Welcome back to the saga of Vaughan Leatherworks!! Sorry it took so long to put out another addition, but it has gotten a bit busy at the shop. As in life, business is cyclical. So now I'm on the upswing. The downside is less time to get out a new blog. However, I sucked it up and here we are!
I would like to introduce you to 2 of my "helpers".
Below is Tulip, she is the original helper. The little one is the newest addition to the crew. Her name is Stormy.
Tulip.
Stormy.
Depending on the day, these two are either a blessing or a bane. Tulip has been tangled in my thread while I was sewing a wallet at one point. Things hit the floor hard and cursing commenced. Stormy is more of a "lay on the cutting mat kind of cat". As a matter of fact, Tulip is on my lap as I type this. Today, she is a blessing...lol.
An important piece of this puzzle is my wife. None of this would have been possible if not for her believing in me and allowing me to buy tools, leather and supplies to learn my craft. Thank you love!! The other pieces of the puzzle are my friends and family who supported me and believed in me. All of your support is what kept me going when it seemed I might not be able to pull this off. Give yourselves a pat on the back.
So, to go on...I had started this business with a side of leather and a set of tools from Amazon. Had I not been too impatient, I would have bought better quality tools and equipment and saved myself a little money by not buying tools I ended up not needing. Basically, it's like a used car, you get what you pay for. So, word of warning to those of you reading this and thinking about starting your own business.
I bought several books (I also have more on my wish list so I'm not done yet), I have also watched countless videos on YouTube. These two resources are priceless in my mind, so I highly recommend that route. There are many leather crafters you can find online that have free patterns you can download and practice with. I have used them myself, and some of my products are modifications of these. Make sure if you go this route and sell them that you know for sure they are ok with you doing so, most will put a disclaimer in their websites.
After plenty of practice I decided to go out and try to make a business. This craft is not for everyone, so be sure you want to go all the way before you spend a lot of money on tools and equipment. The price can get real expensive very quickly. If you need evidence, check out clicker presses and stitching machines. Sheesh!! However, these items are on my Christmas Wish List every year...hint hint.
I will touch on the hoops I had to jump through to get this business out of my imagination and into reality. I was told a long time ago, be and expert at one thing. This is now my thing. Balancing out a full time job, the shop and this website, is quite a formidable task, but I strive under pressure so I believe I will be fine.
Well, I suppose I've hit my 6:00pm deadline so I am going to post this and work on my new projects. I plan on putting more pictures in my gallery tomorrow evening. Until next time, enjoy life and find your passion.
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