i took care of my own ____!

at the beginning of april i was fortunate to take part of the second annual, now aptly named  Take Care of Your Own Shit retreat or #tcoyos weekend (which i pronounced toy-cos).
the weekend and the concept behind it are whole other posts, but the basic idea is a small group of people, in our case women, getting together to get shit done.
what shit? your own shit.

last time i went in armed without a game plan and ended up having a beautiful weekend of quiet contemplation, sketching, reading and getting to know these women, who prior to that point were good acquaintances.
this time i knew i wanted to walk away having crossed something off the to-do list of life.
and since i was hosting it was the perfect opportunity to take care of something that i had been saying that i wanted to do for a long time: set up an Etsy shop.

so i did. and since then i am happy to say that i have spent a decent amount of time there, growing the shop from 2 items to 8 and made my first sale.
i hope you will stop by and visit!

{and tell your friends?!}

things i have learned from setting up/opening my shop:
i need to be mindful of shipping guidelines while in the creation process and/or i have SO much to learn about the shipping side of this
thick, full fabric garland take a LOT of fabric
how to make your own mini photo studio with crap you can get at the dollar store (thank you apartment therapy!)
i need a nice camera at some point (thank you to my brother in law for letting me borrow his and make me realize what i am missing out on)
i still have room to grow in my self work and thus my pricing
you can always improve, but first you must start
follow through without taking on too much
growth is scary and awesome

what’s next on the horizon?
getting my first vintage sale under my belt is definitely a goal.
upgrading my photography continually as i get better shots.
but most excitingly, i have an order for two custom bowls.
one of these bowls requires gray fabric, of which i had none. i went to the big store to look and it just didn’t feel right.
if my work is all about up-cycle and reuse, i can’t just run out and buy what i want.
not while i have white sheets at my fingertips.
so i bought fabric dye.

I. AM. SO. EXCITED!!!!!

want a look at the smarty pants ladies took care of their own shit that weekend?

• Our Daily Craft-Sarah W.
• Evolved Mommy- Stephanie
• Do Good Work- Jackie
• Musings of Mother Hood– Sarah H.
• Approaching Joy- Paige
• Eileen B. Jennings- Eileen