{i’ll take swimming}
February 20, 2012
given a choice…i’d pick swimming every time. i was an avid swimmer in my youth and kind of rediscovered my love for it over the past year. it’s amazing how helpful it’s been in keeping me sane while trying to get this business off the ground – i call it my moving meditation! how about you guys – given a choice would you choose walking or swimming?
[images above: original source not found-if anyone knows, let me know so i can credit; matthew korbel bowers]
{magical}
February 15, 2012
[images above: andrew bannecker; rosie hardy; rune guneriussen]
{i was going to get you this…}
February 14, 2012
happy valentine’s day!! i’ll let you in on a joke between marcus and i…when it comes to valentine’s day or other hallmark-y (is that a word??) holidays, we just like to do a date night rather than do gifts & cards. so we came up with our own way to exchange gifts.
here’s how to join in the valentine’s day fun:
step 1: locate card at store
step 2: grab you’re loved one and show them card (or gift) while saying “i was going to get you this card”
step 3: loved one escalates by finding even sillier, gushier or just plain ridiculous card…
step 4: repeat until they kick you out of target for boisterous laughter
it becomes a silly, fun and strangely romantic way to spend valentine’s (and not spend money!)
although, i have to say that i think all these would be cool (and more important…easy!) last minute valentine’s day gift ideas! or you can go for the “girlfriend of the year” title and do something fantastically sweet, romantic and cool like lillian from unstitched did for her guy! (he’s a lucky guy!!)
[image credits above: 1) origami heart note via eat drink chic; 2) hot chocolate & marshmallows via martha stewart; 3) heart shaped tea tag via martha stewart; 4) free valentine's day printables via mooo; 5) candy hearts & flowers via kayden lane; 6) movie night gift via eat drink chic]
{the right places}
February 13, 2012
thought i’d kick off the week with a quote that’s been sticking with me – especially for those of us that get analysis paralysis (this is actually a term – who knew?!) taking action and making a decision is always better than doing nothing. and this is a cool reminder that even bad choices can bring about being in the right place at the right time!
[images above from top row: rosie hardy; via je-veux-ta-vengeance (no original source was found); via black eiffel (can't find original source); jacqueline jaszka]
{from blog to shop}
February 8, 2012
can i just tell you guys how excited i was when i found out that not only was i speaking at alt summit but that my panel was going to be all about going from blog to shop. i can literally talk for days on this subject & lately i’ve started to realize that one of the things i love doing most is helping others get their shop up & running – um, win-win!!
but then the schedule came out…our panel was at the same time as “growing your readership” (with no other than jordan from oh happy day, nicole from making it lovely, kelly from design crush & maggie from mighty girl and the panel “how to create great diy tutorials” with one of my fave bloggers ez from creature comforts not to mention megan from not martha. um, what?? great, now our panel is going to be like a ghost town with tumbleweed blowing by!)
but surprise, surprise…people showed up! and not just people…lots of people who have started an online business or store! perfect, that’s exactly who we wanted to talk to!! (okay, so it wasn’t 100′s of people but when you’re going up against “growing your readership” i think even having 5 people at your panel counts as success 
amy, susan and i decided that we wanted our panel to be more about the people attending and addressing their questions and concerns. so we left lots of time at the end of our panel for Q&A and boy are we glad we did! the questions kept coming from some pretty amazing and awesome folks who have started their own stores or biz and there was a collaborative feel to answering them - we could all speak from our own experience…including people attending the panel!
so here’s a couple things i wanted to share from our panel…
next week i’ll share with you all some of the questions we got – great discussions over those!!
and if you’re really, really interested in watching the whole panel, i’ll have a link soon!
