Long Time No See

Hey there!  I know it's been a while.  While I don't like to make excuses, last October I had my first allergic reaction to food, closely followed by an attack of breathing allergies when we turned on  the heating system for the winter.  I didn't know what it was at first, and I literally thought I was dying of something mysterious.  My blog took a very distant back-seat as I struggled with my health.

Now that summer is upon us though, I am feeling a million times better.  Next winter season, I'll know what's going on and do the prep-work... getting the air ducts cleaned, getting on my allergy meds in advance, etc.  It's amazing how much such a little thing can color your entire life.

In other news, I am re-opening my Etsy shop.  Instead of dyed fiber for spinners, however, I am going to be offering home-decor textiles.  Doilies, embroidered towels and other items, crocheted coasters... you get the idea.  Here's some examples of what I've been working on.  Some of these are in the shop right now.

I'm still figuring out photograpy options and presentation.  I'm having a real problem with backgrounds.  I just don't have the space in my kitchen or dining area to photograph in there so I have a "real" background, and a cloth backdrop just seems so blah.

I was relieved to see that other crafters on Etsy have similar prices to what I'd intended... people who under price their crafted items really ruin it for the rest of us.  Materials do cost money, and when it takes three pretty solid full days of crafting to creating one doily, I don't think the prices are unreasonable.  There will always be buyers who are in the Walmart mindset who want bargains and thrift-store prices, but I hope to attract people who value real craftsmanship and are willing to compensate for it.  Maybe I'm naive.  I hope not.

I'll try to make it back on here more often in the year to come.  If you're interested in my Etsy shop, there should be a link over there on the right.  :D