New Year, New Creations: Building Handmade by Erika Liesel

Handmade crochet coasters and placemat with sunflower decor and candle on wooden table

The new year always brings fresh goals, new ideas, and big dreams — and for me, it has already been filled with yarn, hooks, late nights, and more creativity than I ever imagined.

Running a handmade business means wearing every hat at once: designer, maker, photographer, marketer, packer, customer service rep, and content creator — sometimes all in the same day. And when you’re running two businesses? Let’s just say the coffee stays strong.

There are moments when I’m a little quieter on social media or blog posts slow down. But that usually means only one thing: I’m deep in creation mode.

And for this “little” break I just took?

I created 10 brand-new product lines and a total of 77 new handmade products.

Sometimes I have to pause and truly take it in — I am building a dream with my own two hands. I love every part of it: the wins, the challenges, the learning curves, and everything in between. Doing what you love is empowering. It gives you freedom. It gives you purpose.

(And then tax season humbles you real quick — cue the dramatic music.)

One Year Back With a Hook — And Everything That Followed

It has only been a year since I picked up a crochet hook again.

If you’ve read my first blog post — The Joy of Making it By Hand — you know I didn’t even have much skill when I originally put the hook down. I was a beginner. I was rusty. I was unsure. But I started anyway.

In just one year, I have:

Learned both basic and advanced crochet techniques
Registered my business
Built my website and brand
Did a lot of video creation for my Marketing strategy
Created 207 handmade products
Sold 30 products at my very first in-person event
And lived to tell the story

If you’re curious what I’ve been working on lately, you can browse my newest collections here:

👉 Shop the latest handmade creations: erikaliesel.com/collections/new-products

A Growing Handmade Brand

This year, Handmade by Erika Liesel continues to grow — not just in product count, but in heart.

In addition to my crochet collections, I officially launched a new branch of my business:
Handmade Cards — designed to pair perfectly with your handmade gifts.

Because sometimes a gift needs a handwritten note to make it complete.

You can explore my handmade cards here:
👉 erikaliesel.com/collections/handmade-cards

Each card is created with the same care and creativity as my crochet pieces — made to be meaningful, personal, and gift-ready.

What’s Next for Handmade by Erika Liesel?

So what does the rest of the year look like? (Hopefully)

First — those 77 new products will be launching throughout the year (and probably more, because I genuinely can’t stop creating).

I’m also getting ready to:

Apply for upcoming vendor events and craft fairs
Design new booth setups and displays
Continue building brand recognition
Experiment with new marketing strategies
Improve the online shopping experience so you can feel confident purchasing handmade even when you can’t hold it in your hands yet

That last part is always a challenge for small handmade brands — how do you show quality, texture, and craftsmanship through a screen? It’s something I’ll always be working on.

If you ever have suggestions, feedback, or ideas you’d love to share, I truly want to hear them.
You can email me anytime at erikaliesel@gmail.com