Well, not really. I mean, the reason I gave up my booth was because I really didn't have time for it. The cleaning and repairing of merchandise, the inventory, and selling. If I opened an Etsy, I'd still have all that -- PLUS photographing and maintaining a site, plus packaging and shipping.
So for the time being, no Etsy shop for me.
But that doesn't mean I haven't been accumulating merchandise for that day. First of all, I love handwork. The effort that people put into making doilies, potholders, and dresser scarfs, and all the embroidery, tatting, etc. It's lovely. I can't bear to see the stuff end up in free boxes -- or worse yet the trash. And I can't believe how cavalierly people get rid of great grandma's chair tidies and doilies as though they were just junk. Hey, your gramma made that with her own two hands. You might not want it right now, but one day you might say, "Hey, I had something my gramma made and sold it for a quarter."
Shame on you!
Of course, not all of it is in tip-top shape, either. Stains, tears, and linens that are just plain worn out from years of use. I need to sort through everything and figure out what is good, what needs a dip in Oxy-Clean, and what should go in a scrap bag. (Hey, maybe someone more crafty than me can make it into something else.) I haven't done that yet, but every so often, I take the stuff out and look at it, which makes me smile.
Is there some project you've got simmering on the back burner for a later time?
All of my projects these days are writing related, but you touched a nerve with your comment about grandma's handmade goodies. We recently lost my mum-in-law, who loved to crochet, and I'm looking at a big bag of her work. The larger items, like the beautiful afgans, will go to various family members; but what about all the little stuff? I can't bring myself to throw it out (or sell it "for a quarter") but just leaving sit it bag doesn't seem right either. What would you do?
ReplyDeleteOn Saturday my Mum gave me an embroidered tablecloth my grandmother did way back when. I'll never use it, but I'll treasure it. I'm going to put it in my hope chest and take it out every now and then to admire it. I have nothing that my maternal grandmother made and it makes me sad, because she could sew and knit beautifully. I have no kids to pass these things on. I can only hope one day my nieces will want to keep them. (They never met their great grandmother, so it may have no meaning for them, which makes me sad.)
ReplyDeleteSometimes, some of the smaller handmade items can be mounted, for instance -- put into a shadow box, and displayed on the wall. Perhaps you could even do that with the tablecloth your grandmother made. Pick out one part of the cloth that displays the best or the most prominent part of her handiwork, frame it under conservator glass, and hang it on your wall! Then you could get a warm glow every time you passed and/or glanced its way.
ReplyDeleteI only wish I had something like that from any part of my family, but I hardly even have a couple of pictures of my mom and dad, let alone anything more tangible. You are very lucky in that respect.
Since you also have quite a collection of cups, saucers, and plates, you could mix some of your beautiful handmade pieces in amongst your china goodies. The best thing is, you could switch them around anytime you wanted. Have fun!
Lorna, I was scrambling to look up your Etsy shop when I happened to notice the part where you said "not yet"! Darn.
ReplyDeleteI have a plaque, about 5x7, given to me by a friend. It's framed in simple white-painted wood, and contains a scrap, about 2x3 inches, of an old quilt, so worn that it's clearly one of the scraps that remained. Calligraphed around it are the words, "Some things endure: God's love, good friends, old quilts."
I find it unfailingly comforting.