Often, the journey into a career as a maker is as creative as the individual. That was true for artist Shena Jenkins, owner of the Etsy shop Crafty Mama Gifts. She started off as a teacher but then decided to stay home with her boys boys were in school, Shena found herself with more time, and she started painting letters and words on blocks. “Friends saw them and asked if I could make some for their homes. Later, they started telling me I should open a shop to sell my creations,” she says. “Those blocks turned into plank signs, which then turned into the framed signs I make today.”
Shena’s creative passion combined with her business savvy has turned into a successful business, based from her home in Illinois. “I think it is so important to shop American-made,” she says. “It brings revenue into our communities, which promotes wealth and prosperity for fellow American citizens.”