Happy Birthday to Pinky!

Can you believe that PinkyCrafts has been up and running for nearly a year?  Maybe you can, but I certainly can't.  I look back at my early photos, at my early listings....man, a year really can make a difference!!

I do plan on getting sappy and reviewing the previous amazing 365 days in the world of Pinky, but for now, I just want to focus on the important part: the celebration! 

Although the official anniversary is March 29th, I'm offering FREE SHIPPING from now until March 30th.  Just enter code PINKYONE at www.pinkycrafts.etsy.com (US and Canada only, please!).  I've helped you all celebrate for the past year, and now its time for us all to celebrate!

Renewing Success! Preliminary Results......

Its been three weeks since I implemented the strategies outlined in nerd Jerk's article about being smart when planning your Etsy item renewals.  Even though its still early in my experiment, I was eager to see if it was working so far.

I ran the numbers comparing the three weeks of my experiment (January 19 - Feb 10 ) to the previous three weeks (December 28 - Jan 18), and was surprised to see that it *IS* working, even after just three weeks!  While a lot of my Etsy friends are reporting a dip in visits and sales, I'm experiencing an increase in both.

Here's what I did:
-Determined my highest traffic hours of the day using Google Analytics
-Used http://www.statsy.org/ to set at least two items to automatically renew each day during my peak traffic hours
-Edited most of my listings to cross promote my items by including a link in the beginning of each listing to a similar shop section or matching/coordinating items

Here's how it went:
-My unique visitors have increased by 11%
-My page views have increased by 14%
-I saw a 38% increase in the number of first-time shop visitors

Here's how that translated into sales:
-My number of sales increased 200%

-My revenue increased by 65%

WOWZA!!!  Yes, it is still early, but I'm thrilled to be seeing these statistics thus far in my process.  I'll definitely keep analyzing.  I also learned something about my peak times, which happen to be around noon and then again at 7pm.  I saw better results when I only renewed items during the noon hour, as opposed to splitting them between noon and 7pm.  I now only set my items to renew during the earliest peak hour of the day.  However, when I renew items very early in the day (at say 8am instead of waiting until my peak time of noon), I had lower shop/item views.  In summary: renewing early in the day doesn't necessarily bring more visitors for me, but renewing at my first peak hour of the day does bring in more visitors, even if that happens mid-day. 

Has anybody else been trying this experiment?  How has it been going?  If you haven't done it yet, are you planning on it? 

Caution: Serious Sweet-Tooth Action!



This shop is one of my current Etsy obsessions - because I am addicted to sugar!  Tookies is one of my TreasureMe Team teammates, and there isn't anything in that shop that I wouldn't eat.  Check out a few of my favorites - and maybe find some new favories of your own!  YUM!!  If I ordered anything, I know it would be gone by the end of the day, but I just might have to order anyway! 



Sweet Snickerdoodles, 1 dozen, $16



Heart Shaped Brownie CookieWitches, 1/2 dozen, $15



Smores Ganache CookieWitches, 1 dozen, $25





Chocolate Lovers Sampler Pack, $40



More Adventures in Business Owning

I would have assumed that this holiday season would be less stressful for me than years past.  After all, I only work outside the home at a part-time job (as opposed to full-time), and I'm back living in my home state.  Unfortunately, I am MORE stressed this year than in years past - which is how I managed to go three weeks between blog posts.  Between shopping, working, improving the shop, getting ready to wholesale, craft shows, and prepping for the arrival of my in-laws - I'm surprised I've found free time at all!  Are the rest of you feeling like you're pulled in too many directions this holiday season?  *takes deep breath*

I did want to report back on my 2nd craft show from last weekend.  I took everything I learned at the first show into consideration, and made several changes to my display's appearance.  I think it actually went quite well, and I've got a few new tweaks planned for next time.

My main goal was to get shoppers to realize that PinkyCrafts is more than scrapbooking. 



Loving the new banner!

