The Goods

As promised.

This is the second blog post I've started today. The first was at work- got caught up in, you guessed it- work and then here we go again at 10:30 at nite thinking I'm going to have anything witty and meaningful to post and that even if I DID have anything witty and meaningful that I would be able to string two sentences together to make it comprehendable- or comprehensible. Whatever. I'm tired over here.

Very random : can i just say that according to my webtracker, 2 of the top searches that land you on my blog are "let's get to the party don't be tardy" and "let's have a party don't you be tardy." I'm not sure if I should curse or thank Kim from RHWof Atlanta for that.

The day job is definitely keeping me busy leaving me somewhat unproductive on new product, which frustrates me to no end. I have some great opportunities in front of me (um, hello TheKnot.com!) and I can't run with them like I should. I've been toying with a few changes to my business plan and I'm thinking I might like the path a little better than the one I'm on now. It wouldn't shake things up too much, but it would discontinue a few things, which is okay by me. I've been contemplating a gradual move out of the stationery world and strictly into the wedding world, but I'm not 100% convinced I'm ready to give it up. It just gets a little frustrating when I make plans to unveil a new line or new branch of the business and then find I don't have time to execute things properly. I've never been one to hesitate to hold off on releasing new product, when I've said it would be coming, for lack of cohesiveness and to make sure it's just right (um, hello? typewriter project? still in my brain waiting to have the final details ironed out!). I'm thinking stationery might have to become one of those "filler" projects or a "when the idea strikes" project.

And then there is my poor neglected Margaret, The Letterpress... *sigh*

I've had a slew of lovely brides fly thru my door as of lately... invites, reception pieces- the works! It's been great pulling together variations of my "staple" designs and being able to find ways to work with all budgets. I've found that many girls are able to put their craftiness to work and opt for a slightly fancier invitation in exchange for assembling all the pieces themselves. It's a great timesaver for me and a great budget saver for the girls. That has also left me with a stack of finished work that needs to be photographed and uploaded to Flickr.

With that said, I'm afraid I won't make my self-imposed deadline for my desk accessory line. I have a few pieces of fabric designed, but not ultimately "finished" (are they ever really finished though?)- I need to do a shelf line up to see how all the components will work together (i kinda sound like i know what i'm talking about, huh? it's all a façade, i promise).

And then, as usual, there's that pesky website I have to get up...

TheKnot.com

Thanks to Alison at Aviva Events, I was mentioned on TheKnot.com today!

go check it out!

Check me out-

My Save the Dates are on PaperShopInk !



Thank you- how fun!

Again... busy

The more blogs I try to read thru out the day, the more common the theme seems to be- busy. This makes me feel so much better knowing I'm not the only one neglecting this space. Long weekend for me- a post with photos will be coming soon.

pinky swear.

In the meantime, here's Little Miss' birthday shirt.



made by: OliveandOllie. We stumbled upon each other and it turns out her husband teaches in my old program at UD!

I did it...

I freakin' did it.
This January, I silently vowed that I was going to buy a heavy duty paper cutter when I made enough money from sales to do so. It's all apart of my Better Business Practices that I adopted last year- if you don't have it, don't spend it. I thought I would have to wait until the summer or even longer. Typically, the first few months of the year are not great sales months, so I didn't expect to see anything for awhile.
So, I researched and found one I liked, kept it in mind and went about my way. I have to mention that I made no sales # goals to achieve this. (I don't really believe in monthly sales goals right now- only yearly, but that's another post). I just let my product do the talking.

Low and behold.
This Friday, I will (hopefully) be the owner of this new little beauty.



It's on Ebay, but it comes with a "if you don't like it, send it back" deal, so I'm not as scared to hit the "Buy Now" button. I'm going half-sies with the hubs so it can be a Valentine's Day present. Who gets freakin' excited for an industrial strength paper cutter? Me.

