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About Julie Bunch Originals
In my family, I come from a long line of inspirational women. My Mother and Gram and Great Grandmother have been my inspiration since I could talk. My Gram was the ultimate crafter. As a child, we would visit and it was always a craft project of some kind to give as gifts for Christmas and other occasions. We would decoupage plaster ornaments, paint pottery,make beaded ornaments, and constructed scrapbooks out of old greeting cards. We bedazzled shirts, she taught me how to knit, and even tried to teach me to crochet but that was one thing I could never grasp. We did needle point and I learned how to sew at age 9 when my mom bought me my first little hand crank sewing machine. It was pretty awful, and I can see why people get so frustrated with the sewing machine itself because they can be a real pain to deal with. The thread is always breaking, and you have to get the tension just right, and then you get all that figured out and you then run out of bobbin thread so you have to fill that up.. it goes on and on. My Gram had a lot of patience and I guess that's where I get that from because crafts need to be fun to continue on and when they start to get complicated and you loose your sanity on a project, that's when a lot of them would end up either put back in the closet and never finished or worse yet, in the trash! I was notorious for starting things and not finishing them. As I matured, I found such enjoyment in giving people things I made. I was always working on projects that had to be completed then. I enjoyed the feeling of finishing something and seeing the excitement of the receiver.
It was in 1989 when I got my first Spiegel Catalog in the mail and fell in love with interior design. I poured through that catalog for hours, looking at all the ideas. Since money was tight, I had to make what I had work with very little budget. I decided to make my window treatments, since the ones in the catalog weren't quite what I wanted. I decided to go to a certified school for interior design and got my first job in that field at JCPenny. I worked in the Custom Decorating Studio for a short time before starting my own decorating business. It was a wonderful time in my life. I was a young mom and worked my own hours and built a nice business for 10 years. I made everything from custom window treatments, to hanging wallpaper and faux painting. I also sold carpet and furniture and made floral designs.
As an associate, one thing they made us do was take one of the classes that they offered. So, I was talked into taking a jewelry class. It was a nightmare! First of all, there wasn't much I hadn't already done from working at a craft store and being in the design business for so many years. But I must say, the bead department at Michaels was my least favorite aisle. There were many things there that I had no clue about how it worked. If you ever had a customer ask you about something in the bead isle, I would just shudder because it was always a mess and things were difficult to find. So, I take the jewelry class and it turns out to be a disaster! I always prided myself in doing things well. When I couldn't get that fishing line to quit breaking every time I crimped it, I got so frustrated! At the end of the night, everyone was showing off their finished necklaces and mine wasn't even past the first step!!! I had $60 in materials and tools. The teacher felt bad for me and offered me another class to take. I hesitated because I was so busy at work with Christmas floral production that I really wasn't into it. But since I was already out the 60 bucks, I decided to give it another go. This time, the project was a little less complicated for me and I fell in love with my necklace. It was truly a life changing night and I wore my creation the next day and I was giddy with excitement. Of course, the compliments were a big part of me deciding to continue my new hobby, and so I to took a few more classes. I started having people offer to buy my jewelry right off my neck! I decide to take it a step further.
My daughter, Jacqui, is also a huge help to me. With this business, I was able to put her through college! She graduated from Miami University with a degree in Computer Information Technology, and she was able to design this website for me because that is what she wants to do for a career. So in a way, we help each other out. She also helps me with production and office work when I need it. This year, I would like to focus more on my website and marketing, and a little less travel. My husband and I both have family in Indiana, so I try to do a lot of shows there so I can visit too. Our oldest daughter, Jessie, and her husband, Eric, live in Lafayette with our 2 grandkids, Jordan and Luke. We try to go home when we can so I can also get my fix of my grandbabies! It is my hope that I will get to meet many of you and share my special gift of creativity and vision that God has blessed me with. |