ThreadAbell

... One is silver and the other gold!  (If you were singing along, then you were a Girl Scout. That was one of the songs we used to sing at camp.... in fact, I am almost positive that I have a cross-stitch sampler somewhere with the lyrics on it!)  Anywho, isn't that a good mantra, though? Girl Scout or not - "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold."  Or in a more relatable tone: Don't be flaky. Appreciate everyone you know!  We transition through our lives having friends to different degrees: babies don't have "friends". They, at best, sit next to other babies without freaking out. But once we enter school - friends are EVERYTHING. This continues through college when friends help you gain the freshman 15 and haul your intoxicated butt safely home from parties. Then, in adulthood, we take jobs where sometimes you can't be friends with the people you spend most of your waking hours with. You are either the sup...

 Here I am, working on a new "essential" part of my business, blogging at 11:00 on a Saturday night. These are my hours - productivity at its' finest... or most desperate, I'm not sure. Working from home, and working within the framework of a busy, hungry family often leads to late nights either at the computer or sewing machine. Or cutting out patterns on the living room floor.  I don't mind staying up past the normal bedtime... sometimes my brain doesn't really wake up until after 11 pm. I feel rejuvenated and ready to tackle detailed tasks. But it doesn't leave me a very pleasant person in the morning.  I have always worked a wide variety of hours in my work history: overnights as a supervisor in 24 room service, God-awful 6 am shifts in hotel restaurants, weekend nights almost always and only once have I worked in an office. And even that one was open until the evening and on Saturdays. My husband also works quirky hours: always has, always will. ...

Ha!  What's easier than starting a business in a new city, with three small children and a very, very small budget? Many things, obviously! But I have to say that building my Etsy shop and ThreadAbell business from virtually nothing has been probably the most important aspect of success. It was either work hard or fail. And it still is every day.  If this was *easy*, I probably wouldn't be as motivated. I may not be ready to sell my brand to Martha Stewart crafts - but I am busier than I was a year ago. I am growing all of the time and each finished project is a new skill, new marketable item and one more notch in my confidence belt (weird analogy?). We all weird confidence belts, right?  So, yes, I spend many hours challenging my skills in the sewing room. I read frustrating patterns and use many a Youtube video to figure out sewing terms that are simply easier to SEE than to read. But I also have other resources and support that have helped make ThreadAb...