Thursday, September 17, 2015

Special Delivery

After starting my craft business I purchased a machine that allows me to cut vinyl.  I previously used my Cricket for these things but my Silhouette has proven that at times, investing in something new is worth it.

One of those "investments" was a new mailbox.  Our old mailbox was normal sized, which worked just fine for mail, but as I have started shipping more and more packages I got more and more frustrated.  The USPS is amazingly easy to use for small businesses and will even pick packages up on your front porch at no extra charge, but sometimes I don't like having the packages out in the elements. I decided on a nice, large mailbox and ordered it through Amazon Prime (another favorite of mine.)

Two days later I came home to Jay standing in the kitchen, shaking his head at my purchase.  According to him the mailbox I chose was too big.  I disagreed and went ahead with creating vinyl for the address on the sides.  And I have to say, I love how it turned out!


I asked Jay if it was bad to only have address on the side where most cars drive up.  He said, "You really don't need the address on there at all.  Just tell them to look for the biggest mailbox they've ever seen."  I tried to get the girls to stand up for me but they sided with Jay.

I think it's the perfect size.  Bonus: If Samantha gets mouthy I can literally ship her to Grandmas.



A not so brief hiatus

The last 18 months has really been a blur in so many ways.  I started a new job last August, started a craft business last June, and the girls got way more involved in sports.  I completed my first entire sprint triathlon.  The school year flew by and before I knew it we were headed back in August after a much-too-short-but-sometimes-way-too-long summer break.  We've been to Disney, Gulf Shores, and Las Vegas this year.  There have been a million unforgettable moments that are forgotten daily because we are moving so fast.

One of the things I have loved about having a blog has always been looking back at stories and remembering the details.  I'm going to try to get back to it before I forget anything else.

A medium to large size leap

Late last spring the girls were having a playdate with some friends and I was having a date with the mom.  As I pulled out the fourth different craft I had recently completed, she said what I have heard over and over again - "You should open a craft store and sell these things."

I laughed it off as I always did, but that night Jay asked if I ever considered actually selling any of my stuff.  A few weeks later, I applied for my business license and tax papers and later that summer I opened my Etsy store.

Now, over one year later people will ask me how it's going.  And it's going about as well as I think anyone could have expected.  I sell a few things a month, which sometimes is more than I can handle.  I still feel guilty for charging people for my items and definitely do find more joy in giving things away than selling them.

The 2nd degree hot glue gun burns on my fingers haven't tainted my love of crafting, but some of the late night sessions (followed by crabby grumpy days) have made me wonder if this is worth the hassle.  No matter what happens, I am proud of myself for taking a leap on a dream and happy to have the girls and Jay with me.

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