Crafts are both business and pleasure for North Las Vegas VFW volunteer
When Jody Shervanick wanted custom keepsakes for wives of fallen military members, she commissioned Denise Crary.
Crary has been making crafts for more than 40 years, building a reputation in North Las Vegas. She specializes in cross-stitching, tole painting, glass painting, decoupaging and vinyling.
Shervanick, a volunteer who helps coordinate events for Veterans of Foreign Wars, had Crary paint wine glasses for military wives.
The glasses read, “Deployment Survival Glass, Military Wife.” The phrase was in blue letters with a yellow ribbon.
Crary, 64, works as a foreclosure officer for the Bohn Law Firm in Las Vegas and spends her free time crafting. She’s self-taught; she began cross-stitching as a teenager with her sister after visiting craft festivals while growing up in Niagara Falls, New York.
Crary has been tole painting, a form of decorative painting on tin and wooden utensils, furniture and other objects, for 15 years.
“I just try different things,” she said. “I’ve always loved crafts, whether it be painting or decoupaging wood. With crafting, you can make things your own.”
About four years ago, Crary and her husband, Steve, started a vinyling business, Cut N Place, that made items for cars, shirts, pictures, cups, wood and containers.
“Last school year, we sold (vinyls) to 65 or 70 teachers,” she said. “Then around the holidays, we sold about 150 cups for Christmas.”
Though she now sells vinyls for pleasure rather than for business, which concluded two years ago, Crary said she continues to grow creatively.
Shannon Dickinson of Las Vegas became aware of Crary’s crafts through a co-worker.
“I really liked what I saw in another teacher’s classroom,” the kindergarten teacher said. “I’ve been a customer for a few years and started off buying things for my classroom. I bought vinyls (that are used) for dry-erase circles for my reading groups.”
Crary said she’ll never stop crafting.
“I have a bucket list of crafts for when I retire,” she said. “I’ll do them probably until I die.”
