A crime against dressers

Ever since things took off in my shop I've been in dire need of an office makeover/ finish unpacking/ organization. So this past weekend Alex and I did as much work as we could on that front. Starting with adding some sort of storage for all my stuff.

About two years ago we picked up this beautiful *sarcasm* dresser at a garage sale. I'm pretty sure these people thought they were never ever going to sell this thing, but alas Alex and I came to their rescue. They practically paid us to take it it was so cheap.

Who ever stained this thing yellow and blueish-green should have their decorating privileges revoked. This is just a home decor sin. Anyways, underneath all that ugliness I knew I saw a true beauty (as well as a sturdy good quality dresser).

Can we just talk for a second about how hard it is to find a quality dresser these days? Even if you find a really good looking new dresser it often isn't made out of real wood and even more often it has those horrible cardboard/paper bottoms that fall out the second you put anything in them. This dresser didn't have that. It had real wood drawer bottoms that are reinforced underneath. I knew I couldn't get a dresser of this quality for the price anywhere.

Anyways, lets get on to my favorite part, which is the after pictures.

I love the stripes. I love that they are soft and subtle, but definitely still there. I'm still working on organizing the other half of my office, but I can't wait to show you guys how much better it looks. I actually feel like I can get some work done now. Which is actually what I need to head off and do.

Thanks for reading!

New stuff!

Hey guys! I've got a special giveaway going on over at Aunie Sauce today! Head on over there to enter! If you haven't visited her blog before you are missing out because she is probably one of the sweetest girls I have ever met (or read about I suppose?)

In other news I have also listed a bunch of new cover designs so you should check them out and see if there is anything you just can't live without! There is lots of new stuff to come so keep your eye out for more stuff :)

PS. Thanks for the beautiful collage Aunie!!

Coping with stress

Sometimes I allow stress to get the better of me. Which is just silly and a big waste of time. When I am stressed I don't get anything accomplished, I just focus on how daunting everything is. It feels like I'm running in a marathon, but instead of moving forward I'm just running in place. Or worse, sometimes it feels like I'm running backwards.

Today I've been focusing on using my time wisely and getting organized. Everything feels less stressful when I am organized. All my important deadlines need to be written down, things need to be in their rightful homes, clutter needs to vanish. Something about writing things down and putting things away brings such a huge release of tension for me.

I still feel stressed, but I feel the intensity of it ebbing away little by little.

Working from home

Gosh guys, I am so incredibly blessed by my customers and followers! Seriously you are all great! Also my family and friends! I have never felt so encouraged and able do anything I set my mind to. This summer has been a huge success. I finally started a shop selling my own products, I've taken care of an incredibly active puppy all summer (anyone a GSD owner??), and I've worked hard at keeping my house clean (I type as I'm sitting in my disaster of an office).

Before starting my own business I was one of those people that idolized those that could work from home. It sounds so relaxing doesn't it? Crawling out of bed in the morning, coffee cup in hand, sending some business emails, spending a few hours focused in your work, all while hanging out in your cozy home and pjs. Meanwhile, in the real world, working from home means being incredibly disciplined when it comes to waking up in the morning, always bringing your work home (aka: thinking about it during "non-working hours"), having to take care of household chores and office chores. I could go on, but I wont.

With all that said, I can't believe it is real. I can't believe I "work from home" and am actually making money from it. Here is my advice to anyone: If I can do it, YOU can do it! Put your stuff out there! You never know what is going to happen, just make sure it is developed first, but once you've got that down, you're golden.

I'd love to be a super diligent blogger, but honestly right now I think my focus is on my shop. As much as I love blogging, I actually love designing planners and selling them even more. I'm still confused about what I want this blog to be and what my purpose for it is, but I'm at peace with that for now. I know God brought this platform into my life for a reason, if only he would give me a clearer picture of what that was...

Also looks like I will be at the influence conference!! Who else is going??