It's now March, which means we are already at my Etsy shop launch
month! Yikes! When I first set and announced the date for March 17, I knew I
had given myself enough time to make some items, photograph them,
and write desriptions for the shop. I've now made some items. What
do I have left to do?
- make some more items
- photograph them
- write descriptions for the shop
I think that even if I had set the launch date as September 1st,
I'd find myself in the middle of August with the same list. But if
I'd never set the date, I'd still be at the
thinking-of-one-day-maybe-wouldn't-it-be-nice-to-have-a-shop stage,
not even at the make-MORE-items stage. Ah, the power of a looming
deadline to get your butt in gear, no? Little steps, that's all it
takes. For someone who loves to check things off a to-do list,
wouldn't you think I'd be more of action-packer? Yeah, I'm working
on it!
The pictures above are of some linen teatowels I'm working
on. They are a good representation of what will be in the shop (at
least to start - more will be added over time). I love very simple
things - a plain background and solid shapes. Many of the things
I've made in the past have been based on shapes. Sometimes, I love
adding in a little something extra - layers of shapes, or a little
bit of embroidery.
Examples of things I've made with shapes: an overlapping
wall hanging made of painted boards; a pillow
To start, I am working on two separate lines of products for
manusmade. One will be a line of household goods based on patterns
and shapes like you see above. This is the line that feeds my love
of texture and all things visual. The other will be similar goods
based on text and playful double-entendre. This is the line that
feeds my inner geek. I'll post more about this line next week.
One of the things that I love about texture is the evocation of
emotions. I can see a beautiful quilt and it can make me think of
cozy nights in front of the fire with a book. I can feel a knarled
piece of wood, and I think of the solidity and longevity of trees.
I can smell a handful of soil when I'm digging a tomato patch and
bring back clear memories of sowing seeds with my dad when I was 8
years old.
I'm hopeful that the things I make will evoke emotions for you
too. I'm excite that although there is a lot of feeling in each
piece, the items themselves are practical - teatowels, table
runners and place mats, napkins, aprons, coasters, and pillows.
It's important to be surrounded by beautiful things, to feel
connected to the items around you, especially if they remind you of
happy thoughts, feelings, and emotions.