giving myself grace

So, it's been quite a while since I have blogged. I honestly was thinking that the blog would end, but I don't think that's what I want to do. I still have a love/hate relationship with social media and capturing my life (more on that here) but I feel it is important to keep going and pressing on. If I am being totally honest, the set back with the studio, as well as a few other things, have made this past year both personally and professionally difficult in a way I wasn't prepared for. My personality is very much all or nothing, and it becomes easy for me to justify nothing when I feel overwhelmed in doing it all. This is something I understand about myself, and want to continuously work on - hence this blog post.

I want to give myself grace, and hold myself to a standard of hard work, rather than perfection. So that is what I will do, and I hope you are also able to give yourself grace when you seemingly fall short. Because really, in the end, if my worth or value were determined by the work that I did, goodness sake! Thank you Lord for loving me, and showing me how I should also view myself. In other falling off the wagon news - yes I am still going to finish #The100DayProject this year, even if it takes me an additional month! :P

homemade candles

Remember last year when I made that lemon sugar scrub? Well this year I tried my hand at candle making. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, and the candles turned out great. These make great gifts as well as are just fun (and cheap) to make for yourself.

 

 

 

ingredients:
container for candle (crystal, mug, tea cup, decorative bowl)
candle wax (I used this soy wax - soy candles burn slower and last longer)
candle wicks (if you choose to use soy wax, make sure to buy soy wicks!)
fragrance
candle dye (optional)
hot glue gun
double boiler or you can jimmy rig one like I did

directions:
attach wicks to the center of your candle container with a glue gun
wrap wicks over something like a pen/chopstick/skewer that's wider than the mouth of your container
melt wax in a double boiler*
stir wax as it melts (add dye if using)
once melted, remove from heat and add fragrance
pour into containers and let sit for 3-5 hours depending on the size
trim wicks & enjoy!

*If you don't have a double boiler you can put your wax in a bowl that will fit over the top of a pot filled with boiling water (if you don't have that, you can put your wax in a tea pot on top of a piece of wood in a pot of boiling water - you know whatever) basically you want to melt the wax without putting it on direct heat, they actually sell melting pots for candle wax but I decided it wasn't worth the money. The reason I used a tea pot instead of a large bowl was because I wanted a spout on it to be able to pour easily.

The biggest problem I discovered was not using enough wax. I had read that you needed roughly twice the amount of wax chips of whatever size container you will be using, but I would say 2.5 or maybe even three times the amount. I can't say for sure because I ended up adding and melting more wax, and then again didn't melt enough for all the candles, but didn't feel like melting yet more wax. Basically you need a lot more wax then you think! I will wait and finish that last candle when I gather some more containers and can make several at once. I found those cute crystal glasses at a thrift store in town and I thought they were perfect! I think they turned out really cute, and my friends seemed to like them too. :)

growth is good

Not that long ago I posted a photo on instagram that I was surprised got so much interaction. There were a lot of comments as well as people in my real life telling me they liked it, so I thought the idea could be turned into a blog post.

I feel like it's so easy to be hard on ourselves when looking back on things we've done. I feel like this in both things I've made as well as how I've run my business. My initial reaction is to be frustrated or embarrassed. But I think a much healthier and positive way to look at those past projects is from the perspective of growth. I've grown so much since I designed that, my printing has gotten so much better since I printed that, I am a lot more professional with my emails since I wrote that, etc. When we look at our old work, it's a way to tangibly see growth. And on the other hand, if we looked at things we've done and felt like they were completely perfect, we wouldn't be growing and improving over time - and who wants that? I'm proud of how I've grown and I hope you are too!

what I learned from #The100DayProject

Earlier this year I participated in an experiment in hopes to push myself out of my comfort zone, create in ways that weren't related to my clients and to be 100% honest, gain a few more followers for my instagram account. You can read a little about the project and what I wrote when I started here. Well I am SO incredibly glad I did, I learned more from that experience than I ever thought I would - and it has grown my business in ways that I could have never expected!

