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A couple of years ago, I wrote about learning to take risks. While it is true that I've pushed myself over the years in new ways, there has been one thing that has felt too scary to take on. In the past three years, I feel as though I've found my place and voice in what I do. A lot has changed in the five years that I've owned my business, and I feel as though I didn't get to focus as much on the design aspects of my cards until I got to spend a lot more time with them.

While teaching, I was constantly a ball of stress. I worked long days and the time I had after school to work on my business was extremely limited. Once I began spending my full work week on my business, I feel as though my business was able to grow in new ways that were a better reflection of myself as well as the art that I've been creating my entire life. In the process, old cards from my first years in business, no longer fit the aesthetic of my work-- something that has bothered me for quite some time.

For the past two years, I struggled with feeling happy with the old designs. In fact, I truly hated some of them. Some of these cards just happened to also be some of my most popular. For me, it was scary thinking about changing something so popular because of an undying fear that it would make my business collapse or go up in flames the instant I made any change. I waffled over the idea of redesigning them in subtle ways to better reflect my current process and products. For two years, I waffled. Two years. I asked friends and family their opinions, and then did nothing. And I still felt agitated by it all.

This week, I finally decided to do something.

And you know what? The world didn't come crashing down around me. My business is still here. I am not being engulfed by flames. And most importantly, I feel better.

For those of you who are lost, and don't recognize the card above, this is my most popular card. I have sold thousands of these since the design was launched three years ago. This is the card that made it possible for me to quit teaching. This is the card that started it all.

Taking the risk to redesign this card was beyond scary, but for me, having a cohesive line of cards that reflect who I am is more important to me than succumbing to that fear. Now that I've made the leap, you'll begin seeing a few other subtle changes in my shop as I transition a few other designs in the same way.

And guys, what do you think of the new design? Have you been stepping out of your comfort zone lately? Have you been faced with tough business decisions like this before?

I've been doing some heavy thinking these days, as was probably apparent in my last post. Something happened last week on my birthday. Then, my dad made some interesting commentary the other night on Facebook about, well, Facebook. His words resonated with me and mirrored thoughts I've had for quite some time about our daily interactions with people.

You see, on my birthday, I received dozens of well wishes from people all over the world. Some were from long time family friends. Others from old classmates I haven't seen or spoken to in years. A few from old friends in Australia who keep in touch as best as we can. And a couple more from family. Each of those birthday wishes came in the form of a Facebook post, which can be as well-intentioned or as little thought out as the one posting the wishes can make it.

However, in my opinion, these wishes are more often than not very insincere or not very heartfelt. We're reminded by an automatically generated notification prompting us to quickly tap out a "Happy birthday!" on our phone in mere seconds before we move on with our day without thinking about or celebrating that person until next year. Many of us are guilty of this. I know I am, though I have more recently consciously decided not to because it feel meaningless and hollow.

After receiving my abundance of Facebook birthday wishes, I checked the mailbox for the daily mail, excited to know that my sister had sent me a small gift and hopeful that I'd find a yearly round up of birthday cards. Instead, what I found was the gift from my sister, and two bills. Thinking that we're all busy people, I decided not to feel too down and out about what (or lack there of) showed up in my mail box on my special day. I know that I have been guilty of sending a card late, so I thought certainly I'd find something in my box the next day. That didn't happen.

Disappointment set in for the next few days as it was clear that for the first time in my 32 years I would not be receiving even one birthday card in the mail. Soon, that disappointment turned into frustration as I thought about the irony of a greeting card maker never being on the receiving end despite having made and shipped cards to thousands of people over the last five years. It turned to bitterness as I thought about how we've become so accustomed to instant gratification and have defaulted to the quickest and easiest way of doing something as our lives become more hectic and busy.

I am not off the hook. I've forgotten to send cards, have defaulted to the lazy, insincere way of communicating with others, and have certainly wished many a happy birthday via Facebook. I am part of the problem some days, but I have been more conscious of that in the last week than I have been in a long while. These modes and methods that we've turned toward to make our lives easier have also made them void of something incredibly essential-- basic human connection. We no longer think of people as they are, but rather as a photo on a screen somewhere in our own cities or even on the other side of the world.

Sending a birthday card is personal. It's not done because it is seen as something we must complete in order to fulfill our obligatory social media duties. It is done because we care about the human connection. And as my 32nd birthday came and went, I realized that we've been presented with false notions-- that our lives are more complete and full due to new modes of communication. Instead, the truth is that we are more empty and alone than we were to begin with.

I'm not sure what the solution is to what seems an insurmountable problem, but I do know that I want people to send more cards. Make a human connection, not a false one through a computer screen. Be meaningful in your intentions rather than going through the motions. And take time to truly think about and celebrate the people around you that mean the most.

I may be a day late to this whole welcoming of fall game, but with good reason. You see, most years my birthday falls on the Autumnal Equinox and yesterday was not an exception. While I worked a little to get some important tasks checked off my list, I also decided to take a day to do a few things for myself.

My birthday, and the Equinox, has often felt like my own New Year celebration. A new season is ushered in, and it also marks the beginning of another year in my life. I get an energy from this time of year that is different than other changes in season. The lazy daze of the summer heat is put behind and a new list of endless ideas and adventures begins to form both in mind and on paper.