First, I changed my banner (thanks to Vistaprint's wonderful email deals) to say "Party Accessories & Scrapbooking", as opposed to "Scrapbooking & Party Supplies", and added my tagline.  I love how it turned out!  I wasn't able to put my banner on the wall behind my booth, where it would get seen the most, but I think it still made an impact on shoppers. 

I also learned something that may have been obvious to others: always bring table cloths!  My first show provided them, and I didn't even think about bringing my own to this one until the last minute.  I grabbed what I could find, but I would have liked to use something prettier!

I think it turned out perfect.

Second, I revamped my drink glass tag display.  I added rustic-looking crates to the middle of the display to hold each glass, attached only one style tag to each glass (to avoid confusion - although it still existed, more later)!, and added tinsel and a battery-powered votive candle to draw the eye to the display.  I also made new signs for each item - and I made the sign for the drink glass tags the largest one.  I hoped this would make it very easy for folks to tell what I was selling.


My mom - the best booth helper ever!

 I also worked to organize my display into three separate sections, with the scrapbook section first, followed by the party accessories and drink tags, and finishing up with the framed pages section.  Shoppers will naturally glance at a table from right to left, so I wanted to give their eyes something non-scrapbooking to see right after they noticed the scrapbooks, so they realized I was more than just that before they walked away.

So with all the changes, what was the verdict?  It worked.  I didn't hear one shopper say "Oh scrapbooking.....I have all the stuff to do that" and walk away like the first show.  People actually stopped and looked. The drink glass tags display was very eye-catching, and several folks commented on how beautiful they thought it was.  I didn't do too badly in sales, but I could have done better.  I took a custom order and seriously discussed some large scrapbook orders with a few others. 



Creative business card display!

 Its worth noting that (come to find out), the local newspaper had printed the wrong times for the second day of the show.  It printed that the show ran 5:00-8:30pm on Friday and Saturday; the show actually ran from 5:00-8:30 on Friday and 9:00-4:00 on Saturday. Traffic was slow on Saturday, but the signs out front still drew some folks in, and the school's parents already knew the real hours. I had several folks tell me they stopped by Saturday evening, only to find the show closed.  BUMMER!  This makes it hard to judge my true success, but I still felt I did well.

Now that I fixed my first problem of showing shoppers that I was more than just scrapbooks, I came up with some new tweaks to try next time to solve a new problem - folks were still a little confused with my drink glass tags.  I had some customers ask if I was selling the wine glasses (despite the "Drink Glass Tags" sign right in front of them).  Others were confused because the tag packs weren't on the table - as they would have really cluttered it - and they didn't understand that the samples indicated which styles they could purchase in larger sets (again, despite the sign in front of them!).  On the second day, my mom suggested that I put some of the packs on the table, so it was clear what would actually be purchased.  I think this helped, as folks would rather be presented with the facts, rather than read them on the sign I posted.  Next time, I'm going to use large binder clips, and clip the tag packs down the side of the crate display.  This way folks can see what they're purchasing, and hopefully it will make more sense. 

All in all, it was another success.  I'm moving towards Crafter Utopia, and I'm hoping these latest tweaks will help get me there! 

Here's wishing everybody a very happy holiday season - may you take the time to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year with friends and family.  See you all in 2011! 

Hoppy Holidays from Pancakes the Bunny!

Pssssst.......juicy sales gossip! Pass it on!



Black Friday Sale!  All in-stock drink tags will be $5!

Although it may look like there has been little activity over at PinkyCrafts (as evidenced by my lack of posting!), that is definitely not the case. I've been working on a little surprise for my customers: a Black Friday sale!  I'll be taking part in this fun holiday tradition, along with several other members of the Etsy community, including my friends on the DTeam.

Ok, technically, it's a 5 day sale - but that's just even better news for you. It begins Thanksgiving Day, and runs until the end of Cyber Monday.  I'll be releasing tiny bits of information about the sale up until Thanksgiving, and maybe even posting extra special VIP coupons throughout the sale.  The only way you'll find out the details of this fabulous sale is to stay tuned to this blog or my Facebook fan site (http://www.facebook.com/pinkycrafts).

