Monthly Goal Meetup

{June Goals}

1. Design: One amazing wedding invitation suite
2. Prep: Research online press kit
3. Complete: Design and packaging of “variety pack”
    (I don’t want to talk about this goal. Meh) 
4. Market: Design ad and purchase spot on one blog
5. Continue: Blog three times per week + one giveaway

Happy July! June was officially the fastest month of my life. I feel like I just wrote down my June goals. Scary. That being said, I managed to accomplish half of my June goals… more like 50% of each goal. For instance, I came up with a wedding invitation concept that I’m extremely excited about, but it’s only reached the sketch stage. I designed a blog ad, but realized I am too busy with summer and existing orders to actively promote. I blogged three times a week (minus the week I was out of town) but didn’t do a giveaway due to scheduling conflicts. So I consider myself 49% successful this month. 

At first I was frustrated that I wasn’t completing my goals in a efficient manner. I was struggling to fit work into every free moment: nights, weekends, etc. Then I read a tweet from a fellow designer that stated (I’m paraphrasing), “My life is 178% better since I stopped working weekends.” LIGHTBULB! At that moment, I had a mid-summer awakening.

Work life with kids underfoot all-day-every-day is significantly more challenging than I had anticipated. Time to adapt.

My little ones are too young to send outside without supervision so much of my work is done under a shady tree — great for proof sets, email, twitter but lousy for photo editing, client meetings, printing and assembling. If we aren’t outside, we are on the go, biking, hiking, swimming. Sadly, my imaginary staff of helpers never gets anything done while I’m gone! The kicker is after the kids are in bed, I’m so exhausted I can’t do anything but melt into the sofa. 

In response to our summer-of-fun lifestyle, I’ve had to limit marketing and the number of custom design orders I take on. I must admit, it has been somewhat liberating to say “no”. No, no, no, no. There, I said it! This reality check has made me contemplate how to handle future summers as my kids grow and become more active. I foresee summers with limited hours and a european approach to vacations; closing shop for a month or more of family time. It sounds decadent now, but as a my own boss, I have the freedom to plan for these times ensuring loose ends are tidy and clients are well informed. 

I’m realizing I want it all, but simply put, I’m not that talented. This realization has been a blessing in disguise. It’s inspired me to step back and focus on summer fun with my family. Typically, I become discouraged or feel guilty about my lack of ‘productivity’, instead I’m feeling a sense of freedom enjoying popsicles and shady trees. I plan to keep plugging along, and look forward to being refreshed and prepared for the fall rush.

{July Goals}

1. Design: Bear party invitation for my favorite soon-to-be four year old
2. Prep: Photograph boxed holiday cards for website & Etsy
3. Complete: Wedding invitation design (it’s gonna be awesome)
4. Market: Purchase ad spot on one blog to start July 15th-ish
5. Continue: Blog three times per week

Crown Fill-in Thank You Notes

Last week our Dino Fill-in Note Thank You Notes were selected as the Etsy item of the day on the blog Etsy Item of the Day.

Since, we’ve sold several sets of fill-in thank you notes including this bold and feminine flat card design. Perfect a for a little girl, they are printed with purple ink on kraft cover stock (my personal favorite). Designed with elementary school children in mind, the large blanks are easy for small hands.

Sold in sets of 10 with matching purple envelopes. For more information, please visit our shop.

Day Off: Gold Medal Hikers

Grass Lake near Graeagle, California

Sorry I’ve been off the radar. Summer with the kids has forced me to prioritize my “to do” list. Unfortunately, blogging is the first thing I push to the back burner. When I’m unable to blog, I feel “unproductive”, but the reality is I (we) have been uber-productive. We’ve been plowing our way through Jack’s summer wishlist.

Last weekend was our first family camping trip. It was fantastic. Great friends, beautiful surroundings and lots of dirt in places you’d never imagine. What more could a kid ask for?

Above is a photo of the kids at Grass Lake, a 1.25 mile walk from our campsite. They are always on the move, so a 2.5 mile round trip is not a big deal, but this hike was VERTICAL. The trail was shale and rock. Pete and I didn’t bother to research the hike’s difficulty. We heard there was a lake up the trail. Perfect. Let’s go!

Sounds like a recipe for disaster: uninformed parents, kids ages 3 & 6 and a vertical trail. Well, it turned out great! The kids hit the trail like pros. There was NO complaining, NO carrying mini-hikers and NO injuries. Woo-hoo! Pete & I were beaming with pride. You’d have thought our kids had won Olympic Gold. In fact, we are still congratulating each other on what tough kids we have. 

