This website is both a personal and business site. My blog is written and edited by me. There are no flying monkeys or other creative minions to help me in this awesome endeavor. I’m a wild, woolly*, one-woman show. This is a for profit blog in that I use my site to promote my business. Sometimes there will be typos. Also, I was much thinner in the photo above and dyed my hair using Clairol Chocolate Brown No. Something. I've since let that one go.
And if you've discovered me since 2020-ish, yes, I used to have short hair. For like 25 years.
I belong to a number of affiliate programs. Every time you make a purchase using the links on my blog or YouTube channel, I receive a small commission that adds nothing to your cost. The companies with whom I choose to align are ones whose products I use and endorse wholeheartedly. These companies gift/donate many of the items I create with and I note that in my supply lists by using an asterisk on each product. The only time I am expected to use those products is for a blog hop, but I receive no direct payment for that type of content creation. My compensation comes primarily through affiliate links.
Affiliate income comprises roughly half of my income. The rest comes from product design for Simon Says Stamp and my work as an online instructor for various stamp companies. As a product designer for Simon Says Stamp, I receive all of my CZ Design products for free.
I am a small business. Many content creators on YouTube are like me: working hard to either support or bring additional income to their families. Being a content creator and graphic designer is my full-time job.
I do some paid YouTube videos, namely, my kit unboxings and card makes. I always include the sponsored overlay for paid promotion to let viewers know this.
I do not create with products I don't like using and I have purchased many of the supplies I use in my tutorials.
To see the companies with whom I have an affiliate relationship, visit my Shop Page.
A BIT ON MY BACKGROUND
I have worked professionally as a writer and graphic designer for 30+ years. My background in journalism and design have contributed greatly to the success of my site and my business. My years in corporate America taught me a hell of a lot more than simply how to decorate my cubicle in an appropriately personal but inoffensive manner.
People ask me often how to do this… how to turn your love of making things into a business. My advice: learn everything you can about everything—writing, photography, blogging, web stuff, video production—and that's just for starters. Then, be consistent and work hard. There are no guarantees. I know that I'm very lucky to be able to make my living doing what I do.
Finally, always be learning. You can never know everything. Running a small business is a glorious and terrifying river and it's got some crazy currents. Learn to navigate.
If you have any questions, please get in touch via my Contact Page.
For permission to reproduce content or images from this site or my YouTube channel, please send me a message via my Contact Page.
•I'm technically neither wild nor woolly. Middle age is stealing so much body hair, which is kind of a strange bonus. Except for the eyebrows. I'd take more of those back in a heartbeat.
Cathy Zielske Design, LLC ©2007—2026