A few years ago, when money was tight and making handcrafted Christmas gifts seemed like the way to go, I started making hand-painted, door-hanging snowmen for my family and friends. They were well-received and friends of friends started placing orders. That snowballed into Barn Owl Primitives {BOP}, and a little shop on Etsy was born.

Since snowmen eventually melt, I needed to add some things to my shop that would last all year. I started with You are My Sunshine http://etsy.me/145X5ny and Family Rules typography word art signs http://etsy.me/1biNP9I.

Things were slow at first, but after months of marketing my shop on facebook and building relationships with fellow shop owners and bloggers, I started to see some steady sales. During those first few slow months, I read every article on the Etsy blogs about building a good business. I educated myself on what it means to create a brand, and I set out to make BOP something that people would recognize. I focused my energy and efforts on making new and exciting products and looked for big and small ways to set myself apart from my competition.

I have sold signs to some pretty amazing people. My We Can Do Hard Things sign http://etsy.me/145WzGp is hanging in the Etsy Corporate Office in New York City and in the MTV Office in London. When I received an order for my Playroom Rules sign from Brené Brown, I screamed out loud and almost fell off the couch.

But by far the orders that I am most proud of are from people you’ve never heard of. The daughter who purchased a sign for her dad’s 70th birthday with all the sayings he’s been repeating to her for the last 46 years. The mother who allowed me to see and paint the special and private poem that she repeats to her autistic son each night before he goes to sleep. The grandmother who ordered my Strength of My Love sign for her granddaughter, who spent almost a year in the NICU before finally coming home. My friend who lost her 12-year-old son to an unthinkable accident during a flood. These are just a few of the accomplishments that I am the most proud of and the ones that make what I do so rewarding and worthwhile.

Starting this business has been such an amazing journey for me. I’ve gained friends, grown my confidence, tapped into a creative side I didn’t even know existed, and developed a love of handmade products.

My hand-painted, original works of art are sold exclusively through my Etsy shop and on our website www.barnowlprimitives.com. You can find licensed reproductions of several of my designs on canvas and paper in retail locations around the US; to include Target, HomeGoods, TJMaxx, Marshalls, Hobby Lobby, Bed Bath & Beyond and Cost Plus World Market.

Thanks so much for dropping by the Barn! I hope you'll sit and stay awhile.

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