Out with the Old...In with the New

I know things have been pretty girly around here lately... I promise some new boy designs are coming soon. {Click on photos to zoom in, the dress has some cute details goin' on!}

The one "Smocked Dress" canvas I did sort of sparked an idea to do many of them... all different. I think they'd be sooooo cute for sisters (each picking out a different dress). Another idea, however, would be to line up three of them above a crib or bed, with a girls FIRST, MIDDLE & LAST name each on a canvas. When I get a 3rd one done, I"ll have to make a "display" to show as an example. I've been flooded with ideas lately... I've got notes jotted down all over the place. So expect some new, exciting things very soon!

I also made 1 more pink rose plaque... & I loved the way it turned out. My best ideas usually come at the last minute, in the form of a "Plan B". The monogram was to have a dark pink border, but at the last minute remembered that the nursery was mainly brown & green - with hints of pink. So I painted over the dark pink with brown, not knowing how it was going to look. I absolutely LOVE it with the hint of brown. Love it, love it, love it. I hope Miss Viv loves it, too. :)

Lastly... in the next couple days I'm going to take a huge leap of faith. I'm too chicken to do it yet, but I'll be doing it by 9/3 (before the next month's payment is due). I will be shutting the doors of my cREaTe website. It is not a step back, it's actually a step forward. I'll be moving over to Etsy officially. (Please read my next post "Etsy 101" if you have no idea what it is) I think there are just a lot more opportunities for growth & success over on Etsy.

For starters... I feel like my cREaTe website is a place where I sit around & wait for custom orders. Then it's a shotgun effect when I get an order. If I don't have the materials in my stockpile, I have to run to the store. Sometimes I have to wait for a day that 2 of the 3 kids are in school so that it's easier to manage the shopping trip. Then I come home... and have to wait for the right time to work on it. Preferrably when the kids are resting, napping, or sleeping. That doesn't, however, necessarily mean it's when I'm in the best "cREaTive mood". In a nutshell... my time to cREaTe doesn't always come at the best times for me.

As I mentioned earlier in the post, I've been SO EXCITED with all these new ideas that I've been getting. I think part of it comes from getting rid of some stuff at the Tag Sale. I think that was cleansing for me. Out with the old, in with the new! :) But I also think some of the excitement came from knowing that on Etsy I get to make whatever I want, whenever I want. I LOVE THAT.

I see a cute girl on the front of a pattern for smocked dresses & it sparks a new design idea for painting one. I DID IT. It sparked a new idea for me, to start a "line" of adorable little girls' dresses... I DID IT. I see more objects around the house that inspire project after project. I WRITE IT DOWN BECAUSE I WILL DO IT. I am enjoying the freedom.

So if you've checked out my page on Etsy... you've probably noticed a lot of baby & children's things. I haven't changed my tune yet, it's just what I'm enjoying at the moment. I am also trying to find my "place" on Etsy & learn who my audience is. In typical Rachel fashion, I am sort of flying by the seat of my pants. :) I am just following my heart, listening to my intuition, and am trusting my instincts. I am confident this is a step in the right direction.

It's a little scary to close down MY VERY OWN PLACE on the web. I also have put so much work into it. Every single page on my site started out as a blank white page. I put everything into it: text, color, graphics, links... I became quite the Web Designer. :) I'll also have past customers who will no longer be able to find me. And worst of all... I'm having to give up my favorite E-MAIL ADDRESS! :( I'm not leaving, I'm just moving... and being a military wife, I sure am used to that. It's always bittersweet moving... you have to say goodbye to all that is comfy & cozy & predictable. But you move on, excited about all the new possibilities & friendships to be made. When one door closes, another one opens... and I definitely think this is the one leading to more opportunities for success, growth & cREaTivity.

So please bookmark my new address... here at my cREaTe blog (you're on it) & here on Etsy. And if you want to go say your goodbyes, you can go here & have one last look around the place cREaTe has called home for almost 4 years.  :(