2020 Review // The year of all years

W.H.E.W.

I KNOW I’m not the only one saying that about 2020. So. Much. You’re all well aware of the traumatic and sad things that happened. They were real. They were hard. I cried, I researched, I learned, I felt a lot of pain.

I do NOT want to minimize the pain of last year. At the same time that pain was happening, I also grew and learned new things about myself and the world around me that made me a better person. This list barely touches the surface, but here are a few highlights.

The world slowed down a little bit for a little while. We were able to spend time in our studio (aka our house) doing “nothing” which means snuggles on the couch, and reading lots of books. (Until November hit, then WOAH!!)
I was able to hire 10 local friends to help cut felt, something they could do safely from their homes, and something that helped my business immensely. Shout out to Anne, Ashli, Ava, Bailey, Ella, Gabby, Hunter, Rem, Sarah and Whitney.
Another shout out to my immediate family, who sacrificed the living room, a bedroom, home-cooked meals, and any concept of free time.
My siblings and mom watched the babies, and came over to cut felt, and kept checking up on me to see if I was still alive.
And a HUGE shoutout to my buyers! I love you all! You bought a LOT of felt walls. Around 1400 in fact. 131 of you bought from outside of the United States.
It was hard having your kids home! You were a parent and a teacher and employees. You bought felt walls to entertain your kids, to help the kids in your daycare centers, to support my small business, and probably many other reasons. Then you sent me kind and inspiring messages about how you were using your felt walls, and how much you love the cause.
Because of you, the buyers of Em Is Crafty, we were able to donate over $3,000 to the Rocky Mountain Mother’s Milk Bank! I am blown away! Like most places this year, the milk bank had some rough months, and I was giddy that we were able to send a little extra cash to them this year, even if it is a tiny drop in their bucket.

Thank you for supporting me. Thanks for not blaming me that I had zero blog entries in 2020. Thanks for continuing this journey with me. And, also, thank you to Joann’s Fabric for delivering box after box, and bolt after bolt of felt to my very cramped garage.

Here’s to another adventurous year!