![Alumni Garrett Sheskey and Katie Garcia]()
Garrett Sheskey '13, '15 and Katie Garcia '15 partnered up for a project in class during their time in graduate school at Carroll and found themselves stumbling upon a convention in the building as a bowl of popcorn called their names. For their project they decided to measure how many steps it would take to get to the bowl. Both excited about receiving free food along with completing their project, Garrett and Katie became good friends. Sharing common interests like crafting, Garrett and Katie decided to not only become math partners in class but venture into the business world as well.
The two built a business in downtown Milwaukee that caters to anyone interested in crafting. They call it PinIt Live.
Since graduating from Carroll in 2015, each with their math certificate under the direction of Education Professor Dr. Kimberly White, the two are currently full-time teachers in the Waukesha School District. Garrett teaches sixth and seventh grade at Les Paul Middle School and Katie teaches first grade at Summit View Elementary. On the side, they have gained much media attention through their business venture, which caters to customers who want to bring their Pinterest craft to life.
Katie noted, "[the studio] is like a place to unwind and enjoy working with customers at a place that doesn't even feel like work."
Help avoiding the Pinterest fail
Pinterest is a site where you can find endless amounts of crafts, but a lot of the crafts may seem impossible to complete. The studio - at 522 N. Water St #203, Milwaukee - is a place where you can go to complete a project with some guidance from Garrett and Katie so you won't go home with a Pinterest fail.
Garrett said, "We have not said no to any project yet, so it's almost a running joke now to see what is it that's going to be that we receive something that we just can't do."
But until that happens, Garrett and Katie encourage customers to keep sending in crafts and that when going to the studio you do not need to do the same thing. One of the many things they enjoy about working with the customers is the personalization touches each person has on their own craft.
During childhood, Garrett remembers making greeting cards and scrapbook pages and Katie loved making ornaments. When looking back at her first craft Katie said, "The first craft we worked on together for the business was probably a Pinterest fail. We thought we had these great ideas; Garrett's was a picture frame and mine was a stone flower, which we still both have them and reflect back on how far we've come from that."
PinIt Live at the start
PinIt Live started out with 10 crafts when they first opened the studio, but now has over 100 crafts either they have found or that customers have sent in. When making a reservation the customer has the choice of choosing from one of their current crafts or can send in their own.
By maintaining individual focus and good organization, Garrett and Katie have big plans for the future of PinIt Live. Along with hosting a group of Carroll students in a craft night this February the studio is bringing in new events, such as Galentine's Day February 17th, and collaborating with other local businesses to help promote their products as well.
As for next steps, Garrett said they'd like to take "PinIt on the road and not just staying within our studio but traveling."