For Those Coming From Facebook…

Just wanted to thank everyone of you who have become Crafty Natalie Fans on Facebook! I've had a tremendous amount of traffic on my site the last several days, as well as inquiries, and overall kind words, so it truly means a lot to me! Why I didn't think of this marketing technique sooner is beyond me! Again, please remember that my Facebook page is simply just a gallery of products that I've made in the past, so if you'd like to order something, you can check out my Etsy Shop, or email me directly at natalie@craftynatalie.com.

For those of you who have joined and have only just heard of Crafty Natalie, I thought I'd write a little background for you!

After nearly ten years in the early childhood industry, I was fortunate enough to quit my job almost two years ago. (I was only supposed to take a few months off to find greener pastures, and the path was one that I never expected to take!) More than anything I LOVED working with kids. But when it came down to managing a school of 300+ kids and nearly 100 employees and a being part of a management team of 4, my passion for kids was no longer a passion, but an actual job. (if you truly, truly love what you do, going in everyday is never meant to feel like work...and that stopped being true for me long before I took the plunge to quit!) I ended up watching my nephews for the summer and searched for what was supposed to be a new calling. Except, nothing called out to me, and at times even questioned if I had made the right choice. My husband got me a sewing machine last year for Christmas (mainly because I always complained about having to get my pants tailored when I knew it was something I could essentially do myself!) and thus began a new path. I was addicted to all things fabric. Discovered Amy Butler and everything changed! Found more and more craft blogs and Google Reader became my new best friend!

I soon realized how much fun I was having making purses-if you know me, you know that I like to accessorize, and since I was no longer working in the corporate world, my days of splurging on Coach bags were sadly over! But, being able to sew my own bags meant, I really could have a bag for every outfit! More and more of my family and friends were having babies, and it always amazed me at how expensive children's clothes and toys were. There are so many great patterns and simple ways to make your own children's accessories that I quickly added children's gifts as another fun project to tackle! Soon I  was making more than I could give away (or even store in my own closets!) and quickly discovered Etsy. Once I gained the confidence in myself in sewing, I decided to open up my shop since I was always getting positive feedback from the gifts that I had given away. Selling my items on Etsy has allowed me to further my fabric addiction (which I'm not actually sure if that's a good thing!), it allows me to be creative, and furthermore, provide, fun and unique items at an affordable price!

It's funny looking back now because my husband was the one that encouraged me to start a blog. He's the one that thought of the name (he was so pleased with himself, but really, I couldn't come up with anything clever!) I remember when he suggested it, I looked at him like he was nuts thinking, what the heck would I write on a blog?! Who would even read it besides family! Funny how it's not even family that are my loyal readers!