{a funny little story}

I find it funny how things come full circle...or come back to visit us in amazing and unexpected ways.

This Saturday I'm doing my first solo show/sale with my art. Eek!!! I'm SUPER excited and extremely humbled that a local shop owner invited me to do this. She purchased some of my canvases a few months back to sell in her boutique, and while we were chatting brought up this idea of a trunk show. 

So this Saturday I'll have a table set up in the middle of her shop. 

Just me and my art. 

Whoa.

But the funny part about this story goes back about three years I think, back when I was knitting and selling baby hats on Etsy. 

The same storefront where I'm having my trunk show was a completely different shop at the time, and they hosted a Christmas handmade market. The booth fee was low and a friend of mine was selling her handmade scarves, so I took the plunge and reserved a space.

I was so excited about my cute little booth with my antique chenille bedspread covering my card table and milk glass vases for hat stands. I put so much thought into it. And my table was in a perfect spot right where people were gathering to chat. I thought it was going to be such a great night for me and my little hats.

{this was my set-up from a different craft show}

Lots of people I knew came and went. Several people said nice things about my stuff. One cute local college student bought a flower hair pin for I think $4. 

And that was it.

I didn't sell one hat.

And I heard on more than one occasion women walk by and say..."I could make that myself."

Yeah. Ouch.

I left feeling SO deflated and defeated and embarrassed. Whoa that was a tough pill to swallow. I can honestly still feel my cheeks burning a bit as I type this. It was a rough night for me and my creative ego.

It's not that my hats weren't cute and well made, because they were both of those things. 

It was the wrong crowd. It wasn't my night. 

But most importantly, it wasn't THE thing. 

The thing that God created me and only me to create. 

Now I'm not knocking my knitting era...overall it was really great for me. It was cheap therapy and I sold quite a few of my little hats. 

But I never would have imagined a few years later I would be setting up a booth in the very same space to sell my ART. Never in my wildest dreams!

And now that I look back on the past few years of rediscovering this talent it just blows my mind how buried it was for so long. 

I guess the point of this funny little story is that we all have our purpose and sometimes we take crazy backroads and detours to find it.

But it's there waiting for us. Waiting until we are ready. 

That sale certainly wasn't a highlight of my life, but my time as a knitter definitely was a valuable and needed part of my story. The detours in life may seem annoying and unnecessary but they are usually preparing us for bigger and better things.

So enjoy the ride friends.

XO,

{book list}

I need to get back on the reading wagon. 

I have a huuuuge Amazon wish list waiting for me, so I thought I would share a few of them today to perhaps motivate me, and give you some ideas of books to add to your list as well!

Here are the books at the top of my list: {images are linked}

Jeff Goins, Lara Casey, Shauna Niequist and Emily Freeman are all faves of mine so I'm super excited about each and every one of these books. I had the pleasure of hearing Jeff, Lara and Shauna speak at the 2013 Influence Conference and all three of them offered so much practical inspiration.

What are you reading right now? Give me some more good books to add to my list!

XO,

{movie night memories + essentials}

This is a sponsored post by Pop Secret but all opinions are 100% mine.

Head over to the Pop Secret Facebook page for a $1 off coupon!

For about four years now, we've had movie night with the boys every Friday night. It is one of our favorite traditions and kicks off the weekend in such a fun way. For the first few years we took them to the movie rental store and they each took turns picking out what we would watch. These days it has turned into a Redbox or Netflix movie, but still just as fun. And bonus points if the boys agree on the same movie!

In addition to the movie, here are the essential ingredients for our movie nights:

1. comfy pj's
2. movie theater style boxes of candy
3. popcorn

It doesn't feel like a proper movie night if we aren't wearing our fleece pajamas, curled up on the couch with a box of hot tamales or Mike & Ikes and a big bowl of salty, buttery popcorn. 

This week we amped movie night up a few notches and built a fort for the boys! They were so excited when I surprised them with that fun addition.

I pulled out their faux firepit, some battery operated candles and their softest blankets and pillows. You could say they were happy campers. <<< See what I did there?

And of course we had candy and yummy Pop Secret popcorn to enjoy.

And it wouldn't be movie night without some silliness from my Benny... {If you can't tell by the above photos...Landon was tired with a capital T!}

I already can't wait for this Friday. Although now I think the boys will be expecting a fancy fort every week!

Do you have family movie nights? What are your essentials?

If you want some fun fort ideas and a coupon, head over to the Pop Secret Facebook page!

XO,

{trunk show}

Happy Friday friends!

Are you as anxious for the weekend as I am?

I wanted to share some exciting news with you. A week from tomorrow on January 31st I'll be holding my first trunk show! The cutest local boutique shop, LaMonta & Elsie, is hosting the show and I couldn't be more thrilled and humbled by their invitation.

I'll have cards, prints, mugs and a few canvas pieces for sale. I'll also be offering custom 5x7 "one little word" or first name doodles for $10 while you shop! How fun is that? OK...the idea of doing them on the spot honestly freaks me out just a tad, but I'm doing it anyway! :)

If you are local I would love to see you there! 

I've also added some fun new robot Valentine's Day notes to the shop...

Perfect to pass out at school. Ahh I miss those days...Valentine's Day is so much fun!

XO,

{making your own magic}

Did you know I can open and shut car windows with my mind?

OK...so I really can't, but I had the boys believing I was magic today, and that in itself made me feel like supermom.

We were driving home from my office, and Landon rolled his window down. It took Ben by surprise, and Landon tried to convince him that it was magic. I decided to take that and roll with it, so I told them I could open and shut the windows with a simple command.

For the rest of our 15 minute commute, they yelled out requests.

"Mom's window down!"

"Mom's window up!"

"Landon's window down!"

"Landon's window up!"

Man I had fun with it. I would roll one down halfway, then slowly roll it back up in short spurts. They were laughing and freaking out and oohing and aahing.

It was fabulous and so magical even though all it involved was a sneaky press or pull of a lever.

We were making our own magic.

Isn't that what life is all about?

Finding magic in something so ordinary and boring and sometimes frustrating as a drive home from work. There is magic everywhere if we look for it.

And if there is none to be found, we can create it. Kind of like a super power, if you will.

Where could your life use a bit more magic?

XO,

{new in the shop!}

Happy weekend friends!

Sorry for the blogging silence...the new year has been a full one so far. I've been busy doodling all sorts of things and have some new products in the shop to share with you. 

First are some fun Valentine's Day notes that of course involve a coffee mug...

I have ready to ship cards with envelopes, and a printable version for those who would like to make them at home!

I've also added three new prints!

 {shop here}

 {shop here}

{shop here}

Hope your weekend is off to a great start. I'm sipping coffee and contemplating what to do today. I love a wide open day! 

XO,