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Black River Arts

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Hello! I have always enjoyed art and creativity! I was taught sewing and needlework from my grandmother. The name of my business Black River Arts is inspired from the area she once adored living in, Black River - a quaint, wooded lakeside community in Sheboygan, WI. The logo (designed by my talented son) carries an image of her sweet cottage style home surrounded by pine trees. A magical place for sure! She inspired me to enjoy crafting and we would often work on projects together during our visits. I continued to follow my love for the arts through 4H, where I then learned cake decorating and stenciling. My first job at age 15 was as a dried floral designer with Marlene's at the historic Woolen Mill in the charming city of Cedarburg, WI. There I learned how to work with dried flowers, create bows and even taught craft classes! I enjoyed painting, sculpture, photography and drawing classes in art during high school. My father often would share his knowledge and skill from his career as a POP (Point of Purchase) designer. I admired his designs created with magic markers! He is well known for creating the Rolling Rock animated waterfall signs, using polar motion techniques. My mother was also instrumental in fostering my love for art. She created unique and beautiful birthday cakes for me as a child. She also encouraged and worked with me to create handcrafted gifts for family and friends for the holidays. My husband of 25 years and I have 3 children. I am so thankful that I have been able to utilize the talent I acquired from my mentors in my life. I sewed almost all of the kids' Halloween costumes and decorated most of the kids' birthday cakes. Now that they are older, I have taken my passion for crafting to a new adventure! I began my laser engraving business in January 2022.