Now, without further ado, here is the first announcement about the sale:

*************All in-stock drink glass tags and wine glass charms will be $5*****************

Like all juicy news - make sure to pass this information on!  More details tomorrow!

Giveaway Alert: If its free, its for me!

One of my many Halloween page creations!

Before I get to business, I have something very important to announce.  I think the Swiffer 360 Duster is amazing.  There, I said it.  I've never felt the need to spend money on those cleaning products that I thought were just invented to make money for cleaning product companies, but this is one that is *completely* worth it!  It doesn't just move the dust around, it really gives you instant gratification - a clean surface with little effort.  I'm in love.

Ok, now its down to business!  I wanted to let everybody know about this fantastic giveaway that I'm participating in over at Domesticated Delight.  I'm giving away a custom designed Halloween scrapbook page to one lucky winner - it could be YOU!  Before you dismiss this giveaway, consider this: scrapbook pages aren't just for scrapbookers.  You can pick up a very inexpensive scrapbook page frame at your local craft store, and you'll have instant personalized art.  Do you have family members who can't make it to see your little ones trick-or-treat this year?  Stick your snapshots onto the custom page for them, and it will be their favorite gift this year. 

Its very easy and there are several easy ways to gain entries, so click here to head on over to check out the feature that Johnna, the delight behind Domesticated Delight, wrote about me and the shop.  While you're there, check out her other postings - she's got fantastic recipes and info.  I heart her blog! 

I'm afraid I can't write anything further - I'm too blissed out in my clean house (thanks to my duster magic)  with my pumpkin spice candles and "Gilmore Girls" on TV :)   Have a fantastic Sunday!

Support Courage for Kristi!

The 2010 Kristi Earrings by JulieEllynDesigns

I've donated an item to a wonderful new collective shop!  The idea for CourageforKristi started last year by my DTeam teammate Julie of JulieEllynDesigns.  Kristi Lowry Kim was a very dear friend of Julie's husband. Kristi was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, and lost her battle just months after receiving the devastating diagnosis.  To honor Kristi, and to support her three young daughters, Julie's husband set up college savings accounts for them. Julie created and sold the stunning Kristi Earrings in her Etsy shop, with all proceeds going into the college funds for Julie's girls.  They were able to raise a whopping $1400 last year! 

This year, our Etsy team was so touched by Kristi's story that we suggested Julie open an entire shop dedicated to raising money for Kristi's girls.  CourageforKristi was born, and has already sold several items!  Each item in the shop has been donated by another DTeam member.  I donated a set of my special edition Breast Cancer Awareness Cupcake Toppers to the amazing selection of items.

Please take a moment and visit the shop, and help us spread the word about this wonderful fundraiser!  Click any of the links in this post, or go directly to http://www.courageforkristi.etsy.com/!

Breast Cancer Awareness Cupcake Toppers by PinkyCrafts

Color My World

Salmon Pink & Amaranth Pink

Have you ever wondered exactly what color red your shirt is?  Thought about how many different shades of pink there are?  If you have, you'll love to take a peek at this website I discovered today, where you can look at every shade of color.  I came across it while trying to find a resource to help tag the items in my shop by color, other than using boring old "red" "orange" and "brown".  I can now say my items are very colorfully tagged!

Hot Thursday News!

Hot news for sellers and non-sellers: 
DoBatsEatCats is having a major Etsy-versary sale!  Besides being a very supportive Etsy teammate of mine, she designs a variety of gothic, victorian and chainmaille pieces. Visit her shop and use coupon code "anniversary" to receive 20% off!  Here are a few of my favorite items from her shop:

Silver Filigree Flower Earrings OOAK

Gothic Chainmaille Necklace

Upcycled OOAK Vintage Chandelier Necklace

Hot news for sellers:

Another one of my favorite Etsians, Steph from nerdJerk, posted this fantastic article about turning your views into sales.  It's become a hot topic on the Etsy forums; head on over to read and leave your thoughts!  I can't resist showing one of Steph's latest creations, which I absolutely love:

The Classic: Red and White Mix Tape Journal

Have a great Thursday! :)

PinkyCrafts Hits the Road!

