A grand reopening celebration

I'm sorry that there was that sudden and surprising hiatus last month.  I had to move very suddenly. I wasn't sure exactly when I'd be able to fulfill orders, so I didn't want to leave anyone in a lurch as to when they would be getting anything.  Thank you for all the support and I'm excited to be creating again.

Creating was definitely something I missed.  I (somewhat foolishly) packed all of my crafting and art supplies first when I moved so they weren't accessible until very recently.  Whoops.  Getting back into the swing of it is like riding a bike, though, and I feel right in the groove of the work.

I'm really excited about the egg roll and won ton shapes I recently added to the shop.  The egg rolls had been brewing in my mind for a while - I even test sewed a few before I had to pack up.  I wanted to create a "kicker" style shape as I know cats love them and most of my existing shapes were a bit too small for bigger cats to really get their paws around. Then my hungry brain got fixated on appetizers so I thought I'd make some won tons as another new product.  Man, that's making me hungry now!

I'm not totally sure what's next on the horizon. I've got a couple of ideas, but they're not fully kneaded together in my head. I just did some testing on a new shape last week, but I haven't fully prototyped it yet, so I'm not sure when it will be ready for production.  I'll just have to look down the pasta aisle the next time I'm getting groceries and see if there's anything else that inspires me. 

Throughout quarantine, but especially with moving, I've also been doing a lot of self-reflection.  Looking at where I am, where I've been, and how that can inform where and how I go forward.  It's been something to contemplate and meditate on when I have time to myself.  Some days it's a challenge to really look, but it's also had really beautiful times of seeing things I'd forgotten about and want to make a part of my life again.  It's an interesting feeling, packing and unpacking things that I forgot that I owned, but nice to see that bit of my past again.

I was just a part of a flash market on Instagram yesterday.  It was a bit of a test run for the group so there was a some behind-the-scenes figuring things out, but it was fun. I really miss the social aspect between crafters and makers at markets, and so it's been nice to be a part of a group again.  It's inspiring and beautiful to see what other people make and do, especially when it's things I know I couldn't.  I'm not sure when the next one I'll be a part of will be, but I'll post about it on Instagram and Facebook for sure.

I hope you've all been keeping happy, safe, and healthy through quarantine.  I know it's been really hard, and getting exhaustingly harder as it continues, but it's important to do your part and keep your community safe and healthy.  I have a lot of people in my life with delicate immune systems and I worry about them a lot.  Do your best, remember the human in every interaction, and wash your hands.