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?