Oh goodness me.

The powers that be at my "real" job have decided I'm SO much of an asset at the company, they're cutting my hours to half of what they were. I am 100% part time now. Oh, yay.

I posted in the Etsy forums last night, lamenting all this nonsense, and people have been AMAZING! So much  love coming from my fellow Etsians. I am eternally grateful for the show of support and good advice!

Something I have been planning on doing for a while (think I even blogged about it) is changing the packaging for Spring. Portland is pretty mild 10 months out of the year, but there are many places I ship that aren't. I don't see my lip balms having a snowball's chance in hell of surviving the heat in slider tins, so I will be switching very soon to clear oval tubes. Don't fret - they are super awesome and I will have much more room for labeling (and they. The only drawback is there can be no fortune inside. :-( The solid perfumes are also going to the way of the tube. I will definitely re-order the tins as soon as the weather cools down, and they may still be an option for the die hard fans ( I said MAY) until I run out. The perfumes won't change at all - still 5ml roll-on bottles.

I know it seems a little early to be thinking about all this, but it's been unseasonably warm here, so I'm reminded constantly of what's to come.

Soon there will be soaps in my humble little shop. :-) If I had to guess, I would say start watching for them to appear around May 1st.

Bottom line? Screw the job. I am putting all of my creative (and physical) energy into my Etsy shop and I will make it work. I plan on being one of those "Etsy Success Stories." Mark my words!!!!

Yes. Optimism is good, and SO not my style (before, anyway).

Keep smiling everyone.