Etsy - What Can I Do?!

It all started with one sentence from one of my best friends from way back. She recently sent me a response email, and one sentence has now got me stumped. (Bless her, she didn't mean to do it! She's a pretty avid reader of this blog and is as sincere and kind as they come.) The simple sentence was: "I am excited to read about your ideas for an Etsy shop 8^D" First of all, I just have to say that I love how she makes smiley faces. Secondly, ever since I wrote in my last post, I've been looking into the world of Etsy even further. I was already very familiar with the site and what you can do with it, but now that I'm looking into leaping into the world of online selling, I'm frozen. WHAT CAN I DO WELL ENOUGH FOR SOMEONE TO WANT TO BUY FROM ME?!?!?!

I know that I shouldn't do it unless it's a passion of mine; that's pretty much a given. Lately, I've been out-of-touch with my passions and am even at a loss to recognize what lights that fire inside me -- I think the frustration comes from the lack of normalcy and order at work, but that's another story altogether. All that matters is that I'm having a hard time of it.

So, I ask my readers (even those of you who are normally silent) to comment on this post. YOU know me. You know what I'm good at, generally. What would YOU buy from me? (And I truly appreciate any thoughts you have -- heck, I put the word out on my FB page and ended up with the name of this blog, so I'll definitely listen!)

In case you didn't know, here are some things that I'm particular about, and possibly even enjoy doing:

- Drawing
- Painting (not great, but not bad)
- Writing/Editing
- Cooking/Baking
- Eye for Design
- Singing/Acting

I'm open to lots of things, be it antiquing or thrift shopping to find supplies, trying to make things I've never made before (only to perfect it before selling -- I have a "thing" about quality control), etc. Here are some considerations that have come my way thus far:

- Dave has suggested that I offer personalized pet paintings. We have a slightly abstract painting of Beardslee in the office that he's uber proud about. I've seen what others are offering and, if I continued with "abstract", it might be doable -- but there are some INCREDIBLE offerings already out there!
- Candle- or soap-making. The issue here is that I'd rather the undertaking not engulf our entire tiny house, and these projects seem incredibly messy (and costly to start up). A thought, though.
- Start visiting Salvation Army, Goodwill, and local antique shops to create "country nouveau" housewares. How much does one spend before making a profit? (Not that I'm impatient.) And, again, this'll take up some spaaaaace.
- Get painting. Anything. Everything. Find out what I can do (especially as far as mixed media and decor-wise) and go from there.
- Making jams/jellies (most likely organic). One scary word: botulism? Eep!

Any ideas? Or, should I just hang up my Etsy-trying hat for now until I can find a better niche? Any guidance or suggestions are welcome, especially if they're said kindly. ;-) Thanks for getting me off my butt, Sarah!