The Beginning...

I never thought I'd see the day that this tomboy would pick up a string of beads, let alone a needle and thread! But, as they say, 'Expect the Unexpected'! I picked up a little beading kit about 5 years ago from Costco of all places, not realizing how incredibly fulfilling the art of jewelry design could be for me. I was sick and in and out of hospitals for about a year and during that time I was given the opportunity to express myself through art. I had never been much of an artist as I drowned myself in sports for much of my life. Even when I got married, my husband and I both played for our college rugby teams and played soccer whenever we had the chance. When I was finally home and recovering from the hospital, I found myself trying all sorts of crafting. It started with stringing beads and progressed to wire wrapping, and then card making, which led to paper crafting, and eventually I had the confidence to try SEWING! With each craft conquered, I found that this new love of mine was my drug... my addiction... a far healthier addiction than any I've ever known. I couldn't stop!

After my first daughter was born, my family and friends encouraged me to start selling my crafts. I was excited to give it a try, but found that crafting is not an easy industry to MAKE money on. I had a fellow crafter once say to me, "if someone decides to start crafting as a way to make extra money, then they've got the wrong business!" Crafters generally spend more money on materials than they make. It ends up being a really expensive hobby!

So, many attempts later, and another daughter born, I am giving it one more shot. What makes this time different? Well, a lot of planning and now tapping into the online world. I always did craft fairs and trunk shows before, which gives you only so much exposure and is a lot of work with little to no reward at the end of the day. A handful of fairs where I barely broke even on sales after booth fees, I've decided that an online Etsy shop may just not be a bad idea.

So, here we are in the beginning....