Longview resident Carla Craig will be the first to admit that she just can't seem to sit still. She has to be doing something with her hands constantly, which is why she fell in love with cross-stitching years ago.
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Carla Craig shows off a few of her one-of-a-kind jewelry pieces.
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She and her sister-in-law Angie Kopesec loved the hobby so much that they'd take weekend trips searching for new challenging designs to stitch. What they really wanted, but couldn't find, were elegant religious pieces.
Living Faith, Hope and Grace
Since they couldn't find the designs they were searching for, Carla and Angie enlisted the help of Carla's brother, a graphic artist, who created 12 elaborate, elegant cross patterns for them.
"There was one cross for each month. My brother Carl drew the designs for us, and we stitched them," Carla said.
Their business, Living Faith, Hope and Grace, began with materials they already had, change from under the couch cushions and ltos of prayer. It was named after Carla's daughter Grace and Angie's two daughters, Faith and Hope. The women worked to provide top-notch quality heirloom designs for beginner and experienced stitchers.
"We started in 2001, but after a few years Angie decided to follow her true calling, which is teaching," Carla said. "So she went off to do what God had called her to do and by 2007 the business was totally mine."
Beyond stitching
One Christmas, Carla gave her family clay ornaments with picture of family members on them.
"They were such a hit that I thought I'd try making them smaller and turning them into necklaces," she said. "Once I perfected the necklaces, I started selling my jewelry basically through word of mouth. From the necklaces came plaques, bookmarks, frames and so on."
Now Carla's jewelry business has sky-rocketed. Her heirloom pendants are sought after by women all over the area. She said that her pieces are so special to people because they have that oh-so-special quality about them.
"I've made pieces that have really moved me," she said. "One lady asked me to make a plaque of her newborn baby. Her baby only lived for one day, and she only had a single Polaroid. It was very touching."
Although she's just a one-woman show, Carla will continue creating and producing quality pieces for as many customers as she can without getting too bogged down. After all, she knows her family comes first.
"Once a lady called me to let me know how much joy my art has brought her. She said God gave me such an amazing talent," Carla said. "I absolutely love what I do, so for someone to go out of her way to tell me that made me feel so good. That makes it worthwhile."
To learn more, please visit Carla's Web site at www.lfhandg.com.
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Carla offered up step-by-step instructions on how to make photo ornaments:
You'll need:
Polymer clay
Baby powder
Cookie sheet
Wax paper
Copy of the picture you want on your ornament
A heavy book
A straw
Ribbon
1. Sprinkle baby powder over polymer clay, or sculpting clay
2. Roll out the clay so it's flat, and cut out any shape you'd like with your cookie cutter
3. Get a cookie sheet, cover it with wax paper and then place your cutout onto the wax paper
4. Take a Xerox copy of the picture you choose
5. Tear the edges of the paper a bit to make it look older, and put the picture face down on the clay
6. Place another sheet of wax paper on that and place a heavy book on top
7. Let it sit for 24 hours
8. The next day, peel the edge back slowly to make sure it had a good transfer onto the clay
9. Poke a hole in the clay with a straw, and bake it at 250 degrees for 20 minutes
10. Put the ribbon through it, and you've got your ornament!
