I would go out tonight, but I haven't got a stitch to wear

So far, I have:

• Read some Sookie Stackhouse
• Eaten Cool Ranch Doritos
• Finished an ice cold can of Coke
• Watched an episode of Weeds
• Listened to Thriller

And later I will:

• Go to Ikea for craft show table supplies
• Eat a healthy dinner
• Introduce my husband to the wonders of True Blood
• Pay some bills

And MUCH later, I will:

• Stay up crazy late sewing.

Today is the bomb.

My friend Ngan has featured me & my shop on her blog . . . plus we're running a GIVEAWAY!

Check out the blog for your options to enter, and remember my Black Friday sale (this entire weekend!). :)

I am so in love with this movie and all the music from it. Besides knowing some of the topics within it so intimately, it reignites my daydream of becoming a singer/songwriter who has guitar, will travel. Sigh. Though my guitar would need to be a keytar. ;)

Some of my co-workers and I have joked around about creating an office band . . . maybe we should!

Black Friday Sale!

Hello friends . . . I've been MIA, just busy with life! I do hope to post more of substance soon but wanted to let you know of my Black Friday sale - all my cozies will be 15% off PLUS free shipping! Any orders of 3 or more cozies will receive a total discount of 25%!

I've been a busy girl at my sewing machine so I have TONS of new cozies - some are featured below. Winter/holiday items, a new "city series" featuring famous cities, a simple line of corduroy items for the person who wants something a little less frou-frou . . .

My Black Friday sale will be going on Friday, 11/26 through Monday, 11/29. If you're not interested in cozies, still - check out everything else on Etsy. Use the search terms "etsyholidaysale" and "etsyfreeshipping" to find items that are marked down. You can combine those terms with whatever you're looking for - for example you could search for this: etsyholidaysale london and you'll find items that are tagged with those keywords (like one of my cozies in my city series, hint hint). ;)

Etsy OneInTheHand

Birthday!

Today is my 33rd birthday.

Looking back, I have accomplished some things and not others . . . while I have had success with employment and I really love what I'm doing now, I'm not sure anyone would call what I have a "career". I don't own a home, am on the very low end of middle class. Still working on my bachelor's degree.

I have created a family - our kids are 11, 9 and 3. My husband and I just celebrated 10 years of marriage. We're happy and healthy and all working towards things that better ourselves - better health, more education, hobbies and interests.

So in some ways, compared to my peers, I'm behind. In some ways, I'm ahead. In some ways, I'm right on track. I think I feel a lot of pressure when looking at my high school classmates' lives, when looking at my co-workers lives . . . I feel pressure to have built a certain lifestyle by this point. And sometimes, I really want those things. Just this morning I was dreaming of having endless disposable income so I could go buy the boots I will likely never buy, because they cost a couple hundred dollars. Because, you know, endless disposable income is necessary in order to spend money like that. :)

Anyway . . . I guess I'm rambling, sorry. Just taking stock of where I'm at, where I'm headed, how I measure up. Once again, I come to the conclusion that the stuff of this world is fleeting and I want something more, I want to spend my time on something more, I want to spend my resources on something more.

Etsy-versary, sale and Giveaway!

Today is my Etsy-versary! It's quite a thing to look back on. I opened my Etsy account in March of last year, planned all kinds of stuff (so many twists and turns) and finally, after meeting with my knitting group in November and having to report that I still hadn't yet opened my shop, went home, spent the wee hours of the morning getting things ready, and listed my first items! Sorry about the length of that sentence. :)

I got my very first sale the next day from a co-worker. A few of my friends promoted my shop like crazy, and thanks to that, some serious blog promotion and the Christmas shopping season, my cozies took off! I have now sold 111 cozies through my Etsy shop, and I want to say that as many as 90 sales were completed before December 15th.

I also sold a good number of cozies to co-workers and other acquaintances here and there . . . I was in one local craft show which didn't earn me much (just paid me back my entrance fee) but gave me some much-needed experience. Plus it helped me get over the fear of something new - now I know I can do it!

I have been inspired by friends who have successful shops, and I have inspired others. It's pretty amazing to say that. Some that I inspired have gone on to be incredibly successful - quitting your day job successful! They have turned right around and inspired me.

I joined a local "street team" made up of other Chicago crafters who sell on Etsy, we've shared expertise and ideas and frustrations. I'm sending some of my items to a consignment shop in another state and may (finally) begin approaching local businesses to see if they want to sell some of my items. I have ideas for other things I could make, but haven't been able to commit the time to test them out.

I've done all of this while being a wife, mom of 3, full-time employee and part-time college student. It hasn't been easy, and I certainly can't excel at all of those things at the same time, so something has always had to give. Often, it's my Etsy shop. I didn't do much with it at all over the Spring and Summer . . . but now I'm gearing up for what will hopefully be another busy, successful holiday shopping season.

I plan to feature other crafters between now and Christmas so you can think of some new places to buy great handmade items.

Right now, in honor of my Etsy-versary (and my birthday tomorrow), I've continued my recent sale (FREE SHIPPING and 25% off of orders of 3 or more cozies) and am also hosting a GIVEAWAY! To enter, you need to leave a comment on the One In The Hand Facebook page, telling me what your favorite cozy is, of my currently listed items. If you want your name entered into the contest two more times, leave a Facebook status update linking up my Etsy shop or Facebook page. If you haven't added the Facebook page yet, I hope you will!