I can't even tell you how much this is going to make my life easier. I was trimming out a few things last nite and hubs looked at me and said, "Imagine how much easier that would be if you had your paper cutter." i looked at him and said, "I tell myself that everyday." He's been on trimming duty, so he knows how painstaking it is to trim EVERYTHING by hand- including 150 multilayered invitations.

I have a handful of big projects coming up (a wedding and a set of Graduation invites), so I can't wait to use this bad boy.

This year is shaping up to be a mighty fine one, indeed.

It's like Where's Waldo

So I know I've been MIA. I do know this and I'm sorry. But please know it is for good reason. Reason that is not appropriate to discuss in a public forum, but a very good reason if you happen to read minds and know the reasoning (disclaimer: Mr. Little, Little Miss, Mrs. Little and the pooches are all fine. My reasoning lies in immediate family, but not in our household directly- though our household is affected by the reasoning- make sense? I'm just trying to be sensitive here and I don't know if I'm succeeding. It's just a hard situation to explain without details- details that are not appropriate for a public forum, as I've said. Have I spun you in enough circles?)

Anyway- I've been working on custom jobs, creating mock-ups and overall just stalking. I usually don't do much in January or February because I'm wanting to figure out my path for the year. Come Monday, I'll be participating in the Bloggy Giveaways Blog and I'm also doing my part to help the recovery of Nie and her husband. Keep checking here to see my donations. Enter both and good luck!

The Valentine's Day Valentine's cards are up and the Calendars and Holiday Cardsare marked down.

I'll be back soon, I promise!

You and dirty got ties for different reasons...

i'm having a dilemma (no, no... not dilemma like nelly and kelly BTW... but why did i think dilemma was spelled with an "n" in there?), but a real puzzler as to what I should do and should not do.

i like to think that i have the ability to obtain my goals- to make up my mind that i'm going to do something and then do it- self discipline they call it. Other times I get distracted by shiny pretty things and all self control is forgotten.

Now... after I've built this dilemma up to be much more than I'm sure most will think it is, I have to tell you that I wrestle with it. (this just in- I just read a blog post from suffix.abuse that has now thrown another ratchet into my dilemma.)

So- I've built the suspense up enough, huh?
Let's lay it all out on the table.

Dilemma Object 1: Stuff

Dilemma Object 2: Guilliotine Stack Paper Cutter

Dilemma Object 3: Gocco Printer

** I think I've already talked myself out of the Gocco. I can set up a conventional screen printing screen if I really feel like this is a path I should pursue. **

So that leaves us with #1 and #2. I'm debating on if I save all the money from this year's jobs to buy myself #2. Or do I continue on with my ways, spend the Paypal money that accumulates on a need-to-purchase basis... need-to-purchase being things that are just lovely and i covet.

I cannot decide. Call it a conundrum. A pickle. A bind. Whatever constricting synonym you want to use. I can't decide. I need help. Help me decide. Please. I listen to other people.

so until then

East Coast, I know you're shakin' right
Down South, I know you're bouncin' right
West Coast, I know you're walkin' right
(Cause you don't know what you mean to me)
Midwest, I see you swingin' right

to Resolve or not...

I'm horrible about being held to things I say when it doesn't really involve anyone else. Need me to show up to help you move furniture around? No problem. Need me to pick you up at 3am from the airport and then drop you at your great Aunt Trixie's house 45 minutes the other way? No problem. The end result benefits you. When the end result benefits me... I could really care less if I follow thru. I'm not lazy. Just... well, whatever.

So everyone makes these great resolutions right about now. They vow to do this, say this more often, not do this and then get super super skinny. So... will I do it this year? Sure, I always make goals for myself. Do I make New Year's Resolutions? Not really... but it never stops me from putting a few ideas down that I'd like to keep in mind.

Business-wise... the goals are important. They give me a timeline and they allow me to visualize where I'm going. Just like I made my monetary goal last year, I make milestone goals scattered thru out the year to keep me moving forward. So... here they are.

