I love Scrabble. I grew up with a grandfather who had genuine Scrabble powers. His skill and vocabulary were mind boggling. To me, he was one of the Scrabble greats. Thanks to him, Scrabble now has a mystical allure.
I secretly want to be one of those amazing and eccentric tournament players I read about in the hugely awesome book Word Freak. In reality, I lack the awe-inspiring brain power needed to survive among the gods of the Scrabble world. Instead I feed my hunger with online games among friends.
If you are familiar with Scrabble, you know there is a rating system. Wins, losses, bingos, and scores are tracked and calculated. National Scrabble Association club and tournament members are ranked based on this rating.
As a teen my ratings (calculated by the PC game I played with my Grampa) hovered in the 1000 range. That number was a source of endless frustration. To put it in perspective, the current #1 player is David Gibson with a rating of 2066 (Holy $#?!). My Grampa had ratings in the 1600’s. Since my teens, my dream was to reach 1400. A goal I thought was unattainable.
Because I don’t have the time for club play (and frankly, I’m too intimidated), I get my Scrabble fix by playing on Facebook. Yeah, yeah, Facebook Scrabble is not tournament play, but it has helped me hone my skills. I’ve made great strides in playing with an open style instead of a “step-ladder” style, taking risks and growing my vocabulary. My casual interest has become an obsession. I check for my turn online when I wake, before I go to bed and many times in between. I can play from my laptop or my telephone, so I never miss out when I’m on the go. A bit maniacal yes, but oh so worth it.
In the past few months I’ve played nearly 60 games, all tracked and tallied by the magical FB Scrabble servers. And, voila, I have a Scrabble rating. It began at a baseline of 1200. Everyone starts there. Then it goes up or down depending on the level of play. I have been wavering between 1350 and 1390 for the last few months. Every time I get close to hitting that elusive 1400, I lose a game and my rating drops. I usually lose to my brainiac sister or my childhood friend Kaho. I complain, but I am so thankful for them. Their skill has pushed me to improve.
On Monday, my dream finally became a reality. 1403. I did it! Above is the screen shot from my telephone. Since my rating has dipped back into the 1390’s, but if only for a day I was a Scrabble rock star. I’d elaborate more, but I need to go check my games.
{New} Butterfly Invitation
Kate turned four today. For some strange reason I’m a bit emotional about it. In the last few weeks, she seems to have morphed from my cute, snuggle-y Katie-Bug to a confident, independent little girl. A beautiful butterfly.
To pay homage to her transformation, I created a party invitation with a fun, beautiful and bold butterfly. A perfect reflection of the birthday girl.
The text and art are printed on white bristol cover stock which is mounted on a lavender matte. A matching lavender envelope is printed with the butterfly and a return address.
Perfect for an adult or a child, the text and fonts can be customized for a shower, party invitation or announcement. For a more about this design, please visit our website.
{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
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.
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!
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