A Bit of Inspiration

My husband and I packed the two babies in the car this weekend and went for a drive to the country.  It was a semi-planned getaway to give us some much needed R&R.  We stayed in a small town named Bovina (yes, derived from cow) in upstate New York that has a special place in my heart because it's where my mom, who is now 84, grew up.  We stayed at a small inn just up the road from the house that my mom grew up in.  The view from our room was spectacular and my imagination just soared thinking about her playing in the meadows and exploring the same countryside that I walked through with my toddler.

Growing up, my parents often packed up the car and we drove to the same small town for the weekend.  Part of our ritual was going to a local auction.  It was something that I always looked so forward to doing.  My parents would always have a story to tell when various pieces were presented about what the piece was used for or how popular a piece was during a certain generation or how they had a similar piece on display in their home when they were first married.  It's what made me love vintage.

So this weekend, I returned to the auction. I would have loved for my parents to have been there to tell the stories to me, but this time it was my turn to recreate the stories on my own.  As each piece came up for bid, I thought about who may have owned it, how it was acquired, and the story it told.  It's still why I love vintage.

View of the Valley, Bovina, NY

Pay it forward

I've discovered that the idea of paying it forward is a real practice in the Etsy community.  I have found the community--both buyers and sellers--to be incredibly generous, supportive, and friendly.  I will say that I think the folks behind Etsy do a fabulous job of providing opportunities for Etsians to connect and support one another through treasuries, forums, and  teams. But it's community of people that is amazing at paying it forward and giving back.  In my first 6 weeks selling on Etsy, I've been included in a dozen treasuries, have had conversations with many Etsians about their shops and best practices, and have benefited from the optimism of the Positivity Team.  Without these connections, no one would be seeing my shop.  So Pay It Forward is going to be my weekly look at Etsy sellers.  To start, here are a few Etsians that have been a great inspiration to me:

Cazhoffy was the first Etsian that I ever purchased a product from, and through our interaction I learned a lot about providing quality customer service.  Following our exchange, I let Cazhoffy know that I was thinking of starting a shop and asked for some advice.  She was so generous in telling me about her experiences as an Etsy seller that I knew this was something I wanted to be part of.  Check out her fantastic handmade baby items.

Cazhoffy's booties

Kmonds has been a terrific supporter and fabulous about including me in his treasuries. Yesterday the first piece that I ever posted on Etsy was included in a Kmonds treasury and it sold. When I let him know that it sold, he let me know that he loves supporting other Etsy stores that are getting started.  Kmonds has terrific collection of vintage finds!

Glass Toothpick Holders from Kmonds

AMarigoldLife was so open to communicating with me about her two shops and I found the Positivity Team through her.  She has a great vintage shop as well as a shop with handmade items.

Cotton Candy Pink Fabric Rose Pin by AMarigoldLife

Finally,  Karilan gave me some great advice about blogging. Her blog is great and was a source of inspiration for me to get started.

Karilan's Brass Dream Catcher Key Necklace

Do what you say you're going to do

I am passionate about art, beautiful objects, creative endeavors, rich conversation, and history. I am a big dreamer, I always have a lot of ideas brewing, and I love to be creative.  And I have always dreamed of having my own business that would allow me to indulge in all of my interests and share them with others.

My challenge is follow through. At least this seems to be the case when it comes to achieving my own goals.  I start a lot of things--reading books, making art, going to yoga class--and for a variety of reasons, I never manage to complete them.  Then one day it occurred to me that I was extremely gifted at achieving goals for everyone else--my family, my employer, my community.  So I knew I could do it. But how?

And then I discovered Etsy.

I just read Danielle Laporte's article THE secret to success. This is IT. for reals. Her secret is "Do what you say you're going to do".  So that's what I'm doing.  With the support of an incrediblyy understanding family and the great Etsy community, I'm finally following through.  And my dream that was stuck in my head for so long has quickly turned into a wonderful reality, So Very Happy Vintage.

I plan to use this space to provide some ongoing inspiration and to share my experiences as an Etsy seller. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope  to hear from you.