Happy Birthday, Whimsy Design

It has been one year since I opened my Etsy shop.  And while it hasn't gone gangbusters, I really enjoy having a shop, and occasionally listing items.  Most of my jewelry sales are local custom orders, and my customers find me through word of mouth.  But I love the Etsy community and wish that I could spend more time on the forums and wonderful resources that are available to Etsy shop owners.  The beauty of Etsy is that it allows you to be as active as you want.  If I ignore my shop for a month, it still sits there online, and doesn't cost me a penny.

I would like to get a few pieces listed for the holidays (Hey, it's only November 29th.  I have plenty of time, right?), but I also want to paint my living room and potentially my kitchen, before the holidays.  Which means I should start, um...tomorrow.  I've mentioned before that I enjoy rearranging and redecorating my house...

Six years ago, I stripped the wallpaper in my living room and hallway (and kitchen and bathroom, but that's another story), and painted it red.  By the way, if you ever have to strip wallpaper, I highly recommend Wallwik.  I tried various methods that included steaming, DIF, scraping, screaming, and crying, and the Wallwik is just amazing.  It saved my marriage, but that too, is a story for another time.  Anyway, I have enjoyed my warm, rich, red living room for six years, but now it's time for it to go.  And I mean now.  I'm over the red.  I'm looking at a nice neutral, like "Latte" from Restoration Hardware.  However, I'll probably end up getting a similar color from Sherwin Williams, because, 1) it's less expensive, and 2) I won't have to wait for shipping (our local store doesn't carry the paint).  If I don't paint this week, it will have to wait until January when I take down the Christmas decorations, and I really don't want to wait that long.

I recently started collecting some vintage pieces to add to my home.  Most of my decor is fairly modern, and I decided that I want to infuse some fun vintage pieces into the mix, and just make it a bit more unique.  I want to start with a fresh color palette, and then I'll feel like I've completely made-over my living room.  I picked up a few things at a huge antique store last weekend, and I will be receiving some exciting packages in the next week.  (Ssssshhhh...don't tell my husband -- I'm hoping he won't notice.)

So, I want to redecorate and make some new jewelry all in the next week.  Sounds rather ambitious, huh? Wish me luck.