I’ve been running non-stop since last weekend when I received all those wholesale orders. It’s great making in a week what you typically make in a month, but it’s tough on the body! Not complaining though, very grateful for the business! I’ve calculated that in the past 10 days I’ve made:
- 785 cards
- 50+ postcards
- 100+ magnets
- a host of bookmarks, journals, gift tags and prints and
- cut out/punched out over 2,000 stickers
Lots of times people ask me if I can refer them to the place where I have my stickers made or my cards printed as they don’t know I make everything step by step in my shop. From the printing, to the card folding/cutting, to the assembly of just about everything (save for journals which I outsource as it would require a whole new set of tools that aren’t in my best interest to invest in). Sure I could outsource the rest of my goods, but I enjoy the handmade process and it allows me to offer my goods at a lower price than if I had to pay to have everything pre-assembled. Perhaps I may have to re-evaluate that down the road but for now, it works.
I worked day and night to finish these orders, left a heck of a literal (not figurative) paper trail around the house (as evidenced by some of the above photo) and my wrists are a bit worse for the wear (I suffer from pretty bad carpal tunnel syndrome) but it was exhilarating to have a steady flow of business. I actually took Sunday off and hung out in bed (with computer on lap of course!) until 2pm and it was so refueling to have a day off!
David had to leave for an emergency trip last week to see family so while I miss him terribly and worry about the issues he’s having to deal with, having no distractions (save for the dogs) has helped me power through the last bit of my orders. When he’s here, he really helps (requires?) me to stay balanced and close up shop around dinner (though truthfully he knew how extreme my schedule was this past week and let me work at night) but knowing that I could make myself a quick snack for dinner and head back into my studio to keep working and not feel guilty about not spending family time helped me finish up.
As you know, I like to cook meals from scratch, but this last week meant dinner was whatever was quick and easy…so cereal, chips, even wine and chocolate were common meals. So not ideal, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do, right?
I did take one night last week to sketch out some girls, something I haven’t done in over a month and gosh it felt so good to do it again. I’ll share some of those and other mixed media pieces I’m working on for this week’s Whimsical Wednesday, so check back if you’re interested.
I forgot to mention that prior to all this busy-ness, I made the decision to reopen my goodies shop and sell a limited line of vintage-inspired eco-friendly stickers and gift tags, so if you’re curious, come check it out!
Although it adds to my plate, I had missed paper-crafting so by limiting my offerings from 200+ assorted items to a few dozens stickers and tags (and eliminating anything I didn’t enjoy making), I feel this will be doable and help me keep crafting when I feel like I’ve turned into a card-making assembly line. 
Finally, I’ve decided to cut back on the daily photos for the blog, but I’ll be sure to keep injecting them here and there and throughout my posts as I’m a very visual person and know many of you are too. So with that, I’ll close with a nature photo (but know there will be many more to come, just not as frequently!)
Arches National Park
Your couch area looks like my dining room…Only I trade paper for metal on most days!!..Sometimes it feels so good to breathe! Peace to you, lady.
Oh, you just wait until Wednesday’s post and you’ll see just how crazy my dining room table is!!
Hope you are well!
Yay, Jen so happy for you that business is booming. And jealous too. How I long to spend my days working at something that is meaningful and passionate to me. (Sigh)
I’m sorry Najah, I wish for that for you too.
(although if you learned how little I make with how many hours I put in, you’d be shocked at my measly hourly rate and probably have second thoughts!) but I still would take my situation over my well-paying (and soul-sucking) corporate job any day, so I am very fortunate.
It’s not easy and there are a LOT of sacrifices in giving up a second income (you may remember this post about how we saved $27K in a year by giving up a second car, cable, eating out, any shopping not related to food, etc.: http://greenearthgoodies.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/living-comfortably-on-one-income/ )
It was a big adjustment and meant giving up a lot of conveniences, but so worth it in my book. There are consequences to every decision, so sometimes that helps frame things and help you understand where to focus your energy. Keep working toward that goal
*big hug*
Wow!! ~ you have been busy, girl!!
Congrats on all those awesome wholesale orders!! I do all of the printing, creating (of my jewelry, buckles, and such), etc for all of my items, too, and am trying to start focusing on doing those thing that I truly love creating. It can be difficult to let go of some items but usually frees us up to create/design more of those things that fill our heart with joy. Love seeing what all you have been up to!! I’m off to the studio to get some paint on my hands!! *Love this post and the pretty pic to top it off!! Hugs!!
glad you’ve been chiming in because I found your blog which I’m really digging!
Thanks for the kind sentiments and yes, paint away!
Yay!! ~ Thanks so much…I’m so happy to hear you stopped by my blog and that you’re enjoying it!! I’m glad I “chimed in, too”…no idea why I waited so long!!
Anywho, so happy to have finally “met” and looking forward to more fun visits!! Happy Weekend!! *Tucker sends warm ‘n fuzzy hugs to your furry babies!!