January 24th

Thursday, January 24th, 2019

This is pretty different from anything I’ve ever posted before, but it’s real life and I technically took the screen shot so in my book it counts.

Plus I didn’t take any other photo today, so you’re stuck with this one. 😉

I currently have about five different external hard drives full of documents and photos that date back through college. It’s a mess trying to find what I’m looking for, so I took the plunge this week and purchased a new hard drive so I can consolidate and organize all of my files.

SEND HELP!

This was on my screen for three hours today as it transferred files from only 2017 alone! I still have all of 2018 which is just as many, in addition to all of my college projects and Spinners.

It will be completely worth it when it’s all said and done, but it’s trying my patience in the meantime.

The other exciting thing is that with this push for having all of my files in one place, I’m going to also sit down and narrow down new images for my website.  I’ve already wiped my website and I’m starting fresh – so please be patient with me in the interim.

I’m trying something a little radical (at least for me) with my site – I’m eliminating the online storefront and moving everything to Etsy. Their interface is so much more user friendly and honestly is so much more freeing financially to use. It also allows for reviews and a more international platform which allows for more people to find me. I’ll still have a portfolio on my website, but purchasing will happen through Etsy.

So that’s what my next few weeks will look like. Wish me luck!

November 25th

Sunday, November 25th, 2018

I am going to bed feeling like I’m on fire – in a very good way.

You all came out in force to Melissa’s today, and blew me away! After seeing my event post, I had a line of people waiting to get into my booth today, wanting to be first in line to be sure they got what they wanted. Thirty minutes in, I had to tell someone that I had already sold out of the specific pillow they were looking for. I felt like I was in the middle of a hurricane for the first 45 minutes because I was answering questions, bagging purchases, digging out replacement inventory for that which was sold, and laughing – a lot.

Talk about being embraced by the community – you all knocked it out of the park.

You all had me so busy that the only image I took today was of the sunset after I got home, as I unpacked my car.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, thank you, thank you.

November 17th

Saturday, November 17th, 2018

”Hey you come on in!”

That little sign and the cowhide rug were the stars of the show with the kiddos today. Trying to give my booth a living room feel worked with them!

But what a day! So many familiar faces stopped by to say hi, and so many products found new homes. It was nonstop people and sales until lunchtime, and then a steady stream all the way until 4 – you all blew me away with your excitement!

The cherry on top? I made it home tonight to more sales through my website.

Such a fun day. Thank you to those of you who stopped by with a hug and a smile – I love all of you!

November 16th

Friday, November 16th, 2018

We’re ready for tomorrow’s show, and so mini Minnesotas made their appearance this morning.

If you’re coming to the show, you’ll see them in action; they may just have something to do with the wood discs Paul cut for me yesterday.

Interested in coming out tomorrow? I’ll be at the St. Michael Albertville High School between 9am and 4pm! I’m in booth N 5, so stop by and say hi!

Also, I previously mentioned that my second show was on small business Saturday, but I misspoke! It is actually next Sunday, the 25th. So for you interested, take note.

November 11th

Sunday, November 11th, 2018

Busy weekend will lead into a busy week.

I’m not a procrastinator by any means, but I do work well when the pressure is on a bit. So each day this week I’ll be working on something for this coming Saturday, crossing things off my list.

I’m feeling pretty good with my products and such, but I always feel best when I set us a mock version of my booth at home. I measure out my space, and fill it like I’m at the show. This allows me to feel my space and see how I need to arrange things for best flow and aesthetic.

Paul has to leave for work on Saturday, so he can help me set up but not tear down. For those of you who’ve seen my booth, you know how big and heavy my wood panels are. So because I didn’t want to worry about taking those down (although I had many people volunteer to come help – thank you!), I reimagined my booth.

Luckily I’m up against the wall, so that helps frame in my space (which is what my panels helped do). Last year it was so busy people didn’t want to stop at booths because of traffic flow, so after brainstorming with a friend, she encouraged me to create a space people can walk into.

So, here is a light mock-up. I didn’t fully put up my table cloths and setup everything, but it gave me a good idea of what will work.

November 5th

Monday, November 5th, 2018

New product photo shoots today.

Cute cat not included 😉

November 4th

Sunday, November 4th, 2018

I’ve found the black background spot in my house.

It’s excellent; the best part is, it’s a super easy space to work in and around. Large and open.

Anyway, that’s not why you clicked on this post. I’m sure you clicked on this post to learn about next year’s calendar themes.

