My Day Today

Getting ready to go out of town has always been... not stressful... just full. It might be hard to see, but click on it and you can see how I fill my day today. We will be leaving tomorrow morning to go visit my brother, his wife... and see NKOTB. Yes. You read correctly. New Kids on the Block. It was my first concert and I'll die a happy girl if it's my last. i digress...

Anyway, this is a typical routine for me to do before going anywhere for an extended amount of time. I read a tip somewhere that said to write down the entire contents of your bags when traveling (mostly pertaining to when flying) in case you lose your luggage AND for when you go to repack. Carry your list on your person at all times and you'll always know what's in there and what's not when you get home. This has saved me not only from forgetting items, but in packing as lightly as possible (though it may not seem so judging the Nugget's packing list). This was EXTREMELY helpful when the hubs and I traveled to NYC last year.

My plan is to plug these times into my phone so that I can keep myself on task... let's hope that works.

And... as you'll see... the hope is to get the calendars printed and ready to list when I get home.

Until then... I'll be hangin' tough with Joey, Jordan, Jon, Donnie and Danny.

Brownie's Promos

I don't know if they made it in time for her monthly grab bag, but here they are ready to be shipped off! I had to take quick pictures at work, so they're a bit fuzzy...




I opted to for small 3Drug sized cards this time instead of the A2 cards I sent in to The Little Black Box. It was a better use of my time, material and honestly- I felt that the card was useful, but you weren't getting "the real deal"... ya know what I mean? I wasn't giving away a "full product"... just a sneak peek!

I'm trying to decide if I want to do The Little Black Box again. Do you ever get a feeling inside that says, "No. This isn't right for you." and then your mind says, "But you need to promote." If I DID do it, I would want to get into the November Box in hopes of catching the holiday crowd, but then again... I don't know. I feel like the 3Drug cards would work for that- even a pack of 5 gift tags... but then why would they need to come to the shop to buy? They have their gift tags and even if they DO need more, who is to say that they wouldn't just use those for someone they liked/hated (depending on if they liked the designs) and then go out to walmart to buy more. I don't know... I'm starting to wonder if tangible promotional pieces really work for me. Maybe I'll see how I fare this holiday season and then make my decisions for next year. Map it out on a schedule. Plan.

Today is a fun filled day of cleaning. The hubs is hosting poker next friday and our house is in need of a MAJOR overhaul. We haven't done this since nugget was born. It's not that we're messy/dirty people. It's that we live in a small cape cod with 2 giant dogs and a little one. We clean every week- the nuggets room gets THOROUGHLY cleaned every week, but when you live in small quarters there isn't much room for the dirt and dust to go but on top of what's already there. My philosophy is that in bigger houses, there are more places for the dirt to go- thus it "looks" cleaner. We are also big fans of making piles for later... and later comes and we are too busy playing catch up or we just don't have time. This has been our busiest summer yet- I've been trying to get work steadily coming in, hubs has been studying like crazy for his exams to be a registered architect (so he can design/build my next house) and we've both been trying to keep up with nugget (she's visiting grandpa and nonna today so we can clean, use cleaning products and concentrate on that). It's hard because one of us essentially loses a productive work day while watching Charlotte. It's okay though. We're getting our schedules worked out and working together and I think that's what's important. We support each other and in the goal each of us is trying to achieve, so it's a great system we have set up, I think.

I took before pictures, so if I'm brave enough to show my house in disarray, I'll show the before/after shots... and if not- just the after! If anything, I should probably show my work area... that might sting a little, but I got myself in this mess- I have to get myself out! One thing I will show in the near future is the before/after shots of the house in general. I think we've done really well with the house with what we had to work with. It's not the most glamorous house, but I'm happy with it so far!


i never pretend to understand this pooch.

researching and digging and researching...

i came to the conclusion today that if i could be a professional business organizer, i'd be a millionaire. i think i've spent more time researching, organizing, writing, etc etc for five dot than i have actually designing! in some ways i think it's my way of procrastinating and being afraid my ideas and designs will be rejected. so i continue to organize... and sadly i'm really good at it. do i have a new calling? what would oprah say? QUIT YOUR JOB AND FOLLOW YOUR STRENGTHS! no thank you. i'll stay put for awhile and keep my organizing strength to myself... unless someone wants to hire me :-)
i've been researching shops on etsy now for about 3 hours and i've only made it thru 6 whole shops- sweet jebus! i'm finding out such great information... and i still have another 25 or so shops to go thru by sunday nite. i'm mostly trying to get a feel for pricing, policies, offerings and printing method. i've chosen a good deal of shops that i consider to be comparable to my own style, so i'm hoping all this information will be appropriate to my re-opening and how i structure things.



