LOFTY DESIGNS
Lisa Rasmussen began her business Custom Calligraphy when she graduated Iowa State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Art and Design. Her primary goal at that time was to focus on calligraphy, matting, and framing. She was a young mom and farm wife, working late nights to create and frame artwork in her small studio in her home, and traveling to small craft shows on weekends to earn extra fun money for the family. During the winter of 1998-1999, as “mental therapy” during the hog market price crash, husband Kevin and the family moved a corn crib onto their home place and converted it to an art studio. Lisa changed her business name to Lofty Designs, to more accurately describe the custom matting and framing and design business. Lisa stopped matting and framing in 2011 and began traveling to more area shows selling her artwork and jewelry with Sarah.
LOVE, LOU LOU
Sarah Rasmussen began her jewelry business when she was only 9 years old. She discovered her interest in this art form while learning the skill in order to take it as a 4-H project. She began creating beaded creations for all of her friends and family members, finally realizing that she could make a profit off of her artwork. Sarah evolved her side of the business to include beaded creations, as well as photography, mixed media artwork, paintings and watercolor cards.
LOFTY LOU WAS BORN…
After attending a college entrepreneurship seminar in 2017, Sarah called up her mom Lisa and suggested the idea of fusing Love, Lou Lou and Lofty Designs into one business. Sarah and Lisa had been traveling together to art shows in the Midwest (and even Florida) selling their creations to a wide range of audiences since 2004, all the while maintaining the two separate business names. As the mother/daughter duo already operated together quite well, it would be quite simple to function under the same business name. The first business name that popped into Sarah’s head was “Lofty Lou”, and the women chose to run with the idea. It seemed a nice blend of the two original business names. Working together as mother and daughter is something that neither Lisa nor Sarah take for granted, as their special artistic bond is something that not many are able to experience.
A funny side note: as Lisa and Sarah were designing the new logo, they sat down separately with sketchpad and pens, drawing out logo designs for review. When they met to share their sketches and ideas, the logo they chose was a drawing that BOTH had in their sketches, without even knowing or communicating the idea to the other. The logo incorporates the barn and the heart from each of their previous logo designs. This is what happens when two women think as a team.