NILES — Seeing the elaborately carved wooden ornaments, bottle openers and wooden earrings displayed in her craft fair booth, it is hard to believe that six months ago, Mandi Latislaw was legally blind.

Latislaw, who has four sons, opened her small business, Forge On Décor, a little more than a month ago. Before that, she and her family endured a medical rollercoaster, beginning with a brain tumor discovered in 2018.

“I had two surgeries and radiation, and the radiation finally shrunk the tumor enough that I can see again,” Latislaw said.

With a newfound gratitude for life and her eyesight, Latislaw and her family tapped into a lifelong love of décor and crafting to create Forge On.

“It’s a life is short thing,” she said. “We like to decorate and stuff like that, so we kind of have an eye for it. We decided, why not?”

Latislaw’s mom, Kathleen Cain, purchased a laser forge, which allows Mandi and her husband, Brian, to etch designs and carve shapes out of a variety of materials.

“The machine is called a Glow Forge, so we had the name ‘Forge’ as an idea,” Latislaw said. “We have been through a lot, and we have learned that you just have to keep going, so the name ‘Forge On’ just fit.”

Once the machine was purchased, Latislaw and her family set out to create a wide variety of products — some premade, and some customized to meet requests.

“We engrave on wood or acrylic or glass — things like that,” Latislaw said. “We can also make personalized ornaments. We’re into customization and personalization of wood things, mainly.”

After weeks of working on their products, Forge On Décor made its craft fair debut on Small Business Saturday, at the Grand LV’s Local is the New Black artisan show.

In a corner of the event venue, the Latislaws displayed wooden spoons and cutting boards with designs etched in, carved earrings, ornaments displaying messages like “Merry Christmas from Niles,” and more ornaments with high school and college logos. Customers also perused desk organizers, plates for Santa’s cookies and personalized jigsaw puzzles.

Last week, the family was working hard to bulk up its stock for Brandywine’s craft show, which was hosted Saturday at the high school to benefit Project Graduation. Latislaw’s sons attend Brandywine schools, and she credits the Brandywine community with helping to pull her through her battle with her brain tumor.

“The community has just blown my mind with how everyone came together,” she said. “They threw a benefit for me, and so many people showed up. I can’t even put into words how grateful I am for my Brandywine family. They’ve been amazing.”

While Latislaw refers to her family’s business as a “side hustle” — work done between volunteering, ushering her children to practices and games, and her family’s full-time jobs — a quick peruse on the Forge On Décor Facebook page suggests the Latislaw family business is growing quickly. New items pop up regularly, and Latislaw continues to take custom orders.

“Right now we’re taking it one day at a time,” she said.