(I read all of my reviews, and they instantly lift up my spirits. So keep them coming if you’ve purchased something from me!)
Yes, I’m trying to cope with the anxiety of our rapidly changing world every day, but I’m also fired up to share my message of self-care and self-love right now 🔥
Oh and one more thing – I’ve added a gift message section in my cart (it’s free!).
If you’re directly shipping self-love filled gifts to your loved ones, be sure to leave a message there.
I’ll then write it on one of these sweet block printed cards and include it in your package.
What a sweet way to add an extra thoughtful touch to your gift 🥰
Hope you’ll continue to take care of yourself and stay well.
Thinking of you,
xo
ps. Don’t forget, 15% off on everything (including clearance!) in my online shop. Use code: SPRING15 when you check out. You can use the code as many times as you want 😽
Hope you and your loved ones are staying safe and healthy 🙏🏼
Dave and I are staying home as much as we can, and thankfully we’re healthy so far.
For that, I’m most grateful.
You know what else I’m grateful for??
Your online orders are causing me major gratitude overload!! I’ve been enjoying packaging up each and every order for you.
Seriously, you’re the BEST.
Keep them coming because your 15% off code “SPRING15” is still good.
(and you can use it more than once!)
As I said last week, I’m trying to offer more video contents because it makes me feel closer to you.
I’ve been feeling isolated as I practice social distancing – not only are my shows being cancelled, my pottery class, gym, and get-togethers with friends are cancelled as well 😔
(Not to mention my solo vacay to Sedona. Yup I cancelled it. Sad, but necessary 😭)
Yes, it is a temporary measure. And perhaps the best thing we can do right now to give ourselves a fighting chance.
So I’ve been recording short messages as I pack up your orders in the morning and sharing them on Instagram.
In this short video, I talk about why I share my story on the back of each card👀
At shows and markets, I’m able to chat more easily with my customers and share my story, but I don’t always get to, or you wouldn’t necessarily share that with the person you’re writing to.
So I’m putting it right there on the card– whoever receives your lovely note will know that you’ve carefully selected a card that was created by a real person with real hopes and dreams✨
You wouldn’t get that from mass-produced greeting cards from a drug store… Just sayin.
I share with you what fun cards my customers have been ordering, and which ones are my favorite!
It lifts me up to know that you’re actively reaching out to your loved ones in this time of uncertainty.
And being part of your love mail gives me so much joy ❤️
When I’m feeling anxious and off-centered, it helps to do something. Especially, helping others shifts focus off of my own problems and worries.
So… I’ve started “60 Brighter Days” email series!! Sign up for my newsletter if you haven’t already, and you’ll receive a happy, encouraging email from me every day for 60 days.
Ok, friend, stay strong. We’ll get through this together.
I wanted to give you a heads up about a couple of things today.
As you know, a special flu is going around in Seattle and lots of other places.
(I know technically it’s not a flu…but an article I read about how to reduce anxiety recommended you call it something else, like “the flu,” so that’s what I’m doing 😀)
To protect the public health and safety, lots of events are getting cancelled.
For me, that means my main source of income, shows and markets, is either getting cancelled or not many people are gonna turn up to shop in person for the foreseeable future.
For example, my next market, UPS Flea Market on 3/21, has been cancelled 😭 Sorry if you were planning on going. I’m very disappointed, too.
And I don’t have a show scheduled until May.
So… I’m engaging my Plan B✌🏼
I’m focusing my energy on growing my online sales for a while, and to make it more enjoyable for you, I’ve created a promo for you.
Yup, you know I don’t normally do random sales, but the time requires a bit of a flexibility – so you can enjoy 15% off on your entire order when you shop online!
Just enter “SPRING15” at checkout 😘
I haven’t decided how long the promo will go on, but at least till the end of the month. I’ll let you know when it’s about to end.
You can use this code as many times as you’d like, too. Feel free to share with friends and family.
(NOTE: I will not be able to apply the promo retroactively as Shopify, my online platform, charges fees based on the original sales amount 😔 so don’t forget to enter it when you shop.)
Another thing I’m doing – because I don’t get to see you in person for a while – is creating more video contents for you!
It’s mostly me sharing quick updates and doing mini “informacials” if you will 😂 but if you’d like to see me awkwardly talk to my phone camera, be sure to watch them 💕👇🏼
Thanks friend!!
Stay well,
xo
ps. Take advantage of 15% off online order with a special code “SPRING15”
pps. If you’ve come to my shows/markets, you know I offer special deals just for the market customers. I’ll of course continue to offer them when/if I do markets this season and beyond. Just so you know 😉
I’ve been enjoying some of my friends’ #MarchMeetTheMaker challenge posts on social media.
