It’s been real. And it’s been fun. And it’s been real fun. But at times, it’s also been a real headache. Managing an Etsy shop is a lot of work. A lot, a lot, a lot of work. It’s also pretty rewarding. It’s fun to see your items pop up all over the web. It’s cool to see them on coworkers’ desks. It’s exciting when you get a request for a HUGE order. I started my Etsy shop about 2.5 years ago. And today, I’m making the announcement that I’ll be closing up shop. (keep reading or scroll on down for the part where I give you the coupon code.)

Why you ask? Because running an Etsy shop the way it should be run is time-consuming. I’m sure that it varies for each shop owner, but the shop I envisioned, with multitudes of animals in myriads of colors that are customizable is just too much for me right now. The making I love. The sales and shipping I love. But dealing with taking photos and editing photos and the Etsy backend is just too much for me right now. I’d rather be in my backyard enjoying the sun than inside setting up a product shoot.

I have learned SO much from this venture though. I do love making. I do love selling. I loved doing a craft fair. I loved being proud of shipping out a big order. I have great friends and family who helped me out with all of the above and I couldn’t be more grateful for their support over the past couple years. I honestly could not have succeeded without them.

I’ve got a notebook full of other ideas and projects that I want to make and share with the world. And I also still have some “unaltered” toy animals that will need a home too. So, is this “good-bye” to Etsy forever? I don’t think so. Just think of it more as a “so long”. There might be a pop-up around Christmas. Or a new concept of Gets Me Every Time on Etsy sometime down the road.