If you have followed me for a long time...
or maybe even a little...you know I do NOT hold my feelings back...
it is something I am constantly working on personally and socially!!!
I have made great strides in holding my tongue...
BUT sometimes there comes a time where the truth and I mean the HONEST truth needs to be told...
I told myself when I started this blog I was going to do it
just like me
I speak from the heart... ALWAYS
I tell the truth
I speak my mind...
however ghetto fabulous the lingo is or snarky my opinions might be... or lack of sentence structure...
it is me
I want you to read it like we were having a nice conversation at lunch...
the conversation we are about to have would probably be better suited with an adult beverage and some chips and queso and maybe some dessert... I am a stress eater
anyways
I have tried my darndest to keep to that...
I also have tried really really hard to keep it less LOOK AT MY PRODUCT
and more just sharing the knitty gritty with a splash of look at this and a monthly dose of a partay
I am not... a big seller...
and maybe that might surprise some of you...
I have been on TpT since 2009 and I just hit my first...
YES FIRST milestone... last week I think...
I am grateful for every single cent that comes our way and thank my lucky stars to be in the
TpT community
it has blessed us in many ways... including... helping me become a mamma to BUB!!!!
I take great pride and joy in my products...
and I think that is why it upsets me so much when I see something that looks so similar to mine...
and so grab your beverage my friend...
it's a long one...
for several months now I have noticed an upswing in products similar to mine...
one in particular...
one I hold near and dear to my heart...
CURRENTLY
and let me be HONEST there have been several DIFFERENT people
SEVERAL!!!
I don't go trolling TpT looking for stray copy cats...
I just don't have time for that...
family comes first
about 99% of the time my loyal followers... aka blog buddies contact me and fill me in...
I really appreciate this... even though it leads me into a whirlwind of sadness, madness, and confusion and let's face it betrayal
oh and I am a stress eater sooo... great....
it basically makes me a nervous wreck... seriously it does...
i have issues... i know
I usually contact the sellers and voice my concerns...
some graciously apologize and quickly remove their products... thank you
while others fight back and force me to take other avenues...
one of the ways they fight back
and this finger pointing has happened several times...
SEVERAL
is to inform me that CURRENTLY was originated in the scrapbooking (slash) smashbooking world...
and it is NOT my original idea...
in an effort to make their copying ok... they throw this my way...
here is my answer to that... and to squash this excuse...
UMMM YEAH I KNOW that...
thanks...
here's proof!!!
and after lots of reading up on the RIGHT WAY to give credit for PINS and what not...
I got a little nervous that I had done something wrong...
I was brand spanking new to the blogger world and
I thought maybe I had stolen something and was feeling very guilty...
I get like that...
if you really know me
you know I WORRY about everything... issues I tell ya
(might be why I am writing this)
so any who...
I wrote an email to my PINspiration, apologizing if I had done anything wrong, thanking her for her comment, and asking her about CURRENTLY
in a nutshell...
she wrote back stating that she was happy with what I had done
and thanked me for giving credit and a link and that she had no idea where the CURRENTLY trend had originated...
the basic format had been around for a long time, all over the scrapbooking world, and the questions change with different scrapbookers and there are many titles to it... and that was about it...
I also contacted other scrapbookers who had similar things to CURRENTLY
(because I am that kind of paranoid person and wanted to cover all of my bases)
and they too confirmed that they had no idea where it originated and based on the author or creator... it took on its own life and form... and to go for it...
so my nerves were settled and
that is how the CURRENTLY monthly link up was born...
in under a year I went from 63 partay goers to over 300...
I was floored...
it has been an absolute blessing to host this linky partay
I have met most if not all of my BESTEST blogging buddies through this linky...
I had NO IDEA it was going to take off like it did...
and after what 3 years... it is still going strong!!!!
BLESSED
if I ever got comments or questions about it...
I was COMPLETELY honest and told them exactly what I just explained to you guys...
not in so much detail BUT you get the point...
I have had mommy bloggers, fashion bloggers, foodie bloggers, and other blogging genres reach out to me asking if they could do a CURRENTLY link up partay for their niche...
and OF COURSE
just like my PINSPIRATION... I told them to make it their own... and GO FOR IT!!!
you can search all over the bloggy world and see all kinds of CURRENTLY LINKYS...
I think it is wonderful...
mine just happens to fit nicely into the teacher niche
and
even after its huge success I don't take FULL credit for the linky...
I was creating templates for my linky parties
and even had made a few for my kiddos...
eventually I was making one for the blog and one for my classroom
and so that is how
CURRENTLY for the CLASSROOM
came about...
my own classroom kiddos loved it so much... you guys loved linking up
and so I felt like I could create it for the classroom!!!
was I stepping on anybody's toes...
NO...
with hard work, lots of hours, LOTS OF HOURS, and dedication , and LOVE...
I had successfully created a nice place for my blog in the top of the Teacher Linky Parties
(if I do say so myself... I also don't like to brag... which makes this post even harder)
and I felt I had every right to recreate that into a product on TpT
and
I DID!!!
and many of you guys have bought it and have shared your feelings and pics
thank you for that
then came....
CURRENTLY LINKY PARTY
and then I also had a few scrapbooking peeps ask if they could use it with their classes
(talk a bout full circle)
and then I had homeschoolers contact me too...
of course I said GO FOR IT!!!
and then a nice technology teacher asked if I could bundle all of the templates together...
and she would buy it from me...
I sat down one weekend and went through all of my blank CURRENTLY blog templates and compiled all the kid friendly ones into one product...
I sent it to her for free *wink*
and thanked her for the idea...
I realize most will just go and copy straight from the blog...
but there are those that like the convenience of it
and THEN this SUMMER...
I did this...
several of my bloggy peeps and store followers
asked if I could do a non holiday specific CURRENTLY for the CLASSROOM
and so I made a 2nd edition
it is not holiday specific for the months BUT does have additional pages with specific holidays
I have to admit... I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS ONE...
and so do my kiddos...
one of my kids has a love hate relationship with Tallulah the Tarantula's food... hilarious
I have had my fair share of copy cats...
and you know what it hurts...
it really hurts...
I have shed many a tear over this...
I have issues
one of the RULES I try my hardest to live by... is to be honest and true.
and I carry that with me when I am creating a product for TpT...
and I guess I am dumb in thinking others should do the same
and if I am not mistaken...
one of the number one rules for TpT is to make sure your product is of your creation...
it shouldn't look similar to another product already posted...
and HONESTLY that is just nice!!!
it is just cordial!!!
it is THE RIGHT THING!!!!
we are all teachers struggling in a world and
teachers do not get the same respect as they did in the past
and when a TEACHER
a fellow comrade
creates a product that is so similar to your own
that your followers think that it is YOURS...
heck I even had to question if it was mine...
that is NOT RIGHT!!!
we shouldn't be tearing each other down
in order to make a buck...
and then pointing the finger with a backhanded excuse
in an effort to somehow tarnish another's character...
my character can stand on its own...
I have done nothing wrong to tarnish it...
I went through all the right avenues to get my Currently Linky up and going
and did the same when it came to the CURRENTLY products...
and I did it in good faith...
with honesty and integrity
which is something that cannot be said about blatant copiers
SQUASH
your excuses can be left at the door...
they are NOT welcomed here!!!!
toddles