Since as long as I can remember I have had some sort of needle or tool in my hand: whether it be sewing, making jewelry, and now crocheting, creating has always been an outlet for me to not only expel my creativity but to battle what now would easily be labeled ADHD and OCD. I was always pretty good at making things so eventually I began selling my crafts: first making and selling friendship bracelets at school (and getting into trouble for it), selling at yard sales and craft fairs when I was a bit older, and finally venturing into the world of ETSY selling my crafts. Anyone who knows anything about ETSY though understands that it has grown from a small base where lovers of handmade goods bought from people who liked to make handmade goods in their free time. Photos were ok at best, but you ended up with a completely cool and one of a kind hat or bracelet or watch. Now, though, ETSY has grown into this highly competitive and over saturated market where unless you spend eight hours a day perfecting your photos, bombarding social media with "likes" and coupon codes and blogging and knowing exactly what words to put where in your item descriptions to get those algorithms to put your items at top you simply won't get the traffic to your shop any more. It has become entirely too frustrating to people like me who 1.) already have a full time job that keeps us from being able to do these things for eight hours a day, 2.) have another eight hours of responsibilities and/or a life outside of the crafting we try to do in our "free time," and/or 3.) may not have the equipment or knowledge to make our simple shop look like something from an American apparel catalog. It has taken something that we like to do and put so much pressure to be what ETSY and its shopper "want" (meaning what social media wants them to be) and caused so many people to loose the love of what they do. Sad.

The new year has started off on a very busy foot for me. Although there have been a lack of posts in the recent weeks(s) thanks to a super full plate work-wise, parenting-wise, and almost three feet of snow outside, my last blog has made its way around the internet via Facebook posts and shares on twitter and even made the front page of Mom Blogger's Club. I was really pleased at the responses I received from people and, for once, felt like I was actually a "real" blogger as opposed to just some girl who likes to post things online praying someone will take notice and listen. It also helped me realized that I really don't have to put an article up every day to get readers to notice, but rather focus on a topic that means something and make it meaningful.