God has entrusted Josh and me to 5 amazing boys who call us Dad and Mom. The oldest two (13 & 12) arrived the "traditional" way. Our third, who is only 7 weeks younger than our second, involved a long-awaited trip to the Philippines, while the youngest two (6 & 4, not pictured for legal reasons) were dropped off in a CPS van last July. Though my role with the youngest two has recently changed, due to custody returning to their parents, we still see them often and consider them part of our family. As King David said in Psalm 23, "my cup overflows".
Thankfully our neighbors are gracious, with a good sense of humor when they find my kids "fertilizing" their bushes or flipping over their landscape brinks while hunting for worms or frogs. I haven't figured out to how to get my kids to clean their rooms the way they clean out my pantry, but life is never boring, and I've learned to cherish and praise God for these chaotic years...even when they've let the air out of my van tires, because they "like the sound of it", or the conversations around the dinner table sound like a middle school locker room. Everything from muscles and speed, to bodily noises and hair growth is a competition. Not even joking. They compare hair growth, and haul out my shipping scale to weigh their pile of cut hair. When their desire for Bragging Rights gets me a clean floor, I win!
While creating and running a business was never an ambition of mine as a girl, my love for art started at a young age. I'd spend hours watching my Pake (Grandpa in Friesian) carve, build, and paint wood in his shop. He never met a piece of wood that - with a bit of love - couldn't be transformed into a beautiful piece of art. The Dutch man in him couldn't let any scrap go to waste. I'm thankful to have married a godly man much like my grandfather, Fred Hekstra, who loves to build, and encourages my crazy little dreams.
This all started when I decided my kitchen needed a sign over the sink window. After a few trips to Hobby Lobby and my Dad's construction-site, I had myself stencils, paint, and plenty of wood. Plenty. One sign turned into two, which led to a few dozen. As our garage was filling up with my new-found hobby, Josh made me promise to "get rid of a few", so I rented a booth at a craft show. Although most of the purchases were, what I considered "pity buys" from friends, a few custom orders came from there. That little bit of encouragement kept me going. I kept painting, tried different techniques, and pretty soon opened a shop through Etsy. Eventually friends' curiosity about the painting process inspired "Sip & Sign".
Because my Christian beliefs and Dutch heritage have inspired most of my designs, it's my goal to help your home reflect your Christian faith and roots as well. We hope you enjoy our shop and make memories as you get creative with friends.
