etsy: the next great adventure

Does anyone remember the show, Felicity? Keri Russell, Scott Foley, Scott Speedman (Team Ben all the way)...ring any bells? Well, anyway, one of my favorite life mottoes comes from the back of the DVD box (remember when you still bought television series on DVD??) "Sometimes it's the smallest decisions that can change your life forever." It has such purpose. It makes you think of the small things that you've done and you smile when you realize it's true. 

Sometimes, it IS the smallest decisions that can change your life forever. And sometimes, it's the big decisions. Big moments in life. Defining moments. Etsy has been a bit of both for me. Let me explain...

Four years ago (oh my God I just realized it's been four years - insert wide eye emoji) I was jobless and crafting away my summer waiting not so patiently to board the big plane to London for the Olympics when this idea popped into my mind. Sock Bun Studios - has a nice ring to it! It was the summer of sock buns and crafting and I thought, maybe I will finally open up an Etsy shop to sell things. The only problem was, I didn't exactly have a lot of things I thought were sell-able at the time. And, who can really make their life work around Etsy? (Surprisingly - a LOT actually, they have a whole blog about it.)

So, four years passed, and Sock Bun Studios would casually cross my mind on a regular basis but with no real purpose. That was my small decision. 

Now enters the big decision. Cancer. I watched my uncle fight a brilliant battle against Stage 4 Colon Cancer. He fought so hard, most days I kind of forgot he even had cancer, let alone such an aggressive form. It was actually so aggressive, it shocked doctors - but he never let on just how big the battle was to most of the world. 

For years before and during his battle, we both constantly lamented over the lack of jobs we could get. "Too qualified," "not qualified enough," the list goes on and on. His dream was to open a restaurant. My dream was to own my own boutique. Dreams. Dreams he actively tried to pursue at every opportunity. Me, on the other hand, kept mine up in Dream World where dreams live in happy harmony with Fairy Tale Island. 

And then, four years went by, and my sweet, funny, witty, gravely-voiced uncle won everlasting peace from cancer, and the world lost out on his dream to own a restaurant. And let me tell you, it would have been a damn good restaurant. So I'm here, the one left to carry on achieving the dreams (of secret world domination.) 

So I did it. I put my doubts aside and opened my Etsy shop. To be honest, I couldn't think of a better way to open it than having products I not only wholeheartedly believe in, but also does something to honor my uncle. B's Keys to Life. Happiness. Hope. Even better, money from each sale goes directly back to The James Cancer Hospital at OSU Medical where doctors helped my uncle for over half of his fight.

Right now, B's Keys are literally just keys that are meant to spread happiness and little messages to B bold, kind, caring, funny, friendly, smart, crazy, brave - you name it. But, on the not so distant horizon (God willing) B's Keys will move beyond just keys and into apparel. 

And I'm not stopping there. Oh no, when I do something, I like to do it right. So, there will also be nanny-themed apparel stemming from my most recent career highlights! And, if that wasn't enough, there will also be mini state cross stitch lockets! Team colors, initials, hearts over where you're from in the state - you name it, I'm thinking of it.

For the last two years I've had to set aside my crafting, which is my purest form of stress relief. When I knew I was going to move back home, I knew exactly what I wanted to set out to do first. Just thinking about working out in my grandpa's barn, setting up my work space in my own craft room filled me with such a joy, I can't describe it. I've always firmly believed that I've been put in every situation to learn something, meet others, help - and I truly do believe that I haven't gotten to the conventional standards of my MBA career because I'm meant to be here instead; forging ahead in my own business. 

So, that's it. That's my next great adventure - achieving my dreams. I know it won't be easy and it won't be fast, but if there's one thing I've learned from the past two years, it's that life is too damn short to do anything less than try and go for the moon. 

If you'd like to shop or bookmark SBS for future reference, then go ahead and click on over here! 

If you'd like to help the movement and know of any tips and tricks to the Etsy world, photography services, or local markets - PLEASE let me know! I'm open to all suggestions and help! If YOU own an Etsy shop, comment and let's be friends! Small businesses should always stick together! Even just sharing this post or my website is a step in the right direction! 

So...what will you b today? 

to my future children: motivation

One of the few perks to packing and unpacking is the discovery of things you've forgotten about. When I was hastily packing last week, I threw in a journal randomly into a suitcase thinking it was empty - I actually nearly threw it away. In fact, I thought it was still empty when my mom handed it to me while unpacking. Instead, she said "No it's got stuff in it. I'll just put it in your room to go over." 

The following is what the first few pages say:

January 14th, 2014

To my future children:

Motivation is a funny thing. It can be a number of different things I've come to find. Yesterday, your grandmother told me my resolve and patience were being chipped away. Chipped away would be an understatement. Maybe if you could see it was being done with a battle ax it'd be more accurate. But it's true, sadly. Resolve, patience, but not my motivation. 

No, my motivation is still there because they way I see it, if I were to die now - or a loved one died and everyone could see my life where it is today, I would be royally pissed off. 

All my life I've played by the rules, and for the most part, I don't see that they've done me much good. No job, no money, no love of my life, no defining moment. There are people I know that appear to have it all at my age - and it is punch you in the nose, spit in your eye aggravating 99% of the time. Especially when you see that they rarely play by the conventional rules of life. But - they are my motivation. 

The cliche phrase that I've hopefully told you many times that constantly runs through my mind, "God never puts you through more than you can handle" applies. For when I think that after a loved one dies, or a cancer diagnosis has been given, having a job snatched from your hands three times in six months - I feel stronger. Sure, I cuss a lot, cry a lot, blame things on God a lot (which to an extent, I'm fairly certain he won't judge you for this - but I'm not the Almighty), and envision breaking things a lot - but it motivates me. And when I picture looking back on that time a year from now, two months from now even, I can see that I was strong enough. 

It's like driving through the mountains. You have a steep incline, dips, twists and turns where you have no idea what will be around the corner, scary patches, and then a glorious view at the top. From the top you can see the beauty of all that is around you. You'll see the other mountains - signs that your happy won't always be happy, but also that your bad won't always be bad. 

Whenever the truly awful happens, I'm reminded of the unending goodness this world can give. I don't often see tragedy - instead I see families, and friendships. Laughter and tears. Light and hope. Those are what prove to the darkness that it cannot always stay dark forever. 

By the time you read this letter, and I do so hope you get the chance to because I am so looking forward to my unbelievably happy time of meeting your father. Falling in love with him, promising to spend the rest of our lives together, creating life - to watch you grow to be a true likeness of our love and kindness, I hope that you'll understand that I've also had many sad days as well. But this is my motivation. Part of the bad is knowing at some point it will be good. And when it's good, it will be so so good.  

So, whether you're at the top when you read this, or in your valley, just remember that life is the biggest and best challenge, always there to test your faith, resolve, patience, and motivation. 

Winning (no matter how that may look to others), is my motivation.

(Photo courtesy of Roadtrippers)