I am really, really looking forward to covering some white walls in the new house, and I have a
Thread Therapy piece in my sights! I went to
Patchwork Long Beach a few months ago thinking that I might find a couple of new shops to feature and I just fell in love with Crystal's creations!
Let's get to the feature, plus enter to win a giveaway for your own creation!
Tell me a little bit about yourself!
My name is Crystal. I grew up in a small desert area of Southern California about an hour northeast of LA. Growing up, I always loved to create. Coloring, painting, makeup, crafts, food... anything I could make, I wanted to try. At 16, I started cosmetology school and completely found my niche. I met my husband at 18, started dating at 19, and we were married when I was 22. When I was 25 I had my first daughter and cut down to just two days in the salon which enabled me to stay home with her most of the time. My second daughter arrived just 20 short months later and again, I cut my time down in the salon to one day a week. I'm carrying my third baby girl right now and there will be a 19 month gap between the second and third. Having the three little ladies in such a short period of time was NEVER my plan, but God always knows better than me and my husband and I are so very much in love with them.
Where did the name of your store come from?
When I made my very first piece I found it very therapeutic. I had a simple piece of wood with some nails in it sitting in my lap. I slowly started pulling the string in all directions and as the gaps of wood became less evident, a picture began to form. I looked at my husband and said "Look at this, this is so cool and really therapeutic." He laughed at me and I said, "I'm serious, I'm gonna start a business and call it Thread Therapy! It's perfect alliteration!" Again he laughed and I laughed too.
Why did you start making goods for Thread Therapy?
I was asked to teach a DIY class at a local consignment store where I had some various things for sale. I dabble in everything from acrylic painting and watercolor to sewing and refinishing furniture, but I didn't feel like I had anything great to teach. I looked and looked at crafts online and bookmarked a few things. I am forever saying "I could do that" when I see a project, so I decided to try a few to see which would work for a class. The first thing I tried of course, was the string art because to me it seemed like a skill you learn and develop and can then turn it into a gift for anyone in your life, so it seemed great for a class. My first piece was a star that came out a little crooked because it was a little harder than I had anticipated. I went to sleep that night plagued with images of string and dancing nails. The next day I made a few more and figured out a few techniques. I posted it on my Instagram page (with no real intentions of selling these) and within an hour I had my first order and probably close to a dozen other inquiries. Thread Therapy was born and I never did teach that class.
What is your favorite item?
My favorite piece that I've made is hanging on my living room wall. It's a larger piece around 2 feet long and it says "peace" in variegated tones of yellow and green. My living room is yellow and green because I love color and I wanted a cheery, happy, yet PEACEful place to hang out with my babies. Peace is something that everyone craves in every area of their lives, it's the reason behind nearly every decision you make. You eat, pray, listen to music, hang out with friends, exercise... All for what? To bring a sense of order and peace to your life. In this day and age there is so much chaos and ugly happening in our world, people spend their whole lives looking for peace, I have found mine in God. I seek peace daily in my own home with my crazy girls and since I'm a visual person, I wrote it on my wall.
What is your most popular item?
