Monday, August 3, 2009

Playing Catch Up/Going a little nutso


LOVING my colorful chicken!
Sheesh.

Life has been totally crazy lately. How has it been in your neck of the woods?

It seems that every time I think it m ught be okay to take a breath, I remember 40 gagillion things that I should be doing.

The story of most women's lives, I expect.

A few updates...

Etsy shop doing pretty good! I should be proud of myself, I guess. I've been open for about 2 and a half months, I think and have made about 45 sales! (My shop says "38" sales, but there have been a few reserved orders for people that included multiple items.)

It's been crazy trying to fill orders while maintaining the fulltime job and honestly, I am more behind in sending out orders than I am comfortable with.

If your someone that's waiting for you item, rest assured that it WILL arrive, and soon!

I am 99-percent sure that I will be leaving my fulltime job at the Maui News to craft and write 24-7. That will free up a lot of time to sew. It's going to be awesome!

Excited, but also a little (lot) nervous. There's going to be a few months at least where I don't know how I'm going to make up the money lost, but I know that this is the best move in the long run for the family.

As a working mom, I've ripped my kids off of a lot of time. Not only with me, but just being able to kick it at home instead of pack up every morning and leave for the sitter.

Not that I don't support fellow working moms. I do! But for me, deep in my heart, I know that I should be spending more time with them.

The financial sacrifice has the potential to be huge, though. Hopefully we'll be able to make it through the storm.


I had this weird thought last night as I was sitting watching a video with the hubby... I was stitching away on a sashiko project and realized that so many of the crafts that I do are strictly for beauty.

While that's not a bad thing, I'm thinking that it would be way more awesome if my handcrafts became a lot more functional.

I don't know. It's like part of me crafts to be in touch with the "old days" when my grandma and great-grandma's would sit around mending things, making clothes for the kids or quilting blankets that are still around today.

I feel totally ripped off that although I try to make something every day, so much of it is luxury. It's not needed. It's extra. I want to make stuff that I need. I want to replace having to go to Walmart.

It's just so damn easy to hop in the car, fill up a wagon, swipe the debit card and come home with a bunch of household items like scrubbies, cleaners, tin foil, paper towels, bedding etc.

But how much more satisfying would it be to create things to use every day?

It would take forever, but it's something that I slowly want to commit to.

Really, there's not much that we couldn't make. Somebody made all the stuff that we buy...

And if there really was something that was totally ludicrous to make from home, I bet there's an alternative that CAN be made.

I know. Crazy talk, yeah?

But then again. It would be cool.

One idea that I had is to NOT buy ANY clothing for myself (underwear included) for a whole year and see where that takes me.

The thing I will miss the most is jeans. I love new jeans. Then again, I know how to make them. They are a pain in the butt, though.

Anywho, what do you think? Doable? Maybe I can buy stuff that other people make by hand? That may be an idea.

I'll have to think about it.

Okay, enough rambling. I have a sand princess skirt to finish!