I’ll be the first to admit it: I overextended myself last year. In addition to making Crafty Supermarket a legit LLC and putting on two wildly successful shows in Cincinnati, I traveled to sell my wares at shows in Pittsburgh, Bloomington, Columbus, Indianapolis and Columbus again. I spoke at the Midwest Craft Caucus in Columbus in June and the Conference for Creative Entrepreneurs in San Francisco in August. And then I headed back to San Francisco in November to be a host at the HOW Interactive Design Conference as part of my new job. Oh, didn’t I mention? I switched jobs in August and now am the executive editor for HOW Interactive and the community manager for HOW and Print magazines! Oh, and then my publisher decided they wanted to do an updated and revised version of Crafty Superstar, which I’m wrapping up in the next few weeks.
So my major resolution in 2012 is to breathe. And to focus on projects that I really love and that are worth my time and attention. I’ll likely be traveling for fewer craft shows, but I’m really looking forward to the next Crafty Supermarket (May 5!) and I’ll probably apply for just a handful of favorite shows in the fall. (Pittsburgh and Columbus, it’s on!) And once the bigger and better Crafty Superstar comes out, I’ll likely do a mini-book tour around the midwest. :)
My new job with HOW means lots more travel: I’ll be hosting and working at the HOW Interactive Design Conferences in the fall in Washington DC and San Francisco (two of my favorite places ever!), and I’ll get to be at the big HOW Design Conference in Boston in June for the first time! I’m also going to SXSW Interactive for the first time in March, and I just can’t wait. (I may be helping the fabulous Willo with some craft programming for it, even!)
But amid all that craziness, I’m trying to maintain a level of peace. A few non-goal goals for this year include to keep going to the gym three times a week (on it); read the New York Times weekend editions that I just started subscribing to in their entirety (on it); and volunteer at an animal shelter every week (on it). One thing I’ve found that really helps me stay focused is to not go online in the mornings before work. And I’ve also totally made peace with the idea that I will pretty much always want to be in bed by 11.
grace dobush 
Yes, please DO breathe! In-out-in-out ;-) I love your work (and expressly said so on my websites (http://www.WilderBaubles.com and http://www.TheWilderPlace.com), Facebook (http://Facebook.com/Wilderbaubles) and Twitter (http://Twitter.com/LuciWilder). Before I even finished my first reading of your huge-little book, I’d dropped shipped one to my daughter. On page 107 you state I should give an item to a popular craft blog or Web site for a giveaway. My only question is To Whom? I’m making artish jewelry. My favorite item is my upcycled puzzle earrings. So far I’ve only sold them in person (even strangers stop me to buy and/or comment on them.) I’m fairly new at all of this and don’t know popular from unpopular. And when I’ve looked at various links in your book, I’m not sure which way is up. So, in your expert opinion to whom should I send a best pair of my earrings. I’ll totally understand if your too busy to respond ;-)
I look forward to the revised version of Crafty Superstar. I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for the original version – it’s the first, and only, manual for starting a creative business that I have found helpful. Which, if you knew how much research I’ve done, is saying a lot. So, thanks. Hope to cross paths with you at the next Crafty Supermarket.