Welcome to Life Outside the Shop – the blog accompaniment to Sam Macy Designs and a way for us to share the adventures we get up to when Sam isn’t head-down in his scroll saw.

Sam and I always have our best ideas (or, what we think are our “best” ideas – you’ll have to let us know!) when we’re walking or driving together. It is likely a combo of being out of our usual home routine and – let’s be honest – not having our phones glued to our hands.

One brainchild of a recent drive was a blog. Why a blog? Well, there are a few reasons. First, we do get up to some pretty fun things when Sam isn’t working in the shop. A lot of these things actually inspire what goes on IN the shop and what scenes or depictions end up IN a Shadow Box.

A blog allows us to share more about who we are, where we live and the things we love to do. It also provides a space to create a chronological account of how our lives and this company grow with time. Things have already changed so much since Sam Macy Designs was founded in 2018.

We’re also just like you: consumers of both products and content. The content we love most comes from people who aren’t afraid to show the faces, voices, and real lives behind a product. That is what we aim to give you here, by sharing our life outside the shop.

We have a lot going on at Sam Macy Designs from the creation of our original and primary product – the Shadow Box – to blogs, vlogs, DIY projects, puppy (and eventually, child) raising, home building, and all of the things that go along with growing a life and a business.

We hope you enjoy following along, we’re so grateful to have you!

Ali & Sam