My list of complaints gets longer each season. The sciatic nerves plague me most recently. You wouldn’t think a little bundle of nerves would cause so much of an issue. But apparently, too many years of lifting babies has caught up with me. So I spend a lot of time stretching and trying to move to avoid taking Aleve too often. Seems like you can get used to it after awhile. At least that’s been my experience.

In the attempt to keep with the theme of the clipping, I’m going to talk about the latest Etsy Up session. Etsy Up is a series of video ‘success events’ to help shop owners atttain more sales. The one thing I enjoy out of these live video episodes are the Trend Reports. There are Holiday Trends and other buyer trends that they seem to somehow know a customer is going to gravitate towards each year. So I have a little list below that is a sort of summary of the trends.

• Natural elements: Woodsey accents, Natural items like pinecones, greenery, berries
• Neutral Color Palettes: Gray, Tans, Creams, Whites (I don’t love this)
• 70’s, 80’s, 90’s Retro theme: I have personally seen this surge with my vintage patter sales. People want to go back in time visually.
• Mirrored Items: Reflectivity?
• Farmhouse: It is a staple of American Christmases and so it continues on & on & on. But I am a fan for the record.
• Traditionalist: Remember throwing the tinsel on the tree each Christmas? Hanging the mistletoe? And also, the holly, ribbons & gold standing out? Just think of Grandma’s house and you’ll be fine here.
• Personalized gifts are supposed to be a big deal this season. If you have the time to dedicate to making a personalized ornament, wall hanging, etc., then you may do purty good.
• Book Club Essentials: What would you gift with a new book?? For my blogging writer friends, please leave a comment. I would be super interested in your thoughts on this one!

I don’t have much else to share on the Etsy Up this time. I am doing all the things in my shop that I’m able to. Sales are still slumped. People are not doing very well in this economic time. It’s just a fact. But I hope Christmas shopping will be meaningful to folks this year. Making the most of our time seems the best route to take. Hope you can find the meaning. For me, Faith, Connection & Gratitude sum it up.