Taking the Plunge!

I've finished the school year!!!!!!!  And QUIT!!!  To craft full time!!!!  In the words of Keanu Reeves....."Whoa."

So, in case you've only recently begun reading my blog... here is how it all started- with SewEcological.

Twas a blanket much like this one....

How did SewEcological begin? This is cautionary tale with a happy ending...sometimes, what you do in your free time is what you become! :)

I've always made all my Christmas gifts. One year it was an amateur attempt at bath salts and soaps, another it was a delectable gift basket of designer cookies, candles another. But in 2009 and 2010, I rediscovered my neglected sewing machine.

One of the gifts I made was for myself- I cut up all my mother's old sweaters (which were far too small for me), and made a keepsake blanket out of them. This was the impetus behind my upcycling- a simple blanket. I liked it so much that most of my closest friends received blankets made out of cashmere sweaters I rescued from the local thrift store. Everyone else got gloves made from the remnants of the sweaters.

Those same friends (thank you Kirsten and Rex!) told me to sell these things! They told me all about etsy. So I researched the site, found out that I had a nice little niche, and got to work. Sales were hit and miss for a year or so...and I started a second shop as a fun hobby on the side. Rotifera.etsy.com was the second shop, and it focused on hair accessories, which I didn't feel "fit" in this shop. Probably due to the fact that I finally figured out how to take a decent photo, it seemed that both shops took off at around the same time, in late 2011.

So much so, that I recently made a very scary decision- I resigned from the teaching profession! As of July 2012, I've traded in teaching high school chemistry and biology for full time independent designing.

I adore working for myself, and am so excited to have taken the plunge into making Etsy and designing my full time work. I hope to begin working craft shows this fall- so I'll keep this story up to date with my appearances!!! :)

♥Rose
--Pisces, free spirit, geek at heart, mother of two, and general quack-a-doodle.