December Is Here

I'm so very blessed that my husband loves Christmas so much.  About a week ago I woke up to find he had put up the majority of our decorations.  Instant Christmas!  Our grandchildren were excited to discover the lights and all the various items we have collected over the years.  Their reaction was the best part of it all.

Feeling like I should do something to contribute to the way things look for the holidays, I started some housecleaning today ... washing cupboards, cleaning appliances, that sort of thing.  It never seems right to start Christmas baking until the kitchen is just the way I want it to look, with freshly cleaned and organized cupboards.  Just a quirk of mine!

While we don't do a major gift exchange any more, we do buy for the grandchildren.  I like to make something for them as well.  My plan is to start their gifts this weekend, along with the first of the baking.  I am looking for a craft to do with them as well ... something special for Christmas, and probably something that will make a bit of a mess because, well, that makes it more fun and memorable.

I posted a half dozen children's craft kits on Etsy recently.  I think they would be perfect to buy for a group of children to do on Christmas Eve or Christmas afternoon while waiting for dinner.  They are just little kits that can be made up quickly.  It was tempting to keep them but the kits are a bit too advanced for our little ones to use.

One of the Crafty Kids craft kits!

Since the craft sale almost two weeks ago, I've shifted from making to listing.  A number of my fused plastic wallets are on Etsy now, and I'm anxious to get back to creating some more.  However, another project is tying up my Etsy and creating time.  I have a huge collection of patterns to list.  I've been chipping away at this over the past several days but the mountain isn't getting appreciably smaller.  It looks like starting a second shop might be the best route to go, so that the new shop can focus solely on patterns and supplies, leaving my handmade creations and the odd vintage piece in RuthsGreenTreasures.  I am a bit torn over this, as it's easier to look after one shop than two, and I'm not really sure if customers really browse through all the listings in a shop.  I really think most customers find items by searching for what they want.  That makes the photos and SEO most important.  Nonetheless, I feel conflicted about what to highlight in my eclectic shop as it stands now.

Do you have an online business?  How many types of things do you sell in it, or have you separated different lines into stand-alone shops?  I'm interested in hearing your stories.