Friday, May 16, 2008

We Close In One Week!

We close May 23rd. Yes!

I will be so happy to get into my new home. Not being able to paint a wall really irks me. I've been in a state of irk for 10 months now.

I'm already thinking about how to decorate. The living room will have the tv and I want the family room to be a studio - no tv, a comfy couch, lots of art on the walls and a place for the kids to be creative.

Here's the empty room:



Here's what I want:



Not EXACTLY. But you get the picture. Plenty of room to create, with a comfy spot to enjoy the view of the back yard, where my 3 dogs will be frolicking.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The Nonsensical Ravings Of My Lunatic Mind

Sigh. Things here in the Sunshine State haven't been too cheery lately. My mother-in-law moved into my 1600 sq ft. townhouse last week. We now have 5 people and three dogs co-existing in one living space. Most of the sq. footage is upstairs. Which is where I go to hide when things get too crazy for me. Which is often. Fortunately, my bedroom is large enough to hold my "studio", computer, 2 bookshelves, 1 bed, 2 nightstands and a wicker chair covered in clothes I'm too lazy to put away.
We have a contract in on a house in Longleaf, a neo-traditional neighborhood in New Port Richey, FL. The house looks a little like a farmhouse, therefore, I am dubbing it my neo-traditional farmhouse.
If this sale falls through, I can be found living under US 19, probably around Countryside, as it is the nicer part of the county. We will have no place to live as of June 1. The landlord rented out the TH, which she has every right to do, even though the announcement of her intentions sent me into a panic attack. She really should have been more considerate of my feelings. I think everyone should put my feelings first.

Here's a photo of the house. Pretend you didn't see it because the last 2 times I posted a pic of a house I wanted, the sale didn't go through.

Yes, I know I'm superstitious.



If/when this does happen, I will be posting about my decorating adventures.. I have bought at least a dozen items from Etsy that I have been saving over the last year for a new house. I'll be documenting (I hope) all of that, along with paint colors, furnishings, blah, blah, blah...

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Milestones...


My 100th item going out the door today.

Wow. I got my 100th sale today. Almost a year to the day of my first sale on Etsy.
I posted about this milestone in the forums on Etsy and someone asked "Which felt better - the 1st sale or the 100th?"
I didn't have to think long before realizing that the 100th sale feels better. It took over a year of product development, learning the ropes on Etsy, several failed products, days of reading forums and blogs, making products, uploading photos, banners, avatars and descriptions, agonizing over whether customers will like my work; and plain, old work to get to that 100th sale. That, my friends, is why they call them milestones. They are hard won and much appreciated.
The first sale was a matter of blind faith. That sale spurred me on, true; but, ultimately, the desire to succeed and love of my craft is what keeps me going.
So happy 100th sale. 101 is gonna feel great, too...

A personal milestone...I went bra shopping with my daughter this evening. She is EIGHT. Yes - you read it right - eight years old. She now has a few actual little bras. They are growing up at warp speed these day. Scary...

Monday, April 21, 2008

So Close...



As of today, I have sold 99 items, 1 away from my first big milestone on Etsy. I got curious and looked in my records to see when my first sale was. It was almost exactly a year ago. If I get another sale in April, it will have taken me one year to reach 100 sales. I'm pretty happy with that statistic. I don't sell jewelry or supplies, so it's a little harder for me to reach the big numbers. But I'm gettin' there - slowly but surely.

The buyer of my 100th item will receive an extra-special gift with their order.

Come on 100!

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

New At The Cottage


Asian Bird Box
Originally uploaded by CarolinaCottage
Just listed this in my shop. I've made a similar one before, but it was larger. The paper is made by Basic Grey and is one of my favorites.

Art I Love


blue pears & the bird
Originally uploaded by oneblackbird


I absolutely love her work - the colors, style - everything. I would SO love to display this in my home.

The artist is Diana Fayt and you can find her etsy shop at http://oneblackbird.etsy.com

Monday, April 7, 2008

Etsy Shop Of The Moment!

I am the "Etsy Shop Of The Moment" on the Nole Style and Beauty Indulgence blog.
See here.

I'm always thrilled to be blogged about.

Thank you, Ayana!