**you need a vision for your business. start with what you want your life to be like and don’t forget to DREAM BIG! this is the fun, dreaming stage and nothing is off the table!**
**we decided we wanted to share the highs of owning a store…as well as the lows. all of the things you battle with on a daily basis. it’s important to keep it real and know the challenges. i think online especially we’re all putting our best foot forward so it can seem like it’s just easy & fun to own a store and be successful at it. the reality is that it’s a lot of painstaking work AND can be very scary not getting a steady paycheck or knowing if your business will ever turn a profit. we stressed the importance of having a support system and perseverance, perseverance, perseverance!! (did i mention perseverance?)**
**ahhh, getting noticed. it’s something we all want the magic bullet answer to…how do i get noticed? if only there was a magic bullet answer!! we talked about how much we rely on our little support systems. whether it’s family, friends, biz gal groups, bloggy friends – those connections keep you grounded and more importantly sane! and can also lead to helping you or your store get noticed – whether through introductions or friends spreading the word. we also stressed how important it is to figure out how you want to be noticed – if you want to get in a certain magazine, then start by commenting or starting convos with people on that magazine. think about how you can help them…and chances are, it’ll end up helping you!**
Category: starting a business
Tags: how to open an online store > tips to running an online store
{photos, photos}
February 6, 2012
we’re swimming in photos! we spent the weekend decluttering the basement (this is mostly because to get to our laundry room, you’d have to find the one pathway through boxes & mayhem) we ended up bringing up boxes & boxes of photos – many of them loose – and makes me wonder what i should do with them all.
i always love how displaying photos like this looks – in theory. the question i always have…would it be cool in real life or just look like a crazy person’s manifesto?
[images above: babble; apartment therapy;
{alt summit or a better title…”blog class reunion”!}
February 2, 2012
phew, i am late on this alt summit recap! seriously, i’m in awe of the people that can post right away about alt – it takes me like a week to just get caught up from traveling (read: catching up on sleep!) but better late than never, right?!
alt is an experience – somehow i end up inspired & exhausted all at the same time! but this year was extra special for 2 reasons…1) i was there as a speaker and 2) it was basically a chance to see all the bloggy friends i met last year (this really is the best part! it’s like a high school reunion that you actually want to attend!) and okay, let’s be honest, the unnamed 3rd reason is to collect kick ass business cards – man, people at alt are CREATIVE!!
so i just wanted to share some of my favorite quotes, takeaways, and moments from alt with you all…
next week, i’ll do a recap on my panel “from blog to shop” – lots of great info especially for those of you wanting to open your own etsy/big cartel store or retail store!
{a little bit of…}
January 16, 2012
stardust! have you guys seen the movie stardust? we just watched it again this weekend and i just makes you smile – it’s kinda got everything – action, adventure, romance, comedy and english accents! what more could you want? happy monday everyone!!
[images above: via polyvore; glitter guide tumblr; elena moiseeva]
{alt summit!}
January 11, 2012
it’s hard to believe that there’s only one week left until we converge on salt lake city for the annual alt summit design conference!! last year was A-M-AZING…tons of ideas & inspiration and the best part was getting to actually meet bloggy friends in person! (you can read last year’s alt summit recap here)
and it’s even more exciting for me this year because i’ll be speaking at alt this year on the panel “from blog to shop”!
um, how perfect is that for me – trust me, i have lots to say on the subject! also speaking on this panel are 2 talented, inspiring women who i’ve had the pleasure of chatting with & planning our panel. (susan from freshly picked & amy from little alouette ) i can’t wait to share this topic with you!
who’s going to alt this year? what are you most excited for? (don’t worry…if you’re not going this year, i’ll make sure to recap and share the inspiration from the trip!!)
[image above via design blahg]
{two things}
January 9, 2012
what do you think…can life & happiness be as simple as “eat well travel often”? it sounds like a good plan to me!
[images above: kron kron; via pink whiskey (don't know original source)]
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The Scoop
welcome to one sydney road, the blog! think of it as a place to explore, get loads of inspiration and maybe even a laugh or two! so grab a cup of coffee and make yourself at home! and don't forget to visit the store...
