Shopit’s sunday morning. i woke up early, in little mr. re-nest #1’s bed (evidently, i laid down with him last night to help him fall asleep, and i ended up sleeping the entire night in there….whoops.) ten minutes after trying to go back to sleep in my own bed, little mr. re-nest #2 came crawling in to our bed, proclaiming, “it’s daytime! i’m not tired anymore.”
semi-quiet house (with just one child yelling “mommy!” every three seconds) means that i started doing some more of my business work i started yesterday on the shop. (see my latest instagram post for more!) i started nosing around the new etsy shop manager, and happened to come across my latest shop stats for 2017:
do you see those circled numbers? i nearly screamed out loud in my very quiet house. are you kidding me??? so, instead of screaming or popping one of those confetti popper things that’s sitting in my kitchen junk drawer, i decided to take a quieter approach….and write something of a love letter to y’all. the people who have gotten me to where i am today.
my dearest re-nest studio fans, cheerleaders, supporters + lovelies….
almost five years ago, i decided to start this little shop as a way to have a creative outlet. it was never about making money. it was, and always has been, about bringing a smile to people’s faces, to adding something special and unique to your homes, to give people a new way to give great, personalized gifts. over time, it’s transitioned into a way to make your parties special, a way to help you bring some creativity into your everyday life, and a way for me to encourage others that diy doesn’t have to be scary or just be limited to the pinterest set. and, as you can probably tell, it’s always been about bright, colorful + modern designs. things that you can’t find in a normal big-box store.
do i have goals for this little passion project of mine? of course. the first couple of years, i didn’t have many business-based goals. i just wanted to make pretty things. then, after my cpa did my taxes in year three and told me, “hey, if you don’t start making money on this next year, it’s just going to be considered a hobby.” (note: my mom is my cpa.) anywhoo, never one to back down from a challenge, i decided the next year i was going to make a profit. and i did. it was small, but it was a profit. along the way, i’ve also been able to do something that i always wanted this business to be about: giving back.
thank you. thank you from the bottom of my heart for supporting me, supporting this little passion of mine, and for every single encouraging word you’ve ever said to me or about me and my work. thank you for thinking of me first when you need a gift, or you’re redoing a space in your home, or when there’s a baby arriving, or a celebration. i can truly say that i love making every single thing that i’m asked to make, i love the challenge, and while it still very much feels like i am standing naked in the middle of times square, it’s worth it. thank you for allowing me to give back to various causes that mean something to me through this business, thank you for asking me “why don’t you just do this full time?” (if my boss is reading this, don’t worry!), thank you even for people who are just meeting me at craft shows who ask me “so, what’s this about? do you do home parties? you just resell these, right?” (i take this as a giant complement because being able to say, “this is my business, i design and hand make every piece, and this isn’t part of a larger company” means my business presents itself and looks that polished.)
i love you all. i can’t say how much i appreciate you. {{imagine getting a big virtual hug from me right now}}
