How It All Started

It all started with an Instagram Reel.

I remember watching it and thinking, I can do that.

The first project I was ever commissioned to make was two “Hope You Brought Diet Coke” doormats for someone I thought was a friend. To get started, I ordered the cheapest 10-pack of coir mats I could find on Amazon. They were…well…cheap. Definitely not what I was looking for.

Looking back, that ended up being a blessing. Instead of ruining three or four premium mats while I learned, I practiced on the inexpensive ones until I figured things out. One of those original mats still lives with my Auntie Cindy.

While learning how to work with vinyl, cutters, weeding tools, and all the terminology that came with it, something clicked.

This wasn’t just about doormats.

I realized these same skills could translate into countless creative opportunities.

When I finished those first two mats, I honestly thought they were store-worthy. They sat in the back room of a studio while the recipient was overseas in Korea. When they were finally delivered, I was told, “Don’t worry, I got you. Don’t charge her.”

I never charged.

And I never got paid.

At the time, it stung. Today, I look at it differently. That experience became part of the cost of building a business.

In the meantime, I picked up my second custom mat order: an “It’s OK” doormat featuring a pottery wheel. At the time, the response felt huge. People genuinely loved it. It’s is minuscule comparatively now.

Then came my third commission, a “Fáilte” mat which will actually be returning for Irish-themed Day at the farmers market.

Those customers paid without hesitation, and more importantly, they were genuinely excited with what I created.

Around that same time, while I was getting faster with plotting, cutting, and weeding vinyl, I was asked to make eight custom mini tote bags with logos and slogans. Four of the black glitter versions sold out within days.

Again, I wasn’t paid.

People might ask why I kept creating after that.

The answer is complicated.

But that complication ended up pushing me exactly where I needed to go.

Instead of letting frustration consume me, I poured my energy into creating.

One of my earliest designs, “I’m Not Your F*ing Doormat,” wasn’t just something funny, it was exactly how I felt. It was art with a purpose. Creating became my outlet. It gave me the opportunity to express myself creatively during a time when life wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows.

Ironically, those difficult moments became fuel.

Once I realized I could create digital artwork, cut vinyl, and produce finished products, another question popped into my head:

“If I can do this…why can’t I create artwork and have it professionally printed as DTF transfers?”

So I did.

My first DTF project wasn’t for a customer.

It was for my son, Greyson, his sixth birthday party on June 13, 2026. Hopefully this gives you an idea of time frame.

He wanted a My Singing Monsters theme. I gathered artwork, created a custom collage, added “Happy 6th Birthday Greyson,” and printed more than twenty shirts. Around a dozen of his classmates went home wearing them.

Instead of handing out party favors that would probably end up in the trash, the kids left with something they could actually wear and remember.

That project changed everything.

Around the same time, another Instagram Reel sparked another idea, one that hardly no one around here was doing.

I remember thinking, I can do that…but I can make it my own.

Not just apparel.

Streetwear-inspired apparel.

The first “Big Back” design I ever made was themed Yellow Jackets. I produced two crewnecks. My dad still owns one. The other had a mishap on the sleeves, so I tucked it away in my closet. I laugh a little at the art.

Not because it was a failure.

Because it was the beginning.

Did I make a lot of things that I gave away?

Absolutely. I still do.

More tote bags.

Company shirts.

Merchandise.

Samples.

Probably thousands of dollars’ worth at this point.

Do I regret it?

Not for a second.

I don’t look at those others as unpaid invoices anymore.

I look at them as tuition.

Every mat, every shirt, every tote, every mistake, and every lesson helped build what Deez Mats has become.

None of it was wasted.

Because what we’re building today is worth far more than what those early projects ever cost.

Deez Mats, more than apparel.