Giving Thanks for the Work

Colorful Swirled Heart pendant ready to pack and ship out to a repeat customer

It's the last day of November, and I find myself inundated with work that needs to get done, glass packed, and many orders filled and shipped out the door. No rest for the weary, especially this time of the year. But as I step back for a moment and reflect on what the two of us have accomplished in our Studio, I am full of gratitude for having the ability to take on all the work that comes our way. We are financially sound thanks to the endless hours we put into our "side hustle". Internet sales continue to climb, even though local sales have stalled due to Covid related issues.(Hopefully that issue will be resolved next year, fingers crossed.)  And we are also thankful to have many repeat customers that come back year after year. The picture above is the next order I will be working on today to get shipped out the door, and sent to a repeat customer. In the month of "giving thanks", we do indeed have much to be grateful for.

Some of our Etsy listings

Our Etsy sales continue to improve, and really keep us on our toes, getting them shipped out the door               in a timely manner. Some of the ornaments we create for our Etsy store are pictured here. 

Upcycled glass tree ornament

The snowflakes ornaments have been a very popular ornament this year, but also the most tedious and time consuming pieces to create. Maybe it's time to mark up the price on them. "Supply and Demand" come to mind with these delicate ornaments. It's a Love-Hate relationship for sure. 

Hundreds of glass snowflakes were created in November

Every now and then we can eek out a customer's request for a new and whimsical ornament. The lady bug ornament pictured below is an example of that. But for the most part, we have barely enough time to keep the ornaments in stock that are on our Etsy page. We are on a crazy loop of "creating/shipping, creating/ shipping" during the last three months of the year. Don't want to complain too much, it's what we signed up for, right? 

Custom creation of a glass Lady Bug Ornament.

Our 3 Kittens wait patiently for the work day to be done, so they can play and love on us. It's a welcome nightly ritual. 

Our 3 kittens want to play.

The last of the canned pumpkin.

This month we also saw the very last of the canning season. I was able to can the last of the pumpkin patch and am glad to put the canner away for another year. The pantry is full, something else to give thanks for. I am also thankful to know it is through our own hard work in the garden, that we have a bounty of canned goods to get us through the winter months. Hard work really pays off in the end. It may not be pleasant, but worth it.

                                                 

So good-bye November, and hello December. I for one, and thankful to see the end of 2020 in sight. What a year it has been. One month to go, and maybe one more full moon to light the way. Giving thanks when this year comes to an end and we earn a well-deserved rest. 

A beautiful full moon takes us out of November and into December.