You may recall that on December 31, 2013 I wrote a
post about blog header and other changes in 2014.
Changing the look of my blog is perhaps the most noticeable change but a very small one in comparison to other changes I will be making. Changes that have been taking shape since last fall.
As much as I love creating so many different handcrafted items, this year I will probably not create as much. Why? Time.
The biggest changes to come are as follows:
I plan to work part of the week as a
Substitute Teacher
Earlier today it became official. It took several months to get my 3 year Substitute Teacher License from the Colorado Department of Education. Then a few more months to have all the paperwork processed by Jeffco Schools. I hope to narrow it down to my son's elementary school in the next few days. As of today, I am now on the system as a Substitute Teacher.
This will be a new experience for me. One I am a bit anxious about since it's outside my comfort zone but it's the only way for me work outside of the home and have minimal impact on my kids. I enjoyed working as a Substitute Para because I was a teacher's aid ... in other words, I was not in charge of the classroom. As a Substitute Teacher, well, you get the picture.
Creating is an integral part of me.
If I don't create
I get crabby!
Sometimes, my family will just tell me
"Go create something, please"
I plan to continue creating.
Just not as much...
I plan to continue participating in markets like A Paris Street Market and Sugar Plum Bazaar
I have even applied for the first time to another great show in June.
One significant change
It will be the last time you will find Isa Creations in the upstairs bedroom
It is sad but also necessary.
They are great ladies who love what they do....like me.
The reality is most months my sales barely covered my monthly rent, more recently consistently falling short.
During November and December my sales were record-breaking for me at Sugar Plum and Rue De Noel, A Paris Street Christmas Market. Through my friendship with Amy, owner of
Pink Attic Cat, I started helping out at the shop during several special store events. That led to Amy inviting me to bring a sprinkling of my seasonal inventory at the
Pink Attic Cat during those special events in October, November and December. With a sprinkling of inventory my sales at
Pink Attic Cat far exceeded those at the
Checkered Corner. They are only a few blocks from each other; however, they are different type of shops.
As much as I loved being a part of the
Checkered Corner family, the accountant in me
(yes, it is still there...buried deep inside but still there)
had to accept that the
Checkered Corner was not the right place for Isa Creations.
My customers are finding me at A Paris Street Market, at Sugar Plum Bazaar,
After the February sale dates at the
Checkered Corner, I will be packing up my inventory and it will be ready in May when A Paris Street Market starts up again. That is of course, that I continue to be accepted as a vendor by A Paris Street Market and Sugar Plum Bazaars in 2014.
On the bright side, I will pay more attention to my
Etsy shop,
I have neglected it. As I create new items, I will work hard to have a sampling of new items added to my
Etsy shop.
You will also find a sampling or a sprinkling of some of my handcrafted items at the
Pink Attic Cat. You will also find me at the
Pink Attic Shop on Tuesdays from 10:00 - 2:15. Above all, I value Amy's friendship and this is just two friends helping each other out. I can help her by giving her the option to work on other things for the shop while I handle her sales register and post pictures on
Facebook. She helps me by having a sampling of my inventory at her store. There is also an exchange of creative ideas, which I love!
This post is much more detailed than I planned on but I also feel it's important to share the big changes in my creative endeavors.
So to recap, this year I will re-join the workforce (part-time) = Substitute Teach no more than a few days a week.
Isa Creations concentrate more on shows this year
