Happy Anniversary

Today is a very special day for me! Five years ago I decided to take a journey into running my own business. Now there are days that I don't want to be legit and file my taxes and keep up with receipts. (I should show you my filing system - so shameful!) But I wouldn't trade the satisfaction of knowing that I am helping to provide for my family and raise some pretty awesome little humans at the same time. Best of both worlds!

Anywho..

My 1K Giveaway starts TODAY!! It will run for a week and I am celebrating some pretty big milestones. I've just gotten 1000 facebook followers. My shop turns 5 today! AND yesterday my shop made it's 1000th sale! Talk about perfect timing.

Onto the guts of the giveaway. You can check out the amazing raffle prizes here..

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To enter you have a ton of options that you can do every day until the end of the giveaway. You can tweet, like on facebook, pin a picture, follow a pin board, comment on this blog!

 

Pin this Picture

After the giveaway the winners will be drawn at random and contacted. Have fun and thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the amazing support.

When the cats away...

Generally when someone uses that analogy they are speaking about when the adult is away. I wonder if this eludes to my maturity level that I am saying my kids are the cat and I am the mouse...

At this moment my children are eating their hormone free turkey sandwiches on whole grain bread. The sandwich is accompanied with cucumbers, strawberries and carrots (all organic of course). They are washing down their little lunches with a bottle of water.

Meanwhile I sit here with my ramen noodles, venti Starbucks and a handful of oatmeal raisin cookies while I email back customers.

Hmmm I'm such a hypocrite.

LPD version 5.0

Well we've been here before...

Once again I sit in front of a blank screen with my head held in shame that I've neglected my blog...AGAIN.

Ehh you guys don't really hold it against me though, right?

It always amazes me that I let the fun stuff go once I get really busy. I'm going to try my hardest to be better. In the interim though I'll catch you up on what's been going on with me since May.

I took my family to Disney - shocker right! Now it's no surprise that we visited that Magical Place but what is the surprise is that little ole me bank rolled that puppy. I am completely humbled that people trust my abilities enough to order from me. I can't thank you enough. And the ones that keep coming back for more - yeah you are my Venti Raspberry White Mocha. {yes I relate happiness to full fat Starbucks - I'm on a diet - cut me some slack}

I was going to insert a really cute photo of my family from said trip but my little gremlin has the strangest face in the photo - so I will refrain.

Speaking of little ole me...I've gone on a diet. My profile pic on etsy was really, really starting to make me want to puke. You know how some people say they always see themselves as overweight even after they lose a lot. Yeah not so much for me. I have always seen myself as the size 0 that my high school sweetheart met me as. Now I'm guessing that on some level that is probably a great thing for me in some self image sort of way but yeah I haven't been a 0 in a loooong time. So this past May I decided to eat less and move more. As of today I have lost 45 pounds and gained a terrible shopping habit ;) I still have a lot more left to go but I feel amazing and I'm insanely proud of myself. 


Now for the love of all things holy I can't believe I'm doing this but...here is my most recent B/A.

If you can't tell a difference - keep it to yourself ;)

I've rekindled my love of reading. Wow I can't believe I went 10 years without reading a book on a regular basis. Now I'm reading every day. Seriously mothers out there - take time for yourself. It makes you a better you when you take time for yourself. Hmm I used you 4 times there. I'm sure I'm breaking some poor writers heart with my terrible grammar and sentence structure...I'm sorry.


Now in the next weeks I'll be doing my gigantic giveaway. More on that later. 

A few of my favorite blogs

I love reading blogs. I wish I had more time to read them. I always think when life slows down a little I can find some new ones. Yeah I know who am I kidding! It's never going to slow down!

So I thought I would share a few of my favorite ones and if you get a chance you can share a few of yours. 

Oldie but Goodie..

Pioneer Woman - I know you love her or hate her but her iced coffee idea of keeping the cold brewed coffee in the refrigerator changed my life! You must try it - and try the sweet cream if you have an extra two hours a day to work out. Otherwise you will gain 5 pounds in a week drinking that stuff! Ask me how I know. ;)

Organizational Wonder...

Happy Money Saver - Karrie is amazing! She is one of those routine ladies that has a schedule and sticks to it all while saving money. Now the whole couponing thing is above my skill level but just reading her blog makes me inspired to organize my life. 

Do it yourselfer....

Blissfully Ever After -  Jennifer is one of those gals that just does stuff. She wants a new wall collage and she just makes it happen. She has some great ideas and I love her detailed photos. 

On to Little Petunia news

LPD facebook page is 86 likes away from my gigantic giveaway. I know you are getting sick of hearing about it but it is so close I can't believe it. Woohoo!!

I'm busy sewing like crazy to get caught up on orders after a whirlwind month of Teacher Appreciation Week, Baseball and Field Trips. Before anything else - my kids come first - even before Little Petunia Designs. I don't ever want my kids to be resentful of my business because I missed something important to them to sew. That's what coffee is for...to keep me awake while they sleep to finish up orders. :)

Check out my new blog signature - If you haven't started ordering yet from Lisa Kay Designs - what are you waiting for!!! She is fantastic to work with and is so creative. I love just being able to say I want a "blah blah blah" and she gives me a proof like she was in my head!