So, without further ado:

Oahu 2019
Fall Year Round 2019

Last year, I stuck with broad themes: Travel and Wildlife. I also had a Floral one, but only carried a limited supply. My Travel and Wildlife calendars both followed the seasons (spring, summer, fall, winter), which I liked, but this year I wanted to offer calendars that gave you a vacation from the real world and whatever season we may be in (I’m looking at you, winter).

So, option number 1: Take a year-long vacation to Oahu. Hike to waterfalls, sit on the beach, view the sea turtles. Take in the moody North Shore vibes, or head down to Waikiki and soak in that sunshine. If you’re a Hawaii dreamer, each page states where the image was taken, so save it away with that vacation savings fund and visit there one day!

Option number two: Live in the vibrancy of fall for not just one month, but revel in it all year long. This is the ultimate calendar for all of my fellow fall lovers out there! I’m pretty darn excited about both calendars, but I’m especially proud of this one.

I did have some great feedback from last year’s calendars, so I took those to heart moving forward this year. The monthly layout is more clear; the grid pattern is still clean, but provides more structure for those who were frustrated with that last year. The second big change is that there are holidays listed this year! I don’t know that I need to elaborate further on that. The third is that both the previous month and future month is located on the current month’s page. A great tool for reference.

So much fun stuff happening at ABL right now! Calendars, throw pillows, coffee mugs, I’m working out a coaster idea…I feel on fire!

Calendars will go live on my website soon (still working out some website kinks), but I also will be at two shows this month, perfect if you want to do some shopping in person. The first is Saturday, November 17th from 9am-4pm at the St. Michael Albertville High School for the STMA Women of Today Fall Show. I’m in spot N5 which is the fifth one in from the main door (I scored a great spot this year!). The second is the follow Saturday, the 25th from 1pm-5pm at a friend’s home in Buffalo (see event on Facebook for address and complete information). A fierce friend and Boss Babe herself is opening her home for a fall vendor’s fair for Small Business Saturday (all vendors are local ladies!), and she’s got some really fun things planned (door prizes, ultimate goody bag, etc.). I’m looking forward to the fellowship, and holiday cheer.

Let’s do this! xoxo

November 3rd

Saturday, November 3rd, 2018

THEY’RE HERE!

2019 wall calendars, locked and loaded, ready for gift season 2018.

Throughout the summer I had about 15 different themes all at different stages of completion, knowing that come fall I’d narrow it down to two. Themes that didn’t make the cut this year are still viable options for future calendar seasons; they may even become stronger candidates as my image library continues to grow and more new imagery can be added to existing designs.

The two themes this year?

Not telling yet – maybe tomorrow if you check back.

October 25th

Thursday, October 25th, 2018

A crazy busy day means another phone image today.

One I didn’t intend for anyone to see, it was more for my reference, but that’s the way of it when the day gets away from you.

So, here are some images that will be transferred to throw pillows. I’ve applied the gel medium and have placed the images on pillow cases, so now I just have to wait for them to dry.

October 23rd

Tuesday, October 23rd, 2018

We’re working on something a little different, here at the Whiskey Hotel.

Remember a few months ago when I first mentioned making throw pillows? Well, I wasn’t totally satisfied with the results, so I’m working on a new method.

Gel medium transfers.

Essentially, you take a print, spread on the gel medium, lay the print face down, let dry, remove the paper backing, and you have the image left on the applied surface. I did them in college as one of my main projects for a semester, so it’s bringing back many fond memories of sore fingers from removing the paper backing, haha.

I did complete one yesterday, and it actually worked the way I was hoping it would, so now I’m attempting more on a larger scale. I’m not going to reveal the final product until I have my process down, but I’m hoping that won’t be long.

I’ve missed the physical, handcrafted side of art, so this is filling my creators cup.

August 13th

Monday, August 13th, 2018

I’m giving you, my lovely faithful blog followers, a first-look at a new product I’ll be offering starting this fall – throw pillows!

These have been a project that’s been rolling around in the back of my mind since last fall, and I’ve finally starting breaking ground on them. Pictured are three images of about 12 that I have ready to print. My hope is to have a good selection of scenes and seasons.

As of right now, I’m planning on selling them both as individual pillowcases and as stuffed pillows. Prices are to be determined at this point (I’m still nailing down my exact cost to make), but I’m hoping to be competitive with Target pricing on their higher-end throw pillows.

Big-box pricing on local goods, local images – you really can’t get much better than that!

I’m excited about these, and I’d love to hear your thoughts!

August 8th

Wednesday, August 8th, 2018

Day two on location.

I wasn’t on top of it enough this morning to take a photo before I left, so I snapped some randoms today while on set. This one was about the best – even though our equine model looks a little like a ghost in black and white (ha!).

I do have prettier ones from yesterday, though that I’m going to share: