This morning didn’t go how I planned.
But if I’m being honest, most of them don’t anymore.
Lillian went to bed super early last night — one of those crash-hard, no-nap days. I knew the moment her little eyes closed that the trade-off was coming. And like clockwork, she popped up at 4 a.m. this morning. Eyes wide. Full of energy. Zero regard for my REM cycle.
We played, we snacked, we snuggled.
And then she crashed again mid-morning — way earlier than usual.
Which meant:
No shared nap.
No afternoon rest for me.
No cozy quiet hour where I get to recharge before the second half of my day begins.
Instead, I found myself staring at the ceiling, already dreading the hours ahead.
She’s going to be up forever.
I’m already tired.
I still have work to do.
I won’t have help until my husband comes home tonight.
I was frustrated.
Not because of her — but because of the way the day was slipping out of my control.
Because I didn’t get that tiny window of pause I thought I needed.
But then…
She woke up.
Rubbed her eyes.
Crawled over to me.
And whispered:
“I love you so much, Mommy.”
That was it.
That one little sentence.
It hit like lightning in my chest.
Suddenly the to-do list didn’t matter.
The overwhelm melted just a bit.
The tiredness was still there — but it wasn’t the focus anymore.
What was?
That I get to do this.
That I don’t have to leave her every morning for a commute or a 9–5 I hate.
That I do get to be there for all the messy, beautiful, exhausting moments.
Because for years, that wasn’t my reality.
There was a version of me who cried in the car before clocking in.
Who would give anything for one extra hour with her baby.
Who dreamed of building a life that revolved around family, not deadlines.
And now that I’m here — in the life I once prayed for — I owe it to that version of me to see it clearly.
To honor the chaos and the sweetness.
To let gratitude take up more space than frustration.
So today?
We’re painting until we’re both covered in it.
We’re chasing the dogs in the backyard
We’re playing with the labubus until the sun goes down.
I’ll catch up on work when she sleeps.
I’ll refill my cup tomorrow.
Because today, I get to live the life I used to dream about.
And even on the hard days — that’s the most sacred thing I’ve ever built.
Love you always,
Angeon
How to build a recession proof business
When you hear the word “recession,” most people immediately think about cutting back.
And yes—consumer spending often dips.
People buy fewer gifts, splurge less, and get extra cautious with their carts.
But here’s what most sellers don’t realize:
Not everyone is pulling back.
In fact, some people are spending more—strategically.
And when you understand who they are, you unlock one of the most recession-proof Etsy strategies there is.
My best-selling products on Etsy aren’t luxury items or trend-based impulse buys.
They’re SVG files—simple, high-demand, digital assets that get purchased by one specific type of buyer: other entrepreneurs.
Small business owners.
Cricut users building their Etsy shops.
Makers selling t-shirts, mugs, decals, and signs.
Designers creating stickers, planners, and products of their own.
These aren’t consumers shopping for fun.
They’re creators investing in tools they can turn into income.
And that is why SVGs (and other digital assets) continue to sell—sometimes even more—when the economy slows down.
Because the people buying them?
They’re trying to grow.
If you’re only trying to sell to shoppers, you’ll always feel the pressure of seasonal dips and market shifts.
But when you sell to other sellers?
You’re tapping into a completely different energy.
You’re selling tools, not trinkets.
You’re enabling income, not impulse.
You’re creating for creators, not just casual buyers.
That’s why I built Etsy Done For You—because this model works, even in the messiest seasons.
Inside, I give you everything I use to sell successfully on Etsy right now:
→ 2 trending SVGs or digital products every day
→ SEO titles, tags, and descriptions—done for you
→ Mockups + thumbnail photo templates to stand out
→ Tutorials so you’re never stuck
→ 1:1 support from me
→ And access to everything I’ve released since December (hundreds of products!)
You also unlock my invite-only Etsy growth community, where we go deeper into digital selling across platforms like Amazon KDP, TPT, Spoonflower, Merch by Amazon, Creative Fabrica, and more.
This isn’t just a vault of downloads.
It’s a shortcut to selling smarter, faster, and more sustainably—even during a recession.
So no, people aren’t stopping spending.
They’re just spending differently.
And if you’re ready to build something stable, scalable, and yours,
this is how we start.
Click here to join Etsy Done For You for Free
P.S. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
You just need the right products, the right positioning—and a little daily momentum.
Let’s build it together.
How I Built a 5-Figure Etsy Business After Hitting Rock Bottom On Maternity Leave
Hey love,
I don’t really know how to blog tbh so I’m sure the format and the execution will be off, but this story has been really weighing on my heart and I knew I needed to share for other moms feeling something similar.
If you’re reading this right now with that knot in your stomach—the one that feels like fear, and guilt, and heartbreak all at once—
I see you.
Because I was you.
The day before my maternity leave ended, I wasn’t prepping a return-to-work outfit or labeling bottles for daycare.
I was curled up on the floor, sobbing so hard I could barely breathe.
I wasn’t just scared.
I was desperate.
