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A behind-the-scenes look at what the camera can't always capture
If you've watched the vlog, you already know the highlights. But if you know me at all, you know I overexplain - and honestly, I've made peace with that. High anxiety will do that to a person. This blog post exists because some things don't translate in video form, and I need a space to put the full picture into words. So here we go.
The Haul, the Home & the Happy Place
I've been picking things up here and there over the past couple of weeks - a little for our family, a few things to upcycle, some fresh painting supplies, and the kind of random finds that just speak to you in a thrift store aisle. There's something deeply satisfying about curating a life that's eclectic and intentional, piece by piece.
Even though we're in a much more financially secure place than we've been in the past, secondhand will always be my first choice whenever possible. It's better for the environment, it keeps things interesting, and frankly - you simply cannot replicate that feeling of finding something truly unique for three dollars. I believe in building a thoughtful, curated life, and thrifting is a big part of how I do that.
Putting Lily Down & Juggling All of It
You saw me putting Lily to bed, and what you might not have fully seen is the invisible math that goes on behind the scenes every single evening - the winding-down rituals, the patience it takes, the way I hold it together while also mentally running through everything still left on my to-do list for the business.
Motherhood and running a creative business solo is genuinely a lot. I want to be honest about that. The version of my life I share online is creative and full of color and success - and it really has been incredibly successful lately, which I'm proud of. But I'm also a human being who has been struggling. Weight gain, stress, an autistic toddler with big needs, and wrapping up homeschool with our older kids - it's a season that asks a lot of me, and some days I feel that more than others.
The life I present online is real. The creativity is real. The success is real. And so is the hard part - and I think it's important you know both exist at the same time.
Pinterest Wins & Studio Hours
The next morning I was back at it - and I have to share because I'm genuinely proud of this. I've been putting real work into growing my Pinterest reach organically, no paid ads, no promotions. I'm nearly at half a million monthly views, and that is something I have built entirely through consistency and intention. If you've ever wondered whether organic Pinterest growth is still possible, the answer is yes - and I'm living proof.
From there, it was sewing time. Getting caught up on orders in the studio is one of those rhythms I love. I had the latest episode of The Girlfriends Trust Me Babe on, and if you haven't listened yet - please go find it. I am a true crime junkie through and through, and this podcast has been exactly what I needed in my ears while my hands were busy.
Downtown, the Post Office & Yes, Another Thrift Store
I took a walk downtown to drop off packages at the post office - and if you watched closely, you know exactly where I ended up after. The thrift store. It's my happy place, and I'm not even a little sorry about it. Found a couple more things to upcycle, grabbed some painting supplies, picked up a few items for the kids. It was a good walk. The kind that clears your head a little.
I try to be mindful about why I thrift - it's not just about the bargain. It's a value I genuinely hold. Secondhand whenever you're able to, for the environment, for the character it brings into your home, for the joy of the hunt. It's part of the life I'm always building.
Lily's Field Day & the Village Behind Her
The next day I headed to Lily's school for field day. Watching all of those kids run around together, laughing, playing - it really was wonderful. And it was also hard. I'll be transparent about that, because I think other parents in similar situations deserve to hear it said out loud.
Social events like this can be overstimulating for me as a highly sensitive person, and Lily tends to stay close to me during moments like that, which I understand completely. Seeing how far out of her comfort zone she was stretching to participate - that takes everything she has. And it takes a village to make that possible for her.
I am so grateful for her ABA therapist and every single teacher and therapist at her school who genuinely adores her. The progress she's made is real, and it belongs to all of them as much as it does to her. We are so lucky to have the people we have in her corner.
A Solo Weekend & a Long Overdue Date with Myself
Marc took the kids camping for the weekend and gave me something I didn't fully realize I needed until I had it - time. Completely alone, with no schedule, no therapies to coordinate, no meetings, no deadlines breathing down my neck.
We've had a lot of honest conversations lately about my mental health. My ADHD, the executive dysfunction that comes with it, the depression that creeps in when everything else in life has finally fallen into place and you still don't feel okay. Everything around me is good. And I still haven't felt like myself. That's a hard thing to sit with and a harder thing to say out loud, but I'm saying it.
So I went on a date with myself. I went to the art supply store and picked up things I'd been wanting for a while. I had dinner at Panera. I went into every store I felt like going into, without rushing, without guilt, without a timer running in my head. It sounds so small, and it meant so much.
Sometimes the most radical thing you can do for yourself is give yourself an afternoon with nowhere to be and no one to take care of - and let that actually be enough.
Saturday Dinner, Bonnets & My Mom
Saturday evening I headed to my parents' house for dinner. My mom and I sat together making bonnets to fill orders, and I just - I needed that. Being next to her, doing something with my hands, talking. She is the person who cheers on every single part of my life without exception. The business, the motherhood, the hard parts, the good parts. All of it.
I couldn't be who I am without her, and everything I do, in some quiet way, is me hoping to make her proud. I think she knows that. I hope she does.
If you made it through the whole vlog and then came here too - thank you. This is my way of overexplaining in the best possible way, giving you the inner monologue that doesn't fit neatly into a video edit. I have high anxiety, I feel everything deeply, and writing it all out is genuinely how I process the world.
I'm already filming the next episode, and I hope you'll stay with me for it.
With love, Carrie