Rejuvenated, I’m back to reality. Invitation orders, blogging, housework… in between more summer fun!

Inspiration: A Perfect Palette

I’m on the lookout for perfect color combinations. Mother Nature is always spot on. A side note: Kate, my three year old botanist remarked, “They smell like lotion!”

Featured: Esty Item of the Day

Dinos rock, thank you!

Great news! Our Dinosaur Fill-in Thank You Notes have been chosen as an “Etsy Item of the Day”. The dinosaur featured in this design is a favorite in our collection. He was hand drawn for me by my sister, Melanie (an artist and biologist). As a child, Melanie, was an avid dinosaur scholar. She was so fanatical about them she slept with her plastic dinosaurs. So this is truly art from the heart.

Jackie from Etsy Item of the Day is a blogger and Etsy connoisseur who features a new Etsy item daily. Her picks are a fabulous and diverse selection from the best and brightest of Etsy. If you are in need of a unique gift or just looking for a treat, be sure to stop by her blog. I know she will inspire you to “Buy, Sell, and Live Handmade!” She can also be found on Twitter. Thank you Jackie!

Day Off: Rainy Day Pick-Me-Up

That's our abnormally green lawn in the background

I love Reno. Wonderful people. Beautiful surroundings. Twenty minutes to the ski lift. And best of all, four spectacular seasons.

Sadly, we are still waiting for summer. June has brought record breaking rainfall. The last time it rained five days in a row, was 1969. I stopped counting rainy days on day eight. I feel somewhat guilty complaining about the cool, wet weather, but what’s the point of a lush green lawn if it’s too wet to roll around on? It seems the gloomy skies have hijacked my mood. 

The unusual weather is taking it’s toll on my family of desert rats. We’ve been to several rainy barbecues where the kids have worn jackets over their swimwear. But the kicker is Kate’s daily statement, “Mommy, you promised when school was out, we’d go to the beach.” My reply has been, “I know I said that, but it’s snowing at the beach.” Yes, it’s SNOWING AT THE BEACH. Mother nature, are you kidding me? 

So yesterday I was twittering and ran across the Photo Food Blog, a very cool blog that showcases visually interesting food. And you all know, I’m newly obsessed with photographing food. Anyway, they twittered a photograph of Toffee Crack from Sweetnicks Food & Life Blog. The name made me laugh out loud. Intrigued, I read the recipe, dropped everything and made them. 

After chilling in the fridge overnight, the kids and I dove in. Their response? “These are GOO-OO-OOD!” As for me, they were just the pick-me-up I needed for another rainy day. On the bright side, if it keeps raining, I can keep eating Toffee Crack, because I’ll never need to put on a swimsuit!

The recipe from Sweetnicks:

Toffee Crack

One sleeve of saltines
One stick of butter
One cup brown sugar
One bag chocolate chips

Line cookie sheet with saltines.  Melt butter in pan.  Add brown sugar and stir until slightly caramelized.  Pour over saltines and spread until evenly coated.  Cook at 350 for 5 minutes.  Take out of oven and pour chocolate chips on top.  Spread over the toffee as they melt.  Stick in fridge to set.  Break into pieces and enjoy.

*Although the recipe doesn’t note it, I’d suggest keeping the toffee crack in the fridge.  With the weather being so warm, the chocolate is just safer that way.

If you enjoy Toffee Crack as much as we do, be sure to stop by Sweetnicks to let her know!

Photography 101: We Peeled a Raw Egg

Peeling a Raw Egg: Before & After

If you read my post last week, you know Jack has a tall list of fun activities he’d like to accomplish during his summer break. Science experiments and “using mommy’s camera” were on that list.  My wonderful sister, the artist AND scientist, gave him The Everything Kids’ Science Experiments Book for his birthday. After a quick scan, Jack insisted we start by peeling a raw egg. Huh? 

Turns out it’s easier than you’d think. The procedure was simple:

1. Place a raw egg in a small glass
2. Pour enough vinegar in the glass to cover the egg
3. Wait a few days

That’s just what we did. Within moments of adding the vinegar we saw the chemical reaction. The bubbling was the vinegar eating away the calcium carbonate in the eggshell. Once a day we scooped biotic scunge from the top of the glass. After three days the shell was gone, leaving the egg inside its cozy membrane. The final product felt like a perfect Jell-o egg; it was squishy, yet surprisingly sturdy. 

