Meet the Maker | Two Drunk Cowgirls

INTERVIEW DI VON ESSEN

Two Drunk Cowgirls are makers of handmade gifts such as funny signs, custom designs, dream catchers, key holders, air fresheners, horseshoe gifts and beer bottle openers (to name just a few!), all using lasers, timber, horseshoes and twine. They’re regulars at Handmade in the Hunter Markets in Pokolbin, and this month we caught up with one of the dynamic duo (Kelly) to find out about what they do.

HVMAG: Can you please tell us how you came up with the idea for Two Drunk Cowgirls?

KELLY: The idea came about for a couple of reasons: I have a daughter with an unusual name (Elouara), and as a little girl, she always wanted a door sign with her name on it for her bedroom. This, of course, was impossible! I was working for a law firm at the time, and the stress of the commute and long hours was taking its toll, so my husband suggested I quit the job and do something I loved. So we searched around and found a laser for sale, purchased it, and the first thing I made was the sign for my (now adult) daughter.

HVMAG: How long have you been running Two Drunk Cowgirls - and how did you start?

KELLY: Two Drunk Cowgirls is now in its third year as a small business. A few people saw my daughter’s sign and asked me to make something for them. One of those people was to become the other Drunk Cowgirl. We were sitting at my place drinking wine one day, and I showed her how I make stuff. She started helping me, and we have been ‘wining and twining’ since. We both compete in horse events and are wine lovers, so Two Drunk Cowgirls seemed like the perfect business name!

HVMAG: What are your most popular products, and who buys them?

KELLY: Our most popular products are our beer bottle openers. They all have silly slogans on them, and some are a little bit risqué, but people love them! We also sell a lot of our horseshoe designs. Most of our customers are overseas holidaymakers or Sydney people visiting the Hunter. We also take orders for personalised products.

HVMAG: How are your products made/what materials do you use and why?

KELLY: We have two lasers running off two laptops; we burn the design onto the Timber (which takes about 8 hours per design) and then spend about an hour on each to decorate it.

HVMAG: What do you like most about Handmade in the Hunter Markets?

KELLY: It’s a “one of” market, meaning that no two stall holders sell the same thing; this is not just great for us as sellers but also for the customers as they will see something different at every stall.