1.06.2008

belated new years wishes

After my last post I started to feel better and actually made it to a few holiday social occasions. I wasn't the life of the party—mugs of hot tea aren't quite as much fun as eggnog or mixed drinks—but I managed. Then, bam, it turned into a sinus infection. Which knocked me out. Basically I've been moping around the house for the past week, popping antibiotics, and working on things that didn't involve moving from the sofa. Like paperwork.

Everyone thinks having your own business would be so much fun. And it is. But there are so many not-fun things that you don't consider when you're dreaming of how creative you're going to be. I processed close to 200 orders last year (and a huge thank you to those of you who became customers!). Each one of those orders has an invoice and each item has a backup sheet on file. For crafted items I have to keep track of how much the materials cost to make it. And for every vintage item I need to track what it originally cost. There's really no way to do your taxes without this info. The IRS doesn't take kindly to guesswork :)

When I first started out I didn't have a clue how to track all this stuff but over time I've developed a system that seems to work. And every year about this time I start pulling all the parts of the system together. It's mostly mindless work and that turned out to be the perfect thing for my condition.

I tried to write blog posts several times last week but they either made no sense or were too boring. So excuse my lack of posting. Come to think of it, this isn't the most exciting post I've ever written. Hopefully I'll be back to my old self soon.

Happy new years—six days late!

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's good to hear you are feeling better! Welcome to 2008!

said...

Sorry to hear that you got hit with the dreaded sinus infection. I've had one for a while...I take my antibiotics then when I feel better, I forget to take them and the stinkin' thing comes back. Ugh.

Hope you have a great 2008!

stuffed said...

Happy '08!

lisa {milkshake} said...

Glad you're feeling better! (I, too, dread doing all that paperwork. Yuk.)

Junie Moon said...

I hope you feel healthy again soon. A very happy (and healthy) New Year to you and your family.

Vintage Indie said...

Good morning!

Glad to hear you are up and at em' this morning. I nominated you for the 8th annual weblog awards for art and craft blogs! Your stitch school is very infomative and I think it deserves some light!
Have a wonderful day!
Gabreial

Doreen Frost said...

Hello. I wanted to thank you. I did a google search for "how to do a feather stitch" and you came up. Your directions and illustrations were great and I picked it up so quickly. I am making a large swan and I want to put feather stitching on it's wings :)

Love your blog..I will definately be back for another lesson in your "stitching School".

I'm so sorry you were sick for the holidays. I had the exact same thing and have JUST gotten over it. I ended up on antibiotic's myself!

Joyous New Years
Thanks again
Doreen

Anonymous said...

Wow! Hope you are soon back to your old self. I've admired your products for a while and since I am a new blogger this year, 2008, I'm excited to add you to my list of favorites. Get well soon! Rachel

Niesz Vintage Home said...

I hope you're feeling better soon. I have the "sinus infection du jour", as well.

I'm also up to my ears in inventory, taxes, and year-end paperwork.
Its never quite as easy when you're dealing with vintage or hand-made items.
I'm not happy with my system for tracking inventory yet. Its a goal for the new year. :)

Take care.
Kimberly

AmeliaB said...

I hope you feel better soon. Our house is on our SECOND round of sickness. :-P

Amelia