Only.... 115.... Days......

It's August 31st and you only have 115 SHOPPING DAYS left until CHRISTMAS! .... And even shorter if you celebrate Hanukkah! Why not give a Memory this year for the holidays? We're accepting a limited amount of custom orders between now and November 15th. Also, check out our Etsy page for existing pieces. If you want to add a little extra special, we'll work with you for a few extra bucks if you want to add a small message on any piece. The custom-made items add a piece of your soul to any gift and your family members will cherish it for generations.

Here's a few pics from the weekend of gift giving we had.... Remember the couple we did the sign for? They are now officially Mr. and Mrs. Stellwegen. Love them to pieces and we were honored to give them another piece for their collections:

Here's the sign that we did and the bike that was sold soon after delivery by Stella Kustoms.

And here's the wedding gift...... And Josh is so good, he even wrapped it beautifully for our friends. :) They loved it, of course.

Jen Crandall, Wife/Manager
Brass Hammer Designs (Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy and Twitter!)

Joint Projects

You've heard us talk several times about our relationship with the owner of Swing This, Joe Daniels. He is so supportive of small businesses and helping them get started. He's been more than supportive of Brass Hammer Designs; in fact, our last project was a project for him. The MOAB (Mother of all Boxes) plyo box we mentioned in last week's blog was delivered to the Swing This on Monday August 13th. That day alone, there were over 600 jumps on it and it was delivered mid-afternoon! We're estimating there already have been well over 7000 jumps on it by now.

So, what makes the box different than all the rest? It is rectangular instead of square like the typical plyo box, so it's actually 2 boxes in one. It's a 24" x 30" x 24" box reinforced so that it can be turned on it's side to be a 30" box or a 24" box. OH! And don't forget the "Ashley edges" to prevent any nasty shin upsets! We're already working on the next box even though it's not purchased yet and can't wait to incorporate that into our daily routines at the gym along with everyone else. Check out Swing This' Facebook page to see how many people are talking about the MOAB and how it's helping their training experiences. Be sure to "Like" the page too while you're there.

MOAB (MOTHER OF ALL BOXES) PLYO BOX DELIVERED

FIRST DAY OF USE

And here is the small MOAB (12"x18"x24") in the making.

Knots inside of the small box for easy maneuvering.

We cannot thank Joe and the members of Swing This enough for all of your support. We are thrilled to be working on projects that help people get more fit and support their goals and dreams as well as ours.

Also, our final cross, called Stacked Prayers, has been made in the series of Mexican Folk Art Crosses. We've put it up on our etsy page. Go check it out along with our other inventory and see if there's anything you would like.

Jen Crandall, Wife/Manager
Brass Hammer Designs (Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy and Twitter!)

Skip a Monday?

I was thinking of skipping today for posting a new blog. I don't have any real new material. I mean, we're doing the same ole, same ole: praying to the money gods that we can stretch our dime til the next pay check like the rest of ya. So why write anything? I have nothing new. Well, there's a little bit that is new, but I'm going to save that until next week. By then, we probably will have delivered the latest purchase to Joe Daniels at Swing This Kettlebell Studio. We've been posting a few pics on the Swing This Facebook page as well, so check that out when you have a chance.

So I was thinking of skipping a post, but then I was recording numbers and we've had 33 more views since last Monday on this blog and 8 or 9 new likes on our Facebook page, plus you are going to check out our Etsy page more too - 18 new views there. Well hell, I don't want to miss out on new likes and views because I have no new material! Like I've been saying for a few weeks now, that could eventually mean sales.

So today, I guess what I want to do is plead to you that share our social media sights. Can you do that for us? Can you share our Facebook page with your friends? Can you share our Etsy link with them too? And feel free to share this blog's link as well. Any new likes gained from this could be the person who buys a new piece from us and that's why we're here!

So thanks in advance for your help and support!

Until Next Time,

Jen Crandall, Wife/Manager
Brass Hammer Designs (Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy and Twitter!)

Overcoming Obstacles

Many of you probably can relate to overcoming obstacles. But what do you do when the obstacles do not go away for years? Do you change the direction you're going or do you keep trying to overcome them? And how long do you wait before changing directions? That's where we're stuck. Brass Hammer Designs basically derived because of an obstacle of Josh finding a job after finishing his Bachelor's Degree in Behavioral Sciences in 2010. This economy has stuck us with several obstacles including the constant job search of a 34/35/36 year old Caucasian man, owning  a house that didn't sell 7 years ago, owning cars that have 200,000 miles on them, and not being able to pay down debts that we need to pay down. We're fortunate enough that we have renters in that house paying 3/4 of the mortgage for us, but that still means we have quite a bit of excess expenses during the month. And that is what we're faced with again. Brass Hammer Designs just isn't cutting it for paying all of those extra bills. We can't afford another debt, so we're self-funded entirely right now. We had some start-up money to buy a few things, but that has been gone for several months. Josh is working at Home Depot and trying to make ends meet with that income, but it is no where near fulfilling like what he wants.

So how do we overcome the next set of obstacles? Well, since BHD isn't paying bills, we're faced with having to overcome the same obstacle we're always faced with - needing money. I know that this is the case for many of us, so I don't want to pretend that it isn't. It is what it is, right? So, Josh continues to look for a full-time job that is a career, so that BHD can be his hobby on the side. But the aspirations of BHD keep changing. First it's a full-time gig, then it's a full-time gig along with a side job and now it's turning into a side job instead of a full-time gig. Don't worry, we don't intend on letting it go away - it is a plan for our retirement to our island one day. But, I'm sure you all know that nothing comes easy. I can name off all of the cliches that we can think of at the moment and it doesn't fix what it is. We're struggling daily to keep our heads up and we want to do the right things and stay positive. It's hard to do.

Just like I told our Score Counselor a few weeks ago, we're basically waiting on more money to come in so that we can do more with BHD and with our lives. Until then, we're patiently waiting on someone to give us a million dollars. :)

Until Next Time,

Jen Crandall, Wife/Manager
Brass Hammer Designs (Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, Etsy and Twitter!)