Grand Opened

In high school one of my best friends and I love planning parties. We both loved the details — decorating, planning the food and guests. We had similar tastes and strengths that complemented each other. More than once, as we figured out food or color schemes, we joked that someday we ought to open a boutique together so we could plan a daily party.Last week, I realized part of that fantasy when I opened my own boutique in earnest on Etsy. A friend and mentor, best-selling author Jon Katz, wrote an incredibly nice post on his blog that turned my little kick-off event into a true grand opening.I will admit, I was a little overwhelmed at the number of hits and orders that appeared in the first 24 hours. I always keep some stock handy for craft fairs or art shows, but it had been a while since I had flipped on the switch of my mom cave print shop, now turned boutique.Suddenly, I was back in the one part high school I really liked, planning how to wrap up paintings, designing and printing labels, and having a virtual party and my 10 x 10 office/studio.The Etsy store it is definitely about turning my stash of art into income, but I’m finding it's also about making new personal connections. Over the last couple nights as I have stickered and packaged, having a little virtual party, I've been thinking about how the better old dreams do come true. It took a few decades, but I’ve got my boutique (I’m hoping my old pal would approve).Now one dream is a step to the next of working artist — an old dream that got me through my more frequently humiliating school days. It’ll stay part time work for a while, but the it's suddenly becoming a lot more real.