Resolutions...Changes...and Announcements

Every new year I make resolutions and most of the time I've abandoned them by the end of February. Not this year. This year I have only one resolution to keep, and it is a continuing commitment to simplicity and creating a more simplified lifestyle in terms of my time, my possessions, and my relationships.  It's not a new philosophy for me, as over the past few years I have been deeply influenced by the writings of Janet Luhrs and Elaine St. James, among others (I highly recommend their books.) Of course, the economic meltdown impacted us and just about everyone we know, especially here in California, which has helped to change the perspective of many. If there is a silver lining to the recession, it is that it is now easier than ever to ignore the siren call of rampant consumerism and become even more selective about what we buy and where we do our buying.

I have to admit that I love to shop, but I'm also trying to live more sustainably, so I enjoy going to thrift stores and estate sales to purchase everyday things that we need in addition to hunting for collectibles.  My husband joins me on some of these excursions, and together we've stashed away quite a number of books and collectibles. We were seriously talking about renting a storage unit early last year to house some of our collections, which is a screaming red flag that says, "You have too much stuff!"  Founding  Serendipity Vintage on Etsy was part of our plan to reduce the size of some of our collections, but not eliminate them completely.  And Serendipity Handmade allows me to share my collections with you instead of  leaving them in a curio cabinet or closet to be forgotten.

That said, I am happy to announce some upcoming changes to the Etsy shop.  Over the last few months that Serendipity Vintage has existed I've learned that I really enjoy bringing sewists and collectors in touch with patterns that they might not be able to find anywhere else (I think this speaks to the librarian in me).  I definitely want to devote more time to finding vintage sewing and craft patterns for all of you.  I also have a lot of patterns and other fun finds in my current collection that I think should go to another good home.  I love Etsy, but their fees are rather high considering the number of patterns, paper ephemera, and other items that I have to destash.  Therefore, I've decided to keep a small selection of patterns and other vintage goodies in the Etsy shop and post the majority of sewing and craft patterns in a new web shop at www.serendipityvintage.com.  I've got a few sewing patterns available there now, and more will come.  Be patient with me, as I haven't quit my day job and I don't want to stretch myself too thin!

I've also been doing a lot of thinking about the blog, and I've got a lot of things planned for this year!  I won't let all of the kitties out of the bag right now, but I will tell you about a new feature that will start this month called Tomorrow's Vintage Collectibles.  Having collected vintage and contemporary collectibles for so long I'd like to share with you some of the things I believe are very collectible and have the potential to be highly sought after in the future.  But of course you should also collect what you like, regardless of its potential value.  You'll also notice some changes to the blog design...it's a work in progress too!

What are your Resolutions this year?  Are they craft-related, or personal?   And please let me know if you have other ideas or features that you'd like to see on this blog!