Shine & Wine
The sun is so rare this time of year in Michigan but today he showed his lovely face. These days, I never know when he'll be in town so I closed the studio doors to soak him up on a long trail walk with Tiger. Tiger chased squirrels. I caught up with my thoughts:
The Liebster Award by Hayley of Roots & Whim
The Liebster Award is given to new bloggers by new bloggers which is how Hayley of Roots & Whim came to nominate me (newbies unite!). I love that this award exists because it creates a welcoming community to people who've started a new journey of their own. I'm honored to have been nominated, thank you Hayley! I've passed it along to Megan of Chat Clink Repeat & Julie of Whimsy & Wild. I answered my questions & put a little twist on the rules here. Fellow bloggers with less than 200 followers, please join in! Hayley lays out the original deets & rules wonderfully here.
Trello for project management
Talk about a freelance lifesaver. Trello is a free resource that allows you to organize your projects from a large scale down to the minute details. It's intuitive & easy to share tasks, files & deadlines with team members, as well as comment on them & chat directly. It also puts tasks into calendar form which is easy on the eyes for us strictly visual folks.
The Day Designer by Whitney English
The power of Twitter, my friends. Yes, I'm 5 years late to the phenomenon of just how useful Twitter is but it led me to the best 2015 planner a girl could ask for so I don't mind my pace one bit. Donned with a thick cover, beautiful paper, top priority tasks, daily gratitude & best of all, a reminder for dinner! Best. Planner. Ever. If you're looking for a 2015 Day Planner there's a few Day Designer's left here or check out Elle & Co, she has a great self-printable planner!
OnGuard Essential Oil Blend by doTerra
I recently went to an Essential Oils 101 class at Have Company where I uncovered more hidden gems about essential oils thanks to Tess Lindholm, a local doTerra rep & health coach. Sick days are hard to have when you've got a boss like mine (she runs a hard bargain!) so I've been using 1–2 drops of OnGuard in my hot drinks & soups as soon as my throat got sore & nose got runny.
Wine night with friends
I'm excited to hang out with Megan, Tieka & friends tomorrow for a holiday wine night! We're doing a blind taste testing of seasonal wines like mulled, spice or cabernet. I have no idea what that means. I'm more of a craft beer drinker but still can't wait for a night of wine & relaxation. Any suggestions on good wine under $20 I should bring?
I read this great article about genuine excitement when selling your service. It came at the perfect time since I'm now a offering a brand starter package called the Design Blitz for entrepreneurs, bloggers & shop owners who need a logo. Selling usually has an icky feeling tied to it. No one wants to be sold to, they want to be understood. It isn't because I'm trying to manipulate people into giving me their money (how selling often feels). It's because I've seen a thread of frustration, confusion & ambiguity in people at the beginning of the brand process that doesn't need to be there. How do I instill that trust & show you I truly mean it? The initial idea was simple: I made this for you because you told me you needed it. It's more efficient, less blurry. The Design Blitz is a process with tangibles instead of words that never become action. Yes, these are the thoughts racing through my head as Tiger chases squirrels up trees (he's never caught one).
Good vibes & sunshine, friends. –xo, Em
