog, it felt unpopular to be a crafter.

I was also unprepared for how much I would love blogging.  It’s been a crash course in writing, photography and technology that I couldn’t have gotten in any other way.

AND THEN THERE’S THE CRAFTING.

I married young and loved to craft, but I set that part of me aside a long time ago to do real work in the real world, and because I felt looked down upon when I admited that I love paper, glue sticks, and paint–but wasn’t a “serious” artist.  I became a successful accountant and business owner and didn’t give crafting a second thought until I lost my way and made the crazy decision to become a blogger.

The first step was crafting new “stuff” to put on the blog.

And it saved me.

Crafting became my therapy.

We were built by God to be creators, and that means that crafting isn’t silly or insignificant.  It taps into our most creative God-given power and turns the ordinary into something extraordinary.  Crafting with a community of women amplifies that power.  Make no mistake about it–women who feel whole and supported, like I feel in the crafting community, lift homes, families, and communities.  We’re more likely to roll up our sleeves and dig into problems, knowing that we have the power to find creative solutions.

And that’s why I think you need to at least TRY crafting and see if it’s your therapy too.

KEVIN LEBARON

Kevin is the head builder, magic maker and tool enthusiast around here.  And he really is Mr. Always-Building-Something.

Just like crafting is my therapy, building is his.

He isn’t happy unless he has a project because it’s a better stress reliever for him than yoga, meditation, or a guys night out.  Not that he’s tried yoga or meditation, because he hasn’t.  You can’t do either of those with a tool belt strapped around your waist.

He doesn’t get to appear on the blog as much as I’d like (thanks to that real work in the real world), but when he does it’s magic!  He’s great at teaching the basics of building with a truly no fear attitude.  And he’s amazing at supporting DIY minded men and the women who love them.

I asked him for a quote for his about me page and here’s what he said:

“Sometimes you just have to get in there and get your hands dirty, because your wife is counting on you.  You can plan your project, read about what you need to do, and then get scared.  Never fear.  Your project will teach you, amaze you and build your confidence.  So get started.  It’s the best kind of on the job training.  Also, you can never have enough measuring tapes.”

That’s my guy!  We’ve made lots of DIY mistakes together, but we’re always improving and I promise you will too.  And, he really does own like 30 measuring tapes.

NICOLE MCKENZIE

Nicole is my little sister and she’s brand new to blogging (so she knows how you feel if you stumbled in here looking for some project to take your mind off the business of blogging).

She’s also the tumbler/water flask mad scientist.  I call her a mad scientist because she’s constantly experimenting with different materials, coming up with beautiful and innovative designs.   Her cup designs sell for $50-$120 per cup!  Believe me, she knows her stuff!

She’s also in love with her Cricut like I am!  We swap more Cricut projects than recipes–and that’s saying something.

While she’s going to bring a whole lot of amazing projects to the blog, I wouldn’t have invited her to contribute for that reason alone.

She’s here because crafting saved her.

Working the night shift as a radiology technician at a busy hospital was taking its toll on her.  She was constantly sleep deprived, and determined to be a good mom, wife, and daughter to the people most important to her.  But the pressure was taking its toll.

The panic attacks were happening more often, and she just never felt like herself.  She confided in me that she was at a breaking point and didn’t know what to do.

I shared my story with her and jokingly told her that maybe she needed to add craft blogging to her already packed schedule.

What followed was a hasty trip to Arizona to see me where we talked non-stop about crafting and blogging and she decided that she was finally going to start doing those beautiful epoxy cups that she were filling up her Pinterest boards.

She went home to play mad scientist and as she got lost in the work, her panic attacks came less frequently and her family noticed that she wasn’t so stressed anymore and that she was sleeping better.

Crafting is her therapy too!