This Is Me

Today feels like sort of a milestone- and as my mother says, I'm a person who finds significance in milestones (don't even ask me about my birthday this year!) This morning I made my 1000th sale on my Etsy site- something I would never have thought was possible a year ago! I've been thinking all day about all the many events and people that have contributed to making this milestone a reality, and I feel like telling whatever little audience I have "out there" a little bit of my story.

My name's Elizabeth, but most of my friends call me EB- it's a nickname I've had since childhood, and it's too much a part of me now to shake it. This is my family: my amazing husband Brad, who's a local OB/GYN in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area (if you're looking for a great doc, check out his Facebook page! side note: MY idea! :)); and our girls.

This is Carolyn, my 4-and-a-half year old. She's a determined, empathetic, artistic little girl with a great imagination and some of the best hugs around. She hates wearing any hair accessories except headbands- so I try to keep her stocked up in the simple, small (preferably PINK) headbands she likes. :)

And here's Nora- our just-barely-two-year-old. Bright, vivacious, and very TWO. Loves her Lovey (in the picture :)) and pretty much has to try out everything I make- because I've gotta have at least one kid willing to be my model!

I got started making hair clips a couple of years ago when Nora was little and the wonderful gal who used to make them for me took a break for awhile... I couldn't find anyone else to make bows the way I wanted them, so I just started to try and do it myself- and that was the beginning. It wasn't long before I started stockpiling ribbon and revisiting my old crochet skills... soon I had more drive to create than I had need for my creations! So I decided to try and see if I could sell them.

In the spring of last year I opened "Itty Bitty Clippies," my first Etsy shop. I "met" some really wonderful people in my first couple months in business and was so encouraged to keep going, keep creating, keep improving. By June I knew that I wanted to see how far I could take the bow business, and had found out that another person had an established business called Itty Bitty Clippy. So I needed a new name.

I settled on My Little Pixies because I wanted a name that was at the same time reflective of my children, while keeping the door open for the possibility that we might someday have other children. Our family jokes that our kids are the "pixie children." Their cousins are all so much bigger than they are!! We laugh that our girls were born with bird bones because they're so light. So I loved how "pixies" seemed to describe my kids. And I loved how the word seemed also representative of my "style:" cute, sweet, subtle, fairylike. So my sister suggested My Little Pixies, and that's how we found the name.

When I look back to a year ago, I have to shake my head to think how different my life is now than I imagined it would be then. A year ago, I had just decided that I would step away from my white-coat job as a pharmacist at a local retailer to stay home with my children (Brad's schedule just got too difficult to juggle with a retail pharmacy schedule). I never planned to really start a business on the side. Honestly, I thought by this time I'd be barefoot and pregnant again! But, it's too cold to be barefoot... and as far as being pregnant again... that's a prayer I'm still waiting on an answer for. :)

I'm a Christian, a deep believer in the providence and goodness of God. I don't really understand why He didn't answer the prayer I'd prayed in the way I thought He would- but He has answered the prayer I never thought to pray. He has blessed this business- not through any real talent I have that others don't- but just because of grace- because He knew I'd love it. The more I started to give freedom to my creative side, I found that a whole other part of me had always been lurking behind my "chemistry-nerd" exterior! I never would have envisioned myself as an artist... but maybe there's a little bit of the artist, the creator in all of us- perhaps the part of us that reflects our own Creator (feel free to ignore me if this offends you :))

And so here I am- many lessons learned in the past year- many more to learn as I continue to grow as an artist, a parent, and a person. I'm so happy that so many have joined me on this journey. It is so fun to feel like I am able to touch others with a little bit of this stuff that brings me so much joy. So happy 1000, My Little Pixies! :)

*Thank you Kasey at POSH Photography for the wonderful family pics!