Another Piece of Humble Pie, Please!

This story begins where the Missouri Yarn Crawl ended on Saturday.

After some pretty sh!tty events happened on Saturday afternoon, I came home pissed off with a headache.

I left MisKnits earlier than I had planned. I needed to come home and unvent.

On my way home, I stopped by Taco B3ll for my new favorite comfort foods (a bean tostada and spicy chicken soft taco), came home and took a couple Tylenol, sank into the sofa and enjoyed my Mexican comfort. My other soothing comfort is to peruse Ravelry for hours on end. That night, while checking out the new yarnies and old slight was brought to light again. I'll be the first one to admit that, at times, I am fast to fly into a fury over a perceived injustice. Those close to me know the sorted story of my Etsy experience and why I closed my successful Etsy store back in May 2006. I was still quite furious and disgusted about the whole experience.

To make a long story short, I saw that the seller that was the cruxt of my Etsy demise was now on Ravelry and all those sour feelings floated to the surface again...to be grotesque...kinda like that floaty turd that won't flush. The gist of the story is that I BELIEVED (past tense) fiercely in protecting one's intellectual property and I perceived that this other seller had been "borrowing" inspiration from my brand and product designs. Like Don Quixote, I was ready to fight the good fight again and had my sights set to protect what was mine. I contacted the seller inquiring about some items in their shop that were protected by a patent I have pending. After a long sleepless night, I came to the realization that "...sh!t happens." H3ll, everything has already been done at some point anyway. *shrug* I decided to ease up and just put the whole freakin' mess behind me. The next morning, the seller responded basically asking me to send them a "cease and desist" letter and inquiring if I'd be sending "cease and desist" letters to EVERYONE offering the patent pending alpha/numeric markers, i.e. the C@t B0rdh! makers. *hangs head* *lightbulb* The effort required to go after the world would consume me entirely. They had a point. I just want to make the products that I love and move forward. Patent be damned. The night before, I had already decided to take the high road and eat a huge piece of humble pie. I extended an olive branch to the other party in my Etsy debacle offering an apology and an opportunity for us to even be strategic partners and help each other succeed. The seller responded this morning with their side of the story and after reading it I felt like such an @ss! They hadn't intentionally done anything wrong and it was by sheer coincidence that our stores were even remotely similar. *headdesk* Who wouldn't have known such a thing was possible right? I certainly didn't. Hadn't even crossed my mind. *sigh* Like I said before everything has been done by someone at least once already. So, I just wrote probably my last email to the seller explaining my regret at the situation and apologizing yet again for the misunderstanding. They have graciously accepted my apology and I have made peace within myself. I've thrown the chunk of dirt on top of the casket laying the past to rest and am looking ahead with great aspirations and inspiration.

This morning, I took a deep breath, crouched way down and took a HUGE leap forward.

I contacted Etsy asking if they'd re-activate my account. Thankfully and without incident, they graciously re-activated my account and I can happily announce my re-emergence as an Etsy seller.

Gracias A Dios! Like a phoenix from the flames. I am GirleyPurls at Etsy again.

GirleyPurls.etsy.com