Low tide at Haystack Rock in Cannon Beach!

Oh how I love having days off with my husband!  While at our old jobs in Arizona, we never had the chance to get out of town for the day, or even spend an entire day together, because we worked completely opposite schedules.  Well, no more!  Today we headed out of the Portland heat wave for a day at Cannon Beach, an adorable little town on the Oregon Coast that's only about an hour away. (Side note: I don't think I'll ever live anywhere that is more than 2 hours from the beach ever again!). 

I decided to break out my new PinkyCrafts Tshirt that I ordered from VistaPrint to wear for the day.  I only paid shipping for it, which totaled a little over $3 - an excellent deal for advertisement! I have my website printed on the front and the back, and its super cute.  As we walked down the main street in town looking for a good salt water taffy store, I noticed quite a few folks reading my shirt.  I also took a very long walk down the beach, showcasing my shirt, while my husband passed out in a sugar coma on our picnic blanket. Whether anybody will actually go to my website remains to be seen, but I feel so positive when I'm able to combine advertisement with a non-business activity!

Striking a Top Model pose in the sand with my PinkyCrafts shirt!

If you haven't signed up for VistaPrint's emails, I highly recommend you do, even if you aren't in business.  They send insane deals for free Tshirts, mugs, business cards, return address labels, banners, fliers -  I've already cashed in my fair share of killer steals. Just beware - they send emails almost every single day. I'm even signed up with two different email addresses, and sometimes I get different deals sent to each one.  My Tshirt is pretty comfy, and the quality is excellent.  One of my good friends has already asked me to order her one, and I know my mom is itching to steal mine at the first chance she gets!  I'll have to order one for her too, and spread the PinkyCrafts love around the country.

The husband and I in front of Haystack Rock (post sugar-coma!)

New, New, New!

Junior Scrapbook Album for Baby

I've just added a new line of "Junior" scrapbook albums to the shop as an affordable alternative to full-length albums.  Its important to me to have products available at different price points, because everybody deserves to celebrate life regardless of their financial situation, and traditional scrapbooks aren't exactly affordable.  I do make paper scrapbook albums, which are much more affordable, but they're also not true scrapbooks.  The Junior Scrapbook is the answer - an actual scrapbook album containing 10 fully embellished pages! With half the pages of a traditional scrapbook, they also cost half as much. Most of the cost of a handmade scrapbook album comes from the time it takes to create one. I wish I could offer albums at an even lower cost, but then I'd have to compromise quality, and I just can't do that! I'm really excited to bring this new product to my customers in time for the holidays, as they'd make great gifts for aunts, uncles or Grandparents. 

As of this writing, I've only listed the premade album pictured above, but I'm working on more. I can also create a custom Junior Scrapbook album for any celebration or event!  I hope this affordable alternative means more people can bring the joy of scrapbooking into their lives (wow, that was cheesy!).

Fab Fall Finds

I'm absolutely thrilled that August is almost here, not because I particularly like August, but it means that fall is that much closer.  I've always loved fall, but I think my six years in the constant Southern Arizona heat made my love for fall grow even more.  There's something so magical about the leaves changing, about pulling out those scarves and sweaters, about spending the day curled up in bed with a good book.  Going to the pumpkin patch is a seasonal must for me, even though I don't have any children yet! My favorite scent in the entire world is pumpkin pie. This will be my first real fall since I moved back to Oregon, and I cannot wait!

To pass the time until fall is here, I've made a collection of a few of my favorite handmade fall items found on Etsy. Enjoy!

