At the centre of your being you have the answer, you know who you are and you know what you want ~ Lao Tzu

Friday, August 30

Focus on Life - Week 35

Several times throughout this year, Sally's prompts have been just perfect for the week's happenings...

... and this is one such week :)

The prompt was Growth and Change and boy, has a lot grown and changed in the past 7 days!

I have realized a dream, 6 years in the making,
and opened my very own Etsy shop, 
 
I joined Etsy in early 2007, and just loved it, and thought about opening a shop. Then, in May that year, the stroke happened and everything changed...

Throughout the past 6 years, day-to-day living has taken most of my energy, but slowly my stamina has increased, and this year, I really wanted to make the shop dream a reality.

Last week's long Bank Holiday weekend seemed the perfect time!

I started by taking a photo of vintage book pages, fabrics and lace, which I carefully arranged to create my shop banner - little realizing I literally needed just the tiniest sliver!
Anyway, following the helpful step-by-step instructions provided by Etsy, I used GIMP to create this
 And each day, I've been adding new items to it...
 ... starting with art books I made before the stroke.
 
Then, I added some recent paintings, I've done post-stroke with my left-hand (my right side is still paralyzed), so now, the shop has 10 items in it!!
(I found Picasa makes these cool collages automatically with pics in the same folder!)
 
 I fully expect (and hope!) this shop will grow and change as my skill-set (and stamina!) grows and changes.
I leave you with this quote (borrowed with permission from Anca's blog):
 
may my mind come alive today
to the invisible geography
that invites me to new frontiers,
to break the dead shell of yesterdays,
to risk being disturbed and changed.


John O’Donohue from 'A Morning Offering'
 
 
PS Sorry for length of post... but apparently it's my 250th!!
 
 
 
 

15 comments:

Mary K. McGraw said...

Congrats on your new Etsy store.I wish you the best of luck with it.

Beti Horvath said...

Wow, great stuff! If you can do it I can do it, I have four items sitting in a yet-to-be-opened shop for about a year!

Islandgirl said...

Congratualtions on opening your etsy shop! I hope you do well!

anca gray said...

growth and change indeed! i am thrilled about your shop opening and you realizing a dream so long in the making. enjoy every moment of this challenging and exciting journey!

Becky Pancake said...

That is awesome news Claire. Congratulations.

AntiquityTravelers said...

how amazing, and must feel so great! keep going!!

Unknown said...

Congrats on your new store. I wish you much success! YOU GO GIRL!

Adrienne said...

Congrats on your new shop, wishing many sales for you!

Alicia said...

Congratulations, Claire: on achieving one of your dreams, on opening an art store! wishing you success - you're amazing!

Unknown said...

Blessing to you on your new Etsy adventure, wishing you much success. Especially since you have been making such amazing recovery progress. It is a long road, one my husband endured many years ago, and my prayers are with you!

Alice said...

Congratulations on your 250th post and more importantly, opening your etsy shop!!! That's quite a change! I do love your banner.

I'm so glad you did not let this stoke dictate your life.

My wish for you is success with your new shop, and a successful recovery.

Empty nester at last said...

Great going! Opening a shop is so much fun. And I love your artwork. I am still trying to come up with a logo for myself....it seems like everything I think of has been already used. Keep up the great work and thanks for the post!

LoriF said...

Congratulations Claire! I hope your Etsy shop is so successful! You are just an inspiration, your strength and perseverance are amazing.

Ema Kilroy said...

Congratulations Claire! A well deserved dream coming true. I am very happy for you. May you continue to grow stronger and continue to add many new creations to your store.
~Ema

Shel said...

Such wonderful news - congratulations and may you continue to grow, change and thrive!!