Ah, the art of being an Etsy mom...

I was recently asked my thoughts on being a stay-at-home-mom who sells items on Etsy (in relation to a Storque article). Although my ideas weren't published (they chose a different angle), I thought I would share this with you!

I find this to be such an interesting topic. When others post about it in the forums, or discuss it in passing, the general theme seems to be "selling on Etsy gives me an opportunity to be at home with my kids."

This is not exactly the case with me! Having grown up with an artistic mother of my own, I simply want my children to know that same sense of artistic confidence. After all, I truly believe that anyone can be creative - it's just that most people find their creative self to be a stranger lost somewhere in childhood.

My Etsy shop, Those Greathouse Women, began as a way for my mom and I to work on something together. I always imagined that I would raise my own family near our old farm in Southern Indiana, but life never plays out the way we imagine... I find myself very happily married to a wonderful man who happens to be tied to a job that dictates where we live. Alas! My mother and I are no longer in close proximity. Her own surprising life changes have taken her in other directions as well. She spends part of the year living on a beautiful sail boat in Key West, where she has the freedom to play out other artistic dreams and keep that creative spirit alive. We are Those Greathouse Women, and we struggle to find a clear artistic direction because we love to do so many things. We started our shop to have a way to connect, to continue to create together, and after a love affair with Etsy and realization that perhaps we could be a part of Etsy's dream we decided to sign up...

Four years ago, I became a mother. Now I have 3 children! It's funny how becoming a mom myself made me see my own mother in a new light. In our almost daily phone conversations, I share little stories about the kids, and my mom shares stories about me when I was that age. She remembers the fear of babies underfoot while sewing at the sewing machine - and trying to help by pushing the foot pedal! Now I have a few little "helpers" myself.

The more I get involved in my own business, the more I recall nostalgic memories of being a child in my mother's house. The rhythmic sound of the sewing machine, the smell of the glue gun, and the click click of the iron as it moves across the creaking ironing board. My mother's workshop was an awesome sight! As a child, it seemed to be mountains of colorful fabric, bins of miniature treasures, and rainbows of ribbon. I can remember spending hours with my brother sorting vintage buttons by color and putting them in the tiny drawers of our old repurposed baby dresser.

I wonder what kinds of memories my own kids will have of me? When they catch sight of my studio door open, a look of mischievous wonder spreads across their faces. Can they sneak in before I catch them? I imagine it must be like a candy store to them. I have my own mountains of fabric, and hundreds of miniature treasures line the walls in tiny drawers and bins. Finished I Spy Bags lay in neat piles on a bookshelf, while the unfinished ones lay in chaos on my sewing table. I imagine it is hard to have a mother who makes toys for a living, and yet they can't play with them all. I have learned that my own kids need their own I Spy Bags (usually they get the prototypes!), but it does nothing to deter their longing for the little piles on my shelf of finished products.

While others may say that they sell on Etsy to spend more time with their children, I find it to be more of a release to get a break from my children! Yes, I get to stay home with them... but I was doing that already (and getting a little stir crazy with all the baby talk). Now I get to stay home with them AND do something fun for myself. It's just an added bonus (YES!) that I get to make a little money doing it. The business is really taking off now, and yet perhaps it is not the right time. I'm feeling torn between business success and "being there" for my kids. They are still quite young, after all.

I guess my limits and priorities will be tested with this fall's holiday rush as I attempt to fill orders (while keeping in the Etsy spirit of doing everything myself). Does it count if I make my kids work for me? Maybe they could sort some buttons. More likely they would eat them. Or throw them. Or flush them down the toilet. Just another day in the life of an Etsy mom...

On setting up a sweat shop...

Of course you must know that I can't possibly make everything myself. I have plenty of free labor around the house. I only hire the best and most experienced pattern makers and cutters.

My oldest designer (age 4), created her own cupcake pattern (out of recycled boxes just like mommy does), traced it, and cut out a front and a back piece of fabric.

Then she saw something shiny and moved on to the next project. I guess that's what I get for not even paying minimum wage...

Her coworker plans to work twice as hard in half as much time so he'll still have time to do some weeding during his break.

I think he would be proud...

Today is my brother's birthday. It makes me feel old to think that my little brother would have been 28 today.

