Wildflower & Bone Co.

Today I'm talking with Lauren at Wildflower & Bone Company.

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00:00

You're listening to A Tiny Homestead, the podcast comprised entirely of conversations with homesteaders, cottage food producers, and crafters.  I'm your host, Mary Lewis. Today I'm talking with Lauren at Wildflower and Bone Company in Oklahoma. Is that right, Lauren? Yes, it is.  Okay.  Good afternoon, Lauren. How are you? I am great. How are you?  I'm good. What's the weather like there? We are actually extremely hot right now.  think we've...

00:30

for the last five days.

00:34

I am so sorry to hear that. Today is the first day in probably five days that it hasn't been unbearably muggy in Minnesota.  Oh my. So I'm taking a big deep breath of  much less wet air today. Yes.  Yes. We, my boys want to go outside all the time and  I hate having to tell them not right now.  Yeah. Unfortunately tomorrow we're going to be under a, a wildfire smoke.

01:04

thing again from  the Canada fires. Oh no.  Yup. So you you can't win for losing, but I guess you take  the gifts you're given.  If that's a gift, yes.  Well, today is. Today is really beautiful  and not hot. And I don't have to have the AC running in my room right now  where I'm recording. And that's a good thing because otherwise you would just hear the hum from the air conditioner.

01:34

Right now our air conditioner cannot keep up. Yeah, we had a day like that a couple weeks ago where it was set for 72 and the house got to 78. Yep. It's ridiculous. I think I have it at 70 right now and it's 75. Yeah. I'm not gonna lie. I love spring and I love fall. And if we could just stay, you know, have six months of spring and six months of fall, I would be thrilled.

02:04

I agree with that.  So  I'm, I'm very much looking forward to September. I just have to get through August  to get there. That's all. Yes.  Okay. So you're a crafter. Tell me about yourself and what you do. Okay. So  I am 29 years old.  Um,  I taught  elementary school for about six years,  um, resigned. And then I'm currently going back to school.

02:32

to be a speech pathologist. So about 10 years ago, I picked up my first skull. We own a ranch or partial owners of a ranch. And I painted one and then just put it to the side. probably five years ago, I had someone reach out to me asking me to paint something for a silent auction.

03:00

for a cancer patient.  And  so for the last five years, I've done that. And then I had so many people reach out after this last silent auction  that I decided, let's go out and make it a business.  So I'm going to school full time,  a stay at home mom of two  and  starting a business. an artist who's starting a business. Yes.  Very nice.

03:30

I have a quick question about your speech pathologist thing. a speech pathologist someone who does speech therapy with people or what did you do or what do you do? Yes, it is for speech therapy. Okay. And is it,  I don't know how to ask the right questions about this. Is it for people who have hearing loss? Is it for kids that have tongue ties? How does it work?

03:58

It kind depends on the area you specialize in.  Generally, a speech pathologist will work with all sorts of patients. So elderly with hearing loss,  children who are born deaf,  tongue ties are very common.

04:17

The audiologist side, which is a whole nother degree, are the ones who really work on the hearing.  A speech pathologist  basically makes it just so they can communicate in everyday life, whether that be  AAC, which is assistive devices,  or teaching them how to speak.

04:45

Okay, well, as someone who started a podcast almost two years ago and is highly entertained  by the way that people talk and how they pronounce things,  the minute you said speech pathologists, I was like, ooh, what an interesting job.  Okay. So,  um, a podcast that's only audio is terrible for, um, talking with crafters because crafters want to show

05:14

the things that they make.  But if people would like to see your work, they can go to your Facebook page and I would highly recommend that because the skulls that you paint are beautiful. Oh, thank you very much. I do have an Instagram as well, but it's also wildflowerandboneco.  I do post there quite a bit as well.  Yeah, the photos that you have posted on both Facebook and Instagram are just stunning.

05:44

I  saw the name of your business on Facebook, that's how I found you. And I was like, wow, Flora and Bone, what's that? And I scrolled down and I was like,  oh my God, I wanna talk to her.  Okay, so  what,  like I'm terrible about these crafter interviews because I'm not an artist.  I used to draw, I used to paint when I was a kid, but I haven't done it in forever.

06:13

What kind of designs do you do?  I will honestly do absolutely anything.  One of my favorite pieces that I've ever done  was for  a friend's  late grandfather. And it was one of his pictures  that I pasted onto an Aztec skull.  I have created an Oklahoma State University. I just finished up with

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an OU one. I do a lot of floral,  pretty much anything.

06:50

Okay,  um,  I, when I saw them,  I thought that a day of the dead,  um, steer skull would be really cool. Cool.

