Meet the Maker: Angie Geyer

Meet Angie Geyer. This crafty mom of three had no intention of starting her own maker business, but once the order requests kept rolling in, she knew she had something special. Angie is now the proud owner of her successful custom-made home decor business, Little Rustic Home. Read on to learn more about her unique journey of becoming a successful maker.

Introduce us to you: who you are, where you’re from – all the important details.

My name is Angie Geyer and I am from Parma Heights, OH. I am happily married with 3 active little boys named Chase, Brody, and Jackson. I started the business in 2016, Little Rustic Home, and it has grown to be a family business. The boys love helping out and even started making farmhouse beads that pair great with the signs.

How did you get your start as a maker and what do you make?

Honestly, I had no intention on starting a business of my own. One day, I was skimming pinterest and I saw something that reminded me of the game scrabble. They took their family’s names and connected them. I was instantly inspired. Me being who I am wanted to still be a little different and put my own touch. I wanted to make ours fully connected so it could hang in one piece. I also wanted to change up the font so they looked like the game but not quite exact. I failed on the assembly part way more than I care to admit but finally after multiple attempts I found the perfect materials to use to hold the names on the wall. I did as every pinterest proud artist does and posted it to my personal facebook page. It was a hit and I had several friends actually request me to make one for their own homes. A chain reaction began! Everyone posted their scrabble arts and then their friends wanted one too. I then decided to make a facebook business page in order to get organized. It’s been a few years and scrabble arts are still the #1 item I sell to this day.

Have you always had a creative side or did someone help you find it?

Yes. I have always been creative. It is something I am confident in and I feel I really excel at. I love painting, sewing, and I absolutely love photography. In fact, I plan to add some of my photography into my future projects. My wheels are always turning.

Have you turned your passion for creating into your day job?

Yes. I believe I have turned my passion into my day job. I love being able to give people something they love. I love creating things that put a smile on their faces when they walk in a room. Whether it be an encouraging quote or a simple phrase that says
HOME. Signs that make people laugh are my favorite. A piece of me is able to be apart of baby showers, weddings, wedding showers, birthdays, and so much more. We spend a lot of time in our homes so I love being able to help people enjoy them and give them something beautiful to look at.

Do trends help guide what you’re creating? And if so, how do you identify them?

Yes. Trends do help with what I am creating. I am pretty loyal to the rustic farmhouse chic look that has been popular in many places and it is what has been present for the last few years. You can identify the trends from magazine, pinterest, and shows. You can walk through a store and see what trend is popular simply by where items are displayed. The best way for me to identify trends is by what customers are ordering.

What trends are you seeing pop-up right now?

Farmhouse is a trend that has became popular since Johanna Gaines came into the picture with the show Fixer Upper a few years back. It is something I love personally. Grays and whites are a big trend at this time but that doesn’t mean you have to throw away your wood tones. If done right, brown can go great with those grays and whites. My favorite trend right now is identified as Modern Farmhouse. I use a mix of white, black, and a medium brown. In the summer I add an olive green in for a pop of color. Yellow (think lemons) is also a very popular way to add color. Farmhouse doesn’t have to be boring.

Who (or what) gets you excited about the work you do?

I have many reasons to love and be excited to do what I am doing. My customers are always number one. I enjoy getting pictures of my items in their homes. I enjoy the messages stating how their family member loved the items they were gifted. I love seeing the baby announcements with the party of 4 or 5 signs. Seeing them happy with items I have created makes me feel appreciated and makes doing what I do turn from just a day job to something very enjoyable. To this day, I still get excited when I get to make something new.

What’s one piece of advice you’d share with other makers?

Whatever you decide to start, whether it be signs, sewing, pottery, photography etc, make sure you do it because you love to do it. Don’t turn the love of crafting into something that makes you anything less than happy.

What goal(s) are you working toward?

This may not be the response most give but my goal is quite simple. My goal in life is to travel. To see the world and to meet as many people as possible. I would love to get a trailer, create a bunch of different things, and travel city to city doing events, shows, even weekend pop up shops. It would be the perfect combination of two of my favorite things, crafting and traveling.

What’s your creative mantra and why?

I have never really had a creative mantra but I think this one fits me best. “Create something today. Even if it sucks.” I have a million failed projects under my belt. Not everything will always turn our perfect but it will always be fun to attempt and in every fail I learn a little more. You never know, what you think sucks, someone else may love.

What’s on your studio playlist?

The 90’s. 90’s hits and 90’s country. The 90’s will forever be my favorite decade for music.

When you’re not creating what are you up to?

I love spending time with my family. We love hiking and getting lost in the woods. 2 years ago I saved up some money I made from crafting and purchased a small hybrid pull behind camper that we travel in on the weekends. If I am not getting lost in the mountains you will find me next to a big beautiful castle! I love Disney World and Disneyland. Let’s be honest, I just love all things Disney and I am so thankful I have family who enjoys it as much as I do!

Makers make the crafting world go ‘round. Are you a maker who wants to be featured on Darice?Send us an email at social@darice.com – we’re looking forward to meeting you!