Ethics and Sponsorship

Here at SewPsyched! I take you seriously. I treasure every moment that you spend here. I am delighted and enthralled by your comments and stories. I am endlessly thankful for the fact that you take precious time out of your day to read what is written here, and to comment so beautifully on what I write and on what others share. It warms my heart. It truly makes every day brighter and more fulfilling. 

Thank you!!

And so, I want to share my Sponsor Ethics with you. It is important to me that you know that everything you find here is from the heart. You deserve it!

Sponsorship on this blog is a privilege. I work my butt off to find good deals for folks around the World. My goal is to search out and find lovely things for you, at the best price possible. So I want you to know that any Sponsor you ever find here is offering quality items at the most reasonable rate that I can find. 

I promise you that if I have chosen someone to highlight on this blog, or over on IG, that that person has met the highest possible standards, and has sworn to continue to do so, or I will remove their sponsorship. 

I love a sale! 

My purpose for stash posts is to share great fabrics and notions, and to tell you where I purchased them, sponsored or not, so that you can get in on the Goodness. 

So here, I solemnly swear:

I will NEVER tout an item I do not believe in. 

I will NEVER gush about something that I do not have/want/need/lust over. This includes pie. I just want you to know how serious I am. I know how annoying it is to read a post that is all gushy about something, and it is clear that the writer is just saying it to fulfill their sponsor requirement. Not here!!! 

I will NEVER support someone I do not personally use and believe in. 

I will attempt to be more grammatically correct.

I am being honest here. Having sponsors allows me to spend more time bringing you quilts and patterns that I otherwise would not have the time to make/share. It gives me time to learn more about our Craft. About photography. About movements in Art. And most importantly, About You. And that makes me happy. I am really all about the connections that I make here with you. That's what matters to me. And those connections are so important to me, that I would rather starve than lead you wrong. 

Advice to new bloggers:

It is a terrible temptation for those new to blogging, to tout any opportunity that comes their way. The pressure to make money from their blogs and their new endeavors is incredibly intense. Family and Friends constantly ask new Crafters if they are making money from their 'play' yet, and if so, How Much??! 

Don't do it!! Put ethics first. Does your sponsor meet your ethical requirements? Do they fulfill their responsibilities to their customers? 

Do not become an affiliate of a program that you do not use or believe in, yourself. I am a Craftsy affiliate. I adore their classes, have taken several and loved them all, use their site frequently, am not a seller there, and constantly shop their sales for the best deals. Look around. Do you see other affiliations here? No. The reason that you do not, is that I have not yet found another company that meets my standards. And just an FYI, I have never received a check from Craftsy. So being an affiliate doesn't mean I am making any money by having their banner on my blog. 

Customer service is your best ticket to financial freedom. Take care of your readers and customers, and they'll take care of you! 

Be caring. Giving back to the community is a vital part of being a blogger. Don't you hate folks who are all take take take? Set an example and give of yourself. 

A dear, lovely, fabulous blogger friend of mine just stopped accepting sponsorship on her blog because the sponsors were not giving good customer service. They were also trying to use her blog as their voice. No way!! I have my OWN voice, thank you! And if Sponsors agree to support me, you had better believe they know that! And, anyhoo, why the heck would they be coming here if they didn't like what they were reading?? 

So, I hope you understand why you may find sponsors here. I hope you understand how seriously I take you and your time. I hope you know that I would not let you down. 

But I need to know! How do you feel about sponsorship on blogs? Banners? Sidebars?? What do you like? Hate? What makes you turn away from a blog at first site? What makes you stay? 

Thank you so much for stopping by!

XX!

Lori