07:03

That would be really cool. Because they're so colorful. Yeah. And it is the skull of a dead seer. So mean, Day of the Dead would be appropriate. Yes. So maybe you'll get a  request for that sometime.  I would be happy to.  Have you always had a talent for painting?

07:26

Painting started in college.  I've drawn  since I was really little. have an aunt who is insanely talented and she actually got me into it.  So I've drawn for a very long time.  And then I started painting in college for fun.

07:51

Okay.  Um, I have a little tiny aside story I would like to share with you. My dad  used to draw and he used to do charcoal drawings.  Oh my gosh.  And he's,  I don't think he's done it in years. He's 82 tomorrow and he did this absolutely gorgeous drawing of a hawk and

08:16

You know what a hawk looks like. There's all the gradations in their feathers of different colors, the beige and the brown and the black. Yes. And he did it in charcoal. And I swear to you, your brain would tell you that it was all the gradations of color, even though it was only charcoal. That is amazing. Yeah. My dad is so talented. It is ridiculous.  It's like when God created him, when his mom and dad

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managed to conceive him, God said, let's give him every good thing possible. Oh, I love that. He sings, he plays guitar, he's an artist, he  used to tie fishing flies and they were beautiful. I mean, this man has had more artistic outlets than probably anybody I know  and  never really  went anywhere with them. He just did them because he loved them.  Oh my gosh.

09:14

Yeah. And his job was entirely technical. He was a biomedical technician,  which is someone who basically works on the machines that keep people alive at the hospital. Yes. That was his job. Oh my gosh. Yeah. So,  um, engineering and artistry go hand in hand in the brain. And so I feel like if you have any artistic talent, you're probably good at engineering.  And if you are good at engineering, you probably have artistic talent.

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could see that. I've noticed it with a lot of people in my life.  I had a friend who was a lawyer and lawyering is not engineering, but it is word engineering.  And he played guitar beautifully. I have another friend who used to work for Ford Motor Company.  Again, fantastic guitarist. Oh, wow. So yeah, there's something in the wiring of the brain.

10:12

where those two things go hand in hand a lot of the time.  It sounds like there's some sort of connection there. Yeah, it's,  I mean, I don't, I can't say scientifically that it's there, but in my  lived experience, it's something that I've really noticed.

10:31

So, but anyway, I think that  artistry and crafting are just beautiful things to be blessed with. Had  I had the chance to be taught by someone in art beyond high school, I think that I might have pursued that a lot more.  I'm one of those people who can draw anything once.

10:59

But if I try to do it again, I can't do it again. But there's a thing for that. You're one of the kinds. Mm-hmm. Yep. So instead, I started a podcast because it's a lot easier and a lot less expensive.

11:17

It does sound like a fun job though. It is fun. It's really fun. I really love talking with you guys.  Okay. So  I don't want to ask a rude question and I always feel like I'm being rude when I ask certain things.  Does this business support itself or are you still in the red?  I am currently  still in the red,  which this

11:46

didn't fully take off until I'd say March  around there. okay. So it's fairly new.  I'm still very new.  And I made a big purchase  on the Longhorns,  which  I'm still trying to recover from.

12:09

Yeah,  um, again, I don't want to ask a rude question,  but what does one longhorn skull cost you? They range.  So if I were to go buy a single skull today, depending on their horn length, so their tip to tip length, you're looking anywhere between five and  a thousand dollars.  Wow.  I purchased  nine of them.

12:40

So I, and I cheat myself for sure on the price of my Longhorns specifically. So right now I just finished up this OU custom and it is, I believe it was 60 inches tip to tip and it is $600. Wow. Okay. And, and for anybody who's bad at math, 60 inches is five feet.

13:08

It's my longest that I own right now  is 81 inches tip to tip. Wow. Wow. Are they heavy? They are very heavy.  So we actually take. OK, so on skulls, the horns you see on the outside are called horn caps, so those are just a protective cover  inside their horn  bone.

13:37

is generally as long,  maybe a few inches shy  of their horn cap. So to cut out weight, we do cut their horn cores  just to make them a little bit lighter. And then you have the sanding and polishing, which  on  a long horn set takes somewhere between four and five hours just to get them pretty.

14:07

Uh huh. And then  the painting time and...

14:13

There's a lot that goes into it.  Well, yes, it wouldn't be called artistry if it was easy. I am blessed with a husband who does help me a lot.  He's actually the one that does the horns.

