Migraine Day, Migraine Treasury

I'm having a bad migraine day, which is funny because I'm supposed to go meet with a disability lawyer this afternoon and I don't know if I'll make it. I wonder if she gets that a lot. At any rate, my migraininess inspired me to make a migraine treasury:

'Migraine Marches On' by jillhannah

Stupid migraine. I'm on new drugs (again) and you have been slightly better behaved, but still you torment me. It's almost March. I would like to have a good March. Please stay in February.

Out of Order - silh... melaniefavreau $65.00	Custom Pair of Matc... KaraGunter $80.00	vintage primitive i... mightyfinds $22.00	Vintage 70's Sh... Sorocco $48.00
Morning Light 10x15 jamieariela $31.00	Antique Meat Cleave... Modred12 $105.00	Glass Round Pendant... goddessglass10... $7.50	Vintage Humphreys M... Wrecklamation $8.00
Your head on Migrai... goodgosh $3.50	Anti-headache firem... Dongedyframe $27.00	Agony theshadowfarm $55.00	The Imagination of ... KatieLloydPhot... $75.00
PIN CUSHION, PINCUS... IzzyNMe $8.00	MIGRAINE DAY Button... WordForWordGre... $1.50	Migraine Journal- R... Bibliocouture $18.00	Embroidered Sleep M... LadybugsTreasu... $12.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

I dedicate this to all my fellow migraine sufferers. Though we may have different pictures of pain, I know I find some level of solidarity comforting.

Etsy Apple Store Panel and My Chronic Illness: A Very Personal Post

Today I cried in public.

I went to the Etsy panel at the Chicago Michigan Avenue (Magnificent Mile) Apple Store. Upon arrival, the Geniuses lead me upstairs to the auditorium which was already packed ten minutes before the event was scheduled to begin. By the time they started, people were sitting and standing in the aisles.

Randy, the Etsy Creative Director, moderated the panel. Four Chicago artists - Jack of Ethically Engineered, Kara of Secret Safe Books, Vana of Le Papier Studio, and Amanda of Mojo Spa and Mojo Spa Style. It was a lively, informative discussion and Q & A session, largely focusing on social media and getting started on Etsy. They touched on topics like the future of Pinterest (best described by Kara as a "virtual cork board," all agreed there is definitely a future in the site), having to scale and grow as a business, "putting heart back into commerce," (Randy's quote), and the importance of good photography.

But it was Amanda's story that made me seek her out after the panel ended. She, too, started her business out of the necessity brought on by chronic illness. Hers started 12 years ago and she was sick for seven years. I only fully dropped out of society with my chronic migraines a little over four years ago, so I have time. During the panel discussion she only grazed the topic of her disease, but when I found her afterward, she talked to me extensively about how to run a business around being sick, and more importantly, how to allow yourself to be sick in order to get better. She talked about her friends and family's incredible helpfulness, her sister actually moving to Chicago to take care of her and her friends stepping in to run her business and her life when she was unable to. Her friends even ran her craft fair booths with her and for her when she couldn't. That's huge.

Hearing about the generosity of her support system, taking in suggestions for being better to myself as I run my Etsy shop, talking about both of our illnesses and the frustration and guilt and helplessness that accompany year after year of a chronic condition, I started crying. I couldn't help it. Right there in the Apple Store, my face was leaking and I couldn't make it stop. I cried for the beauty of generosity, I cried from my own frustrations, I cried because someone else on earth not just knew what I was going trough but had seen the other side and found herself a successful and productive human being once again.

It terrifies me that there is no other side, and perhaps I've lost faith in the possibility of getting better, though I'm always looking to try something new and different to help alleviate my pain in a real and permanent way. Since the first of the year I've been on a gluten-free diet and it hasn't seemed to do anything. I just got the name of a homeopathic doctor in Skokie. After talking to Amanda I think I'm going to go back to biofeedback and be more vigilant with my daily relaxation exercises. And maybe there is hope that I will get better. Maybe someday I'll be the one up on that stage, telling my Etsy success story instead of crying in the aisle.

Thank you, Amanda. Thank you, Etsy.

