Getting started on my Michaels Dream Tree Challenge #JustAddMichaels

A couple of weeks ago, my husband calls and asks, “Ummm… Why is there a Christmas tree on our front porch?” It seems that I forgot to tell him that I’ll be doing the Michaels Dream Tree Challenge this year.

It’s a 7 foot pre-lit tree, so I can understand him being a little freaked out over its arrival. 🙂

For the Dream Tree Challenge, Michaels provides bloggers with a tree and a gift card to purchase ornaments and supplies to decorate it up.

As it is, we put out 4 Christmas trees every year. Now we’ve got another one to add to our mix! I think I just became The Crazy Christmas Tree Lady. Ha! Seriously, though, decorating Christmas trees just makes me happy. The possibilities are wide open for theme and color, and each tree ends up with its own personality.

So last night I took a friend with me to Michaels to get my inspiration and buy my first round of decorations. If I’m The Crazy Christmas Tree Lady, my friend Rhiannon is The Queen of Glitter. (This summer she actually went to the doctor with a glitter injury. No kidding!!)

No surprise then, that we ended up oohing and ahhing over all the sparkly, glittery decorations they have at Michaels!! My plan was to take photos of us in the store, but we got a little high on the sparkle and forgot. We jumped from one aisle to another, pawing through all the garlands and picks and ornaments that could end up on my Dream Tree.

Here’s a Christmas decoration shopping tip: If you want an idea of how an ornament, garland, or pick will look when it’s actually on your tree, take it over to the aisle where they sell the trees. You can audition your pieces on the display trees.

I’m waiting until I’ve got it all put together to give you all the detail on my theme. But here’s a little sneak peek of what I came home with.

This is the first round of decorations for my tree. I tend to decorate trees in stages because it’s hard to tell exactly how everything is going to look until you get some stuff on the tree. I start with my inspiration pieces and then fill in around them. Luckily, my Michaels store is just 10 minutes from my house. I have a feeling I’ll be making a lot of trips there in the next few weeks as I get my Dream Tree set up.

Disclosure: Michaels provided a Christmas tree and $500 gift card for me to participate in their Dream Tree Challenge. Any opinions expressed in this post are entirely my own.

Dear Crafty Readers,
“I run my sewing business from home. I don’t have a shopfront. I don’t clock in and out. I just sew in my own space, around my own schedule.
And because of that, people assume I’m endlessly flexible.
When someone needs something urgently, they’ll ask if I can ‘just squeeze it in.’ They’ll message late at night. They’ll explain how important the deadline is to them.
I started charging a rush fee.
And that’s when the pushback began.
‘But you’re already home.’
‘It shouldn’t cost more if you’re not travelling anywhere.’
‘Can’t you just do it this once?’
A few people have acted genuinely offended — like I’m being greedy or unreasonable.
Now I’m second-guessing myself.
Am I the asshole for charging extra for rush orders, even though I work from home?
— Anonymous

If you’ve ever felt awkward adding a rush fee — or tempted to waive it just to avoid tension — you’re not alone.

This question cuts right to the heart of how creative, home-based work is still misunderstood.

Why “Working From Home” Changes How People Treat You

There’s a strange assumption that if you work from home, your time is somehow more flexible — or less valuable.

People often think:

You’re already there
You can just reshuffle things
You’re not “really” inconvenienced

What they don’t see is that home-based work still has:

Schedules
Commitments
Limits
Personal time

Being at home doesn’t mean being on call.

What a Rush Order Actually Costs You

A rush order isn’t just about sewing faster.

It often means:

Dropping other work
Rearranging personal plans
Sewing late into the evening
Working under pressure
Carrying someone else’s urgency

That urgency has a cost — even if it doesn’t show up on a receipt.

“But It’s Just One Item…”

This phrase is another familiar one.

A rush order is rarely just one item. It’s the mental load that comes with:

Watching the clock
Worrying about deadlines
Rushing decisions
Feeling responsible for someone else’s timing mistake

That pressure deserves compensation — not guilt.

Why Rush Fees Feel Uncomfortable to Charge

Many sewists hesitate to add rush fees because:

They don’t want to seem difficult
They fear losing the sale
They worry about appearing greedy

But a rush fee isn’t a punishment. It’s a boundary.

It tells customers: This is possible, but it costs more because it costs me more.

The Double Standard Around Creative Work

Interestingly, rush fees are widely accepted in other industries.

People expect to pay more for:

Express shipping
Same-day services
Last-minute bookings

But when it comes to handmade or creative work, that logic often disappears — especially when the work happens at home.

That double standard puts unnecessary pressure on makers.

When Waiving Rush Fees Backfires

Many sellers learn this the hard way.

When you don’t charge extra for urgency:

Rush orders become expected
Boundaries blur quickly
Stress increases
Resentment builds

What starts as flexibility can quietly turn into burnout.

Is Charging Extra Unfair — or Honest?

This is where opinions really split.

Some readers will say:

“A rush fee is completely reasonable.”

Others might argue:

“If you can do it, why charge more?”

And a few will admit:

“I never thought about the impact of urgency.”

All of those perspectives exist — and they’re worth hearing.

So… Are They the Asshole?

There’s no universal answer here.

But there is an important question underneath it all:

Should working from home mean giving up control over your time?

For many sewists, the answer is a firm no.

Over to You, Crafty Readers

Now it’s your turn — and this one tends to spark strong opinions.

Do you charge rush fees?
Have you ever felt guilty enforcing them?
As a buyer, would you expect to pay more for urgency?
Or do you think rush fees are unnecessary?

Scroll down and join the discussion.
This is one of those topics where lived experience really matters.

(And if you’ve got a sewing dilemma of your own, you can submit it anonymously to Sewing.CraftGossip — sometimes the hardest part is asking the question.)

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