Shop Talk: juggling a toddler and crystals

I absolutely love having my online crystal shop. I love it so so much, all parts of it. It has grown over the past year from a handful of crystals to more stock than I could cope with, and now back to a slightly more manageable level. The difficulty for me is in finding a space to keep them all in. The need to up high, out of reach of small hands, but easy enough for me to reach them quickly for photographing and packaging up for posting. Plus all the posting stuff that goes along with it, padded envelopes and wrapping materials. It's become quite the little operation for me and (thankfully) I've gotten quicker at doing it all, out of necessity and familiarity.

I still don't have it all worked out, but I start to know what doesn't work, so that points me in the direction of what does. I have shuffled the shop crystals through three different rooms in the house, and then out to the separate room out the back, in the short space of time I've been in this house. Shuffle shuffle shuffle. I'm still not there with it, as in keeping them all in a separate room (granted not far away but still, separate enough) I find I'm torn between the house and the crystal shop. With it being something that I manage pretty much daily, I've come to realise that I need them back in the house. In their own space, with a door that closes, in the house. But I'm so tired of shuffling that I'm just operating between two spaces, and the kitchen table is now currently home to about half of my stock.

All sorts of growing pains really, but I welcome it all. My shop is ticking along at a rate that is perfect for me just now, and we're starting to fall into a rhythm of daily work in the shop (rather than the erratic, late night, hurried way of operating at different times over the past year). Our morning work, starting between 8:30 and 9am, breaking for morning tea around 10am and sometimes following on with more, sometimes leaving it at just that. Keeping a toddler entertained is definitely easier in the house. The options are still not my favourite - deal with the constant whirlwind of toddler activity while concentrating on packing orders or buy myself some time while he watches something on the computer (trains, mostly). I suppose like everything we work it out as we go. And usually an afternoon pedal on the bike up to the post office. I do love the way the rhythm is falling into place.

And over in the shop, there are plenty of beautiful crystals to be had with more arriving this week. It certainly is work, but it never feels like work. I suppose that's why the saying is that when you do something you love, you never work a day in your life.

I just wanted to mention how grateful I am for the support in my shop from a few readers here too, it means the world to me and it was definitely that support that got my shop up and running. Runs on the board, you know? So important and I'm so grateful. Thank you!