Angella Losee shows a few of the wooden flags she has made.
What started as experiments quickly became popular products.
The Losees make colorful drink coozies.
By Rich Wicks | Panora Times, March 2025
Angella and Matt Losee of Panora are creators. When they see products that catch their eyes, they immediately think about how the products are made, and that has led to a fun hobby and side gig for them.
Angella told of the couple’s foray into creating wooden flags, drink tumblers and related items.
“We started making the wood flags a couple years ago. Matt had seen something similar on Facebook and thought it was interesting and that we could make them,” Losee said. “So, we decided to give it a shot. My dad had given us a table saw years ago, so we had all the tools needed.”
What started as experiments quickly became popular products.
“We bought some wood and made a couple flags. We kept one for ourselves, and we’ve given a bunch away to family and friends,” Losee said. “Then I posted pictures of them on Facebook, and people started asking if they could buy them, so I sold a few that way.”
Tumblers made by Angella and Matt Losee.
Nowadays, Losee continues making the flags, with Matt’s help, and she sells them at area vendor markets. Losee generally partners with her friend, Danielle, who runs Sweet B’s Treats (based in Linden). They display their items together at craft shows, farmers markets and other events.
Losee explained the process in creating the wooden flags.
“We use our table saw to cut boards down into 13 stripes for the flag, and then we burn the wood, stain it whatever color, and glue and nail them together, and trim them to size,” she said.
Losee makes flags in traditional American design but also customizes them to designate certain groups or services, such as police, fire, EMTs, conservation, etc.
“If we’re making them for police officers or firefighters or anyone in that type of work, we may put their badge number and last name on there in stencil. Then we seal them, so they can be displayed indoors or outdoors,” Losee said.
Wooden flags created by the Losees.
Besides the flags, Losee has also learned to make various drinkware products, including coffee mugs, tumblers and coozies.
“I started making them because I wanted a tumbler that said Panorama Panthers, and I couldn’t find anybody that made them. So, I watched a lot of videos to learn how to make them,” Losee said. “And, again, it started out just making a few for myself or for friends and coworkers, but then I started taking those to farmers markets and vendor fairs, and I’ve been selling quite a few.”
Losee has always enjoyed working with her hands to make things, and her offerings can be seen on her Facebook page titled, “Glitz & Dust Designs.”
“I’m not an artist. I consider myself to be more of a maker. I crochet, I embroider, I make wreaths, all sorts of different things. I’ve done that all my life,” she said. “I’ve recently come upon a lot of the supplies for stained glass, and I had briefly dabbled in that years ago, so I’m hoping to get back into that a little bit, too.”
More of the Losees’ unique tumblers.
One of the rewards of Losee’s hobby is seeing joy on the faces of those who appreciate her creations. She said kids, in particular, get excited upon discovering her items.
“A lot of the tumblers are very glittery, and some are Christmas-themed, where they look like they have cocoa running down the sides of them,” Losee said. “Those have made a lot of people really smile.”
