Shop Update Part 1: The New Look

One year ago today, I accepted a job offer as a Payroll & HR Generalist at a local country club, and I have been reflecting on that a lot this week. That moment was the start of a career pivot I had been working toward since the fall of 2024, when I set my sights on becoming a Payroll Specialist or Administrator. It took accelerated studying, job hunting, and pushing through the demands of both my previous and current payroll and HR roles to get here, but I can honestly say it was worth every bit of it. The past few years have been an amazing journey of figuring out my next career moves while still holding onto my creative outlet, and I am so proud of where I have landed. Having a stable full-time job has relieved so much of the stress and pressure that came with operating a small business, and it has given me the freedom to shift my focus. My goal now is to transition away from full-time maker life and move toward a passive creative income stream, where my shop can grow at a pace that works for me without the weight of it all resting on my shoulders.

So, hi everyone, it's good to be back! I want to start by thanking you for your patience over the past month or so. As many of you may know, I wear two hats: I run this shop, and I work full-time as a Payroll Administrator. The past six months have been an intense training period at my day job, and I made the difficult but necessary decision to step back from the shop so I could give that work the focus it deserved. I'm happy to report that training is going well, and now that things have stabilized, I finally have the time and energy to come back and take care of business here.

Welcome to the new look!

This weekend I was able to do something I've been wanting to tackle for a while: downsizing the web shop to feature only my Paper Bats digital patterns collection. The shop is a bit bare-bones at the moment, and I want to be upfront that the current look is temporary. As I develop new digital patterns and sewing tutorials down the road, the shop will get a proper refresh to match.

In the meantime, spring cleaning has been hitting me hard in the best way. I've been cleaning, reorganizing, and purging my giant stash of shop samples and supplies, which honestly feels like its own kind of fresh start.

I also want to take a moment to be real with you all. There is no manual for closing a handmade brand, and this whole process has been a learning experience every step of the way. I am figuring it out as I go, and I won't pretend it has always been graceful or perfectly timed. What I do know is that I am fully committed to seeing this through the right way, and that means taking care of every single one of you who is still here waiting. To my remaining customers, I see you, I appreciate you more than words can say, and I know this retirement has taken longer than any of us planned. Your patience and grace through all of this has meant everything to me, and I am genuinely looking forward to bringing this chapter to a close in a way that feels good for all of us.

This is the first of two shop update posts. The second, "Emails & Refunds," will be available by May 30th. It will cover the status of my remaining 50 open orders. Before I reach out to anyone, I'm taking the time to organize and check all remaining merchandise inventory and supplies to make sure everything is accurate. Once I have a clear picture of what's on hand, I'll be emailing customers individually. Over half of those orders will be either cancelled and refunded or shipped out within the next few weeks.