:: Spend wisely ::
This is actually two fold with the next goal. Everyone is spending less these days, I'm not an exception. I feel like I have all the necessary tools to run my business efficiently- anything else at this point would be an "extra bonus". I would love to find a paper cutter, seeing as how I outsource larger cut jobs right now, but if it doesn't turn up, I can still provide service to my clients that doesn't have disruption.

:: Maintain ::
In some ways I feel like having the expectation that Five Dot will grow (i.e. me put more money into marketing, advertising, etc to reach more clients) is a false hope. Referencing back to the first goal, spending is down everywhere and I do not expect to thrive in a poor economy. Don't get my wrong- if I take off I'm not pulling the reigns back. I just don't think it's wise to put money into something where I can only hope there will be a return. Maintaining what I have now will allow me to secure relationships and plan for the next year.

:: Internal Growth ::
This is the year of internal growth. Processes, research, network- all of those things and more. I want to push my wedding line a little bit more (seeing as how most designs are already done and becomes a matter of listing them in the shop.) I'll take this year to rework my website, build my catalog, build my "to contact" list for wholesale and pull my look book together. It's all do-able... I just need to build that time line.

:: Experiment ::
I want to experiment with different materials- fabric, felt, metals, etc. I think this year will be a good year to play. I already have a few ideas I'd like to pursue- things that I think will be received well. Many involve pattern work and attention to detail which will be a nice break from my work now. I've hit a bit of a wall with what I have now and breaking out of that box, I think, will help me build on my collection. This is the first year I've started to put together an inspiration board (I'll show it once everything's up and organized)

:: Continue to have fun ::
I'm having a great time building my brand and my company. I feel like I'm heading in a direction that I'm comfortable going and I feel like I'm finally asking the right questions and putting those answers to good use.

Personally...
These tend to be the same as everyone else, but I'll put 'em down on paper- er, blogland.

:: Spend Wisely ::
Time to glue that wallet shut. Don't get me wrong- we want for not (or whatever the saying is) and we're not eating saltines and peanut butter every nite (even though they're soooooo good). We live. We buy things we like. I buy things I like but don't need. This HAS to stop. I have plans for that money now... a new house with a studio to call my own. (and Hubz, if you're reading, please don't remind me of this post when I've been at Target for an hour and I'm still not back.)

:: Declutter ::
I got stuff and I like my stuff. I like my stuff with me. I have too much stuff. Someone else needs stuff. I'll give you my stuff. The past few weeks I've done a very good job of letting things go. We recently took advantage of some good deals on plastic bins and switched over all the old cardboard boxes to labeled plastic bins. But I must say, Hubz took the prize for oldest-stuff-kept-that-was-meaningless-to-everyone- involved: timesheets from the early 90's. Yeah, we shredded those.

:: Stick to my Plan to win Prizes ::
let's just say this goes along with everyone else's "... and end up super super skinny" pledges. 'nuff said.

:: Be Content ::
If none of this ends up panning out, I want to know that I at least had fun this year... which so far, is going very well.

(I know, posts with no pictures aren't really as fun, but I haven't done much creating. I spent my time watching all 19 episodes of My So-Called Life and flipping thru magazines.)

The Breakfast Bar...

isn't this what breakfast bars are intended for, right? yummy paper and envelopes?







i think i underestimated myself and what i was putting out there. i think i'm going to be taking over the breakfast bar like this for the next few weeks... good thing we've never really even used it :-) big ups to hubz for building these cabinets to my specifications (he even lined up the waynes coating- or whatever it's called- lines) and making them look fantastic!




psssst...
here's the cabinets in all their glory... well, without their doors and hardware... but that whole wall he built- granite tile bar and all.

It's a Carnival in November

Yup. The EtsyGreetings Team is having a Blog Carnival... and I'm giving you a chance to win some goodies of mine.

