PiBurner Spotlight: Christine Estellon

Meet Christine Estellon, the owner of, CestCreative LLC – a personalization company specializing in apparel, decor, and drinkware!

 

Christine started her career in a chemical plant, moving from the lab, into production, and eventually supply chain where she has spent a majority of her career. The CestCreative business name was created as a play on words – “c’est creative” means “that is creative” in French and “c’est” is also a combination of Christine’s first initial and the first three letters of her last name. As a creative person working in a not-so-creative day job, she turned her life long passion for arts and crafts into a small business opportunity that has grown from t-shirts and vinyl, to resin art, and eventually to include laser engraving. From the moment she first yelled, “FIRE THE LASER” in January 2021, to now having a “family” of machines, she turned her love of art and technology into a second income. 

As the owner of this amazing business, Christine loves to bring ideas to life! Whether its a printed graphic t-shirt, laser-engraved memorabilia, or resin art that resembles ocean waves, CestCreative has you covered! They have partnered with local schools and organizations to bring fresh and exciting options to fundraising as well as offering B2B wholesale options to help others on their own creative journey. Christine also has a passion for community and education, so not only do they create products, they also offer training for various programs and equipment, in the form of online and in-person classes!

I asked Christine to tell us a bit more about herself! 

“Trish and I live just outside Pittsburgh, PA in a town called Oakdale. It’s about 25 minutes from the city, which provides access to a tremendous amount of culture and inspiration. I have two daughters from my first marriage and share custody/co-parent with their dad. The kids are 12 and 14, and are involved in many activities, which truly has been a huge opportunity for networking and business growth. When we aren’t in the workshop churning out tumblers and other laser goods, we are out and about in our community, getting involved in non-profit events, craft shows, or just chilling with the 3 dogs.”

  

Christine’s laser journey began back in 1985, believe it or not! 

“Does watching REAL GENIUS count as the beginning? Math and science are my favorite subjects and from the first kickstarter ad for a Glowforge I HAD TO HAVE ONE! So thanks to their great marketing, I dove head first into a world I had never seen before. I joke when I say this (not really) but I feel like I outgrew the machine before it even arrived because it couldn’t do the #1 thing that I wanted to do – make tumblers! Now that is an embarrassing thing to admit, because I am typically a researcher, but this time I was flying blind. Had I really spent the time to understand what that machine could or couldn’t do, I would have started with a different machine for sure. Do I regret my decision to buy a Glowforge? No – it was a tool that taught me a lot about the laser world and the user interface was simple. One of my first products took off on Etsy and I made enough in gross sales in 3 months to “pay-off” the machine, and by October 2021, my [Aeon Laser USA] MIRA9 was on her way!”

CestCreative LLC started as an apparel and accessories company, so they’re initial tumbler offerings were simply vinyl decals. When they added epoxy resin to their craft, the drinkware side took off! Because of this, they knew they wanted to get into the laser-engraving business – not to get “out” of the other mediums they were working with, but to add another tool to their already-expansive collection! Christine and Trish are still working with resin and other crafts, but their preference is “hands down” the laser! 

“I am a tinkerer, a tester, ok a bit of a geek if you will (my nickname in our resin group is Billie Jean the Science Queen because I am always getting into the details of HOW/WHY it works or doesn’t), so from the first Glowforge (Big Betty) to the Mira 9 (Large Marge who now identifies as Burnt Reynolds), and our dedicated tumbler machine, the Mira 7 (aka The Phoenix), I can honestly say I have found my love and my home in the maker world – and it is the laser community.”

An interesting side of CestCreative LLC is that they are not all-retail, they also offer wholesale! Christine not only has an Etsy shop, but a website as well, so that they are able to reach a broader audience, but it happened accidentally! 

 

“Need custom acrylics and custom display stands for your market spaces? You’ll find them on Etsy for that… want retail, finished goods like t-shirts and engraved tumblers? That’s more on our website and local pages. Why did we do that? Well, it happened a little bit by accident. I started with Facebook and a website in the beginning and have avoided Etsy like the plague, but when we got the first laser, we knew that we needed a broader audience, so we added Etsy. One listing at a time, we grew to over 1000 sales and counting.  My goal for 2023 is to add more to my Etsy shop, to reach more people, but at the same time funnel those new customers to my website eventually.” 

Engraved tumblers have been selling really well in the local markets for Christine and Trish. Christine, was already well-known as the “tumbler lady” in her community. She was one of the first in the area to offer resin tumblers, so the progression to laser-engraving further expanded their business. On average, they are creating 15-20 engraved tumblers per week.

“So far today, I completed one order for 5 and have a few singles to do, so this week is right on target. As I mentioned earlier, with two kids, we have the opportunity to work with several sports teams and various clubs, so our focus has been a lot of schools and teams. We are getting ready to launch our fundraising packets to send to the local schools and booster organizations, so fall should be very interesting!”

