Take your Blogger to Work Day-ish

Take your blogger to work day...This topic actually comes at a funny time because I've been looking at Sweetie Pie Bakery lately and wondering, what next.

So, let's be all formal and start at the beginning, shall we...

I graduated with a Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Interior Design shortly before having my first child. From a combination of summer classes, internships and a study abroad, I took some time off before his birth to re-evaluate everything and decided that it would be best for me, for our family, to stay home with him rather than work.

So, I became a stay at home mom. It didn't take long before I needed more. Something for me, something to pass the time when my son was really small, something to design.

During the end of my pregnancy, I picked up an old hobby of mine, sewing. I began to collect fabric again and build a beautiful nursery for him. I had never sewn by actual patterns, just creating as I went-measuring and trial and error.

Eventually, my love for sewing and need for design developed into creating my own sewing patterns. I had an architectural background and deep knowledge of textiles and ended up working primarily with felt. It is very structural by nature, so lend itself well to more architectural designs.

I decided to start selling patterns on Etsy and it was a wonderful place for me to start my business. Eventually, I needed more things than what Etsy could offer and moved my shop to Big Cartel. I love that I can offer you all instant download patterns. It allows you to get them in your hands quickly and saves me a bit of time sending out emails! win, win.

As for blogging, I started it out just as a way to market my business, learning quickly that it wouldn't really work. To have people actually read your blog, you need to participate in the community. If you don't offer things (ie tutorials, advice, etc) there is not much of a need for people to read your blog outside of a newsletter.

After writing a few tutorials, I really fell in love with blogging. It is such a fun way to share ideas and meet people with similar interests.

...And that's where the story ends today. I'm not sure of the future of Sweetie Pie Bakery. When my youngest daughter is of school age, I plan to go back to work so we'll just see how things all work out at that time. I've had the opportunity to work with some amazing companies through the short time I've been in business and am looking forward to exciting things around the corner, and eventually, going back to architecture, design, I really love it.

Until then, I'm here, creating patterns, sharing with you!

I'd also like to thank Gina for hosting this event!

*image via MadeByGirl