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Hen House Blog
Thoughts on life and the creative process from a Mother Hen
Welcome Readers!
My name is Dusty Santos. I founded Home Free Hen. I make wooden decor inspired by rustic charm and homesteading.
Here I share how I make my products and juggle 4 kids. Thanks for joining me in my journey!



A second commission, kitties?!
We started talking and I realized I had a golden opportunity to show her some of the things I made. When I showed her the k-cup holder, her eyes widened. "You made that...
Ben, who is head of metal shop, decided to lend me something. Something that has honestly got me sweating bullets. The conversation went like this...

Dusty Santos
Jun 73 min read
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Make It Fest, Free Wood and Tight Quarters, Ohhh Myyy
The day started rainy but cleared up most of the day. The event was eventually canceled when...
Ben, who is head of metal shop, decided to lend me something. Something that has honestly got me sweating bullets. The conversation went like this...

Dusty Santos
Jun 33 min read
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Crunch Time for Make-It-Fest
Posted again and tagged specific people and got one response.
Ben, who is head of metal shop, decided to lend me something. Something that has honestly got me sweating bullets. The conversation went like this...

Dusty Santos
May 303 min read
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It's all coming together
I now had to make some choices. Finish it with a stain and/or a polyurethan. Paint it, if paint, how much...

Dusty Santos
May 213 min read
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Lowell Makes - The maker space
I've mentioned Lowell Makes (LM as the members call it) in passing but I think it's time for a deep dive...

Dusty Santos
May 162 min read
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Exciting things happened
Next I learned about having a store. To have a storefront in Amazon, you need a Brand. To have an official Brand, you need to...

Dusty Santos
May 142 min read
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Exciting things are happening
If I own my own brand fully and I hand make my products, I can file for an exemption. Good news is, I qualify. Bad news is, I need to be...

Dusty Santos
May 73 min read
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The other side of business
My method is usually the same, but can vary. I usually create an image with AI then draw on top of it. Never using the original image, but taking inspiration from it. Here is an example.

Dusty Santos
May 23 min read
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That's what I do it for
In the last two days before my table date. I learned two new machines and I did a new joint! Here is a picture, I'll walk you through my process...

Dusty Santos
Apr 273 min read
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The Checklist and the RMV
Day before Easter I was cutting them apart with scissors all day. Cut some stickers, clean the house, cut some stickers, wash some dishes, cut some stickers, cook dinner.

Dusty Santos
Apr 233 min read
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Hen's House Book Reviews - Witness by Whittaker Chambers
One method of handing off documents was called "Dead Drops". Where you place a something in a hidden location like a tree hole, or under a mail box, then the other party would come later and get it.

Dusty Santos
Apr 2210 min read
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Stickers!
While waiting to meet with him, I wanted to keep myself busy. So I had a talk with my 12 year old daughter, Kairi. I encouraged her to use her imagination and create some AI generated stickers she could sell.

Dusty Santos
Apr 182 min read
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Not all days are good
So this week I started making. My matching game is laser cut in little circles. I was going to cut the same thing but I had an idea.

Dusty Santos
Apr 153 min read
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Preparing for my first table this year...
So this week I started making. My matching game is laser cut in little circles. I was going to cut the same thing but I had an idea.

Dusty Santos
Apr 112 min read
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The story of my first year (most of it)
I started my journey by googling "rentable wood working tools". What I found was a maker space...

Dusty Santos
Apr 73 min read
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