two thousand and what?!

Two thousand and eight? It's almost here and as usual I'm shocked. I've never been one to reflect much at this time of year but this year I'm feeling nostalgic, empowered and hopeful.

It's been a good year.

Yes, I have had my individual struggles and we've had our struggles as a family. But my family - Chad, Lars and Jette - are so awesome and loving make everything worthwhile.

It has been an amazing year watching my babies grow. Lars turned 3 in September and Jette turned 1 in August. They are starting to get along more like I imagined siblings would at this age which is making life a lot easier around our house these days. Jette has lots of new words and is looking so grown up. Lars is so kind and thoughtful and hilarous but has a definite stubborn 3 year old side. Chad, who is a talented artist and an amazing daddy, is starting to dive back into drawing after years of putting it on the back burner. This makes me so happy. I can't wait to see what 2008 brings for all of my family.

It has also been a fun year of vacations and friends. I feel so lucky that I was able to travel and spend time with family and friends this year. Some of the highlights were vacationing in Denver with my BFF Jessi and spending a long weekend in Florida with my mother-in-law and 2 sisters-in-law. I also got to spend some time with Jessi and her baby Max when they visited in November. It was so fun to see him interact with my kids. It was hard to see them go!

And finally it's been an awesome year for Space Oddities. I looked back at the small goals I made for 2007 - which included doing 2 craft shows, 100 sales on my etsy site, and starting to do consignment. I am thrilled to say that I met and exceeded those goals by a lot. I admit that I made small, attainable goals because I knew that I would be overwhelmed if I made ridiculous ones. I have a full time job, 2 small children, and a husband who works the shifts opposite mine. So to try to do too much is exhausting. But my tiny business is part of what keeps me going. I am totally passionate about making the things I make and because of that I know that I will only continue to build my business.

This year I made over 230 sales on my etsy site. I participated in several awesome craft events including Renegade Craft in Chicago, 3 High Noon Craftacular events in Madison, the first WIST trunk show, and even a sci-fi convention (Geek-kon.) I was also lucky enough to be part of the Etsy Trashion Trunk show at etsylabs in Brooklyn. I started selling my wares at a local boutique (Glitter Workshop) and have had inquires about more consignment and wholesale opportunities. I got to appear on live TV to promote a local craft show and talk about my work. I bought a gocco and started collaborating with my husband to make fun designs for shirts, totes and notecards. I met some super nice local crafters through shows and through etsy. I also started this blog. Thanks to every single person who has supported me this year - from etsy sales to friendly hellos at craft shows to blog comments - and everything inbetween.

So all of this being said. I am finished reflecting and ready for a new year. This year I plan to think big. I know that I can only do so much, but I also know that I'm not getting any younger. If I want to make my crafting a full time gig some day I need to take it as seriously as I can. This year I want to find balance between my day job, my family and my crafting as much as that is possible. Here are my goals.

personal/family goals

1. join a csa in the spring (it was weird without it this year!)
2. get my house organized
3. go on a date with chad once a month
4. not use credit cards, ever.
5. spend one on one time with Lars and Jette each weekend
6. bake and cook more
7. take pictures every day
8. pay bills on time!
9. seriously job hunt within my company
10. kids: both totally toilet trained & sleeping in own rooms

space oddities goals:
1. get organized/do a better job of keeping records
2. 350 sales on etsy
3. work toward a more cohesive look/branding for my items
4. start a retro babywear line
5. start a men's line of screenprinted clothing

I will mostly likely be adding to this list. But it feels good to start somewhere. Happy New Year everyone! I wish you all the best in 2008!