If you read my post a few weeks ago, you will know that my large embroidery machine is now a thing of the past. I had to sell it to catch up my bills due to surgery and health issues (and I’m still concerned about health issues), but I have decided to press on. I still own the very first embroidery machine I purchased and started this adventure with back in 2019, and I have pulled it out of the closet to use it once more. The only thing I …
Back in March, I had a breast cancer scare. I went through multiple testing and biopsies until at last, in June, I had surgery to remove the mass and be done with it for good. It’s gone, final biopsy, and I don’t have to fret about it anymore. After my surgery, I just could not get back to my old self. I had zero energy and was in a super depressed state. I stopped going into my sewing room. I stopped cleaning my house. I stopped doing everything. I just …
If you have been following our shop, you may notice that our shop is no longer open on Etsy. I made the executive decision to close the Etsy shop due to the rising costs to stay competitive on the website. With so many print on demand shops in operation, and everyone competing for the embroidered niche, I felt like my handmade clothing items just did not stand out. Plus, my sales were not covering my advertising fees each month. When you have to spend nearly $50 per day to compete …
With all of the medical issues and tests and then the surgery, my already behind bills snowballed into a much larger issue. It’s difficult to make ends meet when you can’t find your usual job and have to take a 65% cut in pay. Bills pile up. Money does not. I wish I could say that this business did well, and that I didn’t have to worry about money, but that would be a complete lie. I don’t have nearly enough business, and my full time job barely cuts it. …
We are having a bit of a hot spell here in the South. The heat index is absolutely no joke right now. Plus, my poor A/C just can’t keep up and my fan decided to not work. Not sure what is up with that. Right now, the only solution is to stay indoors and try to stay cool. No yardwork for me. If it doesn’t cool off soon, there won’t be any work in the studio for me either. I really need that fan to work! At least the most …
After much consideration of my use of Etsy as a selling platform, I have decided to make some much needed changes. The first change is to step away from selling on Etsy and sell on my own website. While Etsy provided me with much needed traffic, trying to be competitive and provide quality products was becoming a struggle, especially with Etsy’s fee structure. Not only does Etsy charge you to add a product, they also charged you a percentage when it sold, plus a fee for shipping, plus a fee …