14:30

He's been the biggest help.  That's a good one. Keep him.  Yes.  Okay. I had a thought and oh,  if someone had, okay, I grew up with hunters. Both my parents hunt deer  and I'm married to a hunter who hunts deer. And I have a kid who's the youngest who hunts deer.  If someone had  a  deer skull,

14:55

with antlers that they wanted you to paint. Is that something that you would do? Yes, absolutely. So. So it's a commission kind of thing, right? I mean, they bring you they bring you the skull and they're like, I would love to have you do this. And then you quote them a price. Is that how it works? Yes. So I've done I've actually only done one deer and it was a floral piece. But it was the gentleman's own skull and he brought it to me.

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and I think I had a three day turnaround on it.

15:32

Three days, that's all? Three days,  yes. Wow.

15:37

Like how many hours a day of those three days did you do?  Collectively, that one probably took me four to five hours. And I mean, I have a two and a four year old running around. So my work is very spread out. Uh huh. Yep. That's what happens when you have kids.  But what a great outlet for you. Yes.

16:03

because I remember when I had a 12-year-old, a 10-year-old, a 4.5-year-old, and a newborn, and I didn't really have an outlet. And my outlet was basically crawling into bed and trying to get to sleep and reading a book to drop off. Yep. That was what I had back then. They're all grown now, so I sleep a lot better. I can't say I'm not looking forward to those days.

16:28

Yes, and I'm going to tell you the same thing. I tell everyone who has little ones, enjoy every minute of it. I know it's really hard being in the trenches,  but you'll never get this time back.  just, just try even to suck up the not so great moments because you will miss them. four year old actually starts school in August and  I can't say it doesn't make me hurt a little bit.  Yeah, it's amazing how

16:57

fast it goes. So weird question, is the four-year-old curious about what you're doing when you're doing your work? Oh, yes.  Will actually, he goes with me  to,  we call it skull hunting,  and  he'll go with me to go through our pastures and stuff.  And honestly, he'll sit next to me with his little watercolor palette and paint alongside me. So.

17:24

He's definitely interested in the art side of things.  I love that. That is so sweet. And obviously the reason I ask is because kids want to model what their parents do, what they see their parents doing. Yes. Good job, mama.  He actually told me the other day, he's like, well, mom, you sell the skulls so I could paint the leg bones and the jaws.

17:55

And I said, you do what you want to do, Bubby. Bubby, I love it. Bubby. I miss my kids when they were little. Like, I'm glad I don't have to be up in the middle of the night for two hours keeping a seven month old entertained because he won't sleep. I don't miss that at all. But I miss the funny things that they say and they do.

18:20

He came up to me, I was painting horseshoes yesterday and he came up to me and he goes, oh mom, these are the best ones you've done yet. Cute. And he means every word of it. Oh yeah, he's told me that he doesn't like, there was a skull that I did. He's like, yeah, I don't like that one.  Uh huh. I said, they're honest. it doesn't stay here, so.

18:47

Yeah, kids are so honest. It's like you want them to gain a filter, but before five years old, you're like, huh, maybe you don't need a filter right now.

18:59

Once they hit their teen years though, you know, it's good if they have a filter. Yeah.  Yeah. I had to work on that a lot with myself  and with my daughter. For some reason, we girls tend to think in words, many more words than boys do. Yes. And I think we have a harder time  tamping them  or,  um, as a word I want.  Honing them to the point where they're not quite so  sharp.

19:29

I guess dulling them, actually. Dulling them so the words aren't so sharp. Yes. I was terrible. I had such a sharp tongue when I was a teenager. I should not have said half the things that came out of my face when I was 15 to 18. I tell my mom all the time how sorry I am. Oh, I do too. I do too.

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There have been so many times that I have called her out of the blue and been like, I was thinking about this thing that I did when I was 16. I'm really sorry. And she's like, I have completely forgotten it. I don't remember it. Yes. Say, I think every kid says that at some point, but the first time my four year old told me that he hated me was like, so that's how that feels. And yeah, it called my mom and I was like, I'm so sorry.

20:24

Yeah, I had to explain to one of the kids that  basically when you say you hate someone, it means that you wish that they weren't alive, that they had never been born.  Yep. And they didn't understand what they were saying when they were saying it. And the minute I explained it that way, it never came out of their face again. I mean, you try that one.  Right now he tells me that I'm not his best mommy anymore. Uh-huh.

20:52

Which is the equivalent of saying, I'm disappointed in you, mom. I'm like, that's fine.  At least I'm doing something right. Yeah. Yep. Being a mom is the most wonderful, thankless job on the planet. Yes. And I loved every minute of it and I still do. And I probably will until the day that I die. So  we're gluttons for punishment, I think sometimes.

