six hundred (and one) blessings

At the beginning of last month I was celebrating 500 sales in my handmade shop on Etsy. Just one month later, I am celebrating number 600 (and one)! Each sale has been a blessing.


I was a child when my mother decided to teach me and my siblings how to create the spiky paper Polish folk art ornament she happened to learn to make as a teenager. She had raised us with a deep understanding of our Finnish heritage, and wanted us to feel connected to our Polish roots, too. We still have some of the ornaments we made back then, but it wasn't until much later that I looked at the craft more seriously as a folk art form, and explored the various uses for the ornaments within a modern context. What followed has been an amazing journey. I am both humbled and awed by the support of the Etsy and extended artisan communities, as well as my fabulous family.

Last week one of my handcrafted tree toppers was featured on Apartment Therapy (http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/put-a-star-on-it-christmas-tree-toppers-180900), alongside tree toppers from West Elm, Anthropologie, Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn and others! And thinking back to the little girl who twirled her first points to create this magical spiky paper tree decoration, I never could have imagined what would result from the humble little handmade blessing that was bestowed upon me. Thank you to all.