I'm giving away one pack of Holiday cards of your choice. Yup. I just listed them this weekend and I'm giving you a chance to win one of the packs below





Just leave a comment here and on Friday I'll choose my winner. Please only enter once and this is open to everyone- international participants included. Members of the EtsyGreetings Team are welcome to enter as well! To head back to the EtsyGreetings blog to enter more giveaways, click the link in the first sentence or that snazzy button on the top right of the blog.

2 Items in!

I finally got 2 new items in the shop. Perfect for the holidays as they are personalize-able (if that's even a word.)



and



and I'm just saying that you MIGHT be able to win this last set here on Tuesday. maybe. i'm just sayin'.

and i've got more where that came from.

2008 Wrapped Up

This entire year has been a whirlwind and it's that time to start preparing for the next year. This is about the time I start getting my paperwork ready for taxes, take my inventory and start tallying. Last year's meeting with HR Block taught me a lot on how to prepare for this year. I think I did pretty darn good.

It's also time for me to set my goals for next year. I didn't really set goals-goals last year because I wasn't sure when I was going to be able to jump back in the saddle after having my little girl. I did tell Mr. HR Block that I was hoping to make a particular amount this year (after taxes and such) and I'm happy to announce that I met that goal- with only working 7 months out of the year.

Working a full time job, raising my little nugget and keeping designs and inventory fresh took a bit of work, but it's manageable. If you don't force the work or designs and let them flow naturally, it works with you and not against you. I think that some (note: some- not all) designers put pieces out there for the sake of having inventory. My first year I did that, it backfired on me and I vowed not to put out anything I didn't love. That was the reason my calendar took 2 years to complete and the reason that I have 3-4 concepts that I haven't released yet: i don't love them and I can't market and sell something I don't believe in. I'm so close, but I can't justify sacrificing the final product just to have "numbers" in my shop.

I edit very often and very meticulously. in theory, i COULD offer everything possible... and i probably already have it designed, but if I'm not "feeling" it, it doesn't go up. money also drives what gets put up. i know you have to spend money to make money, but I'm not at the point where I'm ready to go out and buy a lot of supplies and not be able to have multiple uses for them.

With all that said, I'm extremely proud of the buzz I managed to generate for my shop. I participated in giveaways, blog features and promoted wherever I could. I just put my product out there and let it work for me. Many say hearts and views don't matter- and they don't really... on the business end. But they do matter on the ego and motivation end. And i don't mean ego in the "I'm popular" sense. I mean ego in the sense that these people ENJOY your work. They see what you see in your work. They LIKE what you've dreamed up in your mind and they APPRECIATE what you do. So yes, hearts and views matter. They remind me that I'm doing okay. Not everyone is going to love what you have to offer, so knowing there are others that appreciate my work pushes me to create more. So those of you that have hearted me... know that I thank you for showing your appreciation for my hard work.

I have so many ideas dreamed up for this next year and I'm not going to lie... I'm a bit worried that I won't be able to make those dreams come true. Some are a bit ambitious for my schedule, but I'll still work hard and I'll still put my best foot forward, whatever design might be on that foot. I have textiles, thread, felt and mix media on the mind, but it's all hazy still. I would love a collaboration of sorts with someone, so if anyone reading has any ideas, I'd love to hear them.

I'm also going to be looking to adapt my Signature Series into somewhat of a true collection. I want to expand and look at the whole "desk" so to speak- think about what I use in my daily routine and see how I can incorporate those items into my designs. I may even redesign things a bit and see if I can introduce something tactile and interactive. These are the things I perceive as taking a bit of time, but I know that if I'm patient and true to the design... it will all work out.

I, honestly, haven't made my 2009 Goals yet. Maybe that's something I'll do tonite while I wait for the ball to drop. I have a few ideas rolling around right now, but I'm not ready to commit to my list. Once it's settled upon, I'll be sharing (which I'm sure everyone else will be, too!) I honestly, like to see what others come up with to see what might also inspire me for the new year. Last year I broke it down into months- by X month I wanted this done and that was a real motivation, so I might carry that theme out again. I'll also be starting my "35 by 35" list which could be pretty interesting given what a huge year I had this year in terms of events, accomplishments and experiences. (warning: some things I've accomplished will also be on that list because I need the motivation of boxes checked. Plain and simple.)

