September 9, 2026

a love note to you all on shifting

hiii to my og blog readers!!

My dearest readers,

Some things have been shifting in the digital landscape (as they do), and my world as it relates to it, and I have been wanting to address that with you. My OG blog readers. Right here, on this blog that I spent years building, and quite frankly, I am so very proud of.

Lately I’ve been introducing myself as a creator of thirteen years, on a brand new (to me) platform. Wild. I mark that time by when I started creating and sharing online publicly the year my daughter was born. I was obsessed with my baby girl and her darling toddler brother – the two of them my entire world. This was also around the time that Instagram became more than just a place to share photos with friends and family. People were gaining followings from strangers, just from sharing bits of their lives. I was intrigued.

I was also desperately in need of a shift in my own life. Working a corporate job in fashion and wanting to raise my own babies on my own terms just wasn’t working anymore. This is a lot of what I wrote about in those early years.

As I am writing this post today, I just scrolled all the way back to my very first blog post, which was technically published in 2014, making my blog twelve years old. It surprisingly isn’t all that cringe to me, lol. I suppose I was far enough out of the newborn haze at that point to actually register a domain and start writing. But I will never forget how hard that first year was with my colicky baby, a toddler who was potty training, trying to work a full-time office job (nobody was working remotely in 2014), with two kids in daycare – all while trying to start something creative for myself.

I haven’t gone back and read that first post in a looong time (if ever?) and it’s funny to me to read it now because much of it still rings true. I have always had a reluctant push-pull relationship with social media. Which may sound funny, coming from someone who made a career out of it. Over the years, I have questioned myself and the path I am on a thousand times. In fact, I wrote about this recently on my Substack.

In this space that started with crafty projects and room makeovers, escalating later into elaborate DIY birthday parties, and eventually our entire home remodel, dream brand collaborations, and so much more, I will be forever grateful. But even since then, the digital creator landscape has shifted. Now we have quick :15 second videos and hot takes for short attention spans. I shifted with all of that too, from teaching myself DSRL photography, to video editing – and then this blog started collecting dust.

Which brings me to today. I have love, love, loved sharing with you all on this blog. Truly, I designed my life around it. What started as a whimsical name – the love designed life – and a vague idea, became my reality. What a gift!

And now, Substack came along. If you would’ve asked me three years about Substack, I would’ve asked you what the heck you were talking about? Then last year, a friend shared she was starting her own Substack and encouraged me to do the same. I’ll admit, I was like – why would I do that? I already have a blog and newsletter platform (ahem, which I wasn’t posting on AT ALL). I told myself I would just get back into posting on my own platforms again. Spoiler alert – I didn’t.

Well my friends, when I change my mind, I change my mind HARD. Tell me I can’t do something – I dare you. 😉

About a month ago, I went all in. I bought a Substack course and followed it through. I’ve been writing and flowing like I haven’t in YEARS. And man, does it feel good. The word that keeps coming to mind is how very freeing it’s been. And no, none of my writing is supported by AI. Just my old-school, stream-of-consciousness writing style, straight from my very own brain.

Here’s the main thing about Substack that’s different than a blog or email newsletter: you can monetize it by asking your people to join as paid subscribers. Cringe? I’ll admit, I used to think so. Until I realized I’ve been creating content online for yearssss for FREE. I have more to say on all that over here too. But the bottom line is, my voice is valuable, and I think you’ll appreciate what I have to say.

Over on Substack, I will be going deeper on all of the subjects I already love to talk about – motherhood, health + wellness, and travel. This will often look like sharing more personal aspects of mid-life and valuable travel information that I’ve learned over the years. That’s what will go behind the paywall. I will still have some free posts though! So if you still aren’t quite sure about it – I invite you to join as a free subscriber and dip your toe in! Literally no commitment. I will be posting 1-2x per week, as inspiration arrives and I feel I have something worthwhile to share with you.

In the meantime, I will be pausing content creation on this site. Perhaps at some point, I will circle back to home projects here. Nowadays, I just don’t have that many projects lined up to share with you anymore. That was a beautiful and exciting phase of life, but it’s not where I’m at now. And isn’t it great that in this life, we don’t have to “niche down” and be just one thing forever?? I sure think it is.

So my lovely friends and readers, I hope you will join me over on Substack. Other than finding me there, which I hope you will, it is genuinely the most kind, supportive, and uplifting atmosphere on all of the internet right now. I recently posted this note over there, and it took off. Which to me is just further evidence that it is exactly the kind of place I want to be.