inspiration wall and etsy beginnings

Yep, you read that right. I’m working on setting up an Etsy shop! And the more I get going, the more I realize… This is some serious business. I have a lot — and I mean, a LOT — to learn. More on that later.

But let me back up to the first part of that title, and forgive me a moment (or maybe a whole post) of sappiness: Brandon inspires me. This is a guy whose mind is rarely idle, and I admire it. He’s full of ideas and, more importantly, he acts on them.

And when he’s not working on secret projects, he’s busy drawing me pictures and making cards and hiding notes for me to find. I display these drawings, cards, and notes on magnetic strips on the wall directly across from my desk. And you know what? It’s impossible for me to sit at my desk and be grumpy. All I have to do is look up, and there are all these happy memories to make me smile. And when I’m smiling, creativity comes so much easier.

The most recent addition to my inspiration wall isn’t from Brandon, though— it’s from 11-year-old me. I grew up (ok, I still am) obsessed with kittens, mostly because I couldn’t have one. So crafty 11-year-old Sarah spent her time doing kitten paint-by-numbers, and 25-year-old Sarah found one of them recently when she was cleaning out her closet.

It’s funny how brains work in this way, but I’d totally forgotten about this little artwork, which was actually one of a pair. I’d been working on these when my grandparents were visiting, and being the perfectionist that I am, I was painstakingly going over every little detail, trying to get it just right. At some point, my grandpa came over and told me what I great job I was doing. My grandpa was something of a craft celebrity to me; he did a lot of woodworking stuff, and I loved it. Getting that compliment from him meant a lot, and I ended up giving him the second painting.

As I sat on my closet floor looking at this hilarious paint-by-number (could someone please explain that yellow background?) and noticing all the glaring mistakes I’d made, I remembered the intense surge of pride I had as a kid giving my grandpa that painting. He was so happy with it, and that was something I hadn’t expected because I knew it wasn’t perfect.

I decided to hang my paint-by-number on my inspiration wall as a little reminder: no matter how meticulous my efforts, it’s not going to be perfect — and that’s the beauty of handmade. What really matters is taking pride in what you do and the effort you put in it. And if I can translate that to my upcoming Etsy shop, I’ll be off to a good start.