Hey friends, it’s time for a blog hop!

Ummm… what’s a blog hop? That’s the first question I asked when I was invited to participate.

Of course, my mind went right to this awesome Disney poster I had hanging in my bedroom growing up.

A blog hop is a way for bloggers to connect, get to know each other and share each other’s blogs. All I have to do is answer a few questions about my blog and writing process, and then nominate two other bloggers to do the same!

I was nominated by Jaime Johnson with Jaime Sews. Jaime has heaps of “real life” sewing experience so garments are a breeze for her… honestly, I don’t know her “in real life” but I’m pretty sure she could whip up a perfect, wearable item with her eyes closed. I’m so envious! She makes some really adorable clothes for her little ones and  has etsy shops for both handmade items and fabric. Check her out!

And now, onto the hoppy questions.

Why do I write?

I’ve always been a writer, although I didn’t label myself as one in the early years. When I was maybe 7 or 8 years old, my closest friend and I used to play a game called “mail” where we’d write little letters, magazines and even “junk mail” ads for our stuffed animals and dolls. We’d distribute said collateral accordingly and then spend time reading each other’s notes to our inanimate audience.

In those days, I also brought home stacks of books from the library and read incessantly, which led to quite a bit of story writing. I think I was the only one in my class who got really psyched about the annual story writing competition we had in my elementary school.

Getting my Karen Brewer fix.

I studied communication and public relations in my undergraduate years and my career choices have led me to roles that largely focus on writing.

But WHY do I write? It basically comes down to this: I’m not a smooth talker. I’d be a terrible salesperson, lawyer or motivational speaker – but I bet I’d be pretty awesome at those things if I had 20 minutes to write out a thorough response each time it was my turn to talk.

Words don’t fall out of my mouth as nicely as they come though my hands onto paper. I spend more time than I should in my head, regretting things I’ve just stupidly said out loud and wishing I could reword them. That isn’t the case with writing. I can make sure everything is just so before hitting the “publish” button.

I chose to blog about sewing and crafts for a few reasons.

1. I don’t have a lot of people in my “real” life who want to talk about these things. Blogging = built-in community!
2. This blog serves as a neat archive to look at all of the projects I’ve completed (and also gives me the ability to quickly share these accomplishments with friends and family around the world).
3. I don’t think I’d have learned nearly as much about sewing had it not been for all of the resources available on the internet — especially from bloggers.

What am I working on?

As far as the crafts go — I recently shared my One Hundred No Pressure Projects idea, so lots of my upcoming projects will likely be from that list – but not all! With fall upon us, I really want to get started on Christmas gifts so I’m not blindsided when I realize Christmas is just days away. Making gifts is so hard because I have to keep everything a secret during the creation process!

Tina Fey understands.

How does this blog differ from others of its genre?

I’m new(ish) to sewing and new(ish) to public blogging. Sometimes I feel intimidated by the greatness of other craft blogs, or I feel dumb asking questions about the blogosphere as a whole (e.g., the cluelessness that ensued when I was initially invited to this blog hop). I hope my blog doesn’t intimidate other beginners because for the most part, I consider myself a beginner too. One of my (unofficial) long term blog goals is to write tutorials for beginners so I can help them have stress-free sewing experiences.

How does my writing process work?

I’ll often keep blog drafts in the queue for a long time before I publish them. Right now, I have 30 drafts just floating around in there. I sort of jump around between blog posts, developing the actual content until one starts to stand out above the rest.

Then I revise like a CRAZY PERSON. Right now this particular post is on version 20! Lately I’ve been trying to be less of a perfectionist when it comes to my writing. I have no choice but to be a perfectionist when I write in the professional world, so it’s hard to write in a more relaxed fashion here – even when I make a conscious effort to do so.

That said, when I deem my blog post “complete” and it’s ready to go – it’s READY TO GO. This site gives me the opportunity to schedule posts in advance, but I rarely use that feature. I have such a hard time holding onto completed posts and I want to publish them immediately. If I try to wait more than 24 hours, my brain is like…

When a post is done, I just want to share, share, share. Partially because I’m excited and partially because I know I’ll continue to edit if I don’t! 😉

Okay, that’s enough questions for me. Now it’s my turn to pass the baton onto two more bloggers!

First up, Leasa, who writes for Project Leasa and also has an etsy shop, A Piece O’Lease. Leasa’s blog is a lifestyle blog covering “Parenting, Wife-ing, Working, Crafting…. Everything!” She will often showcase her incredible quilting projects or things she has made for her cute son, Levi. I also follow Leasa on instagram, where she recently shared photos of a skirt she sewed using licensed Simpsons fabric — I got totally giddy at the prospect of incorporating licensed character fabric into grown-up clothing.

Second baton goes to Heather, whom I happen to know “in real life” as we worked in the same department for many years. She writes for Designed to Thrive, and also has an etsy shop with a variety of artwork, including intricate zentangle designs and customizable prints. One important thing to note about Heather’s shop: half of the profits are donated to the Center for Children’s Cancer & Blood Disorders at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children! Heather’s blog and shop are fairly new, but are sure to gain a quick following with all of that good karma floating around.

If you’ve made it this far in the post, kudos to you! Be sure to check out my blog friends – can’t wait to read their posts in the coming week.