A Serious Moment

If you're visiting this page because of a Facebook or Twitter announcement, welcome!  I hope you take the time to read my other posts while you're here :)

From June 1st-30th I'll be donating 50% of the profits from my Etsy shop to the Lupus foundation of America's Walk for Lupus.  Here's why:

A few years ago, my brother was diagnosed with Lupus.  I had no idea what the disease was when we found out - thanks to Aldous Huxley I thought it was something that made your lips blue (read "Brave New World" and you'll understand).  A quick web search proved me wrong, but I learned that the actual symptoms of Lupus are pretty varied and they "flare", meaning that a person with Lupus can be perfectly fine one day and suddenly be very ill the next.  Extreme fatigue is the most common symptom but the nature of the disease can cause more dangerous problems. 

Lupus is an auto-immune disease, which means that your body's natural immune defenses can't tell the difference between healthy tissue and foreign invaders.  The antibodies the immune system creates can cause fatigue, inflammation, and damage to the body's system.  The medical community currently doesn't know what causes lupus, although it seems to be a hereditary disease (it's more common in some ethnic groups, and your chances of having lupus are greater if your family has a history of other auto-immune disorders.)

That's where The Lupus Foundation of America comes in.  According to the LFA's website, this non-profit is the "only national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, one of the world’s cruelest, most unpredictable, and devastating diseases, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. Through a comprehensive program of research, education, and advocacy, we lead the fight to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus."  My brother is participating in their Walk to End Lupus Now event in August to raise money for Lupus research - his goal is $300 and he's about halfway to his goal right now.  I'm hoping that through my Etsy shop I can help him meet his goal!

It's estimated that 1.5 million people in America, and 5 million people worldwide have a form of lupus, and like all serious diseases it also affects the families of those afflicted.  It's pretty scary to hear your little brother is in the hospital because his pericardium (the membrane around your heart) is inflamed - that's not normal for a 25 year old.  If you make a purchase in my Etsy shop 50% of my profits will go towards his fundraising efforts.  If you want to donate directly you can do so at his Walk to End Lupus Now donation page here.  If you want to learn more about lupus the LFA website is a great tool.

One way or the other, I hope you'll consider helping this cause.  Right now lupus is a mystery disease, but with more research we can solve this mystery and make a difference in millions of lives - and one that's very important to me.

I made the front page of Etsy!

If you're a regular Etsy shopper, then you've probably noticed the really pretty treasuries that get featured on the front page.  Well guess what - one of my items was up there sometime yesterday!  You don't get an email or anything when it happens, I was just checking my shop traffic and saw that I got close to 100 views and 41 "likes" already today, which is totally not normal for me.  (But it would be awesome if it were!)  With a little bit of research I was able to find the treasury on craftcult.com.  Here it is, my first front page feature!

Big Plans...

So let me just start by saying the big news that has consumed my life for the past couple of months: I was accepted to Indie Wed! 

"Huh?" you say.

Trust me, this is huge.  I applied pretty much on a whim, spent a month waiting for the application deadline to pass, and then another 3 weeks biting my nails waiting to hear back.  And I DID it!  This is a pretty sizable wedding event in Chicago that puts me in front of brides that want a handmade and unique wedding experience.  My hope is that if all goes well, I can do a few of these events per year (there's 2 seasonal events in Chicago and one in Milwaukee) and really build up my custom bridesmaid orders.

Does this mean I'm going to stop doing costume design?  No, at least not yet.  I'm sure there will be some point when I have to make that decision, but for now I love the work I do and don't want to stop.  It does possibly mean that my business model will shift from the one-of-a-kind handbags I started with to one that focuses just on the wedding industry.  Which I'm really okay with, but I'm going to let that evolve at its own pace for now.

A conversation with a colleague yesterday led me to a great quote from Daniel Burnham (who is totally awesome and if you don't know who he is go to Wikipedia RIGHT NOW!)

Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work.

This is going on my list of favorite sayings right up there with "Fortune favors the brave", and it's so appropriate right now.  I'm going to carry this with me going forward - no little plans.  Think big.  I can do it.