When I was fresh out of college, recently transplanted by my husband to a new "big" city, I was desperate to find a job. A degree in graphic design didn't leave me too many options, and I found that the criteria for a "good" job boiled down to 1) paid the bills and 2) I could walk to it. We lived downtown in a cool city loft, and I finally found a job working as a secretary in a law office that specialized in immigration. Within weeks, I moved up the ladder, became a "paralegal" (I use the word loosely since I didn't have any formal training!), and ended up with a swanky corner office on the 33rd floor of the tallest building in town. I remember how proud I was! I brought in some vintage maps to hang on the wall, an oriental rug, and tons of plants. I loved my office. I loved my job (well, it was a love/hate relationship actually)....

My brother came to visit me, and I proudly escorted him all over town. I showed him all the great places to eat, our awesome library that was just blocks from where we lived. I bragged that we were only minutes from the baseball stadium, and finally I took him to my office after hours so he could see what all the fuss was about. He smiled at me. I said "isn't this great?" He said "yeah!" Then as we were walking out, he said "it just isn't what I always thought you would be doing." I asked him what he thought I would be doing, and he said he didn't know. He just didn't think I would be the "corporate" type.

I didn't know it at the time, but he was so right. He was so right.

I think that he would be proud of what I am doing now. It is much more fitting that my office today is a studio filled with fabric, notions, photography equipment, art papers, stacks of books, and my kids running circles around me. Every nook and cranny is filled with interest. All the little bits and pieces of my life smooshed into one little room. I've come a long way.

Even though I can still think fondly of my corner office that I left behind, I know that I'm headed in the right direction now. Thank you, Ross.

Yeh! Greathouse Hardware has sold 2 items!

Everyone congratulate my momma, who has now sold 2 items in her own shop, after only being active for 4 days! My mom is SO cool. No, really. She is. Maybe a little mad.... *wink*

Right now she is living on a sailboat in Key West researching some more artifacts...

I discovered this evening that she was also featured in a treasury on Etsy. That is a collection of great things that another member put together to showcase. Etsy chooses from the treasury list to pick their front page. This is a pretty treasury, so maybe it'll make the front page!Thank you to SherriTruitt for featuring us! She's got some pretty cool jewelry herself - check out this cool necklace that is a level.

I'm not pregnant

A week or two ago, I came across these adorable mother/child t-shirts on Etsy. My sister-in-law has twins, and is still breastfeeding them (they'll be 1 in May), God bless her! I sent the seller a message and requested twin shirts for the boys and a shirt for her.

Funny, right? Well, not as funny as finding out a week later that I should have been sending her this shirt instead... That's right, folks, she is pregnant with #3! We are happy for her, but I gotta tell ya, I was like WHAT? How is that even possible? She is breastfeeding twins for goodness' sake! Doesn't God have some sort of natural birth control built into those milking machines? Holy cow, she and my brother-in-law are going to be SO busy. I know. I have 3 kids to prove it. At least she'll have two going through the same stages at once (hopefully) LOL. I am not envious, however. :) ---- I'll tell you what I am envious of - her super support system. I practically have NONE, okay I really have none, and she has like a whole town. I guess that's what I get for marrying a guy who gets told by the government where he has to live. Apparently, there is a government conspiracy to keep me from my family while in my child-bearing years...

I think this must be the week to announce pregnancies. Are you pregnant? Congratulations if you are, assuming you are thrilled about it, of course. Two other friends of mine just announced as well (and I don't have that many friends, so this is like a REALLY high percentage). I guess it's baby making season... I think I'll pass, on the 9 month afterglow, that is.

E, if you are reading this, don't go out and buy that maternity shirt because I'm going to buy it for you. What size do you want?

Direction

I find myself wondering what direction to go into lately. There are so many things that inspire me, so many things I am capable of, and so little time to do ANY of it! My mom recently (okay, not THAT recently) sent me this great comic that says it just right:
In case you can't read it, it says "There was a time when I couldn't wait to get married. Then I couldn't wait to have a house of my own. Then... for children, - I couldn't wait! ... Now that I have all the things I couldn't wait for - & can decide what & who I want to be... I've got to wait."

I couldn't say it any better!

I should have tied a piece of string to my finger...

I woke up this morning and realized that I promised a custom order last week would ship on Tuesday. Yep. Today is Tuesday. I thought I was giving myself plenty of time with doing the mailing to the magazine and all. "I could ship by Tuesday," I said on Thursday, thinking "that will be lots of time for me to get my act together."

