Post 1: Starting Blogmas 2025: A Personal December Blog Series
It's December 1st, and I'm starting something I've been thinking about for a while now. Welcome to Blogmas 2025.
If you've been part of the Upper Room Prints community for any length of time, you know my motto: Bringing Cozy to the Chaos. That's what I try to create with everything I make - stickers, crochet buddies, notebooks, all of it. But I realized recently that I've been showing you the cozy without much of the chaos. You see the finished products, the market photos, the polished Instagram posts. You don't see much of the actual life behind all of it.
So this December, I want to change that.
What This Series Will Be
Blogmas is going to be personal. It's going to be raw. This isn't a month of business tips or maker advice or "here's how I grew my small business" content. There are plenty of people doing that, and doing it well. That's just not what this is.
This is me letting you into my actual life. What my days really look like. What it's like to be disabled and autistic and still trying to run a one-person business. The stuff I usually keep private because it feels too vulnerable or too messy or too much.
I'll be posting every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday through December 24th. Some posts will be lighter - like introducing you to the three cats who run my life. Some will be heavier - talking about chronic illness, depression during the holidays, the stuff I don't usually say out loud. Some will be about the hobbies I do just for me, the things that have nothing to do with selling or productivity.
It won't always be easy to write. I'm already feeling nervous about it, honestly. But I think it's important.
Why I'm Doing This
I want to give my cozy community a real look into my personal life. Not the curated version, not the "small business owner" persona, just... me. The whole messy, complicated, tired, trying-my-best version of me.
I know this will make me feel vulnerable. I'm already bracing for that. But I also know that when people share their real struggles, it helps other people feel less alone. And if there's one thing I've learned from running Upper Room Prints, it's that so many of us are navigating similar things - chronic illness, neurodivergence, mental health struggles, the pressure to be productive all the time, the guilt of resting.
If sharing my life honestly helps even one person feel less alone in theirs, then the vulnerability is worth it.
What I Hope You Get From This
Comfort. That's what I hope this series brings you.
The same kind of comfort I try to build into everything I create - the soft paper, the gentle colors, the characters who feel like friends. But this time, the comfort comes from knowing that someone else gets it. That you're not the only one having hard days. That it's okay to do things differently. That rest isn't failure.
Bringing Cozy to the Chaos. That's still the heart of everything I do. But this month, I'm inviting you into the chaos too, not just the cozy.
A Few Boundaries
I'm being honest and open, but I'm not sharing everything. There are parts of my life that will stay private, and that's okay. You won't hear much about my relationship status, for example. Some things are just for me.
I'm figuring out where those lines are as I go, and I'm giving myself permission to change my mind about what I share. This is new territory for me.
How I'm Feeling Right Now
Nervous. Excited. Exhausted.
I had a market yesterday, and it was physically brutal. I'm still recovering today. My body hurts, my brain is foggy, and I'm running on fumes. But I'm also proud of myself for showing up, for making sales, for connecting with people who loved the Ribbit Pals and the Chunks and the Grumptitude planners.
That's kind of the whole point of this series, actually. Life isn't one thing. It's not all good or all bad. It's exhausted and proud at the same time. It's nervous and excited. It's chaos and cozy, all mixed together.
So here we are. December 1st. Blogmas 2025.
I'm glad you're here. Let's do this together.