PRODUCTS MADE WITH LOVE

OWNER

I LOVE OUR PRODUCTS

At Olive Branch Apparel & Crafts, our goal is to give our customers a way to express themselves individually through our custom tees, tumblers, glass cans, totes, and more.  You think it, I create it.  

My name is Wendy and I am the owner of Olive Branch Apparel & Crafts LLC.  I am married with three amazing children.  My oldest son will be starting his last year of High School come September.  My two younger children are four and six years old.  I have been a stay-at-home mother for the last six years.  Prior to being a stay-at-home mother, I worked in the medical field for 15 years as a medical office manager, medical assistant, and medical biller.  During those years and even in the past six years I have been working toward obtaining my nursing degree.  However, life had different plans for me.  Two months after my second child was born in 2016, he began to have a rare form of seizures called Infantile Spasms.  This led to us diving into a large pile of medical tests.  As the months passed our son was showing many signs of delay in motor function.  On his first birthday we found out we were pregnant with our third child, a daughter.  At around four months into her pregnancy, we finally had an answer as to what could have potentially caused our son’s seizures and developmental delay.  Although this gene was new, doctors said our daughter had a 50% chance of also having the gene.  Although she did not have the same seizures as her brother, she did go on to having developmental delays.  Both of our smaller children have what is now being called Neuromuscular Disease Associated with GEMIN5.  They both have Cerebral Palsy amongst other diagnoses and are wheelchair bound.  For the first few years their lives and care required so much of my time that I could barely breath. 

I have always been “crafty”.  I took sewing for two years in High School, I love to draw, create, and express myself through my work.  In these past six years I have used crafting as an outlet that allowed me to breath.  Crafting allows me to give myself a time where I don’t have to think about medicine, appointments, therapies, surgeries, and sleepless nights.  This is something we “medical mamas” need in order to give 100% of the best care to our kids.  Why start a small business if my life is so chaotic?  I often ask myself this question and I’m sure you’re asking it too.  While things haven’t changed so much with the kids’ condition, they are now of school age.  This allows me to have some “free” time for myself and do something that makes me happy while providing for my family and gives me the flexibility of being available for all of their needs.

I am excited for all of the projects I have in store for my customers and I hope many of you stick around to see them all unfold.  Life is precious and uncertain; we should all strive to be with our families more whenever possible.  Do something you love and do it with passion.