Three things helped get Stefani Gatti to where she is today ñ- creativity, resourcefulness and encouragement from family.Gatti is a Colorado native, born and raised in Colorado Springs. Both of her parents worked at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs.In 1999, Gatti graduated from Liberty High School and started school at UCCS. She first studied business, but switched to communications with an emphasis in media management. ìAdvertising is really what I wanted to get into,î she said.Before graduating from college, Gatti took up a romance with the father of her daughter, born in 2001. They married in 2003, but two years later, they divorced.Gatti completed her bachelorís degree in 2004, and worked as a receptionist in the advisory office at UCCS. A year later, she took a job in customer service for T-Mobile, but she did not like the job, and ended that stint a year later.In 2006, Gatti took a job as an academic advisor at the UCCS Student Success Center, helping students track the required classes to graduate, and serving as the new-student orientation coordinator. Also that year, friends introduced her to Zach. Gatti said it was ìlove at first sight.î They married in 2007, and six months later welcomed a son, Gabe. While on maternity leave, Gatti heard about an opening at Lamar Advertising in Colorado Springs. She landed the job ó in charge of billing and collections, and was eventually promoted to office manager. ìI liked the people. My boss was awesome. It was a very laid-back atmosphere,î she said. ìIt was way less stress than I encountered at my last job.îStress did become a factor in her personal life in 2009.That year, Gatti and her husband suffered two miscarriages before getting pregnant with their third child. Also, doctors diagnosed Gattiís mother with stage IV pancreatic cancer, as well as lung cancer. Before the cancer progressed, Gattiís mother arranged for the entire family to go to Disneyland. Six months later, her health rapidly deteriorated; and, in August 2011, Gattiís mother died. ìShe was such a stronghold of our family,î Gatti said. ìShe was an amazing lady.î Gatti credits her mother for her own creativity. ìCrafting things was a huge part of our life,î she said. ìShe always encouraged creativity and praised me for going outside the box.î After her mom died, Gatti decided she wanted to make the most of her own time. ìI was really struggling with that 40-hour work week,î she said. ìAnd with our house, the mortgage was really a strain.î Gatti and her husband decided to sell their home and buy a smaller home that better fit their budget. They found that home just northeast of Peyton. It took them six months to renovate the home, and they moved in March 17, 2013.Gatti resigned from Lamar Advertising and began working from home. With only one income, she wanted to be resourceful. She started blogging about various do-it-yourself craft projects. Gatti started painting signs on wood, and eventually sold them at area craft shows. She created her own website ñ Frumpy Bumpkin Designs ó and received requests for custom-made designs that she shipped throughout the United States.Gatti wanted others to enjoy sign painting so she organized sign painting parties. She had a trial run with a few of her friends to ìget the kinks outî before setting up her first official party at CreekView Grill at the Antlers Creek Golf Course in Falcon. Gatti started out with six to seven designs, and used an ìold schoolî style of transferring a design to wood using graphite paper.When she first started, Gatti originally planned to do one party a month. However, today she usually hosts seven to eight parities a month and will celebrate her 100th event in October. ìIt has worked out phenomenally,î she said.Gatti does both public and private parties. ìMost of our business is generated from private home parties,î she said. ìLots of people love the idea of us just bringing the stuff to them.î Gatti also hosts two events each month open to the public and scheduled at local restaurants. Both events offer online reservations, and guests can pick out their design prior to the event.Facebook is her primary source for advertising. ìI honestly donít know how businesses survived before Facebook,î she said. With her business growing, she added a staff of six ladies Gatti has trained to host a party. All her supplies are bought locally, and her husband helps build the sign boards. Gatti said she is continually creating new designs and now has a library of more than 200 designs from which customers can choose. ìI love the feeling at the end of a class when someone who has taken a blank board starts to see it come together,î she said. ìYou can see how excited they are.îAfter almost two years, Gattiís business is profitable and now she is giving back to the community through fundraising events. Normally, the fee for a sign painting event is $35 a person, but for a fundraising event the price is $40 a person, with $10 going to a designated charity. ìWhen you have so much of the community giving to your business, giving back is a huge deal,î she said. ìI feel like they go hand in hand. You just support each other.î
