From struggling to balance it all to struggling to balance it all
I have always loved crafting and sewing since I was very young. I used to spend hours at my neighbor's house rummaging through fabric and making simple pillows and what not. As I got older I started helping my Mom with her crafty creations and learned the business side of sitting at craft fairs, some days selling out and some days not selling anything. When I was a senior in high school my big Christmas present was my very own sewing machine. I wasted no time. That first night I cut my favorite pair of overalls and inserted some beautiful purple fabric down the side for a hippie chic look. I then went on to make baby doll dresses selling them in concert parking lots and local boutiques. After becoming a full time college student I found it hard to make it all work. I continued to craft on the side for gifts for family and friends but started focusing on school and work. I grew to have a very strong work ethic and frequently found myself juggling far too much. It always seemed I was struggling to balance it all.
When my son was born I stopped working full time and all of a sudden had the time to start crafting again. I didn't really settle on clothing until my daughter was born. It was at that point I started envisioning cute things for her to wear every time I saw some girlie fabric. I started making things for her, and then started having friends ask for things. Then as if being a stay at home Mom wasn't enough to keep me busy I thought it would be great to start sewing business from my home. I thought it would only be an slight adjustment from my busy Mom life. Yeah, right! I never envisioned it would be as hard as it is to keep everything in order. I also had no idea how fulfilling it would be to be able to be successful doing something I love while managing to spend as much time being a Mom as I do. I still get excited any time I see a little girl wearing one of my pretties :)
I picked the name Butterfly Bean because my oldest friend has called me Butterfly for as long as I can remember. Whenever I hear the word I think of her and my heart smiles. We call my daughter Bean Bean, or just Bean for short. I am not really sure why, it just stuck and now it truly suits her. I felt like this shop was a combination of both of us and it felt right. When I opened my shop in 2012 my life was very hectic, we were on the process of selling our home and moving a few states away for my husband's new job. I continued to sew and vend at small craft fairs but was nervous to have myself out there on Etsy. I kept it open but never listed anything. After over a year of living out of boxes I finally took the plunge and listed my first few items in the fall of 2013. I really love the philosophy of Etsy and am so happy to share my love of sewing and fabrics with all of you.
That brings me to now,I am happily busily sewing away, driving kids to school, the doctor, soccer practice, gymnastics, etc-all while running a business from home and struggling to balance it all. Most days I think I do a pretty good job.
Thanks for reading I hope you have a great day!
