As those of you who follow my Facebook page have likely seen that I've been having a rough time lately. While I'm so pleased the Lord of the Rings collections were so popular it had some very unexpected downfalls.
On September 13th I received more orders in a single day than I had ever received in my best month. My previous method of filling orders had been to mix colors in a 4oz bottle, wait for orders to come in, fill the requested bottles, label them, and ship them out. Simple, right? It would take a couple days for larger orders but orders of just a couple colors would generally go out the next business day. But that's just not going to work when 300+ bottles are ordered in a single day. Thankfully I have plans to change how I prepare for orders and for new collections that should keep me from having too overwhelming of a to do list in the future.
On top of the unexpected influx of orders I've had so many other factors keeping me down. A sick kitty, one of my best friends is going through a horrible ordeal, and there's been nonstop construction going on with my apartment building. Most notably my windows are still unsealed and it's been below 40 most nights (but I can't justify keeping the heater on all night when I know it's literally going right out the window) and my flooring is supposed to be replaced which has taken my 430 square foot studio to about 100 square feet of living space, not including the bathroom.
Let me drive that home for you: I'm living in about a quarter of the space I'm paying for. And what's worst is my flooring was supposed to be replaced yesterday so I could move everything back to wear it belongs...but they won't actually be getting to my unit until Monday. Want to see what my beautiful workspace I posted about a few weeks ago looks like now?
On September 13th I received more orders in a single day than I had ever received in my best month. My previous method of filling orders had been to mix colors in a 4oz bottle, wait for orders to come in, fill the requested bottles, label them, and ship them out. Simple, right? It would take a couple days for larger orders but orders of just a couple colors would generally go out the next business day. But that's just not going to work when 300+ bottles are ordered in a single day. Thankfully I have plans to change how I prepare for orders and for new collections that should keep me from having too overwhelming of a to do list in the future.
On top of the unexpected influx of orders I've had so many other factors keeping me down. A sick kitty, one of my best friends is going through a horrible ordeal, and there's been nonstop construction going on with my apartment building. Most notably my windows are still unsealed and it's been below 40 most nights (but I can't justify keeping the heater on all night when I know it's literally going right out the window) and my flooring is supposed to be replaced which has taken my 430 square foot studio to about 100 square feet of living space, not including the bathroom.
Let me drive that home for you: I'm living in about a quarter of the space I'm paying for. And what's worst is my flooring was supposed to be replaced yesterday so I could move everything back to wear it belongs...but they won't actually be getting to my unit until Monday. Want to see what my beautiful workspace I posted about a few weeks ago looks like now?
Yep. I get to crawl over my bed just to get to the bathroom. And getting to my closet in the far back right? Ain't happenin'. With the crushing feelings of failure with being behind on orders and being forced into such a cramped "living" space my depression has hit an all-time low.
I hope everyone understands just how much I regret being behind on orders--I genuinely love doing Lucky 13!!! I love waking up every morning and wondering what I'll be making that day, who I'll be chatting with in comments on Facebook, all that awesome stuff! But apparently the cosmos are telling me it's time to take a weekend off.
Assuming they actually replace my flooring on Monday I anticipate being back to work as usual on Tuesday, which will allow me time to move everything back to where it belongs and a night to just relax in the comfort of my newly-refloored home and cuddle with my kitty.
When I'm back to working normally I'll have a new collection to announce and a new charity polish (with a twist. You'll see what I mean in a few days).
Thank you to everyone who understands, and again I'm so sorry about the delays. Life sometimes demands that we put ourselves before our passions, and it looks like this week is my week to sit back and relax.
I hope everyone understands just how much I regret being behind on orders--I genuinely love doing Lucky 13!!! I love waking up every morning and wondering what I'll be making that day, who I'll be chatting with in comments on Facebook, all that awesome stuff! But apparently the cosmos are telling me it's time to take a weekend off.
Assuming they actually replace my flooring on Monday I anticipate being back to work as usual on Tuesday, which will allow me time to move everything back to where it belongs and a night to just relax in the comfort of my newly-refloored home and cuddle with my kitty.
When I'm back to working normally I'll have a new collection to announce and a new charity polish (with a twist. You'll see what I mean in a few days).
Thank you to everyone who understands, and again I'm so sorry about the delays. Life sometimes demands that we put ourselves before our passions, and it looks like this week is my week to sit back and relax.
