About Me

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I enjoy arts and crafts and dabble in just about anything. I've been doing so since childhood. My Etsy shop consists mainly of decoupage light switch and outlet covers. I also paint (mainly with acrylics), do mosaics, and draw with charcoal and other mediums.

Monday, January 2, 2012

A New Year Means A Fresh Start!

I have to say 2011 was pretty amazing!  I couldn't be happier with the direction of where the shop went last year.  For a few weeks in April, all sales from my shop went to the March of Dimes and thanks to those sales as well as some generous friends online, a good sized contribution was made.  I am very thankful that in the past year, I was able to spend more time with some good friends that I hadn't spent as much time with in the past.  After doing a craft show with a friend in August, things really picked up the pace in my shop.  The craft show led to exposure and also led to listing new items in my shop.  That led to invites from teams on Etsy.  Being a part of those teams sparked many new friendships.  I met some wonderful and very creative people who have some fabulous shops.  What an incredible experience it was to make friends with these people, learn from them, and support each other.  I am thankful to be a part of such great teams on Etsy and to have met some of these creative people to share the Etsy experience with.

Things really did pick up in the second part of the year.  So much in fact, that toward the end of the year, I had a hard time keeping up.  Straddling multiple Etsy teams and promoting friends as well as my own shop, making new items, and keeping up with sales, while working full time can be incredibly time consuming.  Finding balance was difficult at times.  Toward the end of the year, I found myself and home facing some neglect, because I had no time to take care of those things.  That means some prioritizing is in order.  If I have no time to take care of things at home or for myself, then some rearranging needs to be done.  After all, if we don't take care of ourselves and our own needs (such as sleep), we can't be at the top of our game.  If I'm not running on all cylinders, then I can't take care of other things to the best of my ability.  I need a break.  I need to take some time off and do some rearranging.  After I tie up some loose ends with sales in the shop, I will be putting the shop in "vacation mode" in January.  I may stop in to make a treasury or two, and check in with the teams, but I need to put the promoting and the sales on hold for a while so I can focus on other things and rearrange some priorities.  I will be taking this time to get things in order at home and with my shop.  Also, I will be taking this time to have some long overdue "me time."  This time will be spent getting some relaxation and working on some larger projects that I want to work on.  Some new paintings perhaps.  Who knows, there may be some new items in my shop come February!

My shop appearance may also be getting a makeover this year.  I know last year when I was changing my banner and logo, my current ones were the most popular picks.  I like my banner and logo as well, but while I was meeting new people on Etsy and making friends, I befriended this wonderful designer named Andrea Fitts from Doggie Woggie Zine who came up with a lovely new design for a shop logo and banner for me.  I am already using it on my Twitter account and my facebook fan page.  I wanted to ease people into this transition, because I know people recognize me by my current logo.  I feel this new design is very classy, soft, and elegant.  I feel it pulls everything together.  I really like her work.  So if anyone is interested in a sneak preview of the new look for WyldAngelz Designs in 2012, here it is.  My soon-to-be logo.
Here is a sneak preview of my soon-to-be banner.
 I think she did a wonderful job.  If any of you other shops out there are looking for a designer and like what she did for me, check out her shop:  http://www.etsy.com/shop/AndreaLFittsDesigns?ref=pr_shop_more
She does great work!

I am looking forward to the adventures that 2012 has to bring.  Once I have had this time off and come back rejuvenated, I plan on making a comeback and working at the top of my game.  Making more friends on Etsy and being an active member in the teams, making awesome treasuries and using this blog more.  Hopefully I will be able to feature a new shop each week on here and maybe help new shops get off to a great start.  Happy 2012 everyone!