Getting Back on Track

It has certainly been a while since my last blog post.  As several of you know, I am working on my Ph.D., and this past year was one of my hardest yet!  However, my comprehensive exams are done (and passed!), and I am really looking forward to getting everything back on track this summer.  My Etsy shop is back from vacation status and I've been busy filling orders, kicking ass, and taking names!

I am also preparing for a three week trip back to Japan in August.  The trip is for research, but I would be lying if I said I was not excited about the new papers and patterns I will undoubtedly find.  I will be spending the bulk of my time wandering around Hokkaido (Japan's northernmost island) and it will be a new place for me to visit with many photographs to come!  Hokkaido is known for its beautiful natural scenery, ice festivals in the winter, and flowers in the spring.  It is also the part of Japan where Japan's indigenous population (the Ainu) made their home prior to their colonization during the Meiji period.  My work deals with photographs of these Ainu villages, and I am thrilled to go see these places in person. 

In origami news, you guys can expect a lot from me in the current weeks.  I have some new offerings (new doll patterns, new card cases, some kimono embellishments), and I will be working hard to get them all online.  Just today I spent the entire morning attaching heads to previously unfinished dolls which are currently setting before I can attach their hair.  It has certainly been far too long!  My goal of blogging once a week is now officially resumed, and I hope that I can start bringing some new origami tutorials your way!  Thanks for your patience and understanding these busy few months.

On Being Busy - A Blessing and a Curse!

If I was a man and I liked wearing a suit and tie, this image would be me!  I have been so busy with everything this past week, I have not had a chance to do much aside from a little twittering here and there.  I love folding paper and maintaining my online shop, but when my "real" profession gets in the way it can make for some messy situations...

I was blessed with several orders this week.  (Yes, you definitely read that right!  6 dolls, a pendant, and a potential custom order of earrings!)  So while the crafty-side of me is jumping for glee, the practical side of me that is burdened with grading exams, teaching classes, and doing my own research is groaning.  I am a terrible multi-tasker.  The business is good and if I can sustain everything, then it will be a nice supplementary form of income come summer.  But man...  finding time to package, mail, restock, twitter, facebook, and blog is no easy task!  I do not think anybody realizes the kind of work that goes into maintaining an etsy shop until they are in the thick of it!

But do not get me wrong -- this is wonderful!  After several months of small sales or no sales, this sudden explosion is welcomed with open arms!  I blame the cuteness of the origami dolls (and the lower price point) for bringing new audiences into the shop.  I am also trying to expand my enterprise by opening a shop on zibbet (http://www.zibbet.com/umeorigami), but that deserves its own separate discussion.

I just keep telling myself that for every essay I read, I can dawdle around folding for 10 minutes as a stress reliever.

Some new items in the shop though, so if you haven't seen them, give them a look-see.  I have redesigned my etsy banner so any feedback on our "new look" would be awesome.