There are the items on Amazon that you already know you need, like blenders and printer ink, and then there are the ones you never knew you needed. I rounded up my favorite purchases that I use regularly and at this point feel like I couldn't live without!

If you know me, you know how much I love our magnetic screen door. We bought it as a temporary solution for our Halloween party two years ago so that we could leave the door open and let people easily go in and out, without letting a bunch of bugs in. I expected it to fall down after one night but its still in great shape and I love nice days when I can leave the door open and let the breeze in! It's wonderful. Maybe my favorite Amazon purchase ever.

For you Apple pencil users, this desktop charger/pencil stand is awesome. The charge lasts longer and it holds the cap so you won't lose it. I'd also recommend a magnetic sleeve grip.

Apple pencil desktop charger from Amazon

Not only is this little desktop vacuum cleaner adorable, it works great for cleaning up small messes. If you're like me and you pretty much ALWAYS have pencil shavings, glitter, or little bits of stuffing scattered everywhere.. you need it.

If you take product photography for small items this portable light box is a must. It has an LED strip included so you just plug it in and you're set, no additional lights needed. I use it for my pin pictures and it works great. Also, if you need a tripod to record time lapse videos of your work from above, this is a good one. It clips to the side of your desk and can hold phones or small tablets.

I'm obsessed with this fisheye lens the clips over your phone camera. It also has a macro lens underneath. So fun!

Okay this is a little yuck but I'll tell you anyways. There are a TON of stray cats in our neighborhood (like 25+, no joke) and sometimes fleas sneak in our house through little holes around our kitchen sink plumbing. We had an exterminator come out and that didn't help, nothing worked until we bought this flea trap from Amazon. It's a simple idea and you could DIY something similar, basically it's just a warm light and a sticky pad. Once we started using it and if we use it on a regular basis, we don't see any fleas at all.

I've been using this purse everyday since 2015. I actually didn't realize it had been that long until I looked at my purchase history.. but dang, it's held up really well.

The Trtl neck support is a good alternative to regular travel pillows. It wraps around your neck like a scarf and supports your head to the front or side. You can cozy it up around your face which is nice because I don't want anyone to see if my mouth falls open while I'm asleep. Haha.

Those are my faves! And mostly all less than $30. Do you have any random Amazon purchases that you love?

The state of Kelsey Davis Design: haha. Sounds so fancy.

I just finished my last two plush taxidermy pieces that I'll be making for awhile so I wanted to share what's going on behind the scenes. I announced a few months ago that I would be closing the shop for a bit to take some time and rework my designs, create new products, and work on an overall shop refresh. That's still the plan but the details are fuzzy.

I've hit a point where I feel like my business has slowed and the only way I'll be able to grow it is if I take a hard look at my shop and make some changes.. what's working, what's not? What do I love to do, and am I doing it?* I've enjoyed making all the little animals for you guys! I'm just getting the itch to switch things up, even though it's super scary to start something new.. because who knows if it'll work out? (*shoutout to my super supportive husband who inspires me on the daily and is constantly pushing me to just go for it; whatever that may be.)

Will I still be offering custom plush taxidermy in the future?

As of right now, I will not be offering completely custom pieces. This was a main reason for closing the shop, because the way my custom orders were set up took too much time for one person (me, haha) to do by themselves, and 6 weeks was too long of a turn around time to make my customers happy. Which is understandable, that's a long time to wait!

Will I still be making plush taxidermy?

My main focus will be elsewhere, but my plan right now is to do small batch shop updates every few months where I release a few ready to ship pieces on a particular day. Keep an eye on my instagram for updates on this. I'm hoping to have some ready to go in the fall around thanksgiving.

What will I be doing in the meantime?

This is the part where it gets fuzzy! My background is in graphic design, so I'm planning to dive back in to my computer. I've been spending so much time sewing that I haven't had time to design as much as I've wanted to lately, so I'm excited about that. I've started a new side business with my husband where we're designing enamel pins, stickers, and other fun flair. You can follow along with us on instagram @dribblekiller if that sounds like something you'd enjoy :)

I'm reallyyyy trying to let myself go for a few months to experiment and create things just for fun without thinking too much about what will sell. And guys, it's not easy to flip that switch! But I'm trying. Maybe I'll make some pillows? Prints? Embroidery? What would you like to see more of in your feed? Let me know! Keep up with me here and on instagram if you want to see where all of this ends up.

This quote from Awesome with Alison has been sticking with me lately as I try to dig in and figure out what I really love to do. It feels like everything is SO oversaturated right now, doesn't it? Everyone is a photographer. Or blogger. Or hand-letterer. But guess what? You should do it anyways, because no one is YOU and if you truly love it you will bring something unique and different that no one else can. Plus, the bottom line is you need to do what makes you happy. Period. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks, because you are your best self when you're doing what you love.