21:19

But I love that he is interested in what you're doing and that he's trying to be like you, because you're setting a great example for him with your artistry. Oh, well, thank you. Yeah, and you're giving him as much of an outlet as you get out of it. Yes. And kids need something creative. They really, really do. Yes, they do. I feel like, well, just in teaching experience.

21:46

Kids don't have any imagination anymore. They've all been lost in the technology and.

21:56

They can't just sit and play anymore.

22:03

Yeah, and it's the same thing with the grownups too. Oh yeah. I mean, yeah, go ahead.

22:14

Go ahead Lauren. Oh, it's instant gratification. mean everything is at our fingertips now and we can't just be in a moment. Yeah, I mean my husband is the gardener here at the homestead and I am so thankful for the 100 foot by 150 foot garden that we have because otherwise he would be watching YouTube videos 24 hours a day.

22:43

And when I watch him work in the garden,  I see his body relax. I see his shoulders come down. And he takes a moment when he's done doing whatever he's doing and stands back and just gazes over the garden.  I'm so thankful for that because that's so good for him. Yes, it is.

23:10

And  YouTube is great and podcasts are great and movies and books are great. Yes.  But not if you are constantly bombarding your brain with it. I agree with that. And I don't want to bash technology. I am sitting here in front of my computer talking with you in Oklahoma and I'm in Minnesota. Technology is amazing. Yes. But I don't think that we should overdose on it.

23:39

100%. So, and I know what it's like to create. I used to crochet. I used to make scarves for my kids. I used to do cross stitch  and cross stitch is so  Zen.  Just,  that repetitive motion  and seeing a picture come to life from string and a piece of cloth is amazing. Yes. I have a niece that is

24:08

into those  sorts of things and  she brings it to church with her even and just sitting there watching her it's amazing.  and the thing that's funny about cross stitch is it's great until you screw it up. Oh. And then you have to pick all those stitches back out to get back to where you were and that is not fun. But nope. I don't have the patience believe it or not for

24:38

those kinds of things.  Well, I didn't think I did either, but funnily enough cross stitch and crochet  are very quiet  activities and raising four kids, my house was always really noisy. Yes. So if I had an hour where I was still awake after they were all in bed, it was really nice to just sit down and do something quietly with my hands.  Oh yeah.

25:08

And anybody who's listened to the podcast knows that I really do love peace and quiet because I also grew up with two siblings. And so anything that gives me a chance to breathe and have quiet is always welcome. I'm missing the days where I can go to bed with the quiet reading a book. Right now I'm  until  midnight or after on homework. So.

25:34

Yeah, and like I said, enjoy every second of it because it's gone so fast. I mean, I don't want  to pound on that too hard, but I'm telling you, you will miss it. I swear to you. It feels like I blinked and my baby's turning five in a month and going to school.

25:53

Yeah, it's crazy how fast time goes. Now on the flip side of that, you have a beautiful outlet for a business.  when your kids hit teenage years and they're off doing their own things,  you will have a thriving already grown business, because you're growing your business while you're growing your kids.  That is the hope.  Oh, I think you will.

26:21

That is definitely the goal.  Yeah, because I feel like art never goes out of style. mean, the style of the art may go out of style, but people always want something pretty or beautiful in their home. Yes. So your job probably won't go anywhere. And I don't think AI  can paint a seer skull  the way that you can.  I...

26:50

Some of these AI images are getting little scary.

26:56

Yes, but it will never have the heart that you put into it.

27:02

Say the blisters from cleaning, cuts. Yeah, and AI doesn't feel. There's no love in AI. Yes. So people who bake things, there's a certain magic in really good baked goods, and it's the love that the baker puts into it. And the same thing with art. I agree with that, yes.

27:31

So you have set yourself up so that when your kids start leaving home, and I don't want to make you cry, you won't hurt quite as bad with the empty nest syndrome because you will have grown another baby that is staying with you and it's your art.

27:48

I like You know? Yes. So keep doing the thing and keep putting your beauty into the world because it's really important. Yes.  And we are at 30 minutes. Lauren, where can people find you online?  You can find me on Facebook at Wildflower and Bone Co.  and Instagram also Wildflower and Bone Co. OK.  Thank you so much for talking with me about how

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you do this and why you do this  because I was looking at the pictures and I'm like, how in hell does she do this? And now I have the secrets. Now I know how you do it.  as always, people can find me at a tiny homestead podcast.com  Lauren. hope you have a beautiful day. again, thank you for your time. Thank you for having me. All right. Bye.