A New Year at Uniquely Michelle

With January well underway, I thought I would give you a quick recap of 2018 and a preview of my plans for Uniquely Michelle for 2019.

Looking back at 2018, it could be called the Year of Tutorials for Uniquely Michelle. There were several tutorials for the Kristine ID Wallet including the Alternate ID Window tutorial, the Gift Box tutorial, and the Flap Side Video Tutorial. It was so fun making the first video tutorial - I can’t wait to make a video for the ID window side of the Kristine ID Wallet!

This is the Kristine ID Wallet that Cheryl Brewer Gloege made for swap partner, Brenda Ellendson. Cheryl also made a Kristine ID Wallet gift box for the KIDW and included a matching Snap To It Key Fob and some candy!

Another first for Uniquely Michelle in 2018 - hosting a swap! The Kristine ID Wallet Swap was fun.

Adding a Crossbody Strap to the Lindsay Wristlet was another tutorial that was published on the Uniquely Michelle Blog in 2018. This is my favorite way to add a crossbody strap to the Lindsay Wristlet and it makes the Lindsay Wristlet perfect for travel. I used it to hold my passport and all my essentials as I traveled Europe last spring.

The Snap Blog Series was a success! I think everyone learned a lot about installing both plastic, Kam Snaps and metal, SnapSource snaps during this blog series.

The Snap Blog Series culminated with the release of the free Snap To It Key Fob pattern.

December was a busy month personally, as I made several Christmas gifts for relatives this year, including eight Set To Go Cosmetic Bag sets. They were a labor of love and they were well received. I gave them to my mom, sister, my five sister-in-laws, and one of my nieces.

I didn’t want to leave my dad out of the handmade gifts, so I made him a leather Retreat Bag (pattern by Emmaline Bags).

December was a bit crazy with the Craftsy/Bluprint changes. In case you haven’t heard, Craftsy is becoming Bluprint. I felt it was very unfortunate how Craftsy handled communication with designers as they closed down several pattern shops and removed several patterns from the shops that remained open on Bluprint. I feel extremely fortunate to still have a shop on Bluprint that includes three patterns - the Kristine ID Wallet, the Lindsay Wristlet, and the Just the Ticket Luggage Tag. These three patterns along with all the other Uniquely Michelle patterns are available in the Uniquely Michelle Etsy Shop and the Uniquely Michelle Website Shop. The only exception to this is the free, Snap To It Key Fob pattern - it is only available in the Uniquely Michelle Website Shop as Etsy does not allow the posting of free patterns. I will keep you updated on the ongoing changes as Craftsy continues to switch over to Bluprint. I am hoping to be able to add the rest of my patterns to Bluprint at some point in 2019. Also, you can still access any Uniquely Michelle patterns that you purchased on Craftsy on Bluprint - just sign in and click on “Library,” then click on “Own Forever Library,” and finally click on “Pattern Library.”

I’m loving planning using The Maker’s Yearbook 2019! It’s a great planner for anyone with a handmade business.

Looking ahead to a new year is always exciting for me as I plan what is next for Uniquely Michelle. In 2019, I plan to make more video tutorials available on YouTube - they are fun to make and a great resource for you. I am planning on writing a blog series or two. I’m also thinking another swap (maybe with the Just the Ticket Luggage Tag?) would be fun. I have more thoughts and ideas that I need to finalize before I share them, but I think 2019 will be an exciting year for Uniquely Michelle! Let me know if you have anything you would like have happen with Uniquely Michelle in 2019 in the comments below. Also make sure to sign up for the Uniquely Michelle newsletter so you don’t miss out on any upcoming happenings!