It's a great thing that today is Tuesday, since my Shirley comes on Tuesdays. She got here at 8:26am, apologizing that she was late (she starts work at 8:30am). She is awesome :)

So, even though there is a mountain in my laundry room that is threatening to overtake the kitchen, I tell Shirley that I must make a custom order first, and to UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, ENTER THE LAUNDRY ROOM. You see, Shirley aims to please, and tries to clean up everything when she is here. This makes me feel a tiny bit guilty when there really is a BIG mess when she arrives.

8:32am - I hunker down in my workshop to make a fish shaped eye spy bag from scratch. I didn't even have the pattern cut out or anything. Huh, not what I wanted to do today, but hey someone has to support the Shirley fund.

Done. Shower. Go to post office. Eat lunch.

and just like that, it was time for Shirley to go home. No time just for me. I guess that's what I deserve for forgetting to make my custom order.... At least I didn't let my customer down!

I better get some laundry done before Thursday when Shirley comes back.

Happy Day-After-Valentine's Day!

Valentine's day is one of those holidays that, in my life, is either completely understated or completely over-the-top. My husband's birthday is on the 14th. Some years, I make a huge effort to downplay Valentine's day so that his birthday is not overshadowed. I mean, he has to buy ME a gift on HIS birthday? Other years, I miss cupid so much that I totally blow it up so that BOTH holidays have a huge bash.

Before we had kids, we lived in a cool downtown city loft and had a bunch of cool downtown city friends who liked to get together. One year, I submitted to my urges to buy Valentine related party-ware and an addiction was born. I found myself frequenting the downtown TJ Maxx on my lunch break looking for red and white stuff, and since I have a long history with polka dots, I was especially drawn to red and white polka dot stuff. That year, there was such a line of tableware, and I had to have every piece. I planned a huge birthday party (with a Valentine's Day theme). I made heart-shaped cookies, heart-shaped cakes, a heart-shaped pan of brownies. We ate off of the most darling red and white polka dot plates, and I set it up on this fabulous red tablecloth.

This year... was not so dramatic :)


I managed to make a carrot cake (my husband's favorite), and some cupcakes, which the kids helped decorate. Overall, it was a simple day, and was just perfect. My polka dot plates can wait for another year...

Multiplying like bunnies

Uh, I guess I've become an "occasional" blogger. I don't know why sometimes I want to blog like 5 times in a day, then I'll go for a week (or two) without anything. I imagine it is like when you wait too long to thank someone for something, then it becomes embarrassing to thank them at such a late time and you just keep putting it off, but the longer you put it off, the worse it gets.... Wow - was that a run-on sentence or what? Holy cow, I'm tired.


So, back to what I originally was going to post about: bunnies. My mom was visiting last week (hooray!), and we got a lot accomplished! She brought her original watercolors she did for these baskets, and I scanned them into my computer. I used my uber-cool new printer to print some amazing stickers from her artwork.

We decided that we should make a set of stickers featuring 5 different bunnies - kind of like a
sampler of our work. So, she got to work the next day doing more watercolors, and I got to work doing some sketches. Well, that is not totally true. My mom dutifully did some new paintings while I napped with the kids.

But, while the kids were coloring later, I snuck a crayon and some scrap paper and sketched a crazy edgy blue bunny. Then I started cutting shards from my kids' scrap to glue on. You know how you have to craft "with" the kids to keep them interested. I didn't think it was anything, but then my mom liked it, and then I liked it, and voila! I scanned it in and played around with the colors, and came up with this even cuter pink and white hare:

Mom was only visiting for a few days :(

But, she got my creative juices flowing! I came up with the following bunny after she left, which I am rather proud of! Since I don't have any live bunnies to draw from, I googled "hare" and found a photograph I liked to sketch from... I've never had a line drawing come out so nice! I originally drew it on the back of used copy paper with a black ink pen. Then I used some clean copy paper to draw over it again and tweak it. Then I scanned it in and cleaned up the white spaces. I started deleting lines until I liked what I had. That is a trick one of my best teachers in college taught me. Do something you like (over the top if need be), then subtract from it. He was right - I really like how this turned out!


I spent a good amount of time on Saturday and Sunday taking photos of new stuff. So much time, however, that I was too tired to list it. Also, I think my kids have screwed up the settings on my camera. I went to download all the new photos, and they just didn't turn out as great as they usually do. I had great overcast natural light, and I used the same angle I usually use, but for some reason the photos look terrible. I spent a lot of time trying to "fix" them in photoshop just to make them look true-to-color. Looking back, I probably would have done better to use my time to find my camera instruction manual and fix the darn camera.... then take new photos. Oh well. Tomorrow is another day.

