~TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER.~

NEW WEBSITE OFFERING

COMING SOON

Dear Peeps~

Gosh...where to begin to tell the story of where my creative self has been over the past year.  I feel like I've traveled over the river and through the woods at least a dozen times during the last eight months or so and to be honest with you I wasn't too sure just where my journey was going to lead....or end.

 

I am happy to share with you that somehow, through grace and faith, I chose a path that would lead me back to all the things I've ever loved and valued.  I'm thankful that path was one that would return me to the steps of my La Chaumiere de Briarwood and to the very place I call home.

When I first began selling my wares on eBay over eight years ago I truly had no plans of actually beginning a business.  After losing my job in management I was just hoping to pull in some extra cash until I could find new employment.  I never found that dream job, but some measurable success did come to me in the form of on-line selling.  And so... I found myself settling in for what would end up being an awesome ride.

Selling on eBay eventually led to opening up a LIMITED website for showcasing my wares.  It was built by my then 20 year old son, Brandon,  and even though it was great to have dedicated site, it was, by his admission, difficult for a novice like me to navigate.  The computer language was overwhelming and very difficult to understand.  After Brandon left for the Air Force I grew impatient and discouraged and returned to selling on eBay...  I was very disappointed.  Perceived failure can be a very disheartening thing...

The years continued to click by when last Spring, with a plan that was based more in my heart than in my head, I opted to restart that very same website.  Even though it had been only slightly modified I thought for sure I could manage it this time.  How very, very wrong I was. It took me an hour to upload one item and by the time I was finished unbelievable frustration had set in.  It would take me all day to add a half a dozen new products and by then the creative energy to make anything new had left me...

Now...I'm sure you are probably wondering why I just didn't hire someone to build me a website that was state-of-the-art, right?

The quick answer is "I wanted to!"  I even contacted a string of the better known web-designer related to the industry for price quotes and also made several telephone calls.  But, custom-made websites (not cookie cutter sites) are costly and I was reluctant to invest in a site that did not give me creative license to make even minor changes.  I truly believe that web-designers deserve every penny they charge, it's hard work and their talent amazes me...it's just for me I wanted more control over my own personal site. 

So...after reopening my original website last year, four months later I chose to shutter it again.  I returned to selling on eBay but nowhere near to the extent that I once had.  Truthfully I just lost my focus and my drive for a bit. I made a decision that I would not return to private online selling again until I had a dynamic site that would load from a data base.

Years later, armored with a wealth of hard-earned computer skills, Brandon built me new website with a wonderful admin page where I can create a listing in five minutes. The Site has been completely revamped and restyled with easy to read pages and lots and lots of up-close pictures. (Bran is now a full-time Programmer at a well known Oklahoma University and works on high tech things like the Space Station...Wow!  Is this Mom proud or what?).

As soon as I finish stocking the shelves of the site I will post again about it's reopening.  I'm not 100% sure of the date but I can tell you it will be in time to purchase pretties for Mother's Day.

Have you ever heard of a Grand Re-Opening RE-OPENING?

Argh...

About eBay...I'll still list on this amazing site from time to time.  EBay was wonderful to me and in spite of what I've felt were questionable changes over the years, I've loved it.  Other than really disliking the bidding thing, I have only good things to say about it.

About Etsy...I'm fairly new to this fabulous site  but I hope to offer more things in the near future.  I also plan on doing some advertising in my favorite magazines.

And  there you have it.  Thank you to those of you who have encouraged me with your gentle praise over the past few month and especially to my eBay supporters who have shown more patience with me than I could have ever possibly deserved.

More infor on a sweet give-a-way tomorrow....

Blessings...from an ever grateful,