A Little Bit Of Luck, Lots of Love and Loads of Passion

The story of how my online store came to life is probably quite a bit different from others. While I could exude a ton of confidence and tell you that my shop was meant to be due to my very art-oriented upbringing or that my parental figures were the picture of perfection in running a successful home business from the time I was a young girl...well, that just wouldn't be true.

In actuality, my family was not that into art, not even simple arts and crafts. My sister and I would sometimes be crafty but she was the one who had the perfect art projects and I was the one who would watch. As for having an example of someone running a business from home, well, that was unheard of. I can't imagine if one or both of my parents had declared that they were going to run a business out of the house. I'm sure it would have been deemed silly and irresponsible.

This isn't to say that my upbringing was poor. It certainly was not. I learned many valuable lessons from my parents and over time I even learned to believe that what they were saying was true - "You can do anything and you deserve the best".

Fast forward to now.

So, how did my shop come to be? Well, it was sort of, for lack of a better work - luck. Yup. Luck and some love. Luck, love and a soon-to-become passion for paper that I didn't even know existed...

It all started one Christmas when my sister gave me some supplies to make my own cards. I remember thinking "Why did she give this stuff to me? I am not crafty!" But, I had just had my second child and instead of feeling complete with the family I had always wanted, I felt empty. More empty than I thought possible. I had never had any hobbies or passions and I was worried that I would never have anything tangible to pass on to my children. My husband was the one with all the hobbies and had so much to share, what did I have?

So, with nothing to lose, I started to make cards from the the meager supplies I had and it was fun. Really fun. It was the best feeling to be creative and to do something that I enjoyed so much.

After realizing that my supplies were indeed very modest, I headed to the craft sore and was amazed at the new world I had found. I had seen scrapbooking/card making supplies at the store before but had never realized that people actually bought the stuff! It was eye-opening! After coming home, I started to make cards in earnest.

After doing what most people would consider very little research, I opened my Etsy store. I called my sister and she bought some cards right away but my first true sale didn't occur until a full 2 months later.

At the point of my first sale everything changed.

No, sales didn't take off.

And, no, I wasn't recognized for my outstanding work.

Something changed in me. I found what I had been looking for. A new outlook on life - full of promise, motivation and confidence. I found that I could do something that no one thought I could. I could make something with my own two hands and others would appreciate it and want to buy it.

As the years have gone on, I have learned so much about having an online business and about myself as a person and business owner. I have learned that honesty, determination and drive make it all happen. I have learned that kindness when dealing with others will get you everywhere. I have learned that if I keep a positive outlook on my shop and myself, wonderful things can happen and luck has absolutely nothing to do with it.

I hope you enjoy my creations as much as I love to create them!