Besides - tomorrow is my day with my awesome babysitter, so I might actually get some work done!

10 minutes

Yesterday, my kids didn't give me a moment to myself ALL day. Even though I carefully plan their schedules and tediously prepare them to all take their naps at the same time, apparently they collaborated yesterday to stagger their naps and not give mommy even 10 minutes of kid-free time. Understand that I have 3 kids, and the oldest is 3 yrs old. I knew I should have broken up that whispering huddle they were engaged in after snack time. Oh well.
On days like this, I find myself standing near our front door with my forehead pressed against the sidelight window. Waiting. Waiting for my husband to get home. He usually arrives around 5:30. I am so lucky that he is VERY good about coming home on time, even occasionally early. It is 5:20. Sometimes 10 minutes feels like an eternity. Kid #1 is running in to tell me that kid #2 is standing on the fireplace hearth. Sigh. I'm holding kid #3 in my arms because he can't see out the window otherwise. I walk into the family room, conscious that if I move slower, more time will pass, thus getting me closer to the light at the end of this long tunnel. Kid #2 is not only ON the hearth, but he has somehow reached the fire poker that we keep on the mantel (out of children's reach, ha ha) and is wildly swinging it about not unlike a western cowboy might let loose a lasso. I am so tired. I put down kid #3, who immediately begins to cry. I take the poker. Now kid #2 is crying, too. Sigh. 5:25. Please be early today. Please be early today. I walk into the kitchen to get a glass of water and fetch #2's pacifier. And there in the middle of the floor is. a. puddle. of. pee. Thank you, #1. My day is complete. I thought you were potty trained?
When DH finally arrives I retreat into my "room" - otherwise known as the den, the office, the studio, mommy's workroom, or simply mommy's room. I shut the door. I may never come out. Sigh...

Yay! New products have arrived! Have I told you how awesome my mom is? These are great! She is getting really good at her watercolor painting. She painted these images, then photocopied them to create the tag for the seed pots. I just love the bunny and the cat (and the frog, too)...
Each pot is one of a kind since she is using found items for the handles and embellishments. I bet she had a lot of fun making these!

Below is a picture of the back of the bunny pot - "Happy Easter" with some vintage buttons holding the tag in place. I photographed it in front of this cute little mouse I have made of faux concrete. I hope buyers understand that the mouse isn't included!


Mmmm, that candy looks good - but it's not for sale either! I'm going to have to make it very clear that one only gets the pot, not the grass and not the Cadbury Mini Eggs. There is a great blog post about Cadbury mini eggs here.

I just love this photo (above) that shows a close-up of the dainty little daffodil silk flowers. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers. Okay, maybe my *favorite* flower. When I was in highschool, my roommate and I took a paper grocery bag out one night onto the grounds of the campus and just filled it to the brim with daffodils. Which was, technically, not allowed... I mean, they DID have like a MILLION. You couldn't even tell we had picked any.... They smelled so nice in our room, and nothing makes you feel more like spring than a lovely little (or big) bouquet of daffodils.

A new era has begun! Momma's got a brand new...

Alas - I have purchased a brand spankin' new sewing machine. It actually makes me want to do work. I. love. it. Ta-da!


So I guess this means that I'm actually taking this business seriously! I'm really getting into it and feeling like a real business woman... whatever that feels like :)

Yes, it has been forever since I posted (okay, not FOREVER, but a long time)... I just don't know what to write about. So I've been reading others' blogs and trying to get an idea of what *I* find interesting. It turns out the most interesting blogs to me are the ones about parenting and crafting.... which I'm not ready to do yet. I'm still a little (okay a lot) hesitant about putting myself out there on the internet for anyone to stumble upon, so I'm *really* not ready to post about my kids. Better to be safe, I say! It is SO hard though, not to talk about them, when every waking moment (and sleeping one, for that matter) is tied to them.

I'm sure I'll get all this figured out eventually! In the meantime, I'll just keep trekking along in my shop and blogging every now and then.

and of course, sewing on my new machine EVERY day :)

The Christmas tree is finally down!

Yes, it is mid-January and I am just now getting my fire-hazard Christmas tree out the door. Of course, all the ornaments are packed in their boxes, but THOSE boxes haven't been packed into the Christmas boxes yet, so the room is still littered... I have to say that my husband and I made huge strides today getting it down.