I was drowning in guilt, feeling like a failure before I even had the chance to be a mother.
The bills were piling up.
We were living on assistance.
Food banks. Borrowed money.
Bankruptcy papers filed before my daughter even had her first birthday.
I had done everything I knew how to do—and it still wasn’t enough.
But the thing is, the fight hadn’t just started when she was born.
I had been fighting for her long before she ever took her first breath.
When I was pregnant, I worked 16-hour days because I believed if I just pushed a little harder, I could save enough to stay home.
I worked my day job from 7AM to 3PM—then turned around and worked nights until 2AM.
At one point, I was so heavily pregnant that I would pee on myself while working—because I couldn’t physically hold it anymore, but I didn’t dare slow down.
I told myself I had to do it.
That this was how I would buy time with my baby.
But the cost of living in Washington D.C. swallowed every penny I earned.
And the truth I hate admitting?
Even though it was my idea, even though I thought I could carry it all—
The weight nearly broke me.
I developed preeclampsia late in pregnancy—a condition so serious it finally forced me to stop working.
I was put on bed rest, helpless, scared.
And when it came time to give birth, I almost didn’t make it.
The complications from pushing my body so hard caught up to me.
I almost died bringing my daughter into this world.
And the strain?
It didn’t just scar my body.
It put deep cracks in my marriage too.
Even though working that hard was my idea,
there was pain and resentment that lingered for a long time afterward.
The feeling that I had been left to carry it all.
And still—it wasn’t enough.
Sitting there the night before maternity leave ended, looking into the face of the tiny life I fought so hard for,
I knew:
I couldn’t go back.
I wouldn’t go back.
But I also didn’t know how to move forward.
I stayed up late that night, desperation in my chest, Googling:
“How to make money from home.”
“Work from home jobs for moms.”
“How to stay with my baby and still pay the bills.”
I clicked through scammy websites and impossible promises until my eyes blurred.
And then I remembered Etsy—the platform I had used years ago as a broke teenager selling crochet pieces.
Maybe, just maybe, it could be the answer.
I chose Etsy because it made sense.
It wasn’t some overnight scheme.
It was real. Tangible. Trusted by millions.
Unlike Amazon, it didn’t cost hundreds to start.
It didn’t require massive tech skills or shipping warehouses.
Etsy was accessible—even to a tired, scared new mom with nothing but a few dollars and a lot of hope.
It wasn’t perfect.
But it was something I could start today.
And I did.
I opened my shop and did what most beginners do:
I threw everything at the wall.
300 listings… and almost nothing sold.
I refreshed my dashboard 20 times a day.
I cried when nothing changed.
I wondered if I was just destined to fail at everything.
But something inside me—small but stubborn—kept whispering:
“No. Not yet. Keep going.”
I stopped guessing.
I started learning.
I binge-watched YouTube tutorials, studied successful shops, strategized late into the night with my sister who was on the same journey.
And slowly, slowly—things started to shift.
I stumbled into a niche.
A tiny, passionate pocket of people that I understood completely.
I started creating for them, not for the masses.
And almost immediately, sales started rolling in.
In two months, I went from owing Etsy money to making four figures in a single month.
And in that moment, something clicked inside me:
Maybe I wasn’t broken.
Maybe I was just waiting for the right door to open.
I ran to my mom, tears pouring down my face—not from fear this time, but from victory.
“You believed in me when nobody else did!”
That moment wasn’t about money.
It was about taking back my life after years of feeling like it belonged to everyone else but me.
Today, I don’t work because I have to.
I work because I choose to.
I groom a few dogs a week for loyal clients I adore.
But my life?
It belongs to me—and to my daughter.
She has never gone to daycare.
I’ve never missed a first word, a field trip, a scraped knee, or a whispered secret.
We go on adventures whenever we want.
We dance in the kitchen, chase dandelions in the sun, buy silly little toys without worrying if we can afford it.
I buy gifts for my mom now—the woman who stood by me through every breakdown.
I’m not rich.
I’m free.
And that’s everything.
Why I Created Etsy Done For You
I built Etsy Done For You because I don’t want you to have to walk the road I did alone.
The throwing things at the wall.
The long nights wondering if you’re good enough.
The endless hustle with no clear direction.
You are good enough.
You’re already enough.
You just need a smarter, faster path—and someone to walk beside you.
Inside Etsy DFY, you’ll find:
100+ Trending products (more added monthly) ready to sell, I made them just for you
SEO titles and tags that help you get found
AI prompts, mockups, tutorials
1:1 personal support from me
You don’t have to waste months wondering if this could work.
It can.
It will.
And I’ll be right here cheering you on.
If you’re ready to build not just an Etsy shop—but a life you love—
Etsy Done For You is waiting for you
Start your free trial
& Make sure to join my free Etsy community, tell them Lillian Mom sent you! It’s invite only
The tears you’re crying today?
They’re watering the freedom you’ll live tomorrow.
You’ve got this.
And I’ve got you.
xo,
Angeon
Lillian's Mom 