SparkMark Studio

Duh duh duh duh

Look what came today!

Cleaning. All. The. Patches. Tonight.

If you've ever wondered what the least glamorous part of laser engraving is...it's patch cleaning. Especially white patches.

It's tedious. It's messy. And it's definitely not my favorite.

But it's also part of the transformation...

Watching a flat sheet of material become a custom patch through engraving and cutting, then cleaning it up and pressing it onto a brand-new hat...that's when it all comes together...getting to see the beginning, the middle and the end of something that hopefully means a lot to the person receiving it.

I find a lot of satisfaction in that.

I blurred some of the patches out because they are surprise gifts. But the blurred ones - especially the white ones - are completely customized. Each of the 16 white patches has a different name with a different font...something that the big guys would never do....not for cheap, anyway.

There's a lot of tedious work (and stress) that goes into making custom items for people.

But the payoff - getting it right, and earning a happy customer - is so worth it!

It's been a bit of an anxiety-inducing week for me...

This past weekend, my fiber laser started acting up. I spent a good deal of time trying to get it back to consistent working order. Messages with support in China (which is 13 hours ahead) didn't result in a positive outcome.

So, I had to make a decision. With pending orders that need that kind of laser, I had to have a functioning fiber laser. Do I replace it with a similar 20W laser, or do I take the opportunity to upgrade (and spend more money)? What kind should I get? Split fiber? Desktop? Enclosed? Portability? I needed one I could get fast - within a couple weeks at most. There's so many choices out there....and I just kind of got overwhelmed with the options - and costs.

I'm a happy to say that I was able to come to a decision (with some significant help from my wife, of course!) as to what laser to buy. Of course, I'm always second guessing myself, but I think in general I made a safe choice. Broad support, huge community...but some compromises.

The new laser should be here this Friday if tracking is to be believed, so this weekend I will probably be throwing myself at the new equipment, having to learn a new machine - and new software.

I've also been under the weather since yesterday, but I'm on the mend, so I hope I'm feeling better by the time it gets here!

-J

Man alive! I was scrolling Facebook and a Vistaprint ad for personalized tumblers popped up. Out of curiosity, I checked it out.

They wanted $34.99 for a single tumbler... plus anywhere from $7.99 to $24.99 for shipping!

A lot of people assume the big online companies always have the best prices. That might sometimes be true, but in this case, definitely not.

I can get these same high-quality 20 oz Polar Camel tumblers (plus many other styles and colors) for substantially less. Even when I priced out an order of 50 tumblers, Vistaprint was still charging around $30 per tumbler.

But price isn't even the biggest difference.

When you work with a local engraving business, you're working with a real person. I help you create exactly what you want—the artwork, size, placement, personalization, and final look. You're not limited to whatever options an automated website happens to offer.

Whether you need one tumbler or one hundred, I'd be happy to help.

And if you're not near me, consider supporting a local engraving business in your area. There are a lot of talented makers and engravers out there doing great work. Minnesota-based small businesses like Luke's Laser Engraving, Brady Gifts & Promotional, Fuzzy Loon Designs and many others can often provide the same products, better customization, and more personal service than the big online companies...each of these businesses vary in size (from 100 social media followers to over 100,000), but I KNOW each one sells this same tumbler for less.

So Shop local whenever you can. Your money stays in the community, you're supporting real people instead of giant corporations, and the service you receive will be so much better!

Hey ya'll!

It's been a quiet week-ish at SparkMark Studio, as we took a family vacation to Texas!

We loaded NINE (almost all adults) of us into a van and drove from Minnesota to East Texas, towing a 12' long trailer! We had a great time with beautiful (and hot and humid) weather. Even with 3am departure times, due to our family and travel logistics, it took us about 20 hours each for the trip down and back. At 8-9 MPG, we kept the demand for fuel high, and visited about every Love's (and two Buc-ees!) between here and Texas...so we hope everyone appreciates those lower gas prices!

A quick nap after we landed back home early this morning, and I'm back after it! I spoke with a few folks about orders while I was on vacation and have a couple to wrap up...so LET'S GO!!!

This popped up in my feed today, and I had to share. Thank you Minnesota Lake Ambulance for making clear where you stand with your service!

Happy Pride everyone 🏳️‍🌈

At Minnesota Lake Ambulance, we are committed to providing compassionate, professional care to every person we serve. We believe that everyone deserves to be treated with dignity, respect, and kindness, regardless of their background, beliefs, identity, or life circumstances.
As Pride Month begins, we celebrate the diversity that strengthens our communities and reaffirm our commitment to serving all individuals with the same level of care, respect, and compassion. We are proud to stand alongside our neighbors and patients, ensuring that everyone feels valued, welcomed, and supported when they need us most.
Happy Pride Month from Minnesota Lake Ambulance. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