How did I get here??

Sometimes I find myself blogging, and I wonder, how exactly did I get here? Given that I've been at it for a while now, I thought it was time for some background!

I was assigned a project for school to spend a year studying a topic of my choice. ANY topic. Quite a tough decision to make, right? I am about as indecisive as they get, so I had no clue what to do.  But somehow, I ended up picking small business. It seemed like a simple, universal, and pretty do-able option, I thought. But business, you ask? What's exciting about that? I asked myself the same thing...Not exactly my first choice of study, but I was hoping that I could somehow mold my project into something more interesting.

I ended up leaning towards the marketing aspect of small business, which seemed like the most logical thing to do. I certainly wasn't going to go into the financial aspect of it all, and marketing sounded like it could be fairly painless.

And then I came to the realization that I could make the project a bit more fun. I decided to create my own little small business out of something I love - crafting! And thus, The Strawberry Donut was born.

I can't say much about my choice of name except that I simply love strawberries and donuts - But generally not strawberry donuts...unless they're from The Donut Man:

The Donut Man strawberry donut.

So anyway, I was super excited, since I finally felt more interested in this project. My love for handmade goods started with little polymer clay earrings, so I started there. But then I tried experimenting with paper crafts, and it was love at first cut. I made some banners for my new shop.

I also like sewing, knitting, etc, etc, so I admit my crafting can be a bit scattered sometimes. But for now, I'm making whatever feels right, and bloggin' as I go.

So now here I am, almost done with my project. All I can say is that it's been a long journey, but it's been worth it. Who knows what will come next...

So Much Stuff (Workspace Tour)

Stuff is pretty important to me. Whether it be strange knick knacks from elementary school, handmade gifts, craft supplies, beautiful things; I am very attached to my possessions. Sometimes I feel overly materialistic. People are always promoting minimalism and "less is more" ideologies, like stuff is a bad thing. But I think, no matter how much stuff you have, the things you do own will always have a certain importance to them.

I came across an article by Bruce Hood in Scientific American Mind (it's a magazine), about why possessions are so important to us. He talks about how our things express our self identity. These objects are essentially an extension of our selves. Even from the moment when we are little kids, we cling on to our blankets or teddy bears, as they bring us so much comfort. Then, over time, our possessions keep their importance and significance, changing as we change. Thus when someone takes something that belongs to you, no matter how small, it can be a very emotional and personal experience.

Reading about how important stuff is, I thought it would be interesting to show you some of my things. My workspace, in particular, is where I keep a lot of my things, since I will see them there everyday.

This is honestly one of my favorite part of reading blogs: house tours, room tours, desk tours; I think it's really neat to see what kinds of possessions other people hold on to, love, and draw inspiration from. So how could I not make one of my own?

Books & cacti are all you need.

Also Dala horses.

The beautiful bookcase.

The purrfect box for me.

Stuff & things

A sad face from Herman Marie

And my good old desk!

I will never cease to enjoy decorating my space. All I need is a few cute knick knacks and some color to make me happy.

The beginning...

Hello all! Here is the start of my new blog: The Strawberry Donut. I thought I would begin with a little background on why I decided to start blogging!

Like any other Internet-loving person, I have been reading blogs for quite a while, as they provide a great deal of inspiration for me. Everything from personal style to cooking to science; I find it all pretty intriguing. As a reader, you get to learn about some cool topic and get to know the blogger behind it all. I've always thought it was a pretty neat idea. So, over the years, the thought of creating a blog of my own has been lingering. But what would I even blog about?

I never thought I would actually get around to making a blog, but I recently started a little Etsy shop, entitled "The Strawberry Donut". (hence my creative blog title ;) ) This has been a step up from the usual crafting I do, so I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to share my creations with the world, or at least a small part of the Internet.

I have always been into crafting and making things, though trust me, I'm not a pro yet. I often jump from one project to another pretty quickly, switching mediums and materials as I please. Don't get me wrong: this creative freedom is nice - but I do tend to have trouble actually finishing things. Therefore, I thought creating a blog might force me to commit to one project until I can knock it out.

So, with this blog, plan to see a variety of crafts and projects. I'm very into paper crafts, sewing, jewelry making, and all sorts of other random things. I also want to include some tutorials, and of course I'll share the love with some other bloggers/crafters that I love! Thanks for reading :)

✿Isabella