An Ending and a Beginning

Long time readers of this blog will have noticed a shift in content...where as before 90% or more of my posts were about the new items in my shops, now none are.

A few months ago I did some soul searching. And I realized that my Etsy shops had served their purpose. I started my first shop over summer vacation as a Master's student. Oddly enough, no one wants to hire you just for the summer when they know they have no chance of you staying for more than a year. So instead, I started an Etsy shop with my flower cards.

I enjoyed making the cards, but, what's more, I really loved the business side of things. Learning about pricing and marketing and psychology and branding. It gave me somewhere to apply the lessons I was learning in my classes and a social network while I was in a lonely new town with just the hubby for company. Perhaps more importantly, the Etsy forums introduced me to social networking. Big names like Flickr, Twitter, and Blogger. Smaller names like Squidoo and Ning and Quassia. I developed a love for photography, founded and joined several teams. Made friends.

Eventually I moved my cards to Ink and Vine and kept MrsDragon stocked with the little dragonlings that had covered my notebooks and wandered their way into my shop..

However, three years after this grand adventure began I realized I was at a crossroads. I had learned all I could about casually being in business. I needed to either take the next step (get a tax ID, devote real time to product lines, market) or stop. Not because I couldn't do what I was doing, but because it was no longer holding my interest and it showed.

And the siren calls of other pastimes called. Getting back into my quilting. Learning more about photography. Baking. Decorating our new house. Going for walks. Getting involved in my local technical societies.

So I am closing down my shops. I've canceled my ArtFire subscriptions, and let all the stock in my Etsy shops expire. I am finishing a last custom order and then I will be solely a buyer. And buy I will. I love Etsy and the handmade movement. I've gotten more out of the last three years than I could have possibly imagined going in. It's not an understatement to say that my decision to start an Etsy shop changed my life. And now it's time for other interests and passions and life changing decisions.

For this blog that means more of what you have been seeing lately, these other passions. My 365 house project. My baking. My quilting. My cats and my husband. I hardly expect to have a huge following, but anyone who is interested is welcome to come along for the ride.

To my dear Etsy friends, I will still be reading and cheering you on! I am continuously amazed by the creativity and passion you pour into your work and I look forward to watching you grow.