Variety is Great
Cookies, cakes, anything in the kitchen, piano, violin, wall sign art, stainless steel tumblers, custom gifts, bath bombs and more! I have a variety of interests and love them all. I started taking music lessons at the age of 5 and continued through college. I love to dig in, research, and learn new things. I love activities that involve being with people. That said, turns out I can't do everything and had to narrow down which few activities to focus on. I have moved enough to know that I really wanted to provide a way for small groups of women to connect. I have sold for quite a few direct sales companies over the years, and love how that does provide an excuse for the ladies to get together. I just didn't like that I was doing a lot of work as the middle man, and wanted to gain more financially myself. In hindsight, it is easier to sell a product that I also don't need to make. LOL
In late 2019 I wasn't able to get bath bombs town anymore. Soaking in a tub was very healing for my back pain. That is what inspired me to learn how to make them and what oils are good for the skin at the same time. There definitely was a lot of trials and errors, product waste and gift giving to learning that world! But soon, Vickie's Botanicals was born in 2020. In 2021 I was able to rent shelf space downtown Algona, and am still there today. You can order luxury bath bombs and shower steamers online or by visiting State Street Emporium at 100 State Street. I will occasionally bring this product line to local craft fair events.
Prior to bath bombs, there was paint. A lot of paint. In Humboldt and Algona from 2016 - 2019+, I offered painting wood sign workshops. Painters were also able to prep and heat press their own t-shirt to take home. I called that business Vickie's Creative Designs and Parties. We moved to Algona in 2017 and bought a house with the workshops in mind. I WAS BUSY. Too busy. I started this website to keep my orders organized. Prepping the stencils was time consuming, as well as all the sanding of the wood multiple times that was required for a polished end product. It very hard on my body and also becoming a saturated market in the area. I loved the graphic design aspect of it but it was also time consuming to send customer proofs of their sign requests. So I pivoted and created a new concept.
In 2018, stainless steel tumblers were becoming popular. While I never kept glitter in the house for crafts for my own kids (sorry Ashley!), I saw the potential for another way for women to relax and unwind. We all can use a special tumbler, right? Once I started making custom tumblers, you asked if I'd be offering them as a party option. I experimented and created a new activity that the ladies loved. I named it Glitz Your Sip and wrote an e-book teaching other tumbler makers how to do what I've learned. That download is available for sale here. In the first year over 500 cups went gone out the door. When the covid shutdowns started in 2020, my bread and butter stopped. I had a few custom orders, but the real income was in parties. Just as people were starting to socialize outside of their homes, the winter of 2020-2021 brought new fears and isolation efforts picked up again. For memory sake, some of the info is still on the Tumbler Page. I no longer take orders and was thankful to find a single buyer for 90% of my supplies in 2025.
While I have loved to bake for years, when we moved to Algona I went through the process to have a licensed kitchen. If you need an activity for all ages, consider hosting a fondant cake-decorating party in my workshop or I can possibly go to you. I like to do just a few a year. I like the baking aspect and the gadget aspect of all of that. I do not like to make cakes for others, I find it too stressful to meet expectations. So that's how I came up with the cake parties. A to-go option are my fun Paint-Your-Own Art Cookies that are a tasty and fun activity for everyone. Sometimes I will have themed cookies for holiday popup sales. I also specialize in custom logo or event cookies. I have been OBSESSED with cinnamon rolls for years as it ties to a childhood memory. I am a gluten-free eater for the past decade and am always searching out new techniques and advances in gluten-free baking, especially where cinnamon rolls are concerned. See my baking page: Vickie's Super Secret Recipes & Parties.
Since college, I have always had music students. While my degree is in business, being a musician has always been who I am. If it's music lessons that you want more information about, read about that here.
From time to time, I will take on custom orders for my memorial ornaments or custom pillows or a sign.
In the July/August 2022 edition of Women, Inc. I was featured. Read about it here.
My sisters like to tease me about all of the things I have sold. They came up with this list: Pampered Chef (We didn't have kids to feed and yet I earned trips and did well!), Pillow Portraits (I custom sewed pillows with images on them), Sewing Crafts (sold at craft fairs: potato bags, beach bags, baby blankets) Rada Cutlery, Compelling Creations, Blessings Unlimited, and Thirty-One Gifts (I did well with this one too as I sold and lived in 3 different towns while being active with the company). All of these have given me the ability to develop speaking and customer service skills, learn different ways to market and advertise myself, and BEST OF ALL, have a social life with other women. I have been so blessed.
I'm a child of God, a humbled believer and receiver of Christ's grace, a wife, and mom to three kids and a son-in-law. I enjoy fellowship with my sisters in Christ, meeting new people, and doing various Bible studies. I am so grateful for how I've been able to open up our home to so many women. I've had many multi-generations here. Making the Vickie's Botanical line is way more solitary than my previous ventures but it has taken over the same spaces that used to seat the ladies. There isn't room or time to do it all.
I'm hoping this site allows me to organize some of my current and past interests so that I can easily connect with my customers and friends. It's a little overwhelming to describe to people that I meet all that I love to do. Overwhelming and sometimes a tad embarrassing. Sometimes I like to think to myself that maybe it's possible that I'm a very distant cousin to Martha Stewart.
For now, these are some of the things that make up the variety in my day that God has given me the physical ability and desire to do, and I am grateful. You can always message me with any questions.
- Vickie
Algona, Iowa
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