Happy

Source: designeditor.typepad.com via Michelle on Pinterest

The past couple weeks, I have been really excited about....well...life!  Around here things have been really busy, but busy in a good way!  Justin and I have made some changes to my studio space {more on this coming soon}, I got seriously organized and have enjoyed some really nice weather with the pups.  This week, northeast Ohio has warm sunny days ahead, I have new painting and art supplies to work with, a handsome man to take out for his 27th birthday and some family time to look forward to this weekend and next.  Not to mention, Little Blue Feather is experiencing some changes and new opportunities that are adding to all of this excitement I am feeling!

For Little Blue Feather, I am participating in new shows, selling at local shops, I have worked on custom orders that have sparked new ideas and was even included in a digital magazine!!!  All of these things are really exciting and I think I have finally reached the place in my business where I am making items and decisions on what truly makes me happy.  I make time to enjoy all the things I love to do outside of work, as well as creating new products that really reflect my style and begin with my favorite shirts and designer fabrics.

I think there has been a lot of discovering {and rediscovering} what it is that truly makes me happy and I am trying to do more of that.  And let me tell you, I feel so energized!  I encourage you to find out what that is for you and work toward those things.  Maybe this print {found via Pinterest} will help remind you!


**Shop Update**
New baby onesies were added last Thursday and Friday to my Etsy store!  

Positivity Breeds Positivity 11.07.11

Sharing another daily positive for the start of your work week.  

If you are new to my blog {welcome!} you can read more positivity breeds positivity posts here.

Positivity breeds positivity.  Feel free to share your daily positive in the comments below!  

Positivity Breeds Positivity - 10.17.11

Last week, Justin sent a couple great daily positives, but this one stuck out the most:

“Not everything that is faced can be changed. But nothing can be changed until it is faced”

-James Arthur Baldwin

There are so many areas in life that this can apply.  For me personally, I have thought so much about my business, but haven't really acted on much.  I was choosing not to face things.  I feel like I have pretty much been "all talk" lately.  

Well, today I have been on top of business things.  I wanted to make some changes as well as feel more proud of my job and not something I shyly say when people ask what I do.  Here is what I did to make some changes:

• I met with a bank member and opened a business account
• I got my Employee Identification Number
• I talked about growing my business with others
• I looked into another T-shirt supplier
• Finished and shipped open orders
• I started writing a post about buying on etsy over the holidays for a feature post

Once I accomplished these things, I had a new fresh look on Little Blue Feather.  It wasn't until I faced these things that I felt like I was growing and making changes for the better.  Now, they are out of my way!  I have spent a lot of time over the past month traveling and away from my workspace and to be honest it was kind of hard to get back into the swing of things.  I now feel like I can move on and check things off my list!

This quote can be applied to so many situations.  Do you have a family member you have been needing to talk to?  Is there an idea or change you want to make at your work? Or maybe something you have been fighting yourself about.  "Nothing can be changed until it is faced...!"

Positivity Breeds Positivity - 09.18.11

Today I felt a little out of it.  Tired, slow, blah...We all have those days sometimes right?  This evening I was looking back through the daily positive emails from my husband and this one really stood out to me.  Especially the words, "Our habits predict our future".

I really think I need to be making better choices, changing some habits, or creating new ones I guess.  In order to successfully run a small handmade business, I need to keep up with organiztion and tracking inventory and sales trends.  After my weekend in Chicago, I was not only inspired by the city life and art show, I was also inspired from some of the conversations I had with my husband's cousin, who owns a very successful design studio. One of the things he said to me more than once was, "You are afraid of success".  Sure he was teasing me, but there is definitely some truth in that.  I need to say yes to wholesale, try new things and have more confidence!  So I decided to take this daily positive and my cousin's words and create images to print out and put above my workspace!      

   

How do you stay organized and on top of things?  Do you have inspiration boards above your workspace?!  

Feel free to print these out to add to your workspace!

Positivity Breeds Positivity - 09.05.11

ATTITUDEby: Charles Swindoll

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company... a church... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past... we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it.

Positivity Breeds Positivity - 08.29.11

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's how you see it"

One of our favorite photos from our trip to Savannah, GA a few years ago.

Positivity Breeds Positivity - 8.22.11

Welcome to the first positivity breeds positivity post on my blog.  I encourage you to save these quotes and read them when you need a boost :)  This week I am sharing 4 of my personal favorites Justin sent over the past few weeks.

love my scrabble letters and painting from my wonderful friend abbey.

"Today is a new day- You will get out of it what you put into it…there is always another chance..."




“The man at the top of the mountain didn’t fall there”




“People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care."




“There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."

Positivity Breeds Positivity

When Justin started his new job, he thought about different ways he could be a positive influence, increase motivation and be encouraging to his new employees and coworkers.  He decided to email daily positives to all of the office workers.  The daily positives focus on customer service, attitude and encouraging quotes.  In the past few weeks, more people have asked to join his mailing list to receive the daily positive, including me.  Every day I look forward to his email that shares something uplifting and motivating.  As a small business owner, it's important to stay encouraged; to hear words that remind you to keep following your dreams.  I have decided to share with you some of my favorite daily positives each Monday to encourage you throughout your work week.  Make sure you check back on Monday, because positivity breeds positivity.

This video shares the story of a grocery bagger and his way to be a positive influence.  Grab your tissues, it is a touching story.