Hi, I'm Jasmine!
aka, the Crazy Craft Lady. I'm proud to be the owner and operator of Crazy Craft Lady, but I'd be lying if I said this was a one-woman show. I'm fortunate to have a lot of help from my friends and family, and most importantly, Mr. #CrazyCraftHusband, Adam.
Every day, I'm learning to manage my anxiety and panic disorder, and I use this platform to help normalize conversations about mental health. I'm also a professor of Communication at two colleges, and I teach people about love, relationships, and using their voices to create change every day! I'm extremely passionate about mental health and self love, and so grateful for the community we've built in supporting each other and normalizing discussions about these often taboo topics.
Get to Know Me!
1. What’s your whole name?
Jasmine Marie LaBine
2. Are you named after anyone?
My grandpa, James (Jim) Neldon. Jas. was the abbreviation for James in phone books!
3. Do you have any siblings?
Yes - an identical twin, Ambrosia, and a younger brother, James.
4. Where did you grow up?
Niles, Michigan. It's a small town just north of South Bend, Indiana. Growing up on the state line was cool! Now I'm just about an hour and fifteen minutes away in Kalamazoo. I love Niles (pageant pic below for the Four Flags Apple Festival!, in which I will have participated as a craft vendor for nine years in 2022) and still do lots of events in the Michiana area!
5. What activities did you do in high school?
All of them! (Well almost.) I was a cheerleader for both fall and winter seasons, a choir and theatre kid (seven fall musicals starting in 6th grade), manager for the baseball team, History Club and French Honors Society member, bowling team captain my senior year (my coach eventually became my husband - scandal!), student government, prom committee, and Youth Advisory Council member!
6. Where did you go to college?
Western Michigan University, for undergrad and grad school. Now I teach there. Go Broncos! :)
7. What activities did you do in college?
A lot, but I think the most significant were serving as Speaker of the Senate for Western's student government, the Western Student Association (WSA) and starting a mental health/self-love organization called Love is Louder WMU.
8. What did you study in college?
Undergrad: Organizational Communication and Political Science
Grad School: Communication with a research focus on media effects on perceptions of underrepresented populations
9. What was your first job out of college?
I climbed the ranks in management at a custom apparel company through grad school and for two years after.
10. What kind of music do you like?
I know everyone says this, but I love everything. I particularly love folksy/acoustic music and I love going to pop punk/emo concerts. My favorite artists are the band Bailen and Taylor Swift. Here's a pic of me with some friends hanging out with Bailen in January 2020 right before the shutdown.
11. What’s one hobby that you’d like to take up?
I miss dancing. It was a big part of my life as a cheerleader and I'm trying to bring it back into my life somehow!
12. What did you think you wanted to be when you grew up?
A teacher for a long time, then a school superintendent (lol), then a news broadcaster (my twin is now a big time journalist), and for all of undergrad, a lawyer. Teaching is definitely my purpose in life.
13. What’s the biggest project on your to-do list right now?
Tearing apart my basement to create a product photography and fabric cutting area. Hopefully if I look back on this in a few months it will be done!
14. Do you have any irrational fears?
Fish freak me out, but I don't mind fishing.
15. Have you ever traveled outside the country? If so, where and when?
Not physically, but I do read a lot of British books!
16. When’s your next vacation and where are you going?
My husband just asked me this today! We've done southern California three times so we're trying to figure out something different. We've been to 11 MLB ballparks, and we're trying to see them all. I think East Coast is next!
17. Do you speak any other languages?
I learned ASL in Kindergarten (pretty fluently actually) because there was a deaf girl in my class and my sister and I were distraught about her not having friends. I also took 6 years of French. If you held a gun to my head, I could speak a fair amount of either, but it's been a LONG time for both.
18. What’s one talent that you wish you had?
Ooof. This sounds like a low bar, but I'm working hard at getting better at names. I teach 5-6 classes a semester and the masks have made this so hard!
19. What’s something that you wish you did more of?
Cardio. The end.
20. If you weren’t in your current job, what would you want to be doing?
I would be devastated to not be doing everything I'm doing now, but I'm sure I'd find some kind of advocacy work!
Contact
I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.