When I was in highschool (many many moons ago) I filled in a questionnaire that was supposed to help people figure out what they were best suited for in their adult career - back when you were supposed to only have one career per lifetime. The magic ball was shaken, and the questionnaire told me I should be one of three things: a secretary, a librarian, or a seamstress. Oddly enough, a book on my Chinese year (rooster) also told me I should be a seamstress.

I was highly embarassed by these answers. Everyone else had cool answers like lawyer or architect - they were becoming professional business people. To me, the answers I got made me feel like an old spinster at age 15. The only secretaries I knew were dumpy and nerdy with really big glasses. The only librarians I knew were... well kind of the same. I didn't know any seamstresses except my mother, and at age 15, who the hell wants to be their mother???

But at the same time as I was feeling embarassed by the answers, I knew deep down they were true. There were any number of clues to indicate the accuracy. I was already sewing my own clothes at 15. When I was about 12 I created my own entirely new library cataloguing system for all the books in my bedroom (there were a lot), and had cards and a pencil ready for anyone to fill in if they wished to borrow any. When I was about 9 my grandfather gave me one of his old typewriters (that I still have) and I used to type notes and recipes to practice typing. When I got bored, I copied and typed out pages of the novel I was reading. Just for fun. The depths of my awkward childhood knew no bounds.

So, I grew older, and almost registered for Library Sciences, but was steered away into taking something that would be teachable. I was supposed to become a teacher or professor like my parents. I took Anthropology classes and French classes and Linguistics and Latin and Philosophy and then more French. I started teaching French, and realized I didn't want to be a French teacher. So, I went back and did Geography, for two reasons: I loved Geography; and, lots of hot guys took Geography. Sad but true.

In between all of that, I became a shop girl working at a photography store at the mall. I LOVED it. I loved the people I worked with (even the ones I didn't like) for being so weird, I loved doing the transactions of the final sales, I love organizing the frames and setting up displays in the windows. I even loved windexing the glass counters. I just loved being a shop girl. Years went by, I got new jobs, went back to school (yeah, I like that too), and I ended up working in Ottawa as a public servant.

I still want to be a shop girl, dammit.

So, I'm opening a shop. It will be an etsy shop. What?! You don't know what etsy is? It's only the best internet marketplace for all handmade stuff! Go to etsy and check it out! The Manusmade etsy shop will open at the end of November. I will definitely keep you posted on the exact date and all sorts of goodies involved in opening my new shop. I will also be hosting an open house shop launch here in Ottawa for those who are local. It will be in early December, and there will be cocktails! Yay! Who doesn't like Christmas shopping with a drink in their hand? Actually, I seriously think the malls should allow people to carry drinks with them during the Christmas season - there would be a hell of a lot more falalalala than the bahumbug you often see when you are 30th in line to get some MUSTGET item of the season!

I'm off to France today for just under three weeks. It's my birthday! And my ten year wedding anniversary! I'm hoping to post a bit while I'm there about all the wonderful things I'm seeing. Talk to you soon!