4 months left

My goal was to make at least one blog post a month. I’m working my way up to two a month and, eventually, once a week. But let’s be real—making content can be a drag, folks. I’m in awe of those creators who seem to effortlessly post daily or even just weekly. I know a lot of them use AI to churn out their posts, and honestly? That makes me not want to read them. It also makes me want to curl up and take a nap instead of writing anything myself.

But... there’s a little bit of progress! I’ve been slowly re-opening my Etsy store. Look, as much as I’d love to go full throttle with my small crafting and design business, I just can’t work that way right now. I’m still struggling to work out three times a week. So, yeah, it’s still slow. But hey, I’ve put some stakes in the ground to motivate myself to keep going. My main products will be Canva templates and print-on-demand (p.o.d.) items. I’ll also sell the same products on my own website at a slightly lower price. The end goal? To break away from Etsy and rely solely on my site, which means fewer fees.

The other part of my (one day) small biz is selling knit and crochet products. I want to see if I can sell them on MakerPlace via Michael's. It’s free like Etsy but has much lower seller fees. The marketplace is smaller than Etsy, but it’s also less saturated. Plus, they offer a 10% discount at Michael's stores if you buy supplies through them. If you remember the good ol' days when Etsy only allowed handmade products, you might want to give MakerPlace a look.

A tiny work in progress for MakerPlace:

Yarn Updates

In world news, yarn hasn’t escaped the EU tariffs. Many yarn artists are unsure how to source wool from the EU easily and affordably. Sellers in the EU have stopped shipping to the US because they don’t know how to pay the tariffs or how they’ll be processed. It’s incredibly sad and disheartening. So, I’ll be shopping my own yarn stash for a while until this all gets sorted out.

Books and TV

Sister Wives for both! Why does no one I know in real life watch this show? It’s not topping any lists, but I know there are thousands of YouTube creators obsessed with fundie gossip. I’m currently reading Christine Brown-Woolley’s new book, Unapologetically. We get season TWENTY later this month, and the (former) patriarch of the polygamous family will be on Special Forces later this month. I am. So. Excited.

WIPs

I’ve been opening up Procreate every day and making some marks. I have this idea to create a Twilight book cover, but the illustration part isn’t sparking joy. I like the line drawing, but it feels like it’s missing something. Here’s where I left it last night:

So. That's the update for now.