Etsy Chicago Meet n Greet

Last night I went to the Etsy "Meet n Greet" in Chicago at Vecco Studio. They served wine, Fat Tire beer, fruit, vegetables, cheese, and a healthy dose of conversational networking. I had an absolutely wonderful time chatting the night away with Etsy Admins Morgan, Randy, Kimm, and Leland, and many Etsians. Worlds collided when Morgan and I introduced my

two team leaders to one another. Ashley of OneInTheHand currently captains Chicago Style Crafters, and Martha of OpenDoorStudio created and captains the Vintage Etsy Society Team (VestiesTeam), and we all had plenty to talk about!

Other people I talked to during the night included Vanessa of Little Lady Company, Paula of Eganaise, Karen of Will Oaks Studio, and Kim of Kim Holmes.

After the Meet n Greet, Martha wrangled a number of the vintage sellers together to go out to dinner. The Etsy Admins were nice enough to give Martha the leftover wine, so we found a sushi restaurant (Sai Cafe) that was more-or-less BYOB ($10 corking fee per bottle). Thanks to good company and the several glasses of wine we all already had in us, we had ourselves a fantastic and lively meal. The attendees were: Martha, Lisa from A Blast from the Past, Tanya and Lisa from Bunny's Trunk Show, Gwen from Chloe's Window, and Sarah from Zzouzi.

Yay networking!

Top photo of (from left to right) Martha of OpenDoorStudio, Me, and Creative Director Randy. By EtsyLabs on Flickr.

Dress photo from Zzouzi's shop.

Head Over Heals for Etsy Treasury Making

I haven't posted in forever. So long it's been FIVEever.

I went to three estate sales on the northwest side of Chicago yesterday, got tons of stuff, and spent hardly anything. I'm pleased. I actually got another vintage camera in a leather case and a View-Master slide projector that's not as cute as the Junior Projector I sold a little while back but is still pretty darn awesome. I'm going to be busy listing things for awhile.

I made a treasury I'm fairly pleased with:

'Head Over Heals' by jillhannah

"For Her"An entry for the Vesties Team treasury challenge #46ALL Vesties!Join the fun here: http://vintageetsysociety.blogspot.com/p/team-treasury-challenge.html

Vintage Hat 1940s R... CalloohCallay $110.00	Vintage 50s wool ha... Atticgoodsvint... $125.00	Swanky Vintage Hat elizabethwrenv... $48.00	Vintage Hat: Brown ... JaanasVintage $19.85
Antonio Miro Vintag... MODvintageshop $59.00	Cat Eye Glasses - V... WiseApple $68.00	Vintage 30's Bl... BackThennishVi... $145.00	vintage horn rimmed... RecycleBuyVint... $33.00
Vintage 1960s Red F... Schmoo1515 $13.00	Givenchy Clip Earri... estatechicago $24.00	Vintage wings Sterl... NeldasNook $19.00	Vintage 1960 s Ster... Zoesgems $39.50
Vintage 1950s Red H... rileybella123 $75.00	Vintage 80s Sexy Bl... ChatteJolie $35.00	Sale 1920s Edwardi... antiqueeleganc... $119.00	60's Two Tone S... bumbleebuck $22.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.

This treasury by atticle is so stunning...

...I had to include it in my blog! Wowzers!

'last embers' by atticle

When Starlight meet... ImagineStudio $30.00	Vintage Chunky Cros... sandraevertson $62.00	Small Faceted Penda... Zipper8Lightin... $125.00	Old Bust of Austria... CuriousGoodsTr... $20.00
Vintage Cast Alumin... smalltimenobod... $5.00	Hand dyed silk bias... mermaidsbeads $4.50	A Light To Guide Yo... lightleaks $35.00	Dopamine Pinbrooch ... madebymirjam $25.00
Clef StLuke $35.00	pod 1 lindayearginta... $65.00	Reserved for MamaWi... RichWitch $65.00	7 Pocket Trouser Wa... Revel $45.00
handmade pendleton ... littlebyrdvint... $40.00	FEATHER HAIR EXTENS... catgirlxoxo2 $10.00	Working Vintage Tel... jillhannah $45.00	1980s vintage Polym... MeshuMaSH $38.00

Treasury tool by Red Row Studio.