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Hello and welcome to my first blog post. I'm Stacie Dale, creator of hand-painted keepsake chests. You can view my website at
http://www.staciedaledesigns.com . I am very excited because my new shipment of keepsake chests arrives in just a few more days and I can't wait to see the smaller boxes and photo frames that are coming too! I'm looking forward to creating some great new artwork for these new items and will have them up for sale on the website in mid-September....just in time for the holidays! Well, back to painting a new keepsake chests for a wonderful repeat customer...it's turning out great but this one was a real challenge.
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Well my 2 children went back to school today which leaves me with a little more quiet time. I miss them. My new shipment of chests is sitting in customs inspection (ugh!) so I won't be getting my new products for a few more days. I have a few orders that I need to get working on so I'm off to paint! I am looking forward to finding some time to create some new designs...I have a bunch of ideas rolling around in my head...just need the time to create them! Hope everyone had a great Summer vacation!
-Stacie
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Many of my customers and friends ask me how I started Stacie Dale Designs Inc. so I thought I would give everyone a summary of how it all came to be. In 1992 ( wow, that long ago!) I graduated from Drexel University in Philadelphia with a degree in fashion design. I went to work right away as an assistant designer for Alfred Angelo/Christian Dior bridals. I had always wanted to do childrenswear and so I left and started working at Flapdoodles, then SO Fun Inc. and then I started my own line of children's clothing called Seasons In The Sun. What a disaster that turned out to be but I learned so much about running a business that I would never ever want to give up that experience.
I married my husband, Doug in 1995 and went back to work at the only job I could find at the time making prison apparel and hospital gowns ( yes, I said prison apparel)...it was a low point in my career. Finally a job opened up at The Eagle's Eye where I went to work as a technical designer and I loved the people I worked with....but wasn't all that passionate about the job. While there, my friend Judy had a baby and I needed a gift for her. We didn't have much money back then so I got an unpainted toy chest and painted a Beatrix Potter design on it to match her nursery. After the baby shower, I started getting calls from people who had seen it or seen photos I had of the chest, and they wanted one too. I started selling smaller pieces of hand painted furniture to a kids store in Bryn Mawr, PA and also started painting murals in homes all while still working at the Eagle's Eye.
In 1998 I became preganant but sadly, had a miscarriage 5 months in to the pregnancy and decided not to return to work full-time. It was a time for taking a deep breath and making alot of tough decisions about what I wanted to do. A month later, Doug and I purchased our home and I continued to work a very part-time schedule at Eagle's Eye. A few months later, I became preganant again and in November of 1999 my son, Pierce was born. At my baby shower, a friend of mine gave me a cardboard keepsake box that had 2 tin containers for his first tooth and lock of hair. Ah-ha! It immediately gave me the idea to do hand-painted keepsake chests. This idea rolled around in my head until 2002. I was busy having my daughter, Katie, and raising 2 little children, going to pre-school and all that fun stuff new Moms get to do. In 2002, my friend Judy told me about her interior design website she had started and so, I decided to give the website idea a try as well (eventhough I'm not good with a computer at all!).
Three months after I opened my online store, I got my first order! The first year was slow and I wondered if this was the right avenue to go. But then, I found google adwords! My second year sales were double the first and the business has continued to grow ever since. I've made alot of changes along the way by adding a wholesale line, importing from China, getting the chests pre-painted white or ivory, etc. I love to paint. When I paint, I am able to block out everything that is going on around me and that is a wonderful place to be. I'm still learning every day but I love the challenge of creating something unique for my customers and being able to give them a special place to hold their keepsakes and memories.
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Well, it is now October 3rd and I am going tomorrow to my dear friend, Linda McManus,,
http://www.lindamcmanusimages.com , to have my new line of keepsake boxes photographed. I'm excited to be able to offer a less expensive alternative to the keepsake chests and also offer some hand painted photo frames which make fabulous holiday gifts!
After all of the tough financial times Americans are feeling, I hope that my less expensive alternatives are something customers will enjoy. I had a nice conversation yesterday with Jamie of Jamie's Painting & Design,
http://www.jamiespnd.com about the tough financial situation right now and I hope that in November we all make an informed vote to help turn this country around. Jamie has a background in animation and her painted tiles are a wonderful personalized holiday gift as well. She's also got alot of great advice for entrepreneurs on her blog so take a minute and read what she has to say.
I'll be emailing all of my previous customers and retailers to introduce you to the new product line so look for an email from me soon!
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