It's a time of reflection. Did I fully live the way I had hoped in the past year? How can I make this next year even better? These can be tough questions that make me stare my successes and failures in the face, knowing full well that each outcome was of my own design, effort, and mindset. It's an exercise that reminds me of what I have the ability to accomplish and where I need to push the boundaries of my own comfort zone. I also like to dream. With this reflection comes the opportunity to think about the year ahead, or even five years ahead.

Personally, 31 was not as great of a year as 30. And that's ok. It was a year of change, personal growth, and lifestyle changes. And while each of these things are still a work in progress, they aren't yet where I would have hoped to be by this age. And again, that's ok. Looking into a new year means that I have another opportunity to fine tune those aspects of life that were rough around the edges and forge forward into new endeavors.

My list for 32 is exciting. It's energizing. And I'm anticipating the chance to make this year better than the last.

Does the change in the season mark a fresh start for you? Have you taken time to reflect on your year recently?

As I brainstormed to add new products to my line (yes, there are MORE new products eventually coming), I thought about how I wanted to make this year's calendar. In the past year, I've been fine-tuning my daily routine, and I'm finally at the point where I feel like I usually have my groove figured out. Part of that routine includes intense planning and preparation.

I use a rather dynamic daily planner to map out each and every day before I go to bed, but I was lacking a way to prepare for the full week ahead. I searched high and low for a printable that I could use on the fly in order to prep for the week, but couldn't find quite what I needed. I tend to chunk my week based on various larger focus areas-- design days, errand days, production days, accounting and paperwork days, etc. Then I block out time to complete daily tasks such as email, filling orders, or updating social media. After using a couple weekly printable planners that just weren't quite what I needed, I came up with my own design that could either accompany my daily planner or work on it's own for those who are less obsessive about planning and list making as I am.

This planning note pad has 50 sheets of offset printed paper. When the week has ended, you rip off the top sheet and start fresh. It has been printed on 8.5"x11" paper, so if you need to look back on the previous week (as I often do) you can hole punch it and pop into a binder for reference. There are lots of check boxes for tasks throughout the week, a space to jot down notes, and a weekend list. While working on the final design, I used a printed prototype of the calendar for several weeks, and it passed the test!

I've spoken on the blog before in this post about trying to outsource my products and just not feeling 100% happy with the work someone else did. However, for these notepad planners, I had to take that leap of faith. After gathering samples upon samples, I was able to settle with a printer here in the US that did an outstanding job. I'm impressed with the quality of the paper, the beautifully saturated colors, and outstanding print quality. The final product is something that I can truly feel proud of offering to you all.

The planner is now available both here on the website and in my Etsy shop. I have plans to launch other such products in the near future that will help you stay organized on a weekly basis, so stay tuned for that!

In addition, I'm currently working on a new card line that will soon be available. It's something that I've been having so much fun working on as it's been a bit of collaboration with my husband (maybe I can some day convince him to join me in my endeavors) and focuses on truly honest life moments with plenty of hilarity involved. You may have seen a peek or two over on Instagram if you're following me there.

What do you think of this year's calendar? Are you working on any new products or business endeavors? I'd love to see what you've all been up to!

P.S. Baltimore locals!! If you're in town this weekend, stop by HampdenFest on Saturday from 11-7. I'll be vending and I'd love to see you! :)

I looked at the calendar today and couldn't believe that we are already over a week into July. June was a busy month, packed full of the normal seasonal happenings that come with summer's arrival. We had a camping trip to the beach, lots of baseball games, a Saturday spent in St. Michaels, HonFest, a four day trip to Indiana over the 4th of July, and many other things that I've already forgotten about. Phew!

In addition to a busy schedule, I also had one of my most creatively productive months in a long while. Card ideas that had been simmering for months on end finally made their way onto paper in a fury, and I could not be happier than I am with the outcome. Here's a look at a few of these new favorites.

In addition to these cards, I finished designing a few Baltimore specific cards that I'll share some time soon. I've really loved creating super bold and colorful designs. My goal has been to fill up the paper so that each card really pops. White space be gone! I want bold lettering and images!

In the past month, I've also been working on a lot of things behind the scenes. I'm developing an updated logo that better reflects my designs. And in a much larger undertaking, I've been slowing redesigning this website to reflect that change as well. I also created a new packaging concept for my pencil sets, which I'm really excited about. In other words, lots of branding changes that needed to happen.

Personally, I'm finally getting into a new routine that I love. It only took me two years to figure it out, but I'm finally there. You may have noticed on Instagram that I've been out and about a lot more, which is all part of the plan. Giving myself a chance to get out of the studio has helped me immensely when it comes to creative energy. This has included going to yoga twice a week as well as heading to one of the many parks in the city for a run and some outdoor office time twice a week.

Regardless, July looks to be a busy month as I keep working on these exciting things! I hope everyone is doing well-- I do miss blogging and chatting with those of you that still follow along. Blogging is on my to do list of things to get back to, but for now it's all about baby steps.

What have you been up to these days? Anything new and exciting that I should know about?