Either way I hope you all have a great new year in 2009 and I hope that I can keep your attention in the year to come! Below you will find some of my favorites from the year.

I've been working...

I promise.

Really.

I should have a heaping amount of updates later this week or over the weekend.

Life's just getting in the way... and creative bursts of energy. They don't come around as often so I have to run with them before i forget them!

So...
Until later.

A Play date with some new friends.

It was a VERY productive weekend for me. It was virtually kid-free (which also lead us to find out that Little Miss was NOT happy about being away that long), so both the hubz and I were able to focus on a few projects uninterrupted.

Friday: Operation Oz.
Well, it's almost finished. It doesn't look all that pretty. But it's almost finished. I never realized how zippy Singers were! Man, Betsy was flying! I didn't really have an problems following the pattern, but I had a little trouble controlling the pedal (apparently I'm a lead-foot), so the stitches aren't all that pretty. It's okay. It's my first attempt at anything by myself and it could be waaay worse. I had to rip the stitches out of two of the sections and should be able to get that sewn up this week for her debut this weekend at a Family Halloween Party out in the country.






Saturday: Operation Oz continued
I worked until about 1am on Saturday morning, got up around 9:30, ate the yummy french toast my hubs made and then got right back to it. After sewing a bit, I decided I was tired and lounged a bit before having to go pick up the Nugget.



Sunday: Punch it Margaret!
I finally changed into my scumming tshirt and pulled out the rubber ink. Margaret came out to play this weekend. I ran her (the lovely letterpress) on Sunday after a trip to the grocery. I had to do a lot of tinkering and a lot of readjusting, but I was able to get some ink on some paper. There is still a lot of tinkering and more adjusting to do, but it was good to get my hands dirty- er blue (the ink is still in my nails). I think I'm going to have some ornamental designs made into blocks so that I can get a few things rolling. I just wanted to get digging into the press, get my hands dirty and print. I wanted to USE my machine. It spent about an hour downstairs tightening and loosening bolts, making passes over the ink plate and the "L" locked up in the chase. It was fun. It was a nice and relaxing. Marv came down and laid on the floor next to me and only made a ruckus once (why do dogs eat their own poo? seriously!).








Monday: Wholesale
I'm super excited about the first possible wholesale account I have on the table. The glitch? I didn't have my wholesale policies or my line sheets or my catalog ready to go. Ugh. I managed to pull a quick line sheet with pricing together (which will be worked into a proper line sheet once I get the photos taken for my catalog and will no longer need to rely on my digital illustrations.) It's a daunting task to take on. Especially with a tight turn-around time!

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On a completely different note, Jenny the Artist 2 included a picture of our old bathroom in a lovely inspiration board. Last photo, 4th row. Oh Swannies...

Miss Betsy

click the photo to see more information on her.

oh i can't wait.... good work hubby... good work.

They're here...

and they look pretty darn good.

the 2009 Wall Calendar.



the 2009 Desk Calendar.



A huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders! I'm so happy to get these calendars listed- ahead of schedule to boot! I'm working on one more calendar to round out the year, but I'm not as concerned to get that one done because I just started it last week!

I have some fun things in the works for my wedding listings derived from this concept- GENIUS! I'm really excited about what I came up with, so I'm sure I'll be working extra hard to get this concept flushed out.

Check over here to see how my sewing is going! I started on Little Miss' halloween costume last nite, but ran out of pins, so looks like I"ll have to make a meijer run a little later so I can finish up!


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Refreshed

Friday nite was spent with many kindred spirits. We laughed. We cheered. Some cried. All rejoiced for one common theme.

The New Kids on the Block.