In addition to being a cool experiment, it made a terrific photo-op. I taught Jack how to set up the tripod and let him choose the background color (a fabulous choice, if I don’t say so myself). He took a gazillion shots. I wish I had a photo of him in his plaid, little man jammies, balanced precariously on a stool to see through the camera’s viewfinder. He was truly committed to the process. In fact, the upper right photo in the collage above was taken by Jack! Our before and after photo shoots were successful because, thanks to Jack, I took the time to slow down, set up the tripod, program the camera and add the vibrant background. 

As for our next big experiment, I’m lobbying for boiling ice but I’m betting it will be a mini-volcano. I’ll keep you posted.

Lavender Wedding Invitations

I’ve just finished printing wedding invitations for a September wedding. The bride chose one of our signature wedding designs. I’m excited to share it with you. 

The design was originally made for our babysitter. She had a lovely wedding at a beautiful park here in Reno. She and her now husband have a casual, yet romantic style. I wanted to convey that style with color and art. I commissioned my sister to draw wild lavender for the invitation’s focal point. I printed the text and graphics on a soft white metallic paper, then mounted it on a metallic matte. I would describe the matte color as a “purple merlot”. It matches the ink color perfectly. The final result has been one of our best selling designs. 

This invitation is a big hit for weddings, but also makes a stunning invitation for a shower, brunch or reception. It can be printed in a traditional 5×7 shape or a modern 4 x 9 shape. Matching Save the Date cards, Reply Cards, Table Numbers, Place Cards, Programs and Thank You Notes are also available. For more information, please visit our website or contact me directly.

Monthly Goal Meetup

{May Goals}

1. Begin monthly Newsletter
2. Prep: Research online press kit
3. Design and package “variety pack”
4. Complete custom design PDF forms x 6 
5. Blog three times per week 

We have had a very busy two weeks, since I first discovered Modish Biztips Monthly Goal Meetup. Crazy schedule aside, I am happy to report I made a dent in my list of goals. I am very excited that our first Newsletter is ready to be emailed on Monday, June 8th. {If you would like to receive one, please subscribe to our Newsletter} I have completed my PDF forms and the general layout and sketches for the variety pack of cards I was asked to create nearly six months ago.  And, holy cow, I met my blogging goal! 

Now I need to keep it up. I have discovered I need a bit more structure with my goals. I also want to make sure I have all my bases covered each month. It would be easy for me to create a list of all the tasks I enjoy and excel at, but those things would get done without a deadline. For June, I decided to limit my personal expectations to five goals, one in each of the following categories:

Design: Create something new to add to my portfolio
Prep: Research something I want to learn more about
Complete: Finish a project that has fallen through the cracks
Market: Do something to get the word out about our shop
Continue: Keep up on something I have been doing well

{June Goals}

1. Design: One amazing wedding invitation suite
2. Prep: Research online press kit 
3. Complete: Design and packaging of “variety pack”
4. Market: Design ad and purchase spot on one blog
5. Continue: Blog three times per week + one giveaway

Summertime and the Livin’ is Easy?

Summer vacation is officially underway. What does this mean for the day to day operations of our home design studio? Why, it means CHAOS, of course. With a six year old and an almost-four-year-old underfoot, running the studio will have new challenges.

Thankfully I am able to be flexible with my schedule. I enjoy working late in the evening after the kids are asleep. My husband is a wonderful courier, making deliveries, running errands and frequenting the post office whenever I ask. And believe it or not the kids love to help with tasks like sorting recycling, sweeping the studio floor and running to the mailbox.

Kate, my little protege, is always content sitting on the studio floor, drawing and creating. Jack is not quite so easy. He needs to be on the move. My greatest fear is he will end up sitting in front of the tube on high volume days. In an effort to avoid that worst case scenario, Jack and I made a list of everything he wants to DO and LEARN this summer. To my surprise he spouted off 38 different activities in about five minutes. Who knew? 

Here is a sampling of his aspirations:

Learn to fish
Learn to play Twinkle on the piano
Learn to jump off the diving board “feet down, head up”
Science experiments
Swim, swim, swim
Water rockets 
Play frisbee
Learn to write better
Cook muffins 
Camp
Learn to use camera (first self portrait is featured above) 
Read more Bob Books 
Watch TV… (at least is was at the end of the list!)

It is our goal to do everything on the list. Whenever someone says, “I’m bored”, “There’s nothing to do” or “Can I watch TV”, we’ll consult the list and hopefully add to it as we think of new ideas. This will require me to put down my bone folder or walk away from the computer *gasp*, but I think we may have found the perfect recipe for a fun and balanced summer.

We began this morning with some baseball, photography and setting up a rockin’ science experiment. We will be blogging about our summer adventures, so stay tuned!