Flower Fingerless Mittens in Red by shmugusta, $22

Halloween Pumpkins Onesie Dress by megmcd423, $18

Sleepy Hollow Original Bookmarks, Set of 2 by palimpsestic, $20

Pumpkin Spice Latte Candle by blisscandles, $17.95

Indian Summer Malabrigo Scarf by davidsknits, $45

New Etsy Talent: twistedplanet

In my world, its never too early to find the perfect gifts.  If I run across something my friends or family will love, even in February, I'll pick it up for Christmas or save it for an upcoming birthday. In fact, my mom just called me last week to report she found *the* perfect gift for my husband (and it is pretty darn awesome, I can't wait for him to open it!).

I found a great shop today that should be on everybody's list to check out for holiday gifts: twistedplanet.  The shop is relatively new and undiscovered, and is a great place to shop for that person who has everything!  The shop is the joint project of a husband-wife duo; he makes clocks and t-shirts, while she specializes in crochet and jewelery.  They've started to focus the shop on sustainable and eco-friendly products, and they love custom orders!  You can check out their shop or become a fan on Facebook, where they post all their promotions.

Here are a few of my favorite items:

Shooting Star Earrings, $10

Chutes and Ladders Board Game Clock, $25

Limited Edition Zombies Love Me T-Shirt, $15

YKK Zipper Pull Earring, $6

They also have a paper bead shop! Green/Brown/Blue Magazine Paper Beads, Limited Edition, $3

Sneak Peek at the New Banner!

Boy am I glad I asked for some help in choosing a new banner!  Some of you had ideas I'd never considered, like choosing a light background for my banner as opposed to black.  It makes complete sense!  My shop isn't dark, although pink and black is my favorite color combination.  I took all the feedback into consideration, and developed a new banner that I love.  I hope you will too!

It will become the permanent PinkyCrafts shop banner tomorrow, but you guys get a sneak peek (click to enlarge):

Help Me Remodel!

After the famous Christmas in July sale is over on Sunday, I plan to give the shop a little face lift. Back when the shop started, I was using a pink flower as my brand logo. I realized the pink flower didn't give buyers any idea of what my shop was about (other than pink!), so I started using the cupcake as my brand. I had an epiphany the other day: perhaps buyers believe I only create cupcake crafts, when this isn't the case. Thus, a second re-branding was born.

I've already decided to use a shot from The Lovebirds Scrapbook Page, as that seems to be a customer favorite, is adorable, and doesn't pigeon-hole me into a specific product category. I've already started using the image in my Christmas in July banner/icon and have changed my Facebook/Twitter icons to match, but now its time to choose a permanent replacement. I have my icon/avatar selected (pictured above) and I need your help deciding which coordinating banner to go with.

I have three designed: the first and second are much like my current banner (and I can't decide if I like the image right or left aligned!). The third is a totally different style. It uses the owl image as the background, but its much more subtle.  Click on each to see them bigger:

Which banner coordinates best with my new brand icon? Click "Comments" below to leave your favorite selection!

Featured Artist Giveaway!

I am blessed to be the Saturday Artisan featured at Adore By Nat! This is my first major feature, and I'm so excited to be among such great artists that have been featured already.

Tomorrow, there will be a giveaway for a $15 gift certificate to my shop that will be good for any in-stock item OR good towards any custom order. There are a million ways to enter, but you have to go to the Adore by Nat blog to do so.

Head on over to read my interview, and go back tomorrow to enter the giveaway!

Its Christmas in July at Etsy!

While most of us are still basking in the glow of the summer sun, Etsy sellers around the world are hoping that you come inside for a bit and visit our Christmas in July sale!

Every seller is offering their own unique promotion. I'm offering free worldwide shipping on every order, plus 20% off when you spend $100 or more. I've added several new items already, and will be listing something new every day this week. The official sale dates are July 15 through July 25. Search Etsy for "christmasinjuly" or "cij" to see all the great items being offered at great promotional prices! Click here to go to my shop!

