Been gone for a minute

Hey y'all. I know. It's been a minute.

Life just be doing that sometimes. You blink and weeks go by and you haven't checked in with the people who actually get you. So here I am. Checking in.

Let's catch up for real.

What's Been Heavy on My Mind

Building. Like genuinely building something.

And I know that sounds simple but it hits different when I say it out loud because this whole thing started out as something I was doing just to find ME again. Just to have something that was mine. You know how it is — you get so deep into being a wife and a mom and an employee that one day you look up and you can't remember the last time you did something just because YOU wanted to.

That's where this started.

But somewhere along the way it shifted. It went from "I need something for me" to "I actually want to BUILD this." Like for real build it. Not just as a hobby. Not just to stay sane. But as something with a future.

And honestly? I'm also trying to build a community while I'm at it.

I want to find my people. Other makers. Other crafters. Other women who are still figuring it out — sitting at their table at midnight with hot glue on their fingers wondering if this thing they love could actually go somewhere. I want to be in those spaces. I want us swapping ideas and cheering each other on and none of that gatekeeping stuff. None of that "I can't tell you my source" energy. No gatekeeping!

If you see what I'm building and your first thought is damn she's cool, let's connect — that's literally the vibe I'm going for. That's the community I'm trying to create.

We're not competition. We're collaboration waiting to happen.

How I Even Got Here

It didn't happen overnight. It never does right?

It started with a machine. Then I was just trying everything — different crafts, different products, throwing things at the wall to see what stuck. Then came the markets. Standing behind a table watching somebody pick up something I made and FEEL something. That part never gets old, I don't care how many markets I do.

And then I found glass etching and something just clicked.

Like... clicked clicked. The precision of it. The permanence. The way a plain piece of glass becomes something meaningful with just a stencil and some cream and patience. I fell in love with it in a way I didn't expect.

So that's where I live right now. Glass. The little things. The fun stuff. Stickers. Cards. Keychains. Things that make people laugh or feel seen or both. That's my sweet spot.

Real Talk About Apparel

I still do it. Shirts. Hats. I'm not done with it.

But I'll keep it real with you the way I always do — the selling part is HARD for me. Making the stuff? Easy. Getting people to feel connected to it from across a table or through a screen? That's where I struggle.

Here's the thing though: I never design for a "customer." I design based on what I like. Based on my life. My humor. My experiences. If something makes me laugh, I put it on a shirt. If something is so specific to a feeling I've had and never had words for — that becomes a design.

My north star has always been if it resonates with me, it'll resonate with someone else.

I just gotta get better at helping people SEE that before they walk past the table.

What's Coming

Glass. More glass. An Emotional Support Plant vase I just finished that I'm genuinely proud of. Some new ideas I'm not ready to spill yet but trust me you'll see them.

And August 8th in Marion, Iowa. I'll be out there with my whole chest.

If you're local come find me. Come see what a year and a half of figuring things out looks like laid out on a table.

It looks like me. And I think that's finally enough.

Love Always,

Your Favorite Craftin Ass Blk Grl ✨️ 🫶🏿