Every room in Beth Brennick’s house sings with different color paint, while her curtains, bedspreads and linens boast a variety of whimsical designs. But the Seekonk resident didn't order the eye-popping layout from a Martha Stewart catalogue. Brennick turned her talent into a business plan and developed her company: Elizabeth Brennick Designs. 

The enterprise got its start in 2006. It was then Brennick started designing and sewing handmade clothes, bags, baby items, hair accessories, pillowcases, scarves, hats and more, which she sells through Etsy (an online site where artists and crafters create their own virtual storefronts) and at regional trade shows.

Brennick grew up in East Providence and though she enjoyed high school art classes, she never gave much thought to creative pursuits. Not sure what she wanted to do after graduation, Brennick worked for a bit as a waitress and then at a salon. At the same time, her hands were full with two young children at home. Her grandmother had recently passed away and out of 11 grandchildren, Brennick was gifted with her grandmother’s Singer sewing machine, threads and other craft items. Brennick, who remembered her grandmother sewing all the time, was touched, but didn’t know if she would ever use the machine.

“I had never, ever sewn before,” she says. “My aunt said ‘Maybe this will spark a hobby for you.'”

A couple years later she decided to take a quilting class where she made a diaper bag and a skirt. The instructors made a point of telling her that her work was quite good for a beginner. Brennick gifted the bag to a friend at a baby shower and the reaction of the crowd was nothing short of impressed.

“My husband said ‘Can you make another one of those bags and put it up on eBay?’” Brennick remembers.

She did, and within a few days it was sold and heading to a buyer in New York City. The rest, as they say, is history.

Now, along with her making and selling her wares, Brennick teaches sewing workshops at various regional locations. She also belongs to an online group of likeminded crafters and business owners who call themselves “Boston Handmade.” The 20-plus members met in a forum on Etsy and have been a support system for each another. Amongst themselves they teach free workshops and pool their resources. Recently the group received a small grant from the Boston Foundation to become a non-profit. They are aiming to secure a location in Boston next year to open a gallery, teach classes and provide studio space to other artists.

Brennick is excited to take it to the next level, but knows that setting up the retail end of things can be a long process to tackle. For now, she’ll keep making her work and being a mom. She’s grateful to her family for inadvertently starting her on her career path and she thinks of her grandmother often.

“ I wish she were around so I could collaborate with her,” Brennick says. “She was a strong woman. I definitely looked up to her.”