Hi there! I’m Dani – the Project Lady – and I’m so glad you found me!
A little bit about me… I was born and raised in Utah with 3 other siblings. I get my “do-it-yourself” ways from my parents – they’re always building and creating something (like wedding gowns or hydraulic dumb-bed trailers) – they’re amazing!
I met my husband in 2004. Although I was wearing skater shoes and a fanny pack for our first date (I get teased about it still) he still married me! We’ve lived in Orem-Utah, Irvine-California, Ann Arbor-Michigan and are currently first-time homeowners in Raleigh-North Carolina!
Our family is complete with 4 of the cutest boys I’ve ever seen! They keep my busy and on my toes but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I started posting about my projects in 2007 on our family blog. After several years it got to the point where I was posting more about my project than I was about our family (oops!) and that’s when I decided to create this blog *just* for projects!
My usual posts are about the most recent projects I’ve been working on but once in a while I’ll do a “tool of the week” or “pattern review” post to change things up.
I enjoy teaching people how to do new things and I dabble into just about anything I can get my hands on – whether you’re here as a beginner or expert seamstress, someone starting out in the crafting world (or you’re already familiar with a hot glue gun) or if you’re into woodworking … I will have something for you! There’s nothing better than creating/fixing something with your own hands – subscribe to keep up with m projects and be inspired to do some too!
I work hard to keep my posts beginner friendly and go step-by-step through the process so you have no excuses not to do the projects yourself! I always have pictures and detailed directions and will often create diagrams, downloads and links to help even further.
If you want to know more details about what drives me to post about my projects see: “Why do I blog about my projects?”; To keep it simply, I blog because creating/building/fixing/designing/sewing brings me joy and I think everyone needs more of it in their life. I hope to help you discover what brings YOU joy!
Besides the satisfaction I get from projects, it’s almost a-must these days because of the low quality of items from the store. I refuse to pay money for anything that isn’t well constructed (clothing, furniture.. you name it) that I could make better myself… and usually less expensive too! I’ve also learned to prefer older sewing/woodworking machines because of their build/material quality… that means I’m restoring something almost monthly to their former glory so that they have a fresh new start (they’ll take care of me if I take care of them)!
I’m not perfect by any means and I’m still learning. Remember we all start at zero! Don’t get discourage through the learning process because making mistakes means you’re LEARNING!
My posts are usually ALL BUSINESS (I take projects seriously, I guess) so I don’t go into details about my personal life, sooo…
…I thought I’d share some moments in the last few years that were really big and exciting for me:
-receiving my first saw as a present-
-teaching a group beginner sewing class each month-
-finally came up with the perfect baby shoe designs after dozens of prototypes (see below)!-
(Mary Jane shoes)
(baby boots)
-being able to sell my ‘perfectly designed’ baby shoes at boutiques-
-finishing the design for my Mei Tai Baby Carriers and selling on Etsy-
-creating a pretty “Mommy Purse” diaper bag to sell on Etsy-
-having a freight truck deliver $800 worth of fabric to my door (I didn’t even see a sample… just called a guy in New York and bought over the phone – am I crazy!?)-
-visiting LA’s Garment District as much as I could possibly afford while living in Orange County-
-receiving a belt sander and pink tool belt for Christmas (I may or may not have cried from excitement)!-
-organizing and teaching a beginner wood shop class-
-buying my first mannequin-
-buying my first industrial machine (getting it into the van and home is another story…)-
-teaching young students how to sew-
-crafting with my Mom and Sister when I visit Utah-
-my Dad letting me weld for the first time (I never thought I’d do this!)-
-taking a college wood shop class and loving every minute-
-completing my class project with a golden star… can you tell I’m happy!?-
-enrolling in more wood shop classes!-
-completing my 9-month wood shop project – a desk I designed and built from raw lumber – hallelujah!-
-receiving a table saw for my birthday from my husband-
-buying and restoring my second industrial sewing machine which I absolutely love!-
If you’ve made it this far – thank you for getting to know me! I’d like to tell you again how much I’d love for you to subscribe and keep up with me in the project world! I’d love for you to get an itch for creating and I really hope to inspire and help you because there’s no better feeling than creating with your own hands!
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If you make something from my site I would be delighted to hear about it! Please comment or send me an e-mail!
– Tag me on your project-completions posts in Instagram using #theprojectlady –