So, I know things have been pretty quiet around here lately, mostly because my life has been a cocktail of crazy lately. Work has been nuts, plus my father-in-law was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer with a Gleason Score of 9, so we've been working through that as a family. On the positive side, part of why I've been so quiet is because I've been working to beef up my Etsy shop in preparation for my application to the
Renegade Craft Fair in Austin, Tx.
And guess what? I found out yesterday I WAS ACCEPTED!!!!!!!!
I've talked about this on here before, but Ray and I are moving into family mode and I've been working to find a way to make my crafting financially viable. Everyone's path is different, and I feel like each woman has a personal calling when it comes to being a working mom vs. stay-at-home mom - some feel called to work outside the home, and some feel called to work inside the home. Mine is to be a SAHM, so when the time comes, I'm going to take that leap of faith, quit my job, and trust in God for our needs to be met. It probably sounds completely crazy and irresponsible to some, but that's why they call it faith ;)
That being said, I've been working hard the past year to get my Etsy shop off the ground and build up my business to the point where, even if it doesn't fully replace my current income, it will at least cushion the blow when I leave the workplace. For the past 6 months I've basically been working 2 jobs - cubicle job by day/crafter by night. Unfortunately something had to give, which is why I had to let blogging fall to the wayside for a while.
A little peek at what I've been churning out for my shop lately. Made these four Michelle Patterns "Strap Clutches" during our girls weekend in Atlanta.
I'm exhausted, but it was worth it! I've set goals. I've met most of them. Even exceeded in some cases. Getting into Renegade was the biggest one, and I'm incredibly thankful to my hubby (who planted the seed in my brain
back in November), awesome friends like Heather + my
Quilty Girl posse who listen to my ramblings and act as a sounding board, and to God for listening to my whiny butt cry, complain, and occassionally fall asleep during my prayers (and also for answering them, whether things turned out the way I wanted or not). And I just realized this is starting to sound suspiciously like a cheesy acceptance speech for something that's a
much bigger deal than some bi-annual craft fair, so I'm going to stop before I say something like "It came true." that makes me want to punch my own self in the face. (sidenote: how awesome is Jennifer Lawrence anyway? She's from Kentucky, you know...where all the best gals are born and bred *wink*. In my head, we're best friends. It's true.)
If you're in the area, please come visit me!
RCF Austin takes place May 18+19 (Sat & Sun) at the Palmer Events Center.