Hello lovies, I'm back from my winter break. Did you know I was taking a winter break? Neither did I. But it seems that’s the way things turned out - and you know what, I needed it. I’m not even 100% sure I’m done being ‘on break’ yet, but I’m trying to balance getting back into the swing of things with not pushing myself so hard I burn out. So - what’s new?
Well first of all, we didn’t find a house. Which is to say we did find one, but got outbid. Sad face! I do feel like this is going to be the year, though. Like I’ve made the necessary mental shift to make it happen. Let’s hope I’m not looking back on this in 2025 and saying, well, that didn’t quite work - ! But I don’t know, I just have this suspicion. Possibly because I am ALSO planning a real, live vacation for late summer and, you know, moving could certainly derail that! But I’m getting ahead of myself.
I didn’t wind up doing hardly any Yule shows, for perhaps the first time since - wow, I don’t know. A LONG time. One filled up, another fell through, and before I knew what was happening, December was over. Yes, I could have hustled harder; but I didn’t. Part of it was an almost subconscious reaction to the big push creative sorts get at the holiday season: It’s here! OMG! Hit the socials! Market All The Things!! And I just wasn’t feeling it.
Because I realized, I’m not relying on this for income at this point in time. I have before, and almost certainly will again; but right now, no. I’m working on long-term goals that have only the vaguest of deadlines. There’s no good reason to make myself crazy trying to meet a schedule that frankly, I just don’t need to meet right now - so I didn’t. And I feel fine about that decision. In fact, I feel somewhat refreshed, and more able to focus in on what I do want to accomplish.
Of course, one of those things is a physical shop. I don’t feel ready to take that on right now; I’m still working full time, working with the Ingeneers when I can, and of course, finding a house takes precedence over all. I do have some ideas how I can
build towards this, but keeping those to myself for the time being. I know what kind of row I need my ducks to be in and I’m not in any big hurry to get them there, so that’s where things stand with that.
But with that long-term goal in mind, I have picked up a few pieces along the way that I hope folks will find as exciting as I do. I got a bit lax with my original Etsy, but I do have another item sold and ready to go out as of this weekend, yay! And I realized that I need to add yes, yet another Etsy, since my Ricochet Rabbit brain likes to do All The Things - which is fun for scumbag brain but makes it harder to set a shop focus (eventually, I think they’ll all live nicely under one roof, but for the purposes of online marketing, I’m trying to keep one lane out of the next one).
Of course, all the things also have a single home on my website here - and hey, have you checked it out lately? Or, you know, at all? OK, I confess, that has also been in hiatus while I took my break; but if you want a single overview of what all I’ve got on offer, that will be the easiest way to get one. Adding a third Etsy outlet will mean more work on the website as well, of course. And it’s all being done as time and spoons allow. But while I haven’t so much as thought about logging in since before the holidays, I do feel ready to roll up my figurative sleeves, dust out the cobwebs and make sure it’s presentable. You know, just in case anyone DOES stop by.
Ah. And I’ve teased it twice now, without saying what my planned third shop will be: this one will focus on actual, hand-crafted items. Not print on demand, not resale. Stuff I make. Now, I do have an existing shop that does that, under my old Thee Faerie Ring moniker. But that one is oriented towards a fairly specific niche that, while not my currently active product line, I’m not ready to completely overhaul and/or do away with either. So I’ve decided to add Dakini Handcrafts to Dakini Trading and Dakini Designs (looks like no one else has that name, hooray). I hope this will allow me to post items with a broader general appeal while staying within the general boho/boutique vibe that’s my main DTC concept.
To wrap up the ‘shop talk’ - one of my besties took the pre-Christmas trip down to Akron with me to see the World’s Greatest Christmas Band, Missile Toe, at Jilly’s just before the holiday. I’m lucky to have a family member who can get me hotel discounts, so I like to book a room across the street from the club. No driving home late, and there’s the added bonus of hitting the thrifts on the way back the next day. This pal is as up for that as I am, so we spent Christmas Eve day visiting the Goodwill bins (first time for both of us!) and Village Discount. Attempts to find Abbey Ann’s were thwarted by my not remembering their name, and Google deciding we needed a tour of Stepford - you know, those charming ‘rural’ ex-urbs where the white people with money live.
We made it out alive, despite her amusing collection of bumper stickers (Sorry I missed church, I was busy praticing witchcraft and becoming a lesbian is a personal favorite), and have plans to go do it all again at the end of the month. Missile Toe, who bill themselves as an OK cover band in the off season, are playing a birthday gig with a Ramones tribute band; so I booked a room and figured out directions to Abbey Anns and heigh ho, heigh ho, we’ll be off to look for more vintage treasure at the end of January.
I think, then, that that’s about enough for now. I’ve got plans for spring, but they can wait. We’re in the coldest week of the year as I write this, and I just want to get home, package up my shipment, and work on some projects that have no deadline whatsoever. It looks like I’ll be working on BriteWinter again - wait, how did that happen?! - but really trying to keep that to a minimum. My goal for the next few months is to do only what I feel like, as I feel like it; with no expectations or work lists hanging over my head (yes, I do make work lists for myself). Much of what I feel like right now is just puttering around the house, cleaning, organizing, and doing some small amounts of decorating. I think the goal there is, let’s get this house set up nicely so we have to pack it all up and move soon - !
And with that, I bid you adieu for now; in perfect love and faerie dust, with the hope of being back in a month. You know - just in time for - VALLOWEEN?! Could be - stay very tuned, and cheers to getting back on the funky vintage track with Dakini Trading Co.!
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