What Did I Get Myself Into Now??

Of course I opened a can of glitter that exploded everywhere so there's no going back.

What have I done??

Welp, while it's very plausible that I could accidentally make glitter explode in midair to cover an entire room, it's more of a metaphor of the things I do getting myself into things I probably... should have taken one step at a time. But alas, no regrets! 

It all started with an "upgrade" - I've been really wanting to sell stickers. I love stickers myself and I love designing them and making my own, so why not sell some as well? I did some experiments here and there and I'm not going to lie - I wasn't really impressed with my HP OfficeJet Pro 6968.

The Printer Upgrade

My HP OfficeJet is definitely not a bad printer. It's served me well for a good 5 years and it has printed so much for me. For personal use, there is definitely no problems and I can live with it but for business? The color payout was just not doing it. It wasn't as vibrant and I wasn't happy. I've previously made stickers on both Online Labels stickers and Cricut Printable Vinyl using the HP OfficeJet and it's just not bright.

After some research, I finally decided to get the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 and oh my goodness I am impressed! It's not even the most expensive EcoTank out there and I'm already really happy with it. Even with pastels, the colors are more vibrant and there are no lines! That was one of my biggest issue with the HP OfficeJet is that there would be lines on some images, especially the black ones. I would have to print several times and use the best settings before I can get it right, and I end up wasting a lot of sticker paper.

Now Let's Upgrade the Website....

I already decided to reopen my shop - Starr and Sparkle - and offer more products than I used to. That being said, I thought if I am to take this seriously then I should have the tools to make it work. I was tinkering around my website and thought, my shop should be more functional and efficient. While I truly love its original look and feel, selling items is its main purpose. So a shop should be a shop, not really a blog. I mean, that's what this site is for.

I revamped Starr and Sparkle and it's now ready to be a full time shop once my items go live! I had to take several factors into consideration and not just the look of the site - I had to consider inventory management, shipping options, taxes, and many other things. I didn't completely jump into getting the highest plan for the site as I don't even know yet how well my shop will. While I am really hoping that it will take off - I am not certain at all. It's all a gamble at this point.

Well, brushing off any negativity - I am pretty happy with the new site I made!

Finally. The Heat Press... and Another Printer

Why? Why did I do this?? Yes I'm also asking myself sometimes why did I just do this.

I hate to say it, but I'm an "all-or-nothing" person. Sometimes it's a good thing, but sometimes it's a trap and I find myself stuck in quicksand. Why am I like this? Superfriends, I don't know either LOL.

Anyways, if I'm making stickers... it might be a good thing to get into sublimation too. Because you know, why not? Right? Yeah, not logical at all - but sure let's do this!! Let's put all these creative thoughts into reality while I'm also working a day job. But who knows, if I have a successful shop, maybe I should just be a shop owner instead!

Whimsical dreams aside, reality is - I got a new heat press. And another printer.  I was so happy with the Epson ET-2800 that I decided another one for sublimation would be great! After giving it a lot of thought - debating if I will risk going into bankruptcy and give this a shot, or stay sane and be unhappy and probably not go broke - of course I decided to go extremely and go with the former.

Now What?

Well, now I am trying to keep my cool paying all the bills and crossing my fingers that good things do come. I really hope this business would kick off, and honestly it's not really for the money. It's a great perk indeed, but I've always wanted to open a shop and make things and sell things, just because I think it's a lot of fun. Reality says otherwise but I've always really wanted my own store.

I think I can make it. Maybe. There's fears indeed - but I've been pushing this aside and taking this not too seriously so I think it's about time. Besides, I can now drive the truck so I think I can go to craft fairs on my own LOL.