Today we’d like to introduce you to Virginia Nash.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Virginia. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Growing up in a house with four brothers, I was always outside playing or climbing trees. With a house full of boys, we watched and played a lot of sports during my childhood. I get my love for sports from my dad. He could talk about baseball, football and basketball all day if you let him. I don’t think my mom expected to have a daughter who would rather play outside in the dirt instead of playing dress-up. While I was outside my mom was inside sewing our clothes, knitting blankets, or baking cookies. It wasn’t until later in life did I realize not only how much she did for us but how much I would appreciate her creativity.
I never thought of myself as being creative. In fact, my best friend and my mom are some of the most creative people I know. Whether it is cooking something new out of whatever leftover food, we have to repurpose something they found at the thrift store. I admired their ability to make something new out of nothing. I have tried several times at scrapbooking but I never attempted to complete these projects.
My creative juices really started to flow about five years ago. It started with repurposing a desk and chair. I watched tutorials after tutorials and finally took the plunge. It was a disaster. The paint started chipping, just everything about it was awful. I was discouraged and didn’t do much for about a year. Then, I started trying to recreate house signs that I would see in the stores. Again, I failed horribly. It just looked cheap and again, feeling discouraged, I gave up.
It wasn’t until I made a visit last summer to my best friend’s house that I saw all of the amazing things she was making with her vinyl cutting machine. I knew this was something I could do. So, there I go again, researching different machines. I made a decision and took the plunge.
I began making a few decals to put around random items around my house. Then I started making canvas signs, which came out pretty good. I started gaining confidence in my work. I then made some shirts for family and friends. I started joining different craft groups on social media and that is where I saw an item that I needed to make.
I came across keychains and badge reels. I thought these would make amazing gifts for family and friends. I didn’t know anyone at the time who was making keychains and badge reels, which again I was looking to make something different. I made a couple of keychains and badge reels and posted some to social media. Not necessarily to sell but because I was so proud of this accomplishment. I was beyond proud of myself. I finally found something that I was good at making and I absolutely lovemaking. By word of mouth, I started receiving messages of people who wanted to buy my products. I was in shock, so I made an Instagram page and now I have a Facebook page as well. Soon, I will have an online shop. This new beginning has been overwhelming, so I am currently researching which avenue is best for me and my hobby turned business. I am super excited and nervous.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has definitely been rough. Rocky with lots of obstacles to say the least. I work full time as a High School teacher in Dallas. I absolutely love my job! With all of the hours that I work as a teacher, it has been a real struggle to find the energy and time to work on my business. Along with my full-time job, I am married with four boys. My boys keep me super busy, both physically and mentally. Trying to juggle all of these different responsibilities has been my biggest struggle.
Let’s not talk about the MOM GUILT. It is alive and well in my situation. As a teacher, I spend a lot of my time preparing for my classes. My evenings, weekends and summers are spent in professional development, CEU training, working on my curriculum. The guilt is there, with the feeling of me giving so much of myself to students, which I love but guilty for not giving my all to my family. There is also guilt as I work on my business as opposed to spending time with my family or preparing for school. Just when I started to feel balanced, the pandemic hit and everyone was on lockdown.
Staying home did allow me some extra time to perfect my craft and focus on my business but it also meant learning how to teach virtually. During the lockdown, it just seemed so more chaotic. My boys are all learning virtually, I’m teaching virtually, making breakfast, lunch, dinner, laundry and cleaning. The laundry wasn’t too bad since we were all wearing the same clothes. I think so many people can relate to this. I am so blessed that my husband was home at the same time helping, otherwise nothing would have gotten done. It was a real struggle making sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to and didn’t fall behind. I just always felt like I should be doing more to ensure the success of my kids, especially our 13-year-old Noah who has Down Syndrome.
My biggest obstacle right now and will probably continue until all of my boys are out on their own is managing my time. Time for myself, family and work.
Desert Rain Creations – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am originally from El Paso, which I absolutely miss. I miss my family, my friends, the food, the mountains, the desert. I take a lot of pride in being from El Paso. So, I wanted to come up with a name that represents me and where I come from. We don’t get much rain in the desert but when it does, there is a specific aroma in the air. This comes from the oil that is secreted by the Creosote bush. This smell brings back so many memories of my home town that I decided to call my business “Desert Rain Creations”.
I specialize in customized badge reels (ID holders), keychains, car coasters and straw toppers. My products are acrylic that I decorate using vinyl, glitter and seal with epoxy. Just as I take pride in my hometown, I take pride in everything that I make. I pay attention to detail and make sure that I give my customers close to perfect products every time. I say close to perfect because as everything I make is handmade, there will be some slight imperfections. Of course, this is what makes handmade products unique. I enjoy the fact that each product I make is going to put a smile on someone’s face and I love this feeling. There is a sense of accomplishment and pride.
Right now, I currently have enough business to pay for my supplies and build my inventory. Just enough income to order more supplies and make more pretty things. I am looking at adding several new items in the coming weeks, so I am really looking forward to offering these items and giving them to friends and family for the Holidays.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
My proudest moment is when I completed my first project!!! I made a scrub top badge reel and it was so pretty! I had ordered all of my supplies several months prior to making my first badge reel. I was so intimidated and nervous that it took me about two months to actually start making anything.
Pricing:
- Badge Reels $10
- Keychains start at $10
- Car Coasters start at $10
- Straw topper start at $6
Contact Info:
- Email: desertraincreations17@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/desertraincreations
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/desertraincreations
Suggest a story: VoyageDallas is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
