About Me and My Home Craft Business

So you want to know more about me? My name is Amy, and I have a home craft business.

I like to do crafts, garden, travel to festivals, spend time with my family, go for walks with my dog, and build websites.

I've been doing crafts my whole life.

I'd always wanted to be an artist and run my own handmade craft business, but I was told You can't earn a living doing that. I still thought it would be something fun to do on weekends.

If my hobbies could at least support me buying more supplies to continue doing crafts, that would be better than nothing! I felt that I had to try.

My Story: The Beginning

After I graduated from college with a degree in arts, I started my own business. I sold my crafts at the local farmer's markets on weekends. It was fun, but sometimes I only sold enough to cover the expense for having the table. I needed to try something different.

Growth

I started selling online. I also developed a relationship with some wholesale suppliers so I could expand the types of crafts I made. This also allowed me to start selling kits and supplies to other crafters.

Now I was earning a steady profit from my home craft business. I outgrew eBay and opened my own ecommerce store. I also started an informational website to help people learn how to do embroidery. I wanted to build a community where people could share their enthusiasm and help each other learn traditional crafts.

Economic Downturn Turns into Opportunity

The problems with the economy hit my day job. I decided to go back to school for a second degree in accounting. I loved running my own home craft business, so I wanted to learn how to do it well enough that I could do it for others, too.

Meanwhile, my main wholesale supplier went out of business. I took this as an opportunity to offer more digital products. Selling downloadable items means that I don't have to spend all of the time wrapping up items to ship or going to the Post Office.

The online community was really growing and taking off. I realized I was earning more by selling ad space than I had been when selling supplies.

I started another website about Gettysburg because my passion for traditional arts ties into my interest in history. I like to attend area fairs and festivals. It was hard to figure out what events were happening in the area because I needed to track them down from so many sources. I figured others must have the same problem, so another website idea was born!

So, now you know that I spend my free time visiting Gettysburg and doing fiber arts. This yarn website describes my adventures with crochet, knitting, spinning, and weaving.

Inspiration for This Website

The success of my crafting websites owes a lot to my frustration with the job market. I was stuck in a little part-time job at the local library that didn't pay the bills. It had great co-workers and a wonderful atmosphere, but I didn't get to use my mind.

What was the point of earning those college degrees and having straight A's all through college? I have enough awards to wallpaper a room but awards don't equal money.

My frustration was a blessing in disguise. It forced me to spend more time working on my own home business, building communities and learning to design websites. I became an established freelance artist.

When life serves you lemons, make lemonade... and a nice big lemon meringue pie.

What I've Learned

I realized that experience means much more than degrees. I don't have the experience to compete for jobs, but I do have the experience of starting my own home craft business and working from home.

I realized that I'm not trapped by circumstances, but I am free to pursue my own passions.

I am sharing these experiences with you because I know that there are others caught in the same situation. I see the economic struggles. I am fortunate that I built my ark before the flood came, but it's not too late for you to build your own safety net, too.