EDWARDSBURG — Four years ago, Tracey Hossfeld and one of her friends decided that they were not going to buy each other Christmas gifts. Instead, they were going to make presents to give the other. Hossfeld ended up painting a sign for her friend, which at the time seemed like a simple and kind gesture for her friend. But soon, making signs snowballed into a second job for Hossfeld and a new nickname: the Sign Queen.

“My friends seemed to like them, so I started making them for other people and to sell,” said Hossfeld, who resides in Niles. “That’s primarily what I do. I make door hangers out of burlap and out of wood.”

Today, she has made thousands of signs and has a constant stream of orders from customers. The signs are colorful and often depict a variety of patterns. Some signs are letter-shaped, while others are structured to be the same shape as a dog, a pick-up truck or a football. Her signs cost between $30 and $55, depending on how difficult and time consuming a sign is to paint.

The signs have become so popular that this summer she began to teach people how to make their own.

“I started by making custom signs with people’s names on them and things like that,” she said. “Then I started making decorative ones and started selling them at art fairs and that led to me also doing door hanger paint classes for people to also make their own.”

The class cost $30 to attend. The next class is at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18, at Marcy Metzger’s Country Cabin in Edwardsburg. Participants will paint colorful pineapples or strawberries. The classes are for people 18 years of age and older.

Thus far, Hossfeld said that she has enjoyed the classes and between 15 and 30 people have attended them.

“It’s a unique community event where people can get together,” she said. “We have mothers and daughters who come and painted together. I had a family of eight come and paint together. So I think that’s a neat thing. It’s a fun girls night out.”

She hosts one class per month. At her class on Aug. 21, she will help participants paint footballs, which they can customize to an athlete in their lives or their favorite team.

Hossfeld also serves light snacks such as pretzels and popcorn. Water is also available, and participants may bring their own snacks.

“At my Fourth of July class, I had a family bring a little spread that was Fourth of July themed,” she said. “It was really cute.”

Profits from her sign business go towards scholarships for the Miss America Organization, for which she is a director.

“I do make some money, just because it’s a second job, but the majority of my proceeds all go to Miss Cardinal, which is our local for Miss Indiana,” she said. “They go to a good cause. It’s not just me making money all of the time.”

Anyone who wants to make their own signs but cannot make her classes can buy her sign-making kits, which includes the paint.

For more information on Hossfeld, her signs or to register for a class, visit TheSignQueen.com or find her on Facebook by searching for The Sign Queen.

“My friends seemed to like them, so I started making them for other people and to sell,” said Hossfeld, who resides in Niles. “That’s primarily what I do. I make door hangers out of burlap and out of wood.”

Today, she has made thousands of signs and has a constant stream of orders from customers. The signs are colorful and often depict a variety of patterns. Some signs are letter-shaped, while others are structured to be the same shape as a dog, a pick-up truck or a football. Her signs cost between $30 and $55, depending on how difficult and time consuming a sign is to paint.

The signs have become so popular that this summer she began to teach people how to make their own.

“I started by making custom signs with people’s names on them and things like that,” she said. “Then I started making decorative ones and started selling them at art fairs and that led to me also doing door hanger paint classes for people to also make their own.”

The class cost $30 to attend. The next class is at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, July 18, at Marcy Metzger’s Country Cabin in Edwardsburg. Participants will paint colorful pineapples or strawberries. The classes are for people 18 years of age and older.

Thus far, Hossfeld said that she has enjoyed the classes and between 15 and 30 people have attended them.

“It’s a unique community event where people can get together,” she said. “We have mothers and daughters who come and painted together. I had a family of eight come and paint together. So I think that’s a neat thing. It’s a fun girls night out.”

She hosts one class per month. At her class on Aug. 21, she will help participants paint footballs, which they can customize to an athlete in their lives or their favorite team.

Hossfeld also serves light snacks such as pretzels and popcorn. Water is also available, and participants may bring their own snacks.

“At my Fourth of July class, I had a family bring a little spread that was Fourth of July themed,” she said. “It was really cute.”

Profits from her sign business go towards scholarships for the Miss America Organization, for which she is a director.

“I do make some money, just because it’s a second job, but the majority of my proceeds all go to Miss Cardinal, which is our local for Miss Indiana,” she said. “They go to a good cause. It’s not just me making money all of the time.”

Anyone who wants to make their own signs but cannot make her classes can buy her sign-making kits, which includes the paint.

For more information on Hossfeld, her signs or to register for a class, visit TheSignQueen.com or find her on Facebook by searching for The Sign Queen.