Of course you know that means that I got no crafting done today... But, I finally got the spaceship bag listed, of which I am very proud :)

I have to admit that my mind is elsewhere. My baby, it turns out, is allergic to everything under the sun and I'm in the middle of trying to reverse weaning him from the breast (because the new formula would cost more than my Etsy shop could possibly support), whilst keeping my breastmilk clear of allergens. This means I'm on a new diet that has no soy, no dairy, and no eggs. Try that. That damn 'soy lechithin' is in just about EVERYTHING we humans eat on a daily basis. I digress....

It's just hard to think artsy stuff when all I can think about is what I'm going to be eating (or not eating) for my next meal ;)

I'm sure it will be good for me *wink*

Not Too Shabby...

Well, so far in 2008 I'm averaging about a sale a day. I think that is pretty great considering the number of items on Etsy! Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance in days to do anything crafty, so the shop is looking a little depleted..... I've been cleaning house and trying to reduce clutter (isn't that what EVERYONE does at the start of the year?). I figure it gives me the rest of the year to creatively re-clutter my house.
Anyway, so I have these great open clean spaces now (read kitchen table) that are just calling to me to get out some art supplies and get to work. But on the other hand, I kind of like seeing no clutter, and I'm reluctant to get everything out again! Now, I know you are wondering "maybe she should get a studio or workspace just for her" - yes, that would be a great idea. Uh, yeah, I already have that, but it is full right now, and besides it just isn't as inviting as the cleared kitchen table. My workroom is a MESS. I think a clutter free art room is an oxymoron, don't you think?

Back to work - even if it IS just doing laundry and keeping the kids alive.

YIPPEEEE

Today was my best sales day EVER! Okay, so I know it hasn't been THAT long (just wrapping up my first month on Etsy), but today was my best day so far. I've sold so many I Spy Bags that I have almost totally run out of supplies! I have to figure out fast how to get some more so I can keep striking while the holiday iron is hot! Here are some of the things I listed today:

The heart shaped one sold almost right away. I relisted it - I have plenty of fabric, I'll just have to make another if someone orders another right away. I sold 4 today of the large bag made out of pirate fabric. I'm so glad that I bought some more of it. I think I'm going to run out by tomorrow, though!

I have to admit that I am SO happy doing this! I've got my creative outlet allowing me to get away from the kids at least mentally if not always physically. I'm having so much fun, and I'm SUPER busy. I love being busy. It's nice to be busy doing something other than changing diapers, fixing booboos, doing laundry, or cooking. Or, I don't know, sweeping the kitchen floor for the sixteenth time since my two youngest put EVERYTHING into their mouths... Yes, I am happy with the hum of my sewing machine, the fibers flying around and settling in my hair, the repetitive motion of turning the wheel, putting the foot up and down.... the crunch crunch of the scissors gliding along the table as I cut fleece. This is probably my mother's worst fear - I just MIGHT be turning into her. But how cool is that?! My mom is awesome...

Oh, how I wish this could be my full time job! I can just imagine all that I could get done in a day! I would have so many new designs and I would be able to branch out into different areas. Ah well, a girl can dream :) Speaking of dreaming, I gotta go to bed.

Too much to do!!!

Well, yesterday is over and I don't feel like I did much! I guess that's not exactly true. I did get a few purses listed in my Etsy shop, so now I have a whopping 14 items for sale!!!!! With any luck, I'll make a sale today :)

This morning I sat at the sewing machine and tried to fix the I Spy bags my mom and I are making. The original batch just didn't look professional enough. Mom originally sewed them with raw edges out, which looked fine... but then I tried to fill them with the stuff and sew them up and it was a *nightmare* to do! We talked on the phone and decided we would try making them like a pillow and turning them in. Customers won't be able to see that they are double stitched, but we will put that on the tag. I think it will look nicer (and be easier) in the long run. I made one this morning out of this nice pink/orange retro looking fleece with an eye shaped hole. I think the eye shaped hole will become our signature on these bags since others are making them too. We want ours to be a *little* different.

I need to figure out how to post a picture right in the post. I know I have seen others do it. Maybe I'll post on Etsy this evening to find out how. Etsy is such a great community! Everyone is just so helpful, it's refreshing!

Well, I only have a half hour now before my husband goes to work and leaves me with the kids, so I better get something crafty done! LOL Not that my kids wouldn't *love* to help :)