My Career Is My Hobby, Turning Real Life Into Sustainable Income

Quick answer
Best for a stay at home mom who wants to turn a real hobby into a sustainable, flexible career.
This story shows how shopping, writing, filming, and daily life as a mother can grow into real income through personal services, blogging, affiliate partnerships, and vlogging, without losing authenticity or family time.

New Life After Moving to the Netherlands

I worked in airline companies for more than a decade before I decided to marry my husband and follow him to the Netherlands. Coming from Indonesia and moving to a new country meant starting life from zero again. I had to pass the inburgering test for my permanent visa, while attending Dutch language courses and being pregnant at the same time.

Being silent and doing nothing has never been an option for me. Once I was blessed with two babies, born one year after one another, my life became very busy.

My husband is a businessman and he traveled frequently around the world. As a wife, I fully supported his dream and the work he was doing. I was okay staying at home with my two babies and letting go of my desire to keep working at the airport.

That phase of life was beautiful. I enjoyed every moment with my sons and I was happy to be a full time mother. But time moves fast. Eventually, my children started formal school, and suddenly I had more space, more time, and more energy to think about myself again.

I no longer work with traditional affiliate links that depend on cookies or tracking systems. Instead, I choose to work directly with brands and agencies through clear, paid collaborations. This can be sponsored articles, long term content partnerships or paid link insertions in existing blog posts that are relevant for my readers and transparent for everyone.
This blog post is also open for that kind of collaboration. If you would like your brand or link to appear in this specific article in a natural and useful way, you are welcome to contact me to discuss availability and rates.

Finding New Opportunities When Life Changes

When my kids became more independent, I decided it was time to grow again. I opened my own company and started a personal shopping service. The idea came naturally. I still had many friends in Asia from my previous job, and they often told me they wanted items that were not available in their countries.

At that time, many brands produced region specific collections. Their websites did not ship worldwide. Many products from the Netherlands or Europe simply did not exist in Asia. While my kids were at school, I had time to shop around the city, collect requests from clients, and send everything using the courier they trusted.

Along the way, I learned how to build websites and accept digital payments from different countries. Social media helped me understand trends and demand in real time. Through these platforms, I reached buyers from Asia and Europe. Most of my work happened while my kids were at school, which fit naturally into my life as a mother.

From these shopping activities, I discovered popular and high demand items. That was when I opened my eBay shop. Technology made it easier to sell worldwide, and platforms like eBay allowed me to reach buyers across borders. It became a real bridge between my hobby and income.

Writing Was Always There

At one point, my website needed an upgrade, and that required more investment. At the same time, the world was becoming more open. More shops started shipping worldwide, which meant I had to innovate again.

I had never studied marketing or digital commerce, so I kept my mind open. A friend of my husband suggested WordPress instead of upgrading my old website. It was more affordable and better suited to what I was doing, since I was not running a traditional shop.

WordPress gave me space to write, create product pages, and accept digital payments, all in one place. This program is also much cheaper than my program before. That conversation stayed with me. Writing has always been part of my life. I started with wall magazines, school magazines, and an evening newspaper in Surabaya. After becoming a mother, I wrote about my kids and travel experiences on private social media.

The response was always warm. Friends, teachers, and family often suggested I write a book. But at that time, writing a book did not fit my life. I wanted to spend afternoons and evenings with my kids after school.

So I made a decision. I closed my old website, changed the name, and chose to grow as a blogger. Blogging became the perfect next step after personal shopping. It allowed me to write, share, and grow without sacrificing family time. It felt like a clear signal to move forward.

If you’re in a similar season of life and you want a simple place to start, you can build your blog on WordPress.com. It helped me move forward without overcomplicating everything.

Making Money From My Hobby, The Real Way

That is how Twinkle So Bright was born. I created this website as a playground for my hobbies, shopping, writing, and storytelling, while also building income.

I joined local Dutch and international affiliate programs. Through these partnerships, I write about products I genuinely use or discover. Readers can shop easily by clicking links or images. Without going out shopping every day, I can earn income day and night from readers all over the world. The power of the internet allows me to stay close to my family while still working.

Stay Innovative

The world keeps changing, and I know I have to be ready. From my safe zone as a blogger and affiliate publisher, new privacy regulations changed everything. I understand the importance of privacy for internet users, but for creators, this often means lost income.

Affiliate commissions are counted only when readers click links and accept cookies. When cookies are rejected, sales are not recorded, even if a purchase happens. This situation does not feel fair or healthy.

When my kids reached the age of 12, a new idea came. We started vlogging. My sons became the stars, while I handled filming and production. Instead of posting on private social media, we built a vlog channel together. For my sons, vlogging became a way to learn presentation, confidence, and storytelling.

From the vlog, I also created blog content. I moved away from classic cookie based affiliate models and focused more on clear paid collaborations, sponsored content, and transparent partnerships.

In this AI era, this approach matters more than ever. AI search, privacy focused browsing, and trust based recommendations are reshaping discovery. Readers want honesty. Platforms want clarity. Creators need systems that respect privacy and fair measurement.

That is why I focus on real experiences, transparent recommendations, and creator led storytelling. No hype, no shortcuts, just consistency and trust.

Why This Approach Still Works in 2026

My journey shows that making money from a hobby is not about trends. It is about alignment.

When what I enjoy matches how I work, my energy stays strong. AI driven discovery rewards content that is personal, clear, and useful. Small publishers can still grow when they focus on trust and human value.

Realistic Use Cases and Actions

Here are practical ways this approach can work today:

• Turn daily life experiences into helpful content
  
• Start a sourcing service based on real needs
  
• Build creative media that supports income without feeling sales heavy
  
• Use creativity as a flexible outlet alongside family life
  
• Focus on cross border niches with existing demand
  
• Combine social media reach with a personal website for ownership
  
• Grow slowly while respecting privacy and reader trust

Want to start your own blog, but keep it realistic? Start small, write from real life, and grow at your pace. Create your site here.

FAQ, Trust and Buying in 2026

Ready to Explore This Path Yourself?

If you want to support this journey or explore real life stories and insights, start by reading my blogs.
Do you want to start a new project with me, or highlight your story or brand?

Let us work together and turn it into something warm, honest, and inspiring. Let’s partner up.

If this story made you feel like, “Maybe I can build something too,” start with one small step today. Create a simple blog on WordPress.com, publish your first post, and let it grow with your life.

Twinkle So Bright sudah tidak lagi memakai link affiliate tradisional yang bergantung pada cookie dan sistem tracking. Sekarang Twinkle So Bright memilih untuk bekerja langsung dengan brand dan agensi melalui kerja sama berbayar yang jelas. Bentuknya bisa artikel sponsor, kolaborasi konten jangka panjang, atau penempatan link berbayar di artikel yang sudah ada, selama tetap relevan untuk pembaca dan transparan untuk semua pihak.
Artikel ini juga terbuka untuk kerja sama seperti itu. Jika Anda ingin brand atau link Anda muncul di artikel ini secara natural dan bermanfaat, Twinkle So Bright dengan senang hati membahas ketersediaan dan tarif kerja sama. Silahkan hubungi Puspita disini.