... and i do all of this while the hubz watches shrek 3 "with" the nugget.


here's a little sneak peek of a little something i'm working on...

not very telling, but that's half the fun!
be on the look out for a give away soon!

what's in your wallet?

if someone were to walk past my desk at work or even see me walking out of the building, they would probably think i'm a very busy and important girl. bags on each arm, life organizer held close so i don't lose it, PDA phone in hand in case someone oh-so-important calls... the list could go on. but let's face it. i'm not that big of a deal. i just like to have my stuff with me and i like to have my life written out and in one spot.

so what could be in all these great bags and binders i tote around? i'll give you a sneak peek...



let's start with my "chanel" bag... bought off the streets of NYC for $35 (a nice steal if you ask me... i kept insisting that i didn't have enough cash on me to buy it for $55 and $45, so he settled on $35 and i settled for going to the ATM)

1. this lovely rainbow contraption holds lovely photos of my little nugget... for when i talk to people that have yet to meet her and are suckers for baby pictures.

2. my cute little zippered bag sent to me by beanpicklesprout... it's fun floral fabric with a cute little pear sewn on the front. in here you will find an emergency soothie in case we're out and about and need one STAT :: stroller rings- these are great when shopping. hook them on the handles of your stroller, clip your bags on and walk with ease :: a little swipey from frankandme for quick clean ups :: lipsmacker- my sister in law used to work there, so i'm set til i see my great grandkids off to college and then i have another chappy that i won from noodles&co :: hand sanitizer :: stain remover pen :: glasses repair tube :: broken keyless entry for work :: office depot discount card :: nugget's hair clip from shopmayapapaya

3. sketchbook for my brilliant ideas!

4. hello kitty pencil bag holds the overflow of my pen/pencil/ sharpie collection. i'm am a self-admitted pen/pencil/writing utensil junkie. i love anything that writes. when i would wait for my mom after school, i used to walk the halls and collect the pens and pencils that were lost by others on the floor. i always found some great stuff. i'm also a paper tablet hoarder. i love pads of paper- good thing i create stationery.

5. reusable target bag for quick shopping trips or an extra bag to carry my treasures home

6. martha stewert wedding magazine. it said it was the collector's edition of the 270 favorite things and i like to keep up with the wedding trends

7. iPod and vera bag holding all my cables and attachments

8. coach wallet holding business cards (so i can look snazzy when i pull them out!)

9. gap polka dot umbrella

10. odds and ends pocket and another pocket of pens :-)

11. keys

12. deep down in there is a wireless iPod player for the car, vera wallet and my monkey change purse

next up: my modern day trapper keeper. let me first explain its purpose and place in my heart. i used to carry around loose papers, file folders, client files, invoices, et and i would constantly have to stack and restack to find 1 thing. so, when watching all the back to school ads, they advertised the mead fivestar ***** binder and i fell in love. we now have as follows



1. my secret little pocket with my etsy research in there...





2. tab 1 :: my planner (with a fun oversized paperclip from buttonboutique). i'm constantly revamping my planner until i find something i'm happy with, but for now, this is my version of organized chaos. for awhile i relied on my phone to keep track of my life, but missed actually writing stuff down. i have a photographic memory and i could always see my planner in my head when planning weekends and dinners and such so i knew right away if i was busy. with the phone, i can't see the big picture and would miss appointments, be late or find out last minute- i hated it. in high school, i used to color coordinate but that was when i had time to do stuff like that.

3. tab 2: lists. i love lists. i love writing lists, making lists, making up lists- i love everything about lists. and i wish i used this tab. i have notebooks everywhere with notes and lists in them, but i've never ever consolidated them into one spot and this tab is no exception.

4. tab 3: grocery and a secret list. i always found myself going to the grocery, clipping my coupons and constantly forgetting what the coupons were for or how many i had to buy... so i made my own grocery list. i'm still refining it for my etsy shop, but i've been using it for over a year now and i love it. i take along one of my mini file folders (that will be making an appearance in my shop as well) to hold all my beloved coupons and all i have to do is pull the coupons out at the check out. it saves me from buying too many or too few and from stopping in the middle of the aisle to read my stupid coupon.

5. extra tabs for extra stuff.

6. notepad. i had high hopes for this notepad and i will one day find its calling, but for now it remains blank.

7. clear sleeves for reference information... mailable sizes, dimensions of cards and their envelopes, print costs, the chip charts for the paper i use the most (you would be surprised by how many people talk stationery when you least expect it and how much more eager they become about purchasing when they get to look at chip charts!)



