Kitschy Etsy

Just about close to EXPLODING over here with excitement over my new endeavor. You’ll remember that “a long, long time ago” (I sing that the way Don McLean did…not Steven Spielberg), I blurted out my interest in starting an Etsy shop. Needless to say, 9+ months later, I’ve finally figured it out. Hey, it takes babies that long to bake in the oven; why not an idea like this?

Not to toot my own horn too much (seriously, I wasn’t a horn player – double reed, baby), but I’ve got a pretty good eye for antiques and an ever-blossoming (ie developing) eye for design and decor. Admittedly, not as good as the B in our B duo of friends, B+B, but I’m working on it. It’s something I truly enjoy doing, too. Sifting through antiques and thrift store finds to find something truly a) lovable and b) well-priced. I rarely if ever purchase something that I lurve if it’s too costly. So, I’ve decided to start a shop devoted to some of these finds. Some will stay untouched and precious; others, I’ll do a bit of design magic on (whether it be painting, reupholstering, styling differently, turning into something else, etc). And I’ll call the shop…ready for it?….

Meg, Acting Out!

Hmm. I thought summer was over. All those crickets chirping.

What can I say, when a genius FB friend came up with the name for this blog, I fell for it. It holds so many different meanings. Plus, no one has to try to pronounce my last name or figure out what it means. It’s pretty self-explanatory. 😉 I’m already envisioning additional branding when I start to find neat old toys and outfits – ie Kids, Acting Out. Pets, Acting Out would seem an inevitable go-to from there, but I honestly can’t think of many antique/vintage finds for pets. It’s a fun challenge, though.

I’m starting off with only a few items and going from there. The most exciting part of the whole thing is that, while it’s a bit of a process to hunt down treasures, stage them, shoot them (with a pretty boring camera – the dream is for a fancy schmancy one), upload and edit the pictures, write up the listing, wait wait wait for someone to care enough to purchase them, then go through the rigmarole of packaging and shipping…I love it. It’s not something that I get a crick in my neck simply THINKING about.

I could not sell a single one and still be having a heck of a lot of fun. Hopefully, though, we WILL get some sales.

Oh, yes, and the first item that I’m selling is…

Kitschy Etsy - image daed3-phoneminderblur on https://megactsout.com

Innit cute?!?! Kitschy, vintage, classic…but tongue-and-cheek and modern all at the same time. (Remember how much I paid originally for it? Let’s keep that a secret, shall we?) I’ve valued it at a price that I deem fair to the originality and specialness of the piece. 😀

I’ve got lots of keep-me-up-at-night thoughts and schemes and dreams about the whole thing, but for now, it’s nose to the grindstone. Gotta get more up on the site! Oh, and did you notice the ad in the sidebar? I paid myself to put it there. 🙂 I drove a hard bargain.

Etsy – What Can I Do?!

Kitschy Etsy - image antique_frame on https://megactsout.comIt all started with one sentence from one of my best friends from way back. She recently sent me a response email, and one sentence has now got me stumped. (Bless her, she didn’t mean to do it! She’s a pretty avid reader of this blog and is as sincere and kind as they come.) The simple sentence was: “I am excited to read about your ideas for an Etsy shop 8^D” First of all, I just have to say that I love how she makes smiley faces. Secondly, ever since I wrote in my last post, I’ve been looking into the world of Etsy even further. I was already very familiar with the site and what you can do with it, but now that I’m looking into leaping into the world of online selling, I’m frozen. WHAT CAN I DO WELL ENOUGH FOR SOMEONE TO WANT TO BUY FROM ME?!?!?!

I know that I shouldn’t do it unless it’s a passion of mine; that’s pretty much a given. Lately, I’ve been out-of-touch with my passions and am even at a loss to recognize what lights that fire inside me — I think the frustration comes from the lack of normalcy and order at work, but that’s another story altogether. All that matters is that I’m having a hard time of it.

So, I ask my readers (even those of you who are normally silent) to comment on this post. YOU know me. You know what I’m good at, generally. What would YOU buy from me? (And I truly appreciate any thoughts you have — heck, I put the word out on my FB page and ended up with the name of this blog, so I’ll definitely listen!)

In case you didn’t know, here are some things that I’m particular about, and possibly even enjoy doing:

– Drawing
– Painting (not great, but not bad)
– Writing/Editing
– Cooking/Baking
– Eye for Design
– Singing/Acting

I’m open to lots of things, be it antiquing or thrift shopping to find supplies, trying to make things I’ve never made before (only to perfect it before selling — I have a “thing” about quality control), etc. Here are some considerations that have come my way thus far:

– Dave has suggested that I offer personalized pet paintings. We have a slightly abstract painting of Beardslee in the office that he’s uber proud about. I’ve seen what others are offering and, if I continued with “abstract”, it might be doable — but there are some INCREDIBLE offerings already out there!
– Candle- or soap-making. The issue here is that I’d rather the undertaking not engulf our entire tiny house, and these projects seem incredibly messy (and costly to start up). A thought, though.
– Start visiting Salvation Army, Goodwill, and local antique shops to create “country nouveau” housewares. How much does one spend before making a profit? (Not that I’m impatient.) And, again, this’ll take up some spaaaaace.
– Get painting. Anything. Everything. Find out what I can do (especially as far as mixed media and decor-wise) and go from there.
– Making jams/jellies (most likely organic). One scary word: botulism? Eep!

Any ideas? Or, should I just hang up my Etsy-trying hat for now until I can find a better niche? Any guidance or suggestions are welcome, especially if they’re said kindly. 😉 Thanks for getting me off my butt, Sarah!