Welcome to The World of Galarples!

I often get asked, "What is a Galarple?" 

To answer that, let me tell you about us, the work, and the vision! 

Galarples started in 2011 on Etsy, and was comprised of only little crochet toys. I wanted to make small things for my daughter (who was 6 years old at the time), and thought this would be an easy way to do it. Crochet, it turns out, was much harder to learn that I thought. It took me three solid months to figure out how to use yarn in any sort of constructive way. But one day, on a glorious fall morning, something with a shape emerged. I was going for a round ball, he was more of a flat piece of toast (who we now lovingly call toasty), but I had made something, and I was unstoppable!

Etsy was great for my part time, fun having, hobby. Over the years I have had over 5,300 sales and 2,200 five star reviews. It was exciting. I met amazing people. I sent Galarples all over the world, and connected with other people who loved silly things and created relationships that are still there today. 

I would say, "I don't make toys. I make friends!"

And friends are exactly what Galarples is about.

In 2019, everything changed. 

I had had a sudden ending to a 15 year marriage and a teenager who really didn't cope well with the changes. We homeschooled until this point, but I had to find a "real" job and she had to go into public school. Life was rough, and Galarples became very quiet. I didn't know how to make joy when I struggled finding it myself. 

As life would have it, I did find a good job at a local restaurant as a hostess. I hadn't worked in over 15 years at this point, so it was pretty daunting. It was a wonderful place, and was the spot I met Erick, who is my partner (and now husband ) in all of my adventures today. 

I kept going in the workforce, plugging away every day, and Erick and I were married in 2020- right in the middle of the pandemic. We had a tiny little service in our front yard, with a total of 6 other people- all masked and standing very far apart. It wasn't my "dream wedding"  but still....it was perfect. Galarples were being created again, and I was shipping them out like crazy!

In 2022, life dramatically changed again. Erick's body started to fail. In a matter of weeks he went from walking to being almost unable to walk. It was terrifying. We went to every specialist, ran every test, tried everything we could think of. He even was hospitalized at one point while they tried to figure it out. No test relieved anything. No medication seemed to help. His mental health tanked, my daughter was still really struggling and I was just trying to keep my head up and survive.

After about a year, we did finally get a diagnoses, of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), and while it isn't life threatening, it is also pretty untreatable. The only way to really get better is to get your mental health under control. And perhaps a neurological physical therapist who can retrain your brain to make the right connections.  ( I will get into more details on this journey in my blog!)  I was trying to work 2 jobs and pay the bills and now Erick couldn't work. His body was too unreliable. I was so stressed and didn't know what to do to take of myself or my family. One day, as I was crying in my therapy appointment, I had moment of complete clarity. I had a vision of traveling and selling our joyful toys full time. It was so clear and so certain; I went home and told Erick my plan. 

I was going to stop looking for a job. We were going to start doing markets and make this work. I knew it was what we were supposed to do. The relief that washed over him was so visible, as I would be home to help him and my daughter, and be available to get him to all his appointments, plus we would work together to make this vision a reality. 

We went to our first market 2 weeks later. And it was AMAZING.

We continued our struggle of creating toys, managing life, and trying to make enough money to pay the bills. I don't know that I have ever been more stressed in my life, lol. It was rough. My therapist would encourage me to persevere. It takes work to make it happen. 

In 2023, I added in my very first piece of art. Karl Needs Coffee. It was a hit. I sold thousands of him. People really relate to the struggle of letting people survive when caffeine isn't involved. I have been drawing and painting my whole life, but I never thought about adding in that type of thing to Galarples. I followed up Karl, with a few other sassy sayings, and it turns out- people seemed to really like them. 

Now I have over 100 pieces of art that I have finished. I still crochet silly toys, but the artwork is what has allowed this business to flourish. In our second year at markets we grew 60% from the year before. And the following year another 30%. 

By Just Brightening the World One Smile at a time. 

So, What is a Galarple?

It is a world of silly things, designed to bring you joy and brighten life up a little, where you can be you, and loved for you. We do love you, and we want to help you smile! From unique hand made toys, to whimsical art, or just a fun conversation while you visit us at a market. Galarples is all about love and joy and acceptance. And smiles, of course!

Our mission is to leave the world better than we found it. And making lots of friends along the way. (and possibly paying the mortgage)

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I would love it, if you reached out and said hi!

xo

Misty & Erick

There is much more to this story, and I will be sharing more details in a blog that will be on the site. (its on my long list of things to do)