Apples and Orange

Sparkly Reflections

apples and orange — Fri, 11 May 2012 23:00:50 +0000

I’m back from the Spark Retreat that I co-founded with Tania of manusmade.

I can’t believe it has come and gone. It has been, and continues to be, a labor of love. And even though it’s now in the past I can say that I have some beautiful new friends.

It was one of the most amazing experiences of my entire life. Truly.

I actually FEEL different.

In a nutshell:

I am so excited to have had the pleasure and privilege of hanging out with the most beautiful women: Tania, Dyana, Alex, Jessika, Jenelle, Amy, Shiopei, Lori-Ann, Gail, Sara, Marlene and Cassie, Trish, and Karen (my mom!).
I haven’t laughed so hard in a very long time. You know, the kind of laughing that makes you cry? The kind that leaves you with a little bit of a headache? Yeah, that.
There were many tears. Real. Cathartic. Tears. The best kind possible. And with them came revelations for many, including me.
I gave my first workshop. And I loved it.
I performed improv. Seriously, it was terrifying. I made people laugh. It felt amazing. I lived to tell the story. (Which is a lot coming from this painfully shy person accustomed to paralyzing stage fright.)
I was shoved out of my comfort zone in so many ways that the boundaries are blurry now. I told everyone they shoved me with love. But blurry boundaries are good.
I have new friends. On the level of sisterhood.
I realize I need collaboration and teamwork, on a big level. I believe in collective intelligence and I know I’m at my best when working with others. Not just working for others, but with them.

I came to some serious and seriously juicy realizations. I can feel that it’s time for my path to shift. I have a desire for community that is deeper and stronger than I realized. The retreat was only the first step towards creating the community that I long for. What form this will take from here on out has yet to reveal itself, but I am so drawn to it it’s all I’ve been thinking about.

I am ready to shed the things/thoughts/activities/shoulds that don’t serve me. That don’t light me up. I am ready to be real and do this.

I’m all lit up and Sparkly!
I feel ready to rock it.
And I don’t even know what “It” is yet!

Oh yeah! And while working with Alex, I wrote a spontaneous poem:

Community
Teacher, student
Student, teacher
We all learn what we need to
Eventually
With a rhythm that is only ours

So there. For better or worse, there is my poem.

Thank you all for being here, reading, sharing my journey. Thank you to all my new sister-friends. You have each given me a gift that no words can express.

And one way or another, this retreat will be happening again next year. If you want in on it, hop onto the mailing list to be in-the-know.

Love and hugs.

nearer to humanity

apples and orange — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 05:36:43 +0000

“Orange is red brought nearer to humanity by yellow.” — Wassily Kandinsky

Composition VII, 1913

I’m getting around …

apples and orange — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:19:56 +0000

It happened during the holidays and I neglected to mention that I was interviewed by the wonderful Megan at Create Hype.

I talk about my business and brand, customer service, and offer a little advice. Go check it out here.

Have you heard about Spark? Register today!

Custom Invites are a Great Way to Make an Event More Special

apples and orange — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 11:00:00 +0000

When a special event is coming up a great way to mark the occasion is with a custom screenprinted invitation. Whether it’s a wedding, a milestone birthday (aren’t they all?) or an anniversary party, sending a custom, handmade invitation can make it a special keepsake for the invitees. You could even combine the invite with a special object like a vintage handkerchief as a wedding invitation, a mini-notebook for a birthday party, or a special ornament for an anniversary or holiday party. It’s something your guests can keep and use and be reminded of the memory every time they pick it up.

If you or someone you know is planning an event, get in touch. I would love to help make the event even more special!

Synchronicity

apples and orange — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Synchronicity, is when things happen together, as if perfectly timed. The term was coined by psychologist Carl Jung, to describe uncanny coincidences that seem to be meaningful.

For a few weeks I had been rolling an idea around in my head: I need to share my knowledge, my ideas, victories and struggles. I had been thinking about workshops and seminars and ways to gather people together to teach and learn. I have had the inkling to teach for a while now but wasn’t sure what type of venue I was wanting or looking for.

Then on Aug. 25 an email popped into my inbox. It was from Tania of Manusmade. We had met through group coaching with Michelle Ward and had connected online after that.

She was reaching out inviting me to team up with her to create a creative entrepreneur retreat that would be a safe and nurturing place to teach and learn with other like-minded women.

I was so excited when I read the message that I practically skip/bounced into the living room to have my husband read the message. I told him right away “I have to say yes!”

The synchronicity of this message was all I needed in order to know, just KNOW, that I had to say YES! The universe was delivering the opportunity that I had been searching for. Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep that night I was so excited (see Tania’s story of how she was inspired to create the retreat here).

So Spark, the creative entrepreneur retreat was born out of this encounter.

I couldn’t be more excited to tell you about this FABULOUS retreat! We have Michelle Ward, the best creative business coach from When I Grow Up and Jessika Hepburn creative mastermind from Oh My! Handmade Goodness joining us for three full days and four nights of learning, sharing, teaching, and probably some hugging too. And, it’s at the gorgeous Hacienda Dona Andrea in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We have the whole place to ourselves!

It’s going to be awe-inspiring goodness.

