Time for What's Next

My dear blogspot readers....

The time has come to move this blog. It may not be the smoothest transition but at this point in my business it has to be done!


I am so so happy that my new site is live, and it includes my new blog. I'm excited to be able to combine my blog with my e-commerce site and give buyer's the opportunity to purchase directly through me. Don't get me wrong, I love Etsy, obviously. But the opportunity to have complete control over my shop, and my business, has been such a long time coming. Today is definitely a day worth celebrating for me!

For those of you who have followed this blog through Bloglovin, I hope you will be sure to come on over and follow my new blog HERE. (Same blog, same talks, just a different space!)

Thank you for your continuous support. Ya'll are truly the best! xo JA

Love it or hate it, Etsy is thriving

Anyone have the app Timeshop? Handy little app that shows you your daily posts on social media in previous years (all the way back to nine years ago when I was in college...some stuff should just be left unseen...). Yesterday I got the notification of a post I shared on Facebook two years ago. I had been listed on Craftcount as one of the "top daily sellers". (Woooo!) This sparked my interest and I visited the site once again to see how the top sellers compared to two years ago. I noticed a huge difference immediately.

The sales counts.

Such growth in sales shown over this two year period! And this comes during a time of, dare I say... Etsy bashing?

Etsy's decision to allow third-party manufacturing, followed by an announcement to "go public" has seemed to create an uproar among sellers (and even non-sellers). For months now I have been hearing "I'm leaving Etsy." "Etsy is going downhill." "Etsy sold out." "Etsy did this." "Etsy did that."

I have bit my tongue a lot as I watched the internet bash the site I built my business on. But.... the proof is in the fucking numbers. And the numbers say that Etsy is thriving.

My first year on Etsy I made $608. I was not always (and am still not always) lucky enough to make the "top daily sellers" list on Craftcount. I sold on Etsy for years before quitting my day job. I do not always agree with every single change Etsy makes (working there seriously has to be the hardest job).

But I have so much love for the site. For the opportunity that it has given me, and thousands of other people. I do not blame it for my downfalls, just as I do not praise it for my successes. The blame and praise are on me. But I am proud to be an Etsy sellers, and I am happy to see it continuing to flourish because I know that, in some small way, I contributed to that success.

Podcast: Elise Gets Crafty

I was so excited when I was asked to speak about running an online business on Elise Gets Crafty. It is a podcast that I listen to myself, so being a guest was such an honor! Elise was really easy to talk to so she definitely calmed my nerves (for the most part!).

This also helped me continue my efforts to get more comfortable with "public" speaking. I do feel, in general, that the more time I spend outside my comfort zone, the easier these experiences are for me. And honestly, they make me want to do them more!

You guys can listen in on our conversation here. I'd love to hear what you think! xo JA