8. business card holders. these are either vendors i like, use or just plain want to remember. a lot of them came from the stationery show last year (btw- good luck to those vendors going this year!) and some are just contacts from the wedding industry.

9. finally, my lone file folder of papers waiting to be disbursed out into the binder! a good chunk of it is business related- ideas, research, etc so it will probably need it's own tab here...hmmm something to do today...

so there's a look into my very important belongings. you now know that i only like to make myself THINK i'm important with all my stuff, but i must say that when i'm sitting at work and an idea pops in my head or i remember something- i have everything i need either in my bag or my binder and thoughts don't get lost!

digging a little deep

so my quest for researching has begun. i managed to find 45 stationery shops- 22 which specialize in letterpress- to start researching price points, trends and sales. i feel like i'm taking on a big project, considering i've found so many great stationery designers, but i feel this is a necessary step if i want to take this business seriously. i mentioned before that i wanted my next job to be one in which i work for myself in my fantastic little studio (or work room... i'm not going to be picky), so if that's going to happen, i need to think business and not all pleasure. that may mean i stay on maternity leave... and switch it over to mid-life crisis leave... but i'm okay with that. then again, this is only the first step. some may ask why letterpress when you don't offer letterpress? why? because i love it. plain and simple. i won't be using these shops as part of my research, but design wise, they fit in the trend category.

the plan:: what i plan to do is "study" each shop... what are they selling? how is their work printed? what is their pricing structure like? i'm a big advocate of charging what something should cost, not basing it on what the market is charging (even though many people insist on "well xyz is selling for $3 cheaper and in order for me to compete, i have to lower my prices." no. stick to your guns and have pride in your work and your time spent. this is another post for another time, however.) i would like to see where my products fall in the market.

i also plan on purchasing a few products from shops i've really kept an eye on and whom i see as "direct competition"- it's important to look at craft, materials, print method and overall wow factor. to me, these are key.

i am taking notes on what is not being offered at this time as well... is there a niche i can capture now while no one or very few are offering the product? i already have a few things in the works... just little ideas waiting to grace the pages of etsy! my little notebook is fresh and ready to accept all the thoughts i have to get down on paper (yes, i'm handwriting all of this. why? because i love notebooks filled with handwritten thoughts. i'm weird- i've accepted this a long time ago.)

this is something i would encourage all shops to do every quarter or every 6 months. take inventory of what's out there and what you're up against, not just what's in your own shop. know your market and what's being offered. is the market over saturated in a particular item you offer? can you rework that piece to make it stand out? do you even want to carry that piece anymore? i'd guess that 75% or more of the design business is the the actual business side of things. there is a lot of talent out there, so you have to know how to pull yourself out of the pack and get noticed.



though i'm not the biggest cheerleader for oprah, i did watch her show with marcus buckingham. marcus is an expert on helping you take control of your career and helping you realize what it is you should really be doing with your career. i've been listening to the podcast while working and some of it is common knowledge, some of it is alot like i see oprah- forget about real life and follow your heart no matter if you go poor or you make somewhat irrational decisions doing it... at least you're following your heart and then some of it is helping you, yourself, figure out what you're good at and how to incorporate that into either the job you have or find the job you should be doing. i'm hoping this exercise will help me figure out what i should be doing with my career.

marcus has you go thru an exercise for a week at work where you write down "i loathed it" and " i loved it" for week pertaining to things you do at work. this is to help you recognized the verbs of your job, really and the strengths and weaknesses you possess. many in the exercise found that the things they were good at were things they loathed to do. his suggestion? offer to do the things you like to do over and over and then you just might get asked to keep doing them and your role switches- ta da! you've just reworked your job to work for you. of course, he makes it sound much more simple than it really is, i'm sure, but it never hurts to try and make the 8+ hours you spend at work a little more tolerable.

so i'm going to try this. next week at work i'm going to keep my loathed and loved cards and see where it gets me- for both jobs if possible (even though a majority of my own business is done at my regular job- whooops!). i'm going to see if i can figure out what my calling in life should be! this could be intereting.

have a great weekend!

blog calendar!

today is the first day of my blog calendar! i'm slightly excited- this will help me stay on task and keep me motivated to research and look and learn more about design and all it's components. although it would be great, i won't be blogging everyday just yet... i just don't have the time and i just can't commit to it.



i printed out the results of my survey this morning and read over all the comments. i've highlighted points i want to convey and i must say, i received a lot of good feedback. and those of you that signed up for the stationery give away- i haven't forgotten you! i will be going thru the email addresses tonite, choosing one out of a hat and then contacting the winner via email. once i get confirmation from them, i'll announce the winner and link their etsy shop (if they have one) for all to enjoy!

before i forget! i was witty enough to name a sock dog!! threeredtrees sent me this fantastic card which i cannot wait to send to someone. i love her animals and once we get hospital bills sorted out, i'll be purchasing one for the nugget. i'm a huge supporter of donating to the animal shelter and plan to do something similar in my shop (once i figure out not only where i want to donate, but what i will offer in my shop... i have a few ideas running around).

it's now off to research topics for my blog calendar!

organize me silly!

