4 Monthaversary!

I cannot believe that it has already been four months since I opened my Etsy shop. I dreamed about it and researched and planned for what felt like forever before opening the shop. I held off for a very long time (even after becoming a stay-at-home mom) because I was worried about whether or not the time I put into my shop would pay off.

I'm pretty sure that I will never make a living selling cross stitch patterns and kits or my hand-embroidered art and jewelry, which isn't my intention anyway, but I am really enjoying the challenge of running my own business. The shop eats up more time than I ever imagined, but I don't want to half-ass anything, so I feel like it is time well spent.

Every time I see a message pop up on my phone alerting me to a new sale, or I realize that I have new feedback from a customer, I get butterflies in my stomach and want to do a happy dance. There is one thing that tops that feeling - realizing the reach of my work. In my first four months, I have had 37 sales. My patterns, kits, and finished stitched art have been shared with people in 16 U.S. states, plus Australia and the UK. I really love seeing this map fill in more.