Here are some of my lovely D-Team buddies that are offering Christmas in July deals - click their names to visit their sites! I'll keep updating as I discover more:

DoBatsEatCats: Handmade Gothic, Victorian, and Chainmaille Jewelry

SweetPeaBoutique: Felt Play Food and Creative Fun

Melindotty: All things handmade and indie

DeborahJulian: Cat Note Cards, Fine Art Photos, and Giclee Prints

SassyBelleWares: handmade fashion jewelry and gifts with a touch of sass

FantasyBijoux: One of a Kind and Limited Series Eclectic Jewelry

LeslieGallery: Handmade Photo Boxes

UrbanHandiwork: Style and Functionality for the City

NerdJerk: Inspiring Smiles One Geek At A Time

The Importance of Taking Time for YOU!

(Author's note: this post was featured at Handmade Spark on July 22, 2010!)

During my previous life in corporate America, I was famous for preaching the importance of self-care. While it seems pretty obvious, you'd be surprised at how many folks don't take any time to care for themselves. The problem is especially common with women, who tend to put the needs of husbands, children, friends and even pets before the needs of themselves. I was determined to change this trend in my agency; I became certified to train our staff on self-care and tried to set a good example for my staff and collegues.

Now that I'm working for myself, I realize that it's just as important to practice good self-care now, even though I'm my own boss. I didn't always recognize this need - I'm working at home doing something that I love. Aren't I taking care of myself simply because I left the traditional stress of the workplace behind me? No - it isn't enough!

If self-care is a term that you're not familiar with, don't worry. Most employers don't mention it, and most employees don't consciously practice it. Self-care is any act that one does to care for themselves: exercising, eating well, meditating, getting massages, connecting with friends/colleagues to talk through stressful situations, using sick time when you need it, taking work-free vacations; there are far too many self-care techniques to list! Those who practice regular self-care generally feel less stressed, are more productive, and have an easier time seperating their work life from their home life.

A couple weeks ago, I noticed that my excitement over my shop and over my work was definitely waning. I wasn't motivated to create any new items. I wasn't motivated to contribute to my Etsy team. I was feeling very depressed and frustrated that my sales had slowed down (which is normal, given that we're in the slow season!). I actually considered walking away, but only for a second. I wondered how I could possibly get back to where I was a couple of months ago, when I was excited and motivated about running my own business.

My answer came in the form of my best friend, Toni, who lives in Hawaii. A mutual friend of ours was getting married, and she was coming into town early to spend time with me and the rest of our college buddies. I decided to take "off" the week of her visit, and go on a vacation of my own. I didn't plan to create any items, and I didn't "work". I checked in with my shop only to answer convos and ship an item that was sold. I spent ten days with her, keeping no regular routine, and spending almost all our time out of the house. After a whirlwind trip, Toni left yesterday, and I felt instantly revived! I couldn't wait to get back to my shop. By the end of last night, I had created four new scrapbook pages, designed a new avatar and banner for my Christmas in July sale, and had gotten in a rare mid-day nap.

I realized this morning that self-care for the at-home business owner is just as important as it is for those that work outside the home. Even though I'm not earning vacation time anymore, I still need time away from my "work". I need to recharge my batteries in order to stay excited and motivated. Its often difficult for those working at home to do this and create a separate time/mental space for ourselves as humans away from the time/mental space we use to be employees and business owners, as the physical space is usually the same: home. I didn't need to leave my home during Toni's visit, I simply changed my routine and daily activities. I relaxed mentally.

I learned as a supervisor that a happy employee is a productive one. Even though I don't leave my home to go to work, I'm still an employee, and I still need to take care of myself by taking time away from my business. Whether you work outside the home, work from home, or do a combination of both, don't forget to regularly take time for the most important employee in your life: you.

Business Tips

I read an article today from At A Glance Graphics, and wanted to pass it on. It talks about some of the realities of running an online business, such as learning not to depend on the internet to automatically provide sales and learning to create products that sell instead of creating products that you're in love with.

Check it out and let me know what you think! Do you have any additional tips you feel are important?

Click here for the article!

