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I'm embarrassed to admit that I've been absent mainly due to forgetting my sign in information.  When I set this up something happened where my intended e-mail couldn't be used.  It is because of two YouTube accounts I have that are linked to Google, and the wrong one somehow became attached to this blog.  It's kind of a huge mess.  From what I understand I would have to buy the domain name in order to change it now.  I'm not at that point quite yet!
So now that I've spent a good chunk of my morning trying every combination of e-mail addresses and passwords I can imagine to log in, hopefully this will be done more often!
I've been letting my work saturate my free time.  And don't get me wrong, I love that!  But the computer work that I also have to do is a considerable portion of it as well.  My desktop is upstairs in an "office", which is a bedroom where our tortoises and lizards are, as well as a closet with my husband's clothes.  I would put my work aside to go check on Etsy and Artfire, check my forum and fan page, as well as edit photos and post listings.  This could take hours at a time!  So I asked my husband to consider moving the desktop downstairs, so I could just step away for a moment.  He didn't care for this idea, and he had just bought himself a new Playstation and said I could purchase myself something at equal cost.  Originally I couldn't think of anything I'd spend the money on, and then I realized I could get a laptop.  So after some research and justification (I tend to feel guilty about things like this!) I'm now writing to you from my brand new laptop.  I just got it last night and went through myself and removed the bloatware and installed my anti-virus.  (Best Buy wanted to charge me $70 and have me wait until tomorrow to get it!!!) I haven't even peeled the screen protector sheet off yet.  I've never had a laptop and it is still so exciting to me.  What's nice is now I can use it for PayPal at craft shows that have Wi-Fi instead of paying for a knucklebuster and a percentage for credit cards. 
I'm also glad to be able to access everything while not leaving my work, so I can do a little bit at a time when needed.  Let's hope the keyboard isn't covered in paint by week's end!

I woke up to an incredible number of views and hearts on one of my items.  It isn't generally one of the more popular ones, so I looked into it further.  It was featured on the front page of Etsy at 4am!  I haven't been featured on the front page yet.  This is one of the most fun aspects of what I've been doing, there is an element of surprise that really keeps me motivated.
It's such a great feeling to get an e-mail to my phone stating there has been a purchase, and sometimes I get that when I need it most.  I've only been on Etsy since July, so I have long periods of low views and as of today I only have 14 sales.  But I really love it and every month seems better thant he last. 

The beginning.

So here it is, my new venture into blogging.  I started my first blog when I was 17 or 18 on LiveJournal.com.  It was a huge part of my life for years, and I've made friends that I still have today.  It did get to a point though where I kept my thoughts and feelings more private, and my use of online journaling tapered off.

This blog is an extended view into my world as an artist.  This is new to me, so it will be interesting even for me to be able to go back and see where I've come from.  It took a lot for me to have the courage to put my work out there, and not only that but put a price on it.  But a handful of events came together to give me the spine I always needed to feel confident and motivated to finally do it.

Opening my Etsy store was an exciting burden.  I had a couple of weeks where all I did was ponder the name of the store.  I had an Etsy account, but I knew I needed a shop name that represented what I feel and create.  I chose the name "Love And Whiskers" because the people and animals I love are so important to me, and I know that many others can relate.  I also plan to donate a percentage of my sales on my pet portraits to a charity supporting homeless animals.  I'm currently waiting to hear back from my first choice, I have requested permission from them to use their name on Etsy, listing them as the recipient of the donation.

I had intended to work mainly with upcycled housewares and custom pet portraits, and I have for the most part.  Sometimes it can be tough to find just the right items to repurpose.  I wanted to share my great finds that I purchased second hand yesterday.  These fun little guys will soon have beautiful new lives through my Etsy store.



I work part time as a dog bather for a grooming salon.  Then every free moment I have at home has been dedicated to painting.  I'm happier now than I have been... for as long as I can remember.  I have the fortune to be supported by my husband and family, and I have never felt so invincible.  I'm finally doing something I feel proud of and don't cower at the thought of telling someone what I do for a living.  I take so much pride in the things I do that I let them define me, even though there were times where I had jobs that felt demeaning and embarrassing.

So thank you for following along, this is going to be fun!