I especially liked reading their stories – although I’m not participating in the daily challenge, I thought it would be fun to share with you some facts about me you may not know 😆
Here are 10 things you may not know about me:
1) I have an older brother who lives in Japan, and he runs a cute little cafe near my parents’ house.
He started it right after I quit my job to focus on my biz – it’s been cool to see his business thrive as well.
2) I was way into theater in my tween/teen years. I wrote, produced, and performed in several plays in middle and high school.
I loved getting into characters, hanging out with my theater friends (whom I see every time I go home), creating stories, and the thrill of acting in front of a live audience.
I don’t like being put on a spot, but give me a script, background story, and time to practice, I’m all about it 🙋🏻♀️
3) I’m a Highly Sensitive Person. In a nutshell, it means you’re wired to feel things deeply, and you may be easily overwhelmed by external (or internal) stimulations.
I consider my sensitivity to be a gift that helps me empathize with others and connect deeply with the beauty that surrounds me.
4) I’ve been meditating almost daily for the past 4 years. I usually meditate right after I wake up. I love starting my day with a quiet grounding practice.
It prepares me to face the world that’s so noisy and cluttered.
5) I have INFJ and Upholder personality traits. I consider myself an idealist who can get a lot done 🙌🏼
Having structure and routine is pretty important for me to thrive, and I’m not very flexible/spontaneous. So if you ask me to tea the day before (or really, less than 2 weeks notice is “short notice” for me 😬), chances are I’ll say no ☕️
6) I struggled with Orthorexia (= an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating) about 4 years ago. Thoughts on what to eat and not eat were taking over my life.
I’m a much happier/relaxed eater now and rarely slip into my old thinking any more. And when I do, I’m much more compassionate with myself 💕
7) When I turn 50, I want to live in Paris for a month 🇫🇷 I want to take French lessons and make art every day 👩🏻🎨 I’ve been putting $20 into my Paris dream account every week since I turned 41 last year.
8) I’m mostly a self-taught artist. I’d worked in a non-profit domestic violence organization for 14+ years before I became a full-time artist.
I studied graphic design while I was soul-searching about what I wanted to do with my life but realized I loved illustration much more than design after three years in the program 🐒
I don’t regret going through the program – I use the skills I learned every day in my business!
9) I majored in Women Studies (now Gender & Sexuality Studies) in college. I happened to take Gender, Race, and Class course one quarter without knowing a lot about it and got immediately hooked. It opened my eyes to the reality of the world and validated my life experience big time.
Yes, I’m a feminist.
10) I joined the Board of Directors at The NW Network, an amazing DV org serving LGBTQ community, last June. It’s been quite a learning curve to get back in the non-profit leadership work 😅 but I’m honored to be part of it!
BONUS: My sweetie Dave and I met 14 years ago on Craigslist personnel (which no longer exits.)
We had a semi-long distance relationship (he: Orcas Island, me: Seattle. About 3 hour commute one way) for 5 years before he moved to Seattle to be with me ❤️
I can go on and on with tidbits about me but this is it for now. Maybe I’ll continue next year 👋🏼
Hope you enjoyed my stories 😊
What are things that most people don’t know about you?
As promised, I wanted to share my National Stationery Show (NSS) recap and reflection with you today.
To be honest, I’ve been dreading it a little bit – sort of hoping you’d forgotten I was gonna write this, but enough people have been asking about how the show went, so I’m showing up in my full vulnerability 😆
I feel vulnerable sharing real numbers with you, but I wanted to keep it real… and if you’re a maker/designer yourself and thought about exhibiting there, I thought it would be helpful for you.
So, here are some of my goals and how they went.
Goal 1: Get at least 1 order a day
This was my low goal… I was trying to keep my expectations low because I’d never done the show before and didn’t want to be disappointed.
Well, good thing I had low expectations because I barely made this goal. Total of 4 new orders and 2 reorders.
Does that seem like a low number to you? 🤔 It did to me.
It felt pretty slow from my perspective, and honestly I was surprised I didn’t see more buyers. When I walked around, I saw some areas were bustling with people, but I was in no way overwhelmed at any point during the show.
And it was really nice to meet some of my existing cusomers in real life 💕
As with any trade shows, often the reward comes after the show, and building relationships is the name of the game.
I’m grateful to have met lovely buyers and fellow exhibitors from all over the country and hope to nurture a long-lasting relationship with many of them.
Update: I’ve received two extra orders so far from the connections I made at the show. Yay 🙌🏼
Goal 2: Stay under budget
I didn’t achieve this goal 100% 💸
My budget was $10K – including booth fee ($2800), booth build out ($3500 – including 3 walls, two colors, graphics, lighting, electricity, carpeting, labor), flight, lodging, food (for me and Dave) printing marketing collaterals, shipping materials, transportations, booth furniture etc. etc.
I haven’t done the actual numbers yet, but I probably went over by 10% more or less.
