Making something that appears to be progress

After humming and hawing for weeks, if not months, about what I'm going to bring in the income I need to help keep a roof over our heads, I think I've finally nailed down what I can (and can't do).

Stationery. I've mentioned that before, but this time, it's definite. There's even a printer on the way to make this happen. I wanted to be able to do some Christmas gift tags to sell in my soon-to-exist Etsy store, but there's no time this year. By the time I got the printer, did some test runs, set up the store, and started promoting my stuff, it'd be December 1. Pretty unlikely that people would be getting their purchases in good time for putting on Christmas gifts. So I'm putting the 20 or so tags that I've already done on the backburner until next year.

For the time being - probably until the end of December - I'm going to work on bookplates, notecards, stickers and some photos (some, definitely not all). In the new year, I want to start spreading the word locally that I can - and do - design wedding packages (but not arrange for printing. My main selling point is I'm not choice #3 at the local mega print shop. You want a grinning tiger on the invites? I can sure as hell try to find one.) for a decent price. Will I be successful? Maybe, maybe not, but I won't know until I try.

I also plan on making baby slippers/houseshoes. I wanted to get my daughter a pair of slippers for the winter to wear around the house and could not find a pair for less than $35 or, if they were decently priced, in her size. So I found a pattern, was given some material by my mom and made a pair. And then another and another and another. The final pair are the test pair for my design - a modified version of the first pair I made. Again, will it be successful? Who knows?

Baking. People love the fudge I make. It's a 'lite' version of traditional fudge. Really, it's more like chocolate brittle, but people love it. Every time I make a batch and drop it off at the restaurant I used to work at, I get told it's a guaranteed gold mine if I ever decided to sell it. I haven't really tried to, but it's one of those things that I'm convinced people will hate and decide that they can do it better... typical undermining of myself and abilities.

There's other stuff I want to do, too, like get into jewelry making and other sewing projects, like aprons and shopping bags. It's weird, this sudden drive I have to do crafts and handiwork. Until I had my daughter, I never really considered myself a 'handy' person, more of a technical/mental person, really. But I've proven to myself, nevermind other people, that I can do it and do it well. That surprises me the most.

The underlying fear that I've mentioned before when it comes to what other people think is starting to subside (or it's burying itself deeper, not sure which). I think it's time to take the plunge and not worry about everyone else and just concern myself with me and my family. If I enjoy what I do and can still make ends meet, then all is good. Hopefully. Maybe.