If you want to know more, join the mailing list and hop (or skip/bounce) on over to the site to get more information. More details are coming soon, so don’t miss a thing!

If you have any questions, you can get in touch or comment here and I’ll get right back to you. I can’t wait to see you in Santa Fe.

UPDATE: The workshop line-up has changed. Check out the new information here.

Why you should never leave home without your business cards

apples and orange — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 12:00:00 +0000

Many of us do so much work online that it’s easy to forget that it’s still so important to have real, physical business cards on hand when you’re on the go.

When you’re a business owner you still talk with people when you’re running errands, waiting for your table at a restaurant, sit in the dentists waiting room, etc. and a business card is the perfect exclamation point to your “elevator” pitch. Imagine this scenario: You’re waiting in line at the supermarket and the woman standing behind you compliments your purse and you strike up a conversation. When she asks you what you do, you deliver your pitch. She’s impressed and mentions her sister has her own business and really needs help with what you do. “Do you have a business card? I’ll pass it along to her.”

You r e a l l y don’t want to say “no.”

This is just one example of a possible real-life situation where a simple conversation can turn into business. So be sure you never leave home without your business cards. It’s also great to have them on hand as a leave-behind at your favorite coffee shop, the indie shop you frequent, or to have them when a friend asks for one.

Don’t have one? Get in touch, I can help you with that!

You don’t want to miss a thing, join my mailing list.

Why You Need to Set Up Your Own Website

apples and orange — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

When you have a business you need to have an online presence that reflects not just your products and services but your values. If you sell on Etsy or another of the seemingly infinite online marketplaces you don’t have the choice to change your shop to reflect you and your business. Or, if you sell strictly in physical stores locally or worldwide, you need to have a website that is your own. This means your own domain. Buying a domain is the easy part, but you also need web hosting. There are a gazillion options out there and the search can be overwhelming if you don’t have a starting point. A couple that have been recommended over and over are BlueHost and HostGator. I use Netfirms and I have for years.

To begin, you may simply need what’s often referred to as a “business card site” which means a single page site with your business name, your name, your contact information (like a business card!), and links to your shop site, locations where your products are sold, social media profiles, and your email. Plus, once you’re set up, you can have an email that reflects your business name. So instead of widgetcompany@yahoo.com (or *gasp* aol.com) you can have yourname@widgetcompany.com. It adds legitimacy and a sense of “real” to your business.
Who doesn’t want that?

If some of this has gone completely over your head, feel free to ask your questions in the comments.

I am also available to help you get your site up and running. Or join my mailing list so you don’t miss a thing.

3 Reasons Why You Should Brand Your Email Signature

apples and orange — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 11:00:00 +0000

How many times have you received an email from someone running their own business asking you a question or inquiring about your services? Did they have an email signature telling you who they are and what they do with a link to their website/shop/Facebook page/Twitter feed?

Don’t leave potential customers, clients or colleagues wondering who you are. Don’t make them do the work to figure it out, because they won’t. When you’re a business owner it’s vital that people can find you and contact you easily and quickly.

3 Reasons Why You Should Brand Your Email Signature

You want to remind potential customers, clients or colleagues who you are and what you have to offer them.
Be sure to at least have your business name and your website listed as a closing of every email you send. You should really have your logo, tagline, website, email, a link to join your mailing list, and social media links. If you’re on Gmail (and you really should be) you can place images and format your signature.
You want to make it EASY for people to find you online.
It’s also a great way to be sure your message recipients know you’re on Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, Tumblr, etc. Maybe they don’t follow you on Twitter because they didn’t know you were on it. All they’ll need to do is ‘click’ right from your message and you have a new follower. Which means you have a new potential customer.
It’s a great way to promote a new product or service you’re offering.
Maybe they haven’t visited your site in a week or month. This is another great way to get the word out when you have a new offering. You can put a photo of your new product and link right to your shop. Hello sale! Why wouldn’t you want to do that?

So there are 3 great reasons to brand your email signature. Do you have your email signature set up? Get to it! Don’t know where to begin? I can help you with that!

Be sure to join my mailing list, because you don’t want to miss a thing!

Art Every Day

apples and orange — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 23:22:33 +0000

Today I am sharing a peek at some of my favorites from my participation in Art Every Day Month.

Day 9:

Day 2:

Day 6:

There’s more over on Flickr!

a pattern collection for you

apples and orange — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:00:00 +0000

Bookmarks! If you know me at all, you know how much I love books so I said to myself “what better way to share a pattern collection than with bookmarks!”

That’s a peek at them there. If you’ve signed up for my email list, you might recognize them. These were available to my subscribers first but then Patty from The Plaid Cupcake got in touch and asked if I’d share them with the world at large. So here we are! You can get yours here.

Oh! And if you subscribe to my newsletter you can get a new set of bookmarks with a new pattern collection. Woo hoo!

Thank you for the idea Patty! By the way, she makes the cutest accessories. You should go have a look.

If you’re using the bookmarks, I’d love to see photos of them “in the wild.”

Thanks for being here. If you’re new, have a look around and drop me a note.

Please remember that these pattern designs belong to me and are copyrighted. They are for personal use only.