I’m glad to have hired someone to build the booth for me (it’s with M&J Innovations if you’re interested. They’re great.) and it was great to have Dave with me to help, but next time, I probably won’t bring him 😬 I may still have the company take care of my booth, assuming it’ll be cheaper now that they have my materials…
It took me a year to save up for the show, and as I want to do more than one trade show a year, I’d need to be more mindful about the cost in the future.
Goal 3: Stay healthy
Well, let’s say, I managed to stay healthy during the show! 😹 I kept on top of washing my hands and getting a good night sleep, so at least I’m happy that we didn’t get sick while we were there.
Goal 4: Enjoy NYC
I’d give 💯 on this one.
Dave and I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood, went to American Natural History Museum and the MET, ate good food every day (Dig Inn, 5 Napkin Burger, Sophie’s Cuban were some of our favorites) and had a really good time there!
good coffee and ambience at Easy Victor Cafe
Thoughts & Questions:
Will I do this again?
Maybe. It depends on how things shake out in the next several months. The show itself was really awesome – so huge and everyone’s booth was so so good. I consider this the Super Bowl of stationery trade show 😆 I’m curious to try in a different spot or different season maybe. It remains to be seen.
Was it worth it?
Absolutely. I’ll change some things in the future (keep under budget, reach out to any potential buyers beforehand etc.) but I have no regrets about trying. I got lots of nice compliments from buyers and exhibitors alike, which always boosts my confidence.
It’s been a couple of weeks since the show – I’ve had enough time to throw myself a pity party and processed all the things, so I’m feeling pretty good in general. (And germ free) No need to worry. Onward and upward.
So rather than creating a whole new post (I was gonna share my recap about the NY show), I want to re-post from Instagram that got a lot of positive reactions this week.
(be sure to zoom in on the caption👇🏼)
and here is the front of the postcard 😍
When I sent it, I thought it was super cheesy and kinda embarrassing, but it was really delightful to get it 💕
Good job, past me, for thinking of future me!!
Don’t be shy about showing yourself love 🥰 You deserve it and will appreciate it.
Your girl is all grown up and going to the Big City!🍎
I set two goals at the beginning of 2019 – one was to hire help for shows, and the other, scary goal was to register for National Stationery Show (NSS), which is the biggest stationery trade show in the U.S. 😱
I’m proud to say I was able to accomplish both goals 💪🏼 and this week I’m flying to NY to exhibit at NSS!
Maybe you do this, too, but I tend to minimize my accomplishments.
When I reach a goal or a milestone, I think to myself, “Anyone can do that. It wasn’t a big deal. I was lucky. I haven’t really done anything yet.”
But THIS one was hard to ignore.
Sure, I do have that little voice that tells me that you’re not really there yet. Things can go wrong. Who knows, you may come home with nothing to show for.
It was all a big waste of time and money. Who do you think YOU are? You don’t belong on the big stage.
Maybe so.
But, I’m patting myself on the back for doing it!
Just being able to save up for the show is in and of itself a huge accomplishment for me. And I know I’ll learn a ton from this experience.
If you’d asked me two years ago if I’d even considered going to the show, I’d had a nervous laugh and given you a vague “no” answer.
Well, I still have a nervous laugh 😬 but I’m going anyhow.
See, that’s the thing. If my business journey has taught me anything, it’s that you don’t have to know everything to start something new.
You are good enough to start now.
You’re capable of much more than you think. You’ve survived all of your worst case scenarios thus far. You’re resilient. You’re resourceful. Take one step at a time!!!
So I take my own advice to heart today. Courage over perfection. I’m taking lots of deep breathes as I tackle my scary goal this week!
Follow me on Facebook or Instagram if you haven’t already – I’ll be posting pics from my NY trip there!
Thank you for your support and encouragement always. It’s YOU who give me the courage to keep going for my dreams.
They make me so happy with their colors, shapes, and texture – everything about it provokes the fairy understory world that I’m only allowed to peek in in the quiet pacific northwest woods.
They’re so magical… I’m deeply inspired by their presence and they’ve got me dreaming of one day creating a picture book about mushrooms and little creatures living happily together…
(Adding it to the list of things to do when I retire 😆)
When I doodle for fun, I often draw inspirations from them, too.
A birthday card I made for Dave last year
wall hanging I made in the ceramics class
Obsessed 🍄🍄🍄
Can you spot some of the mushies from the photos in my new design?? 👇🏼👀
Mushroom Art Print
Mushroom Thank You Card
Tell me if you love them as mush as I do! 😆🍄
xo
ps. You can still shop this mushroom and other new designs at an early-bird VIP rate in my shop! Sign up for my newsletter and get 15% off everything in my new collection through January 31st.
pps. Always free US shipping for orders $35 and over.
Honeyberry Diary 