I asked Christine what led her and Trish to choosing a PiBurn as their choice of rotary:

“The best part of my laser journey has been the friendships that I have built. One of the first people that I really bonded with – and the person who introduced me to the PiBurn, is Liz Rivers from The Laser Outpost. It was because of Liz and her wonderful demonstrations/recommendation that I purchased my PiBurn. Now, there is always a story with me (that and random song lyrics, but I digress…) so my PiBurn journey was not a typical one. You see, there was this really pretty American Pi available – you know, that limited edition, no longer available (Bye, Bye, Miss American Pi…….) red, white, and blue beauty? Yea, that one. So I spotted it for sale, snatched it up, and then lovingly admired it on the shelf for about 3 months. When I went to hook it up – OH NO! – I had purchased an American Pi that was configured for a different laser! I reached out to Stan and we started exploring options. This all was going down around the Grip launch – so the fact that Stan was helping me was beyond amazing. We considered a few options / adapters, etc., but then my Knight of Shining Lasers and fellow PiBurner “JS” swooped in, bought the American Pi from me, and I was able to order the CORRECT PiBurn OMNI for my machine!!!! I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Stan and Len at the AEON Partner event in January of this year, and just the short amount of time that I was able to spend with them was fascinating. I learned a lot about the rotary, the company, and the passion that goes into every device they make. 

I use my [PiBurn] Omni every day – specifically, my [PiBurn] Grip! It’s a critical tool for my operations. I decided to try the “CatDog” configuration, although I call her Mary Shelley (author of Frankenstein) due to the “pieced together nature” of this assembly. I started with a basic roller-style rotary, so the introduction of the PiBurn opened up a whole new level of opportunity. Then once I added the Grip, not only did my efficiency increase, but also consistency.I can easily take off a tumbler and load the next one and have repeatable results from cup to cup, which I feel is super important especially when dealing with large orders. No one wants that “one cup” the the logo is just a wee bit different than the others. So what’s next? Well, I would love to get a Vortex Table as I do a lot of leatherette and thinner materials, so look out for that!”

 

We all have at least one person or story that serves as our “why” and our reason behind doing what we do. Christine’s inspiration?

“Perseverance. I have had the privilege to work with amazing and inspiring people over the years. I served on a non-profit board with our local children’s hospital and am a member of Three Rivers Business Alliance which is a local affiliate of the NGLCC and focused on expanding the economic interests of LGBTQIA+ owned and allied businesses through advocacy, education, business development and growth. For me – the only thing more inspiring than hearing a success story is being able to contribute to one. I feel through education, philanthropy, and being a strong role model in the business community, we can help so many people reach their potential. While not an educator by trade, I have taught at the local store of a national craft supply chain and provided voluntary classes to local schools. One of the Facebook groups that I created is Steel City Laser Collective, which is intended to be a space for our local laser owners to share resources and experiences. Having had my own little “bump in the road” recently, my tenacity and perseverance was tested. I made a critical user error which lead to my MIRA9 being down for several weeks – but thanks to this amazing laser community, the friendships that I have built, AEON Laser USA, and my own determination, we quickly returned, better than before! The Phoenix rose from the ashes!”

Christine is most proud of the products that she personally imagined, prototyped, and developed from scratch – products such as display stands and a pen adapter for tumbler turners; however her FAVORITE projects are her tumblers. She loves to work out the calculations and testing on every cup and actually maintains a journal / log of her testing attempts, settings, and even errors! 

“When I pull a clean, seamless wrap design off of the GRIP, I still get a great sense of accomplishment.”

  

Christine’s piece of advice for anyone just starting out in the laser world is:

“There is space for everyone. Some people design everything they create, some purchase files. Some want to learn the shortcuts, others like myself want to get into the nuts and bolts of how things work. This diverse population affords everyone the opportunity to find their place in the community. I would be remiss if I tried to list keys to success because (a) I learn something new everyday, so what works now might change later and (b) I know what works for me – my personality, my skills, my likes/dislikes, so my approach is tailored and might not work for everyone, but it does boil down to a very basic concept. Be a good human. Don’t steal other’s work and call it your own, help someone who is just starting out,  give back more than you take, network and build relationships. If you put the work in, this can be an incredibly positive and rewarding experience.”

We couldn’t agree with you more, Christine! This laser world of ours is ever-growing and always expanding into realms we never thought possible years ago and there is, in fact, PLENTY of room for everyone! Thank you for sharing your CestCreative story! We are thrilled to see you thriving and wish you the best in continuing you grow and succeed! 

Check out Christine’s social media pages below, give her a follow – and, if you’re shopping, check out the CestCreative LLC website! 

CestCreative LLC Instagram: https://instagram.com/cestcreative

CestCreative LLC TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cestcreative

CraftOn Tumblers, Lasers, & More (Facebook Group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/craftontumblerslasers

Steel City Laser Collective (Facebook Group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/887188809075809