I have always loved to draw but I thought that I was going to be a writer. I thought it would be the greatest thing for little kids to go to the library and look for my name. I guess I waited too long, because now Amazon & Kindle have taken the place of books on a shelf. And so I have a blog and my greeting cards. I love to watch people reading them. My husband has a joke that if you cry, I'll give it to you for free. Smile. Because you know, crying is the best compliment of all. It means that I have somehow touched your heart.
I had a little shop that was called "Rose in the Woods" meaning... "A thing of beauty in an unexpected place." It was tucked inside the best street in the best little town, inside a historical clock tower building. People would come and bring their out of town guests to it and I'd hear them whisper to them..."This is my favorite store." It did really well and we were blessed. And I could sell my cards and paintings there and they did well.
But in 2003 two days before Christmas an earthquake hit out little town and my little store was crunched. We lost our store, but we didn't lose everything. Far from it. My daughter was 15 at the time and she'd asked to wait in the car while I ran in to open up. I talked her into coming in. She did and was not in my car that was crunched flat by the roof sliding down on it.
I have had to reinvent my life a few times but that was probably the most dramatic of times. Anywaay, I had to go out and work for other people. And I did for more than 12 years. But last year I was laid off from my Event Coordinating job due to the sale of the hotel I worked at.
And instead of being sad, I thought that this was my opportunity to pick up where I left off and do what I loved to do. So with the support of my sweet husband, I am following my dream again. Writing and painting and doing art shows like Sugarplumfestivals.com and landing once again at my old Etsy shop trying to make it work.
(I also make whimsical one of a kind dolls without patterns so no two are exactly alike. If you look through some of my photos you can see some examples of my dolls. Just private message me if you are interested in them. And I will list some that you might be interested in. I have been told that my dolls look a lot like my cards.)
I gave myself a year to try to revive my business and 3 years later, I am still trying! Every purchase is appreciated because you are supporting my dream and helping me grow one step closer to being a successful at doing what I love. But then isn't that everyone's goal?
Thank you if you have read this whole thing. LOL. I will be adding new cards and art as often as possible! This SPRING 2020 I hope to have a lot more "Etsy Shelves" in my Etsy Shop full!
Thank you and may God bless you everyone!