em - bel - lish

/əmˈbeliSH/ [verb]: make (something) more attractive by the addition of decorative details or features.

synonyms: decorate, adorn, ornament; beautify, enhance, grace; trim, garnish, gild; deck, bedeck, festoon, emblazon;

informal - tart up, pimp;

literary - bejewel, bedizen

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....and that is what you will find here. 

 

Things others may think of but different; sometimes better.  I take an "outside the box" mentality to successfully embellish things.  Old or new, with a fresh set of eyes you never know what you will end up with.  Old clothing can become new;  your car can have a unique look; home decor can be personalized and many more things.....I embellish it!

-Cassandra Simpson

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The "TRUTH" behind the name...

I owe this name to my mama, may she be resting in peace (1953-2022).  She didn't even know.  In 2012, while my daddy lay in the hospital, unconscious - brain dead, my mama chose to sit in the lobby and spin her tales to a family member, whome she had just allowed my younger sibling to "run out of the room" when they came to visit my father.  During her tales, which were mostly about me since I was the one who invited the family member there, she made it a point to tell this family member that I tend to 'embellish things'.  I don't know the context and I am pretty sure that the family member might not either, but they did walk away with that phrase and shared it with me.  Since that day, during our almost daily talks, we joked about the phrase.  Saying it really fast was fun too.  It wasn't long before I decided to embrace it and adopt it as my own.  I mean, if ya can't beat 'em...join 'em, right? 

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It was a few years - but I found that it was kinda catchy and decided to twist it into what really describes ME.  I am, and always have been, an 'outside the box' thinker.  I can usually conjure up various scenarios in my head when doing even the most simplistic things, such as crafts to complex things like moving an entire marching band, parents and support volunteers to/from competitions.  I see things in advance and adjust.  It is both a curse and a blessing. 

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As far back as I can remember, I have been into making things with my hands.  One of my fondest memories was watching my daddy build models and getting to help him break the parts off the plastic holders or hold something he glues while he worked ahead on another part.  As I got older, my mama and I built a dollhouse out of paneling.  We couldn't afford those expensive kits, so she had the idea to use what we had and make one.  It was heavy but when we finished it, I was so proud of us.  She also taught me how to sew, though I wasn't great at making anything other than huge boat covers on an industrial sewing machine.  I also learned to do cross-stitch, needlepoint, and macramé.  I dabbled in crochet but wasn't a fan.  By the age of about 10, I was drawing a lot, so I took art lessons privately.  I was fond of detailed drawing using charcoal and ink.  I also enjoyed adding color with acrylic paints, chalks and oil pastels.  I had a few pieces featured in my small town art galleries where I received recognition for my attention to detail.  By the time I reached high school, I was on to bigger things like decorating my car.  I never liked just a plain paint job on a car.  My car had to reflect my personality, and still does to this day.  I found ways to add decals, which was a new medium in the day.  In all my years of putting 'stickers' on my cars I have NEVER had a ruined paint job.  If I was tired of the look, I changed it.  I even hand painted on rear truck windows and learned to etch glass too.

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Later, I would dive into photography...which eventually lead to scrap booking.  That lead into card making, stamping, die cutting and I came full circle back to making car decals and heat press vinyl on t-shirts and various other things for gifts.  I did that for a few years selling my designs all over the US and Canada.  Then, I took a job where I ran an industrial embroidery machine.  For about 6 years I learned how to design, digitize and embroider.  I was afforded the opportunity to then jump back into large format printing/cutting.  I was operating larger equipment than I had at home so I was in heaven.  Sadly, that job was short lived...9 and 1/2 years and I was unemployed again.

 

In mid-2023, while performing an extensive cleanup of digital image files, the idea of offering sublimated goods was planted.  Then, a need to 'embellish' something for personal use that would require sublimation, was the push I needed to dive into this 'hobby'.  It took a little time to obtain equipment and supplies, to practice. It quickly became a favorite way to decorate goods from license plates, t-shirts, cups, mugs, glassware, water bottles, key chains, photos and more.

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The online store is an on-going project, but it began to take shape late October.  In the meantime, I was making things for friends and family to see my work.  Then, I got invited to a few craft shows where I got compliments but no money was generated.  Soon, social media afforded me a few 'big' requests which I dove into designing but unfortunately, was never paid for my services.  I felt I wasn't being taken seriously so I dusted the cobwebs off some old bookmarks and began the long and expensive process to become an actual registered/legit business.

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How long will iEmbellish iT!, LLC last?  What will I do next?  No telling.  Being crafty is just something I do and if I can generate any income at all, I will be among the lucky few.

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Regardless - my way of thinking works because iEmbellish iT!