Monday, December 1, 2014

coffee date (a few days late)


On Friday my friend Jenna over at Dearest Love hosted a coffee date. And I intended to join but I was busy loving time with my family after hosting my first Thanksgiving (which if you follow me on Instagram you saw), buying our first Christmas tree, and...








FINALLY buying my camera!! I actually cried in Best Buy when I realized it was happening and all the way through checkout, and then couldn't really speak for at least an hour. And then I spent hours and hours with it all weekend long. Here's a few sample shots from me playing around.

So, without further ado, on to the coffee date, If we were having coffee, it would be at my house, with lattes and cappuccinos I made for us in my dining room with the espresso maker and milk steamer we were able to buy thanks to a very late wedding gift card from distant relatives. I would tell you how I worked in a small town coffee shop through high school, and that ever since my first day on the job there I've dreamed of my own latte station in my home.

I would probably take a hundred pictures because I've dreamed about having this camera for years and have been saving for quite some time.

I would tell you how thankful I am for my life right now and for all the amazing people in it who love me, and who I get the pleasure of loving in return. I would tell you how wonderful it was to have my family in my home for Thanksgiving. How much fun we had cooking and laughing together. How much joy filled my house as we ate and sipped wine and talked late into the night.

Those things were the highs of my November. The best moments, the happiest memories. Decorating for Christmas with my husband. Delighting in small dreams come true. Being with the people who bring out the most of me.

And, as it always does on coffee dates, the conversation would eventually meander towards the lows of the last month. I would have to be honest and say I had to make a decision about this blog.

No I'm not leaving.

Here's the thing: My new job has been such an amazing blessing. And while working from home is exactly right for me, it is significantly more demanding of my brainpower and energy. I don't have the time or drive left over to promote like I did when I was working part time. I know there are plenty of bloggers who work full time and still promote like crazy and do it all well, but I have a "full focus" brain and that just isn't who I am.

When I sat down with all of this information in my head, I came to a decision I knew was right but I didn't want to say, Alas, I must.

As of today, December 1st, I will no longer be accepting new sponsors. All who purchased slots already and have been approved will still be displayed on the sidebar during the time you were scheduled. I will do my best to promote you as often as possible, but it may not be to the same extent I was once able to do for my sponsors.

To those sponsors who have been negatively impacted by my distraction and lack of promotion, I am so sorry. I kept thinking "Next week will be slower and I can schedule some more tweets," and then suddenly next week was over and I had no idea what happened. And then just as suddenly November was over and it was December and I had never gotten those tweets out or promotions set or spotlights up. If you would like a refund, please email me and I will work with Passionfruit to get your money back to you as soon as possible. 

What I will do instead is a simple button swap. I won't promise a certain number of promotions or shoutouts but I will share occasionally. I will also be happy to accept or exchange guest posts.

Again, this was not a decision made lightly but I know it's what's right for me, Sew My Soul, and potential sponsors. Your money should go to someone who can promote you well, and I'm not that person right now. 

If we were on a coffee date, I'd feel a lot better having that off my chest. In fact, I already do.

And if we were on a coffee date, it would be your turn to tell me about life lately. So go ahead, tell me. What have been your highs and lows?
post signature

15 comments:

  1. Love the twinkle light & coffee beans photo! and the basset nose:)

    I completely understand about sponsors... I am the same way! My job drains me and I just don't have the drive or time to put too much into this space. And that's okay! It sounds like the right decision for you right now! Glad the job is going well!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Those are some of my favorites too!

      So glad everyone has understood so far. And I hated making that choice but I needed to free up that room in my mind and eliminate the nagging guilt about it.

      Delete
  2. Oh I am so thrilled for you getting your camera! Isn't it the BEST when you finally get to play with that beloved dream you've had for sooooo long!? I'm obsessed with my Canon. Prepare to always have it in your hands!!! Your photos are gorgeous! Can't wait to see you learn new tricks so you can teach them to me :)

    I don't blame you one bit about sponsorships...I've never done it because I know I don't have the time to give them what they deserve. I DO think swapping buttons is SO fun though. Way to follow your heart and do what's best for you, sweet girl.

    Happy December!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I haven't put it down since I got it. Like...I already need more memory cards hahaha. And thank you! I'll definitely teach you when we finally someday get to meet for real in person!

      And I'm so so glad everyone has been so kind and supportive about the sponsorship choice. I really used to be able to provide a much better program but I simply don't have the brain space for it anymore.

      Delete
  3. YAY FOR YOUR NEW CAMERA. You take amazing photos lady. Also, way to be upfront about sponsorships instead of just waiting until it was too late. I LOVE swapping though, so we will have to get on that ASAP!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you love!! Thank you for the support too. I really didn't want to make that decision but I needed to, for my own peace of mind and stress management. Blogging shouldn't be something that makes you nervous because you don't know how you'll find the time to promote everyone!

      Delete
  4. That's so exciting for your new camera! I fully support your decision to do away with sponsorships. I never got into it simply because I knew I couldn't handle the workload, and I would eventually hate coming into the blog space of mine. Button swaps are fun and easy! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for the support!! I am so grateful people have been understanding about it. I dreaded making the decision more than anything but I knew without a doubt I had to.

      Delete
  5. Hi Kaitlin! So happy to have stumbled across your blog, and looking forward to following along! Congrats on your new camera! My husband and I just bought our first DSLR last month as one of our first grown up purchases, and we love it! Thank you so much for your honesty on devoting energy to the blog. I completely understand. Way to be honest. Also, that's so awesome that you worked in a coffee shop! Jon and I's dream is to have one one day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you found me too! I'm absolutely obsessed with this camera. I've been dreaming about it for three. years. And I'm so grateful for the understanding this decision has been met with. I used to be able to do this promote promote promote all the time but my new job is much more demanding of my energy and brain power! And that was my favorite job ever. I absolutely loved it.

      Delete
  6. Replies
    1. Thank you! I'm completely in love with this camera.

      Delete
  7. ok so just so you know, i have actually thought about that picture of the coffee beans MULTIPLE TIMES since i first saw it. so i thought i'd stop by and let you know that <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Serious?? That's awesome! I used to be a painter & charcoal artist in galleries but I'm kind of excited to transfer the artist in me to film, so that is a HIGH compliment!!

      Delete
  8. You are just the cutest! I felt the same way when Madison sold me her old camera, but I would probably cry tears of joy if I had a brand spankin' new one! Your photos are really great, and I love those twinkle lights!

    And don't worry about having to take a step back. Do what you need to do, just don't leave for good or I might really start crying. ;) Thanks for joining the coffee date, friend!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by! I love to hear what you think...leave me a note and I promise I'll do my best to reply!

*Opinions are more than welcome on this blog, same as or different than mine. However, hateful words are not allowed and I reserve the right to remove comments that are clearly malicious in nature towards myself or others.