Recap...

Yes I know it's been a while since I've written anything but you guys are keeping me so busy with orders I just don't have that much time to write down all the things in my head. And since Siri and I can't get along I can't have her type it for me as I sew. They need Siri for southerners - just sayin.

This post will be completely random - I should have titled it random but that doesn't sound as intriguing as recap. :)

A few things I've learned from my meeting with Riley Blake Designs. {total name drop}

1. Even though I work from home I should still clean my entry and kitchen before I go to "work" each morning. Two of my friends had to hear the panic and inaudible squeals as I flew through my house to get my house ready.

2. Even though I work from home - getting ready in the morning is of utmost importance. When faced with - do I fix my hair or do the dishes in my sink - I will choose dishes because you can throw your hair in a ponytail and be presentable. But you can't fix the omg they live in this look when someone sees 2 days worth of dishes in your sink. So this really refers to lesson #1.

I could go all Duck Dynasty on you right now and say no wait thats the first rule. LOL But I'm guessing only a handful will even know what I'm talking about...back to my list.

3. Do people really still call you and say they will be there in 20 minutes without any warning. Two days ago I didn't know that still happened but now YES they do give you 20 minutes without warning. 

All in all the meeting was fantastic. I was already in love with the fabric and now I'm so excited for my first shipment I can't hardly stand myself!


I should hopefully have some new doll clothing pics soon.  I've got a few new designs to choose from instead of the skirt only option. 


Finally I thought I would leave you with something my hubby said this morning...

Why do we have so many bottles of creamer and there is only one person in this house that drinks coffee!!! I love you honey. :)

I may or may not have cleaned that little section of my refrigerator before I took this pic. You will never know. LOL

Let's Talk Chalk

Hi Y'all! I've been busy sewing orders the last few days and haven't really had time to post anything here or on my facebook page. That just means I've got lots of stuff to show you soon :)

Today we have Let's Talk Chalk to tell us more about their business. This is such a great shop and you should go check it out. Don't forget she will be donating a 40.00 gift card to their etsy shop in my 1K giveaway!

Facebook

Etsy

Where are you located?

We are located in the Portland, Oregon area. 

A little about us...

We are Pattie (mom), Jamie (daughter), and Lisa (daughter). We all live within 30 minutes of each other and love spending time together as a family and as business partners. We have lived in the Portland area all of our lives .

How did you get started?

We got started when Jamie told Pattie she wanted to start an Etsy shop. Pattie thought it would be great if they did it together! So we started Charlie Chalk in June of 2011 (aka Let's Talk Chalk). In July of 2012 Lisa joined the business and have been having a blast creating chalkboard designs together ever since.

What inspires you?

Many of our designs are named after people we love - our family and friends! Without them, we know we wouldn't be where we are today and we are so thankful for the inspiration and support they have given us. :)

Thanks Pattie, Jamie and Lisa - I love your shop and I'm so excited to work with you guys in the future.

So what do you guys think? Do you like this series of blog posts? Drop me a comment to let me know what you think.

~Kristen

Silver Wings Designs

Today we have Carla from Silver Wings Design here to tell us a little more about herself. This shop is wonderful! Her items are hand crafted and look beautiful! Here's how to find Carla...

Facebook

Blog

Etsy Shop

Where are you located?

Humble, Texas. 20 miles northeast of Houston.

A little about me...

My name is Carla and I love anything fun and girly. I did the "career thing" and landed a dream job (in my mind at that time), but as soon as I discovered I was pregnant with my 3rd child I realized that world was not for me. I have 3 kids, a loving husband, and a tiny dachshund. My kids are 9, 5, and 3. I sort of fell into making personalized stamped jewelry and never looked back! I think it's fun to create personalized items. I'm up for any custom order challenge and I take the extra time to be thorough and ask many questions so beware! 

How did you get started?
I got started in making stamped jewelry in October 2010. That is what my Etsy profile says. Is it awful I don't know the exact date? Oh well... I had a slow start because I practiced a lot. Looking back on my earlier work I love seeing how far I've come. My family and close friends got a lot of pieces in those early days. Yikes!



What inspires you?
I know it's very cliché and I tend to be a not-so-cliché type of gal, but my family inspires me to do this. Silver Wings Designs supports my family in so many ways. It supports my kids' extra-curricular activities, my little (ok, not so little) shopping habit, and my sanity! My husband especially loves the last one mentioned



Hobbies/Interests?
I have tons of interests, but I'm really interested in dining, outings, travel (whether it's nearby or far away), fitness, running, reading, crafting...I could spend all day here, ha 

Thanks Carla for giving us a closer look at you and Silver Wings Designs! Have a great Monday guys. 

~Kristen