Several years ago when I started my blog I had no idea what I was doing or where I wanted it to go! Now... three years (and two more kids) later I am finally on the right track! I have discovered that I did this whole blog/business thing backward. I jumped in on writing a blog without really having much content to write about and frankly I was boring myself with my posts! I stopped checking in on it because it became a burden, and with no real followers, I felt it drift away.
Having a blog has always been a goal of mine and I often let my mind wander and daydream about what my hopes and dreams would be for it yet I have no idea what I'm doing! But, I knew I needed a better plan than the one I currently had! So I decided to sit doing are really analyze what my goals are and how to get this up and running without having a repeat experience. And what I did without even knowing is--- I started things over. Like from scratch started over! I sat down and really reflected... first about what my passions were and second, with three young kids who are always my priority, what I had time for. What could I hope to build and have time to accomplish daily? What could I really fit into the 2ish hours I have during naps in the afternoon and the 2 hours I have in the evening while my husband and I watch episodes of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Seriously... how is it that we watch it constantly and rarely see a repeat episode???? Guy, I don't know how you do it, you're a machine! Lol, we love his humor!
Now, I've always had a passion for decor and design but also crafting and using my hands to make things. I'm that girl who won't buy something I see in a store because I know I can make it myself, then I inevitably forget about the dreamt up project and eventually move on to the next pretty thing I see. Hobby Lobby and I have a love/hate ;) Anyways, I had a pretty good handle on my skills, now I just needed to get a plan and start to narrow things down. And, since I already considered myself a "crafter" I had an Etsy Shop I opened up several years ago (www.etsy.com/shop/emmajanesporch). It needed some serious organization though. Random crafts were scattered all over and it was a hodgepodge of stuff. I felt I had legit skills, being the grand-daughter of a seamstress and daughter of a quilter! Like I said, I thought I could make anything. But, where did my passion lie?
That's where Instagram came in... I had no idea what it even was or if I was young enough to even have an account! But, I decided to jump in and what I found was a world of inspiration. I started following people and seeing SO. MUCH. PRETTY. STUFF! A few of my favorites are @sweetaddiebeth, @hillsandvalleys_studio, and @amc_embroidery just to name a few, the list could go forever! And my passion was shining through like a billboard. I was inspired by everything I saw and it hit me... Hand stitching, I can do that and with some practice, it could be as beautiful as the pictures I was seeing! I can make this stuff my way and I even had a brand new idea grow from this one... Design. Actually, that's not true... That's another old passion but I discovered it in a new way. I could actually design my own patterns for others to make!
And so, now I am back to my blog sweet blog (I didn't mean what I said earlier, you're not a burden anymore). I want this to become a place for my customers to come to learn stitches, get tips and tricks and a few free patterns! I have high hopes for this place! Much higher than I did when I first made it but that only makes sense because now it has a purpose behind it! And that an exciting thought.
Please feel free to leave comments about your blog and how you find inspiration to keep it going!!! I'd love to hear what you did to get your blog mojo going!
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