To Mishelle, With Regrets

Many Etsians and non-Etsians alike are fans of the hugely popular Regretsy web site. The website’s creator, April Winchell, has just published a book titled “Regretsy: Where DIY Meets WTF”. The title of the book gives context to both the website and the book – both hilarious. April recently made a visit to Powell’s City of Books in my hometown of Portland, Oregon. I attended her book signing with a long-time friend and fellow Etsian, Christy (Hippie Chick Boutique). Up until that day, I hadn't seen Christy in ten years. It was Christy who really introduced me to Etsy, and she brought me into her amazing Etsy team. As we stood there in line, waiting for our chance to meet April, I couldn’t help but smile at how the two of us came to stand there together…….

I don’t remember how I met Christy, but the year was 1994 and I was in seventh grade. Christy was in eigth grade, so she was instantly cool to me. Her house sat just off the grounds of our middle school, so I'd often walk home with her and hang out at her house to watch "Beavis and Butthead" and listen to music. Christy and I were both fans of the band Green Day, and at one point even called each other by the names of the band members (she was Mike, I was Tre). Even when Christy graduated from our middle school and started attendng the high school a year before I did, we stuck together.

We remained best friends up through mid-high school. It felt like Christy lived at my house. Before either of us drove, my mom would take us to school and we'd walk home together. I remember playing the "penis game" during these long walks home - the game where you take turns yelling "penis" back and forth to see who was gutsy enough to yell it the loudest. According to her, I always won. When I wanted to take skiing lessons, my mom took both Christy and I up to the mountain. When I wanted to sneak out of the house on my 16th birthday to drink beers with boys, it was Christy who came along (although my parents only punished me when I got caught).

Sometime late in my sophomore year, our friendship began to fall apart. I can't put my finger on one specific incident that broke us apart, but we began to make friends in very different social groups and naturally went seperate ways. By the time I was a junior, we weren't speaking. There was one instance that year where we TP'd each other's houses with our respective group of friends out of anger, but it was all silly kid stuff. One summer afternoon following my junior year, the day before Christy turned 18, she knocked on my door. I hadn't spoken to her in that entire school year. She told me that she was moving to California, and wanted to say goodbye. That was the last time I saw her. I went on to graduate high school, moved to Portland, graduated from college, and moved to Arizona. I would think of Christy, wonder if she was still in California and hoped she was happy.

When the MySpace revolution began some years later, I noticed Christy had a profile, but I was too nervous to reach out to her. Not long before I got married in 2006, I received a friend request from her. We picked up right back where we left off! She was back living in Oregon, I was getting married in Oregon, and I immediately invited her to attend. We had planned on reuniting that day, but emergency circumstances came up and she had to cancel the day of my wedding. Thankfully, we remained in touch after that, through marriages, moves, and the birth of her two children.

When Christy started selling on Etsy, I was so excited and proud of her. I hadn't considered selling myself until we moved back to Oregon from Arizona (Christy has since settled in the Las Vegas area with her husband and kids). I asked her for help, and she generously offered to bring me into her Etsy Team, the Etsy DListers. Being a member of that team has helped me tremendously, and I can't thank her enough! After being friends for so long, this common Etsy bond added a new layer to our friendship.

Several months ago, Christy announced that she was planning to visit Oregon. She had heard of the "Regretsy" signing, which happened to be scheduled during her trip. She asked if I wanted to go with her, and of course I said yes. This past Saturday, the two of us reunited for the first time in ten years. It felt like we'd just seen each other yesterday! She got to meet my husband and our bunny (he let her come right up to him and pet him, which he doesn't do with anybody! its like he knew she was his mommy's old friend), and my husband got to hear old stories about me from somebody other than myself.

Although we couldn't hang out for long, we did get to do something special, which was to meet April Winchell. She signed my book "To Mishelle, With Regrets, April Winchell" - ha! For us, April is a celebrity and meeting her was fantastic. I was ecstatic to see that April put the photo her crew took of us posting with her on her website! Little did April know the history that was behind that photo.

This time it won't be another ten years before Christy and I see each other again - we both agreed to that!