About Us
Welcome to our adventure! My name is Carrie, and my husband is Robert. We, along with our three sons, are the faces behind White Barn Projects and the rHeal (pronounced “real”) Wood product lines.
Our love for all things creative runs deep. It has been expressed in many ways over the years - like side hustling hobbies & small businesses such as running a laser engraving & personalized gift shop on Etsy, making reclaimed wood decor, creating digital files, building custom furniture, and doing photography! We know this is how many makers start: side hustling until their dream can become a full-time reality.
But let’s be honest. Who really has time for a side-gig, full time job, and all of the tasks & responsibilities of daily life when you also have friends and family that rely on you? That is exactly where we have found ourselves over the years: as our family has grown bigger, our time for creativity has become smaller.
This time shortage became more apparent than ever over the last six and a half years as we welcomed nineteen orphaned or abandoned boys into our family and home through foster care & private placement services. Together with our two young boys, we walked alongside broken spirits in the deepest trenches of heartache and watched as God worked through our family (& many others) to heal hearts and restore souls.
Five years ago, it became clear that we wanted two of the boys we had served to join our family forever through adoption. And although we believe we were following God’s plan, our attempts to move forward with adoption fell through again and again. Our family of six was torn apart, and the wounds ran deep. It was now us walking in the trenches of heartache and brokenness.
As we worked through this pain, the idea for our rHeal product lines emerged. These pre-finished project panels provided a creative outlet for designing and crafting. And making for makers like you allowed us to continue to serve others through what we did.
Now, our panels help you create the best products with less trial & error. We use top quality materials and UV cured finishes to eliminate peeling and chipping.
rHeal Wood pre-finished laser supplies save you time, so that when you find the time to be creative, your materials and prep aren’t slowing you down! Go from concept to creation quicker than ever before.
Our pre-finished panels mean less for you:
- less mess
- less prep
- less clean up
- less waste on trial and error
- less negative impact on our environment
When you shop White Barn Projects, those exact same panels & pieces mean more for our family:
- more time for faith
- more time with family
- more time to be authentic
- more time to heal
I wish I could say it all worked out in the end - that now we are a happy family of six. But life does not always happen that way. However, I am thankful to say that after three long years, an adoption was finalized with one of our boys! He is back home and legally a part of our family forever. We do not get to share our home & our name with our other son, BUT we are forever thankful to be in contact with him and to be a small part of his life.
It was not an easy road that brought my family to where we are today. For quite some time, we tried to conceal the pain from that journey and keep it hidden inside. But our attempts to stay busy and appear “ok” only led to deepening depression and hopelessness. It was not until we chose authenticity that our hearts began to heal.
You see, authenticity is an important part of our core values. It's about being real to who YOU are instead of attempting to live up to the expectations of others. And sometimes this means you must first do self-work and heal.
The pain and loss we experienced reminded us of what is most important in life: faith & family. Starting this small business (instead of a side hustle) has provided us with the income and the flexibility needed to put faith & family back in its rightful place of prominence.
And that is WHY we do what we do: becoming rHeal [real + heal]. We would love to have you join us on this journey! Please walk alongside us. We cannot wait to hear your story & see what amazing things we will create as we are rHeal together.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for supporting our small business. Because each time you purchase White Barn Projects’s quality materials, you make an investment in your project AND an investment in our family.
Want to learn more about our family and watch our journey unfold? Follow us on Instagram and TikTok for pictures, updates, and more! @whitebarnprojects
