Share the Love Part II

Girl Land has been a hobby-based business from the start. In fact, after having our taxes done last year, I confirmed what I already knew—I lose money doing this. That doesn’t mean anything to me. In my mind, this is my hobby. Selling something or making someone happy in the process (besides myself) is just a bonus!

Girl Land is all about happy nostalgia. Do you ever hear a song or see a toy or memento from your childhood and a flood of sentiment suddenly washes over you? How happy it makes me when someone tells me that this happened while browsing through my Etsy shop or blog.

You may remember my little contests for my 300th post. Well, Julie emailed today to thank me for the things I sent her with her Girl Land bucks. I tucked a tiny package with some penny candy and a vintage animal rummy playing card in with her items, and she told me this story:

And in the little packet, my goodness ... that bubble gum is made in Concord, ON which is a northern suburb of Toronto and very close to where I lived in Thornhill. I had to pass the factory on my way to work in Concord and the smell of that bubble gum filling the air would take me right back to being a kid again.

Then I saw the tiny card with the lamb on it. I gasped, I had that set of cards when I was a child! Our family had a cabin on an island and so mum had to think of things for me to do so I wouldn't get bored, no electricity and no neighbours, so we would play cards and board games. My dad passed away last December, on my 41st bday, and we decided to sell the cabin this summer, but couldn't bring ourselves to actually go there to clean it out. Even though we love the place, no one had been there in 4 years, because of illness and old age. We sold the cabin, "as is, where is", with all our things still in it .. and that deck of cards is probably there somewhere, along with other toys and games, our clothes, shoes and a couple of bottles of dad's booze! LOL

THAT. That right there is why I love doing this. Thank you soooo much (not to just Julie, but to everyone).

Hmmmm...come to think of it, maybe this movie had a bit to do with my obsession with happy nostalgia...