Update and Possible Goodbye

Well all I hate to say it but I am seriously considering closing down my etsy shop. I'm just not getting anywhere. The only time I have sales are the buy and replaces and while I love those, I'm not making any money. I am thinking of just leaving ads for my stuff on my blogs and such and just let people purchase through paypal if they see something they want. I might set up a one page website (get if for free with Verizon) and let people see my stuff then contact me if they want to buy something. It really depresses me but I feel like I am going backwards. I've spent more than triple the amount of money on products than what I've sold and no matter what I do I just can't seem to get the exposure to get regular sales, and not even just alot of sales, in the last several months all my sales have been buy and replace except one from a friend online. I just feel like I'm sinking cause I am even joining all these street groups and trying to promote anyway I can and nothing seems to be working. I fear this just may not be for me, no matter how much I love it. I'm not going to stop crafting but make it more a hobby. I am neglecting my family and duties around the house and staying up all hours of the night trying to create that "perfect" item that will "put my shop on the map" and it's been over a year and it's just not working. I'm putting us in the (or rather HAVE put us in the hole) by trying to keep this up. And right now our lives are so crazy that I just can't keep continuing on like this. I need to simplify my life some. De-stress myself. Even my doctor said so, he said I am (and my husband has been telling me the same thing for months) taking on just more than I can handle and I need to take a step back. And I get so upset, I feel like such a failure that this just isn't working. But I will continue to make things and at least give as presents and gifts, maybe, hopefully, one day do a local craft fair. I just don't feel as if the online shop is going to work for me. But as I said, I'll do something so people can still get in touch with me, if they want. Not to mention I will keep my blog here, this isn't going anywhere. I'm not sure how many if any people read this but its a good outlet for me. So probably in the next couple of days I'm going to clearance out my etsy store and close it. So keep checking back, I will try to do it tomorrow but things have been so insane.

BUT...on the EXTREME plus side of life and all that's been going on, we have been OFFICIALLY APPROVED to adopt our foster daughter!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They say it will probably be sometime in March to get all the paperwork finalized and filed but we couldn't be happier!! That has come as such a great relief to all of us, we are going to throw a HUGE party in celebration of it as well. And my daughter can't wait to change her name, and she may only be 6yrs old but she is dead set she is changing her first, middle and last name. I was told its actually fairly common among foster children, it's a fresh start for them. Plus her name is a "family" name that's been handed down and she just flat out does not want it. So we've been working on a list of names...we actually had a flat out, tantrum throwing fit that I vetoed the name Barbie....LOL. I just told her to trust me, in a few years, she'll thank me for that one! So praise God this is almost done and we can relax a bit now that we've been officially approved and just have to do the paperwork now.

Well as you can see I've wrote a book tonight, so I will post tomorrow or the next day about the closing of my etsy and how to reach me if you still want to buy. Besides, my daughter loves doing arts and crafts with me too so I could never stop actually creating, just having to find a different way I suppose. Well goodnight for now.

www.debtybeautifulbeads.etsy.com