it's been a while

Hey friends!  It has been quite a while, but some of you may remember that I actually used to blog pretty regularly.  That has been pretty nonexistent these days.  Back in the beginning of this year, I was thinking about the direction I wanted to go in with the blog and talking with some friends during the Noonday conference out in Austin about revamping this little space.  I was wanting a fresh space.  A fresh start.  So much has changed since I started writing here years ago.  Initially, I started this blog as a place to share DIY projects, sewing and jewelry projects, and my little random thoughts here and there.  Over time, it has become a place where I've seen my heart for highlighting issues of injustice, poverty, and ethical fashion come alive.  And that was the direction I was wanting to move.  I dreamed of a new look, a new name for the blog, and new content more along these lines.  And now here we are in the first days of September, and I've gotten absolutely nowhere.  I put things here "on hold" back at the beginning of this year until I could get a handle of it and "on hold" is where it's stayed.  I wanted everything neat and tidy and perfect and presentable before I returned to the blogging community and well, that's just not the way that life works.  Isn't that the truth!?!  I became part of an ethical bloggers collective and fell into the comparison trap.  They all have such wonderful blogs with great content and a huge audience.  I started meeting in real-life bloggers who were well-known and I felt my little blog wasn't good enough.  Wasn't necessary.  Just what the world needs....another lifestyle or fashion blog.  I've since learned that's simply not true and that everyone's voice is important and needed in this conversation. 

In all honesty, I've missed my time blogging.  Writing has always been a way I've loved expressing myself to the world around me.  It helps me process life.  And I love sharing what I'm learning through the written word.  I've loved having this space be used as a platform to bring attention to issues such as poverty, injustice, human trafficking and fair trade. 

So, I'm back and I'll keep blogging over here while my blog is still "unfinished" and "in process" because that's life.  And I'll keep adding my voice to the conversation one blog post at a time.