Today is my 9 year Etsy Anniversary! Holy moly, that's a long time. Etsy has changed so much since I first started. I've changed so much since I started selling on Etsy. I've learned how to take product photos, edit them, promote myself, do taxes, set up a craft fair, packaged art and prints, how to charge for shipping... the list goes on but you get the idea.

I've also made a lot of friends, joined a community of other artists and makers and started a career I never really thought was possible.

There's also been a lot of lows to all this too. Putting yourself out there and not having people respond the way you would like can be difficult. Struggling to make money and working a day job to supplement my income was tough some days. I'm still not quite where I'd like to be financially, and knowing that I may have to take a day job again is always on my mind.

I feel like the highs are still outweighing the lows and I'll continue to sell on Etsy until I feel like it's not longer worth my time and energy. 

I really wouldn't be able to do what I do without the support and encouragement of friends, fans and followers. Being an artist can be lonely at times and the amount of self doubt can be disabling, but when someone leaves a positive comment, review or sends me an encouraging message it makes it all worth it.

To celebrate my customers and those who support me I'm having a sale in my shop! Everything is 29% off, no coupon code is needed. The sale goes from today through tomorrow, until 12am Pacific Time on Wednesday. 

Thanks so much to everyone who reads my blog and who enjoys my work! Hope to continue this journey for many more years!

I've been working on this design for a bride to be this week. It's for their wedding invitation. I always feel so honored when people approach me for wedding invitations. They've picked me, out of all the thousands of designers out there. So cool.

I'll share the finished product once it's all printed up and ready to go.

In other news, my 9 year Etsy Anniversary is a week from today! Holy Moly. I can't believe it. It does not feel like it's been 9 years since I started selling there. I say that every year, I know, but it's so true. I feel so unbelievably lucky that this is my job and that I have the opportunity to do what I love as a career.

I've also made so many great connections through Etsy over the years. I've met so many people and I've had some amazing experiences. Etsy has changed a lot over the past few years, so good, some bad. All in all it's still a great place to share my work. 

I'll be announcing a big sale next week, so stay tuned! And to those who have been following me the past 9 years, thank you so much!