There are some things you just know about yourself. For me, I always knew that I wanted to be a Mom, and that I liked to make things and sell things - I'm a crafter and a retailer. But raising my first son as a single mom meant that I needed to make more money than a retail clerk could earn to provide for him, so I shifted my focus to being an attorney for a long while - putting the idea of having my own store on the back burner while the larger bills were being paid.

Then, just as my son was heading off to college I met my husband - a leather craftsman whose Etsy shop is Hawk Studio. Through the twists and turns of life, we also ended up with 3 more boys - and 8 dogs (we also founded a dog rescue) and a big old falling down house. Oddly, this change in life, which required me to make more money, not less, combined with the creation of Etsy, gave me the push I needed to finally start working toward that store I always wanted to have - by starting with an Etsy shop. We needed to make more money to support this crazy household and the only way I knew to do that was to make things. I had already returned to knitting and had started spinning when my sister started hand-dying yarn. Her shop is Mustard Seed Yarn Lab here on Etsy. I did not want to compete with her or the other amazing hand-dyers on Etsy, so I went back to my hippie roots and based my dyeing techniques in nature.

Costuming is also part of my background - I met my husband at the Renaissance Faire and we have closets filled with garb for the whole family - and as we add shows to our schedule, we will be adding costuming that will incorporate my natural dyes and Chip's leatherwork. We are currently working on a line of woodland fairy and elven ranger costumes that we can sell at shows.

Someday we may even have that physical store that I always wanted to have.

Finally, the name. I have always loved the idea of having a home that has a name. When my husband and I think about our final home (which includes some land in our mind) it has a name. But what name? I have a song for my name - the Beatles' "Michelle". I started to think about what songs or music were important or special to me and immediately went to Led Zeppelin 4. "Battle for Evermore" is one of those great songs about the ultimate fight - the battle to save and keep the most precious place and time of all. Evermore.

My home, my family, my dreams and my beliefs - Evermore. This store is my Escape to Evermore. It is what you fight for.