Something so far out of my comfort zone that I still can't believe I did it.
I started my own Etsy shop.
I'm one of those people who is terrified of failure. Like really terrified of it. Like I wanted to throw up the first day of my student teaching because I was so afraid I was going to be the worst student teacher in the history of the world. So I often don't attempt things when I know there's a good chance it won't work out. (Maybe that's why I'm not the biggest fan of cooking...)
I've heard all of those inspirational quotes about how failure is a sign of trying and "a ship is safe in the harbor but that's not what ships are for" and all that stuff. But they don't inspire me. They make me regret that I'm not more adventurous, but that's about it.
But I got this idea in my head that I wanted to sew for a reason. Sewing is my happy place. I love having a project to work on. I love that feeling of making something completely from scratch. Of choosing fabric ( I LOVE fabric) and cutting out patterns and making it all work out into something so different from how it started. Especially when it looks good.
But Norah has more than enough summer clothes and at least twenty church dresses, so I can't justify making anything else for her for at least another 6 months. Baby showers weren't popping up enough for me to satisfy my sewing urge there. And we don't have enough space in our apartment for me to just sew things that have no purpose. Once it's sewn, it really needs to get out of the way. (I'm sure Rich hates it when I get on my sewing binges. The kitchen table, which becomes sewing headquarters, is practically unusable for at least a week.)
So, I decided to check out the Etsy option. Why not try make a little money?
My incredibly talented friend Aubrey Heath (seriously, check out her shop) helped me so much with the process. And she's been giving me so much advice about things that I never would have thought about. I just wanted to sew, but there's so much more to it than that (obviously). With her help, I opened up shop about a week and a half ago now.
Right now, I'm focusing on bandana drool bibs, which were so incredibly helpful when Norah was a baby. She was a drool machine for about 6 months, and we went through a ridiculous amount of bibs each day. I fell in love with the bandana style bib for her because it was practical and stylish, but I needed something extra absorbent to keep up with ALL THAT DROOL.
So, I started experimenting and came up with these:
Cotton on top, flannel in the middle, and microfleece on the bottom. Adorable, soft and absorbent. She had probably 30 of them. I actually made them to match her outfits. (Crazy, much?)
I still make the occasional one as a baby gift now that Norah has stopped all the drooling, but I knew I needed to really up my game if I wanted to sell them. I've been working on perfecting them, and I'm pretty happy with the finished product. I even graduated from Velcro to plastic CPSIA-compliant snaps and created my own label! (Although full credit for logo design goes to Aubrey. She created my logo and my Etsy shop banner. Seriously, she's amazing.)
Here's what DroolBaby Boutique now offers:
Plus, more to come soon. More fabric styles, but also new products, too. I'm feeling courageous this week - maybe I'll try some pacifier clips.
I know, I'm really living on the wild side.
Here's my shop.
You should help me spread the word.
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