A Non-Cheesy Cottage Industry?

I thought about it a lot, actually. Because I've been able to contain my sadness here, and by "here," I mean The Interwebs, it seems I've kinda gotten away with it. And by that, I mean, no one who lives under the same roof with me, other than Charlie, has been aware. After all, they have their own lives. I should say that perhaps Ellie is aware as well, because I haven't been very good about taking her on her walks the past week or so. That being said, I have managed to find those invisible bootstraps, and as my very wise daughter has said; "Always, always, get back on the horse. Unless the horse is heroin." So, I'm gonna saddle up.

I have had some ideas bubbling up in that gelatinous mass of brain matter between my ears. Way back when, when I was a haggard and harried housebound mommy, I thought having a, as it was called back then, cottage industry, was the way to help bring in some income. When I think back on that time, I wonder how the heck I did it. Three kids aged 1, 3, and 5, and I'm going to figure out a way to make money at home? Laughable. Right? Maybe not.

I'm not artistic, but I did have a little flair for embellishing stick figures. Following an idea I got in the form of a gift from a friend, I decided; "Hey, I can do that! And I bet I can do it a little better!" So, what started as me trying to save money on Christmas gift-giving, and teacher gifts, turned into parents from my kids school calling me and asking me to make them what I had made for their teachers. That snowballed into something that literally helped keep us afloat during some pretty tight times. The problem is, after doing nearly 200 of these things, I got burned out. I also had three little ones to take care of. After that particular holiday season, I called it quits.

I know I'm being vague, but the thing is; with this Pinterest thing going so viral, I'm afraid right now to share what this thing is. I have done a bit of research, and I have discovered that the ones that are being sold online are not NEARLY as cute as mine. Now, 20 years later, and without having luck finding a job, I think I'm going to go for it again. The kids are grown, I have time on my hands. Why not?

I mentioned it to Charlie and he very excitedly told me to go for it. We worked out a little budget last week and I was able to order supplies for a minimal amount. In fact, with my coupon clipping and savings of over $140.00 on our grocery bill, I was able to put that savings toward my supplies. This weekend, I pulled out the artbox and brushed away the cobwebs. I made a sample. Yep, after 20 years, I still got it.

We have a little store around the corner from us that carries homemade items from many artists for sale. It's kinda like an Etsy mini mall. I've contacted the owner and she's interested in seeing my items. So, my goal is to create some inventory and bring them to her. From there, people can call me to have their items given the personal touch.

For the first time in a long time, I'm hopeful. Perhaps this cottage industry thing is not so cheesy after all.