My tummy hurts.

I just ordered a thousand full-color glossy two-sided business cards and also a thousand glossy two-sided hangtags (which are actually 500 business cards that I will cut in half). The best part is, I got all of them for less than $50, including shipping, from www.gotprint.com.

So why am I feeling nauseated at the thought of spending the money? I'm excited to get them and I know I can't do business without them (in addition to the fact that they will save me buckets of expensive printer ink), but I have such a hard time spending money! I think it's a combination of not being used to having $50 to spend, and also the uncertainty of when or if I'm going to make more money. Business is going okay and ought to pick up even more in coming weeks and months, but every sale is still a surprise to me. I wonder how many other Etsy sellers feel like this, getting cold sweats at even the minor expenses?

It's pretty...and I helped!

Not too long ago I began playing around with dyeing yarn. It's addictive, let me tell you, especially for someone as color-obsessed (and yarn-obsessed) as I am. I discovered three things. First, I love the process; second, I don't have nearly enough time to knit/crochet with all the yarn I dye; and third, I can't afford to dye all this yarn and keep it for myself. The obvious next step was to start selling it in my Etsy shop, so I began listing it.

Now let's flash back a bit further. I don't remember quite how I discovered her (Etsy's forums are a good guess), but I'd run across an artist who goes by the name TotusMel. She makes stunning needle-tatted jewelry and accessories, and I quickly added her to my list of favorite sellers.

Flash forward again. I wake up one morning to discover that I've sold my first skein of yarn, and whaddya know, it's TotusMel who bought it! Yes, I giggled, and although I will neither confirm nor deny it, I may or may not have squealed a little. She was even kind enough to later share pictures of the scarf she made with it (which you can read more about in her blog post here).

I must say that of all the great experiences I've had through Etsy, having another artist (particularly one so talented) make something so beautiful out of my materials is the biggest thrill.

(Thanks again to TotusMel for allowing me to use her photographs in this post. She retains all rights to them, so don't go getting any ideas.)