Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us; And confirm for us the work of our hands; Yes, confirm the work of our hands.
Psalm 90:17

Thursday, November 4, 2010

What to do, what to do...

Today "what to do" takes on two meanings:
First, a quandary-- Got a message at the Etsy shop to trade one of my items for something from their shop. Okay, I guess. I'm always happy that someone likes my item(s). But I don't need/want anything from their shop. I sell my items to pay for my fabric habit; I need cash. But I feel that if I say no, thank you, I'm being unkind or insulting. Is that how it goes for any of you others who have shops? Should I make a trade in a spirit of goodwill and support to a fellow crafter? What to do...

...on the other side is, really, what do I do now? I have a long list of projects that have been waiting for my 'want to sew' time (as opposed to the "have to sew" projects) and now that I have it I don't know where to start! Clothes for my odd-shaped bod? Pajama pants for the family (with a few put away for Christmas!)? Stock for the shop? Maybe I should clear out the UFO's some more? I dunno. I guess I'll see what jumps into my hands. One thing I am doing, though, is hand quilting Jude's blanket. Now that Bell, Book and Candle is running, I take it to the theatre with me. I have about an hour and a half of waiting time between my responsibilities. I'm hoping to finish it by Thanksgiving!

3 comments:

Donna said...

Wow..Mickey! I almost didn't recognize your blog! It looks wonderful! I don't even know what is different..but the colors and fabric are beautiful. So glad you didn't change your profile picture. Ha!

I just got through October (always a challenge for us) and thought I'd drop by and say Hello.

Don't even ask me where to start. I finally sold Dad's house..and am facing a similar scenario..where do I start? Especially with the sewing.

I would politely tell the crafter who wants to trade that you can't afford the time to sew unless you are getting paid cash. I get similar requests. They are exactly the reason I never have time to sew for myself.

Love,
Donna @ Comin' Home

suzitee said...

Hi there Mickey. I have no idea what the status quo is with Etsy shops, but feel sure that you should be able to refuse a swap...after all, it's your time and effort that goes into making all the goodies.
As far as where to start...go with your heart, and what you feel like tackling first. Trying to create without inspiration is too hard :)
Have a great day xxx

Christine said...

I'm probably too late to chime in on this, but I was in a similar position last year!

I was a vendor at a local craft show and had just purchased a few postcards from another vendor. Five minutes later, that vendor came over and asked me if I would be willing to swap... after I had already spent money at her table. I felt trapped like I couldn't say no but what I really wanted to say was, "Well I already bought the only two things I wanted from you so I don't need to swap more." I ended up picking out a few things at her table and traded her, but I wish I had said no.

It's tricky when you want to be supportive but also have your own business to think of!

Thanks for finding me over at my blog :)