Without further ado:

Perfection isn't all it's cracked up to be. I am a perfectionist to the core. In a lot of ways it's great for the business, because I will not settle for less than perfect it guaranteeing my clients the best. However, sometimes it is completely immobilizing. If it can't be perfect why even try? (This isn't so much with clients, but with the millions of new ideas I have to grow the business.) Letting go of perfection led to some of the pieces I am most proud of.

Accountability is key. The fact that I had to post a photo everyday really kept me going. I know if I had been doing this project within a vacuum, I would have taken three times a long to finish (or never have finished at all.) The accountability of all of you commenters asking about my posts when I skipped a day, kept me on track and kept me posting.

Practice, practice, practice! I started with hand lettering because I LOVED it, but really sucked at it. I didn't really think I would get much better, but surely learn something and gain an appreciation for a skill I didn't have. Well, low and behold, I did get better - a lot better! I watched tons of youtube videos, and practiced writing every. single. day. I certainly still have a long way to go, but yeah, there's something to be said for practicing and putting in the hours.

Quantity makes quality. I lettered this phrase one of the days closer to the end after noticing there were several pieces I really liked. I know if I would have just worked on making those pieces I was super proud of I would have never gotten as many. But if you just continue to work and work and work and make stuff then a few really good things will come from all of that work.

I can do this. This was probably the most unexpected thing that came from this project. Starting the project my intention was to keep this work separate from my business. Let lettering be a fun little creative hobby like cooking or photography, something that inspired me, but wasn't part of the business. Well after I started, I began to get people asking to have cards and prints made as well as inquiries for custom hand lettering projects. So now, unexpectedly, this is something that Bluebonnet Press is excited to offer!

baby jack

One of the most special moments of my life happened earlier this summer when I became an aunt. Not only did I become an aunt, but I was lucky enough to get to be in Florida when my nephew was born. My sweet sister in law had asked if I could take a few photos that day, and wow am I so thankful. To be a part of something so incredible was almost more than my heart could bare. I get why women all want to talk about their birth stories so much now, it's amazing!

This photo was taken on my cell phone the next day, had to get in all the snuggles I could before I flew out that afternoon! I seriously love that little chunk more than I can comprehend.

cruising in the caribbean

Like I mentioned in my previous post, back in July I got to take an amazing vacation in the Caribbean. We went on a cruise, which I hadn't done since I was a kid. I was a little skeptical after we bought our tickets, wondering if it would be a big party ship or if I would get sick out at sea (I get horrible motion sickness) but it was an incredible trip. Apart from the awesome days on board, we also got to swim with dolphins, snorkel, kayak and zip line on our days at port. It was such a relaxing time and I can't wait to do it again! Check out some highlights below:

Along with everything else on board, there was a wave machine on the ship that you could surf on. Didn't take long for me to get the hang of it!

 

 

jk I sucked...

This was truly one of my favorite vacations ever, such a great time!

quick updates

It's been a little while since I have posted to the blog. I figured I would share a little about what's going on and what's in the works. In my last few posts I talked about doing the 100 day project on instagram, which I think unconsciously became my new outlet for creativity (making it difficult to run the business, letter daily and also keep up the blog). It was such a truly incredible experience and I want to do another post soon about that project and what it's led to. I am so overwhelmed by all the love and support yall gave me during this project and it turned out more amazing than I could have hoped.

Apart from the everyday activities here at the studio, I also got to get away for a big chuck of July. I went on a much needed vacation to the Caribbean, as well as visited some family in Florida. AND BECAME AN AUNT OH EM GEE!! Although it was a little chaotic getting back, I feel incredibly lucky to have had the time away.

A little sad news. While working on some renovations for the new studio space we came across some larger issues that look to be leading to a lawsuit. This has been hard on me. Not just the fact that the studio space is not going to happen anytime soon and the legal side of this is a nightmare, but that the dreams, goals and plans that Bluebonnet Press was moving toward have now all been shifted. Although this year is going to look different for the business than I had anticipated, I am excited about what's ahead and can't wait to see what happens. Because it's astonishing how short a time it can take for very wonderful things to happen...

**Quote by Frances Hodgson Burnett, lettering inspiration from Mallory Lucille featured on Design Love Fest**