i can hardly believe it. sometime this week (it was either july first or july third, forgive me…), this little passion project of mine turns three years old. three years ago, i pushed aside every insecurity i had, every worry of “what if people make fun of me?” + i did it. i set up an etsy store. i took some pictures. i posted some things. and away i went.

i’ve said it before, and it sounds cliche, but i had no idea where this would go. i thought i’d add a few more things to the shop + people would find me. i mean, i was working full-time, had a young son, a husband who works a lot + a house to take care of. this was an outlet for me.

today, it’s still an outlet. but it’s also very much my baby. today, re-nest studio has grown, slowly + steadily, while much more has come in to my life, both personally + professionally. and through all of it, i wouldn’t change it one bit. and, i have bigger visions as to where this can go.

want to join me on a little walk down memory lane?

1. re-nest studio officially launched (on this blog) on july 1, 2012. little mr. re-nest #1 was the only little mr. re-nest at the time. and, he was three. 

2. as of today, this little blog now has over 12,000 pageviews (which seems like a lot to me, because i basically write about what i want to write about, i don’t do advertising + i only share my posts on social media!) i know there are blogs with bigger followings, but i’m pretty happy with it.

3. the re-nest studio etsy store has now grown to 37 listings. again, not a ton, but it’s respectable. and trust me, i have about double this number of ideas in my head that i will make someday!

whoa. just whoa.

4. in three years, i’m nearing almost 15,000 views on my etsy store. fifteen thousand. whoa. 

5. out of all of my listings, the most popular listing is the “you are my sunshine” canvas wall art. all time, it has almost 4,400 views alone.

6. in may 2013, little mr. re-nest #2 joined the nest! 

the little miss sunshine high chair birthday banner

7. and, while i always said i wouldn’t do it, in 2014, i launched the re-nest party room…expanding the offerings to custom party decor!

8. thanks to mr. re-nest, i was able to move my studio from a spare corner in our spare bedroom to a real, honest-to-goodness studio space in our basement. 

9. total awesomeness is that this whole passion project has allowed me the ability to become a guest blogger with the etsymom team + the decorate contributor for modern handmade child.

10. and, a magazine! how cool is that? my great friends at invironments magazine have welcomed me with open arms + allow me to share my home decor how-tos in every issue! 

11. an invitation to feature my work in a boutique! once again, i’ve made some amazing friends at shop in style in downtown sycamore who were kind enough to welcome my pieces into their shop!

what’s more important is that i still have big dreams for this little project of mine. but for now, i’m so very thankful for every single friend, fan + family member who supports + encourages what i do. most importantly, a thank you to my boys – to mr. re-nest, little mr. re-nest #1 + little mr. re-nest #2 – for understanding that mama’s bucket is filled when i can have a little creative time. i can’t wait to see where the next year takes this little shop + blog, and to have you all along with me for the ride!