I FINALLY got the pictures "edited" from my studio space... It feels great to know everything is in place, everything is inventoried (down to the last 3 drug envelope and bag) and I can now work a little more efficiently. Checkitout!







I'm struggling a bit on the creative juice side- mainly do to lack of sleep- I believe. Comfort is not much of an option these days... I usually get pinged with at least one thing a week, however I have tested out a few designs and found that they DON'T work.

I designed a grocery list that broke items down by category... Well I went to make our grocery list with it last nite and found it completely inefficient and hard to use- lots of wasted space and no place for my coupons! I love my coupons! The coupon shopping list will be showing up shortly in my etsy shop... Just a few more tweeks are needed. If you're like me, you use coupons and you're quite fanatical about them... I save at least $40 when I go to the grocery between coupons and in-store sales so I usually have a TON with me. I devised a list that allows you to list the coupon you have for a particular item so that you don't have to keep sorting thru your pack to see the offer- it's worked GREAT for me in the past coupled months or so. I'm pretty syked on it.

I've also found myself wanting to redesign a lot of the things I designed a year ago for my vendor shop. I threw a lot of things together last minute to be ready and I'm just not happy with them. Some I'm okay with- I haven't decided if I want to place them in a sale listing on etsy to just clear the inventory or if I want to just put them on etsy to see how they do- either way I have to take photos first, so we'll see. I do know that i'm going to make a pack of 8 of two of my thank you cards available- that one just hit me the other day (there are times I'm a bit slow, yes). I might even do a little mix'n'match deal where you get a big "grab bag" of cards for such'n'such price, but I hate to already have a sale when I've just opened my shop... Maybe a question for the forums...

so saturday i went to my first "hobby nite" with my etsy street team. i'm not sure how i feel about it... except that i know i am completely different than most people in that group (aside from being the youngest in the group) which is great for diversity, but a little overwhelming all the same. unfortunately i can't make it the next 2 months, so maybe once spring hits the air i'll sing a different tune.

i think that's all i have the energy for today... maybe i'll get a second wind tonite ;-)

where did i put...

so i've come to the conclusion that though i LOVE the idea of organization and "everything has a place"... i'm just not good at it. i have all these great tear-outs from magazines with nifty ideas on how to get yourself "put together" but know where those are? they're in a plastic tub waiting to be put in clear sleeves and into the 4 3-ring binders i bought just for those tear-outs... know how long they've been there? 3 years at least. ugh. i must say, however, that i am very proud to announce that i received 3 magazines on the same day (saturday i believe) and i have read all three magazines, torn out the keepsakes (but sadly just put the tear-outs in the bin), and then promptly recycled the magazines that were then hauled off this morning by mr. recycle guy. i do believe that is a record for me.

i think part of my problem with organizing is that all the magazines and tv shows, etc etc want you to run out and buy all these pretty boxes and crates and holders and blah blah blah. i love me a pretty box any day of the week, but where is the $10 for each pretty box supposed to come from? especially since i would literally have to buy 12-20 of them? i'm sorry, but i'd rather spend that money on pretty shoes more than i would pretty boxes. so this puts us right back into the circle of "where did i put..." ugly vicious cycle.

another part of my problem is i like my stuff. and i like my stuff to be with me... at all times. i like to see my treasures and i like others to see my treasures. however- i have done a FANTASTIC job (if i do say so myself) in the past month of ridding myself of stuff. i have donated box upon box to goodwill (can you say lovely tax deduction?) and simply filled garbage/recycle bag upon garbage/recycle bag with stuff. in my defense, a lot of it was stuff that was given to me (or the hubz) that we weren't sure we were "allowed" to get rid of... you know what i mean? that stuff that someone gave you or you've had forever because someone said you should keep it, so you just do. yeah- all of that was gone in the first haul.

so now that leaves me only with lovely ideas of one day everything having its place- and it will... just maybe not in this house.