(video courtesy of coreyann via flickr)

I won't go on into detail about the absolute AMAZINGNESS of this concert because I'm sure you would be jealous (the links are to fellow NKOTB'ers that took video at the concert and have some great photos). if you go here i can show you where we sat: look at the top right at the tan banner- we were right by the lower left corner of that banner. sure not so close seats, but i could have cared less!
and i have to say that natasha bedingfield was an AWESOME choice for an opening act. i always think it's a testament to talent when you can sound just as great live (if not better) than you do on a CD... and she far exceeded any expectations i had for her. i've heard her once on a talk show, but that was nothing compared to live!

but enough of that. overall the weekend was great and i'm so happy i decided to go... my busy thursday, as posted here, went pretty smoothly. i didn't get a chance to do any printing of the calendar BUT, thanks to BeanPickleSprout, I'll be offering both a desk calendar and a wall calendar. I'm hoping to get to those tonite, if not cut down to photograph.

i've finished up with my sewing lessons and will moving on to the next project! i'm really excited about this because it will be my first "solo" project, so this could get interesting! i'm borrowing a friend's machine, so tonite- after printing i'll trace out the pattern (i can't bring myself to cut it!) and then probably tomorrow at lunch, i'll go get the fabric... probably.

Who would have thought?

I was sitting at my computer the other day listing my new table numbers and moving cards thinking that if you would have asked me last year at this time where I thought I would have been now, I never would have answered you like I am now. NEVER.

I'm selling to strangers. Yes. Strangers.
I'm sewing.
I'm looking into designing fabric (stupid step-and-repeat)
I'm letterpressing.

Up until now, I had been selling to friends, friends of friends, family or friends of family. Now, people I've never met (or maybe "met" in the forums or in blog world) are interested in my work. They like what I'm doing enough to pay me for it... and it's a great feeling. It's a great feeling to feel like I'm moving forward and I'm making progress- steadily and not clumsily. I feel like I have a firm grip on my growth and in some way I'm in good control of it... even if I'm really not. I have wholesale inquiries and friends and family finally coming to me asking for goodies. They "get" it now, I think. They see it- literally. All the freebies and handouts paid off... now they get a few extra business cards to hand out with each order. ;-)

The Creative 365 is really motivating me to do SOMETHING, no matter how small, to keep me moving. I'm very excited that I'm ready this year with my
calendar (a year in the making project... got stuck on July...), I have a good amount of goodies in my shop (and still more ideas to add to it) and I have the luxury of opening a second shop, TheLittleMrs, for my sewing goodies, if I ever get to that point.

I've never been one to really get too concerned over views or hears, but i have over 100 people that "heart" me (and I heart you for hearting me!) and according to majaba, I have over of 3000 views in my shop. I'm sure for some, that's chump change. For me, that's amazing. I never thought my work would reach that many sets of eyes, so I'm in complete humbleness (is that a word??).

I'm setting big goals for myself for next year. But, I'm prepare to alter my goals to make sure I stay grounded, keep time for my family and produce nothing but work that I am proud of. I'm finding myself having these ideas for designs, but then realizing that yes, I could do that, but it's not really what I WANT to do... so I might take a little time to work it out for myself, but not the time to photograph, list, describe, etc. because it's not what I'm excited about. I only want to sell things I'm excited about and not things I know or think will sell... and I've done a pretty good job so far of editing myself when it comes to those types of projects.

At the end of the year, I'll share my goals. They will have nothing to do with x amount of sales or x amount of hearts because those are things that are out of my control. sure it's healthy to do a forecast and set monetary goals, but in not hitting them, it should not make you feel as if you are a failure.

I'm extremely excited for the rest of this year to pan out (I'm a few dollars shy of my yearly profit goal) and plan for next year.

my motivation?

ask my two favorite shadows...

almost complete...

The calendars are making great progress for listing in a few weeks. i have a few minor adjustments to make to the sizing, but all in all, i'm really happy with the turn out.

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