We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Tamra Oellig a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Tamra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In 1980 my parents started a small machine shop in the garage of our family home. I was 12 years old.

Fast forward to 1997 and the business had grown from garage shop to full on machine shop. I was a single mom who needed a job, and the market was horrible, so I went to work for the family business. I was always the independent rebel who preferred to make her own way, but sometimes you have to do what’s best instead of what you really want. I was working with my mother, stepfather, brother and uncle. Working for the family business gave all of us a comfortable life.

In 2013 my mother started to have stress related health issues and had to step back from the company. Overnight I went from running the office to running the company, along with raising a teenager and caring for my homebound mother. At this point the company consisted of 37 employees and over 11,000 sq. ft. of manufacturing space. A long way from the garage in our family home. To say this took a toll on me is an understatement. We were strictly Aerospace and Defense manufacturing and working with the government is not a walk in the park. I knew if things didn’t change, I’d follow in my mother’s footsteps and that was the last place I wanted to go.

My wakeup call came in 2017. I got shingles and it took me down for almost a month. After I recovered, we, the family, decided to it was time to sell the company. It took four, very long years, but in 2021 it was finally accomplished and in September 2021 I transitioned away from the only thing I’d known for the past 24 years. Talk about emotional!! You don’t realize how much something impacts your life until it’s not there anymore.

My original plan was to stay home for six months before going back to work. That plan went out the window. It took me over a year to decompress and remember who I am. I’m home two years now and finally know the direction I want to take.

I have a few different things going on right now. My first love is photography! Unfortunately, it doesn’t pay the bills, but I have a website and maybe, someday, I’ll sell a photograph. I’ve done a few photoshoots, but I prefer to shoot landscapes and create digital art.

I have two Etsy shops, Tweaked Chic and Mrs. O Prints.

Tweaked Chic is Upcycled, Artistic Fashion, created from thrifted items. It started with flannels with band tees sewn on to the back and has just expanded from there. I’m also creating denim jackets, military jackets, bleached and dyed denim and Disney outfits for kids.

Mrs. O Prints is an offshoot of my photography brand. I’m dabbling in printable downloads. It’s just getting started and I’m having fun creating things.

Lastly, I’m getting ready to start Pilates Teacher Training. I started doing Pilates to get out of the house and when the training opportunity came, I knew it was the direction I’d been looking for. What’s better than a job wearing workout clothing while barefoot and exercising?

Letting go of the family business has been a relief and emotional, but one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It was a huge risk, but the reward has been finding myself and a new path that brings me joy and happiness.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I haven’t said much about photography, but it’s been a part of me since I was eight and my great grandmother gave me a Kodak Instamatic camera. It was all downhill from there. I’ve never had any formal training. I just love to shoot pictures!

Upcycling was an idea my daughter had. She asked me to sew a tee on to the back of a flannel for her. Before I knew it, friends were asking me to do the same and Tweaked Chic was born.

I’m pretty sure my attention to detail, when it comes to sewing, stems from my time in the machining world. Quality is important, even if the customer doesn’t notice that the tee on the flannel is sewn as close as possible to perfectly centered and straight. There are days I’ll pin and re-pin the same tee over and over until it’s right.

I’ve started experimenting with new techniques and I’m loving the results! It’s amazing what you can do with bleach. I’m having a blast creating new designs.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I love to spread happiness!

I’ve been blessed with many stories of the joy that a simple flannel has brought to someone.

Recently I worked on a custom order for a repeat customer. The flannel was a gift for a friend who lost their father. The flannel we created had the father’s favorite singer/song on the back. I’m looking forward to hearing the friend’s reaction to the gift.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Post, post, post!

My daughter helped me with social media as I had no idea what I was doing. She told me to use hashtags and to figure out the best time of day to post on Instagram.

I’m slowly figuring out SEO and the best hashtags to use. It’s trial and error, but I’m moving in the right direction.

My advice, if you don’t know how to navigate social media, find a young person to help you. They know their way around social media platforms.

Contact Info:

• Website: tweakedchic.etsy.com, mrsophotography.com, mrsoprints.etsy.com
• Instagram: @tweaked_chic, @mrsophotography

Image Credits
All photographs were taken by myself and I own the rights