Andrea has always been a creative person and loved to create art. She spent years playing around with all kinds of artwork; beading, painting, drawing, and everything in between. After taking a few years off from school she went back to college and got a AAS degree in Applied Visual Arts. Graduating was a big thing for Andrea as not only did she do it but she did it as a single mom (with a lot off help from family). After graduating her and her little boy moved off the family farm and in with her boyfriend and his daughter in the big city. Two years later she married the city boy and started working in the retail industry full time to support their little family.
Andrea opened her original Etsy store in 2012. At the time she was working full time as a retail manager, which ended up taking up much more of her time than she originally intended. Add to that she still had two young kids at home and was helping on the family market farm. Over the years she was forced to put the store aside to focus on her day job. In 2018 she closed her store because she just didn’t have the time to focus on it like she thought that is deserved.
In 2019 (the year of Covid) Andrea took the family farm a step further and started a second market stall selling home canned goods. Covid helped her out and the business took of right away. One kid out of the home and the second set to graduate in a year, Andrea started to think about what she wanted to do going forward.
Fast forward to November of 2021 and she had had enough of the retail rat race, and with much sadness she left her job. Andrea took a year to work though her plan and get her inventory stocked up and slowly filled her shelfs. In early 2022 she was finally able to fully relaunch her online shop (atdmnshop.com) and started looking into craft shows around her area.
Now Andrea’s year is split into two. Summers are spend spending time on the family farm and running the families two market stalls (Red Barn Farms and Pickled Sisters Canning). She loves her time on the farm but come winter she is ready for the snow. Winters she is all about the quilting and her online business (Andrea Thomas Designs). Both businesses are run year round but she jumps back and for with the seasons. In late 2023 she got a new puppy and has started to make things for him. She is hopping in 2025 to launch her line of pet accesories.
While Andrea is not making as much as she did while working full-time she is loving the free time, or lack there of. Between the businesses, grandbaby, farms, nieces, nephews, taking care of the home, and picking up a part-time job she is VERY busy. She loves being able to make the time for all of the activities the younger kids have and to hang out with family and friends.
Follow along with Andrea’s adventures as she grows her businesses, learns new skills, and has fun living a farm life in the big city. You can also find her on Facebook, Instagram, and always in her shop over at atdmnshop.com
Facebook: @andreathomasdesigns, @pickledsisterscanningandbaking, @redbarnfarmwi
Instagram: @andreathomasdesigns
with the little kids (so long as we can go home to the quiet at the end of the day).
Andrea Thomas Designs and More 