The Times, They Are a-Changin'

It's Sunday, so what better day to reflect on things of the week past. The Clothing Show was pretty good, as my sales improved from the first show I did back in Spring - thank you to all my buyers for your support and purchases!- but they weren't so spectacular that it's convinced me to do another one again. Plus, as my post title suggests, the times, or should I say my times will be changing, so who knows if the show circuit is in my near future?



The most significant change coming up, or the one that has me feeling mixed emotions, is my acceptance of a job outside of the house. While I'm happy to have gotten the position - I've only been applying for jobs since the beginning of this year - it will require me commuting close to 2 hours each way, 6 days a week. Plus, rising hours before the sun comes up. Not a lot of fun, especially since darkness pervades these mornings leading up to winter. I swore that I would never take a job that required more than an hour of commuting one way, but (here I am quoting another song) you can't always get what you want.

It's been several years since I've worked outside of home - thanks to my dear hubby, without whom, I think I'd be in a heck of a bigger mess - and as much as I'd love to continue to do so, the reality of it, is that I'm not making as much as I need to be making to live a comfortable life in downtown Toronto. I'd love to say that I am. I'd love to say that Etsy allowed me to quit my day job. But really, my day job was working from my home. Well, IS, for now. For another week and a half. So my reality is that I have to quit my day job to make more money. How bizarre is that?



My big concern is that the new job won't allow me enough time or energy to devote to my shop and other projects and commitments. I'm also upset that I haven't been able to "make it work" as well I want it to. I know this is just another leg of my journey in life and so I should embrace it and take things one day at a time, but part of me can't help feeling like I've failed a little. I certainly am not going to give up doing what I love, but this post is also to let others know that I may have to close shop temporarily to maintain my sanity.

And speaking of sanity, Matt and I could only handle so much of Nuit Blanche last night before we returned home. We didn't see anything really related to the event aside from lots of people out and about, as we had our own adventure planned for the evening. Some people are okay with crowds, but we are not among them. I love the idea of the event, but maybe if I were 10 years younger, I'd be more into it. Hope whoever was out last night/this morning had a swell time!

A New Addition

As I mentioned in my previous post, I had something new to add to my shop. So you can now get your very own lucky kitty handmade by yours truly. There are only 2 available right now and I don't know how many more I'll make. I haven't sewn too many things in my lifetime, but am pretty satisfied with how these turned out. Pretty Kitty is another design that I think would work well as a stuffed doll, so those will be next.

And here are some more photos from the Clothing Show. My setup was not the greatest but since it was my first show I didn't want to invest a ton of money into it before I knew what to expect.



You can see the lucky kitty dolls in this photo:


Here's my friend, Cheryl's table:


You can't really see the jewellery that well from this photo, but her stuff is really great. She was also a sweetheart and lent me an extra table and chair as well as driving me to and from the show everyday. Thank goodness for friends with cars :)

This week has kinda flown by and Mother's Day crept up on me that I didn't even realize it was this Sunday until Wednesday. Oops! I had to ask my sister to sign a card from both of us this year. Even if I did get her a card though, she'd most likely have this reaction, typical of most Asian mothers, I think.

Home Sweet Home

Today has been all about relishing the comfort of home. It's the first full day I've been at home in the past week, so I've been catching up on emails, cleaning and just enjoying the fact that I didn't have to change out of my pj's, except to go get the mail.

The cats seem to have missed me too. Suki never used to be a lap cat, but since her past few health issues and visits to the vet, she's grown accustomed to being in my lap at least once a day. Dex decided to eat some ribbon this afternoon, maybe out of spite for me not being home much this weekend. I was a second too late to grab it out of his mouth, so I hope it comes out his other end fine.

The Clothing Show this past weekend was not as successful as I'd hoped but I had good company so that made it worthwhile. Here I am with my boothmate, Cheryl, who makes really lovely jewellery.


Most other vendors who did the show seemed to say it wasn't that great overall for them either. So, personally, I look at it as more of a learning experience and a way to promote myself as well as getting feedback. It's especiallly hard to compete - as an independent designer - with vendors who are selling mass-produced items for $5 or $10. Most people who go to these shows seem to be searching for deals. The one time I went as a buyer, I admit I did the same. But if I had the money, of course I would support other indie designers.

Happily though, I sold one of my new bags which feature adjustable straps, like a messenger bag. You can see one in the photo above. And pretty kitty seemed to be a popular design. Now I know better what to expect for the Fall show, which I will most likely partake in.

I will be listing a new item in my shop later this week. Stay tuned.

No Jacket Required

Oh my, it's gorgeous outside. Just before leaving the house to run some errands, I checked the weather online and was amazed to see that it's 21 degrees out! It feels so different to be outside and seriously, I didn't need to don a jacket, though I did. (I tend to feel a bit naked without one, unless it is boiling hot).

So this new illustration is very fitting for a day like today. It will be making its way into my shop shortly, as a new print.

Matt has tomorrow and Monday off so we'll have a long weekend together and will hopefully be able to take advantage of the warm weather. Taxes are waiting to be done and I really want to paint the walls upstairs. We'll see how things go.

Something New for the Shop

I introduced some ACEO's into my shop last night. I've always been a fan of miniature things and have been trying to create some new illustrations both personally and professionally, so these were a great way to get the creative juices flowing. The one above is sort of a portrait of Dex, and probably my favorite of the bunch, but in real life Dex is usually much more chipper.

Here are all of them together:



While I don't usually like to make one-offs, I'm only offering these in the original form. So no prints will be made of them and well, they are a pretty affordable piece of original art.

Raining Cats

After a fitful night of sleep - I blame Dex, pictured above - it's nice to wake up and read something pleasant about yourself. Especially after being a bit unpleasant to said sleep disturber. I think he was acting up because of the rain, which is quite horrible today.

"It's a good day to stay inside", as Matt just said but unfortunately (or fortunately) I have to make a trip to the post office. He'll have to go in to work soon too, though a bit later than usual. It's moving day for them.

One good thing about not sleeping that well: I was busy brainstorming new illustration ideas, so look for new art in the shop in the next few weeks.

On the Catwalk...

A new print is in my shop.

And in honour of Spring Cleaning, I'm having an Art Sale to clear out original paintings that have been collecting dust in boxes since we moved in. I will be parting with some much loved artwork but then again, if I love it so much, why isn't it up on our walls yet?
So hopefully my art will find many new homes where it will be more appreciated.

A New Lucky Kitty?

Although St. Patty's Day is almost over and Matt and I don't really celebrate it, I happened to unveil a new design at Fresh Baked Goods today. So I just wanted to share a bit of green here. Plus, I must say "Pretty Kitty" is becoming a new favorite of mine. I will list some shirts and other things featuring her in my shop soon, though I may not get around to it this week. We'll see.