Today we’d like to introduce you to Annabel Martinez.
Hi Annabel, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started my crafting as a hobby in 2017. I just wanted to make decals, & matching shirts for my daughter & I. After a few months of owning my machine and getting the hang of it, I made my first post on FB, and I got my very first order from a friend. And I’d go one for a few months to make and sell decals and mommy and me matching shirts. I started dating my boyfriend in November 2018 & he got me my first heat press for Christmas that year. In 2019 I mentioned to him that I’d been wanting to try making a glitter tumbler. That same day he took me to the craft store, and we bought everything we needed to make our first cup. I remember not having a number at the time, so we put them on sticks and hand-turned it. They came out so bad. I decided I didn’t want to add them to my shop after all, but my boyfriend was so invested in my journey he’d ask me to make random plain cups with a single decal and ask me to seal it with resin so I can practice laying it smoothly. Summer of 2019 I made my business page, and a few weeks later I did a giveaway for my first tumbler. I did a lot of giveaways that year to get the traffic to my page. From 2019 to now 2023 I’ve added endless choices of items & changed my entire business purpose from t-shirts & decals to a one-stop shop for all custom gifts.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
In ways, it has been very smooth because any time I feel stressed or like giving up, my boyfriend is right there to pick me up & help out however he can. I would say the most difficult thing I deal with is when I feel like my customers forget I’m not a robot & some may not even know they make me feel this way, but it does happen. I do have to remind a few that I’m the one making their custom gifts so it takes time & I try get each item as close to perfect as it can be being handmade and all.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I make custom gifts for any occasion. I make t-shirts, wooden signs, stickers, badge reels, custom tumblers, phone cases, glitter pens, engraved cutting boards, decals, & really anything else you can thing of to be customized
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I’m the second born out of 4 girls & I remember being closest to my older sister. I remember even though she was older, I was somehow the one always defending her or trying to save her from getting in trouble. I was the most troublemaker from my sisters because I mean someone had to take the role of the black sheep of the family and I took one for the pack. I was very to myself as a kid. My mom always tells me about how as a toddler id hide in the room during my new birthday parties just to be away from everyone school wasn’t any different, I was always to myself & didn’t relay talk much. I only had a few close friends. I was just the complete opposite of my adult personality.
Pricing:
- Tumblers start at $35
- Badgereels are 15
- pens are $12
- Engraved cutting boards are $60
- custom t-shirts start at $16
Contact Info:
