December 31, 2011

Current goals...

 Since I know only a handful of you read this last year, you can read how I feel about New Years resolutions here.

This time last year I was only posting once every couple of months or so to update family on what we were up to. I didn't start posting (almost) daily and sending it out for people other than family and close friends to see until this May. I'm so proud of the difference a year can make!

Current Goals // Home is with You

Some goals I'm currently working on~

*Continue to workout 3/4 times a week and slowly increase the length and intensity before adding more days.

*My next goal as far as followers goes is to reach 500 here on the blog and the facebook page too. So if you've been reading along, but haven't clicked follow yet...please do! Also you all can help me with this goal by grabbing a button to share or clicking share on facebook.

*To continue to work on being more outgoing. This is always a goal of mine and I am constantly improving. I have come SO far over the years with this one, especially lately since Dave is so outgoing and I have to be too at his shows. 

*My most recent goal is to work on not worrying so much about what people think about me. I started working on this more a few months ago. It can be so hard to stop thinking so much about what others will think of you, what you wear, what you say, etc...but it needs to stop. 

...I'm a work in progress, but change is good
We should always be striving to better ourselves.

December 29, 2011

This year I'm thankful for...


What are you thankful for?

Sponsor intro...

Sponsor Intro // Home is with You
My name's Chelsea and I blog over at Sunny with a Chance of Sprinkles. Sunny's my little corner of the internet where I gush about my daughter Alea, write about the trials and tribulations of being a nursing student and mother, and even post the occasional DIY or recipe post. I do hope you'll stop by!


Sponsor Intro // Home is with You
Hi there! Come take a peek into my crazy wonderful life! I believe in laughing till you cry, loving whole heartedly and capturing life's special moments with photography! Life is challenging and beautiful all at the same time, so take it in stride and always remember to Keep Calm and Carry on :) Nothing is as bad as it seems!


Sponsor Intro // Home is with You
I've been into 'handmade' I guess you could say my whole life. I spent a lot of time at my grandma's house as a child and she taught me almost everything I know about crochet, sewing, and cooking. I've also gone to local craft fairs every year since I was a toddler in a stroller so when I heard about etsy I knew I had to open up shop. I love being a part of a handmade community! There are so many treasures out there that you just can't get from the mainstream. I also started blogging around two years ago mainly about crafts, recipes, and my life as a stay at home mom. I'm definitely having fun with it!


Sponsor Intro // Home is with You
Hi my name is Melanie Cantelmo and I have a little blog called Keeping up with the Cantelmo’s. I blog about my faith, family, hope, my attempts to cook and create. I love to share with others my hope I have in the Lord. God has been so good to us, He has changed my life and made all things new! I hope you can pop by my blog and say hi!


Sponsor Intro // Home is with You
Hello beautiful ladies! My name is Erin and I blog over at Captivated By Grace. I'm a twenty-something Christ follower with a passion for life, love, and above all else, my faith in the Lord. I love to share the joys and beauty that can be found in this world, as well as the times that are not as beautiful and can be a bit more challenging. Let's face it...life is full of ups and downs. I began blogging to reflect on the things I am learning in my life, and hope to bring a touch of happiness, a dash of encouragement, and a pinch of love to whoever is in need of it. I have been captivated by God's grace. Come get captivated with me!


Sponsor Intro // Home is with You
Hi, i’m Sarah! wife, mom, photographer. i write about being a mom to a wild 3 & 1/2 year old, named Dustyn & a lovable, sweet 1 & 1/2 year old, named Carsyn who has lobar hpe & cerebral palsy. i share a lot of photos, tips & tricks.

...now go say hi to all these fabulous women and show them some love! Tell them I sent you :)

**PS~ I still have a few spots available for January at the holiday prices! 
For more info go here.

December 28, 2011

Lauren Darlings intro and giveaway!

Hello friends! You've seen me here before and a lot has changed since then. I am now a proud wife to my husband Brandon. I am a stay at home wife and he is a professional baseball player in the Cardinals organization.


Although Mal's husband is a musician, I can relate to her in so many ways as we share similar roles for our husbands. We are by their sides in the adventure of helping their dreams come true and document the ups, downs, and lessons we learn along the way.

This is the sign she made for Dave and I...we couldn't love it more!

My schedule is often unknown and I've always wanted to work for myself in some sort of creative way to make sure we can be together no matter what city or state we are in. I have dabbled in online store ownership a few times selling hair accessories and paper crafts being unsuccessful. In late October I decided to open an online store selling hand painted signs. Yes it was a 180. My store evolved out of a last minute wedding gift for a friend.

I believe in gifts that are personalized, unique, and exactly what you can't find in any store. I enjoy being crafty. I adore handmade gifts. I believe in talent and that we all have one or more. Finding it on the other hand is not always so easy.

 Here are some of my favorite signs.


Today I'm giving away a late Christmas gift to ONE lucky reader.

**To enter to win a sign of your very own (trust me you will LOVE it) here's what to do...

Mandatory entries~

Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (the join this site button on the right under our picture)
...leave a comment saying you do/did.

Follow Lauren's blog here...leave a comment saying you do. 

Extra entries~

 Like my facebook page here...leave a comment saying you do.

Go to Lauren Darlings here and leave a comment telling me your favorite thing in her shop.

Follow me on twitter here...leave a comment saying you do.

Follow Lauren on twitter here...leave a comment saying you do.

Tweet about this giveaway...leave a comment telling me you did.
(EX: Go enter @mallorieowens giveaway for a hand painted wooden sign from @larnlevy! http://mallorieowens.blogspot.com/2011/12/lauren-darlings-intro-and-giveaway.html)

You can also follow me on bloglovin, google+, and share our facebook pages...comment for each

...so many ways to win! Good luck and I will be posting the winner next week!


December 27, 2011

Christmas.


We are so blessed. Hope you all had as wonderful a Christmas as we did!

December 25, 2011

The Christmas Story.

Ok, so I meant for that last post to be for yesterday and today, but they played this video at church yesterday and I just had to share! It is too cute...enjoy!


Merry Christmas!!!

December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas // Home is with You

We will be spending today going to brunch with my Mom and (step) Dad. Later tonight we'll be going to Christmas eve service and then heading to Grandma and Grandpa's house to hang out with family, play white elephant (our first year!), and eating our pizza :)

Tomorrow morning we'll stop by my Mom's house for our stockings and to pick up my brother before heading to my Dad's house for all of Christmas day. It will be a day full of presents, food, and going to see a movie...and probably The Christmas Story on TV.

Merry Christmas // Home is with You

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas! 
Remember to take some time to appreciate the reason we celebrate this time and give each other gifts. He is so good to us year round and Dave and I are so thankful to know we are in His hands...

December 22, 2011

Christmas DIY

Christmas DIY // Home is with You

I found this cute idea on Pinterest. Since Dave's favorite beer is Guinness I've had this pinned for months to remind me to try it as a Christmas present. Last night I let him open these reindeer beer as an early gift, he loved them! Dave said his Guinness never tasted so good :)

Christmas DIY // Home is with You

To make them I pulled off the Guinness label. Hot glued two eyes and a fuzzy nose. For the antlers I wraped one brown pipe cleaner around the top and twisted it in back until it stayed. Then I cut another brown pipe cleaner into thirds and used two of those pieces to wrap around each side. 

So easy and ridiculously cute!

Pin It!

December 19, 2011

Show pics and what I wore...

To read about our experience on Friday go here. Just wanted to share some more pictures and my outfit from the show...

 Catherine and Erica Klunder

Necklace: Judith Jack // Tank, Tights, and Boots: Target // Dress: Charlotte Russe

Pin It!

December 17, 2011

The light at the end of the tunnel...

Friday night was Dave's last show of the year, crazy. We raised lots of food for the Kansas Food Bank which was really exciting. So thankful for everyone who came out and donated, you all are wonderful! The girls we had open for Dave were amazing and Dave's show was great as always, but even so, the night was kind of a bummer...

Now don't ask me how this happened, because it is truly beyond me how this could ever happen...
but somehow there were nine other acts that got booked for the same night.
A show he has had booked for months,done interviews for, 
put posters all over town, and done endless social media marketing 
in order to get the most people we possibly could to come out and support this great cause. 

...and yet, 
as we were setting up 
people started pouring in 
claiming that they too were supposed to play that night.

Thankful // Home is with You

Understandably, frustrations grew...

If it would have been any other night we would have been able to be more flexible. But since it was a benefit concert and people had brought food donations and planned on seeing Dave play, we couldn't split up the time any more. Dave offered for people to play before him and said he would stop early for others to play....

...we had no support from the staff 
all of the acts were left to figure it out amongst themselves
everyone was worked up and we became the bad guys.

Thankful // Home is with You

That's when people started to talk... 
sitting in the back at my table with the albums 
I heard the other musicians start to talk badly about Dave.

...this broke my heart.
My husband is the sweetest man
with the biggest heart of anyone I know.
To hear people go on about him and hearing things
people were saying about him that were such fabrications
was infuriating.

Thankful // Home is with You

It really got me down that people can be so cruel.
That someone could make up such lies about another person
and not feel bad about it...

...but through the darkness there was a light.
Later on in the evening, my parents started talking 
to the people at the next table. As one girl talked about 
how much she was loving Dave's music my Dad had a feeling
he should buy her an album, so he did.

The woman was pleasantly surprised 
and told my Dad that he had just made her night.
She explained that her friend had taken her out that night
because it was the six year anniversary of her mother's death.
                                                                               
                                                                    ...He works in mysterious ways.

Thankful // Home is with You

As Dave and I drove home we talked about how their negativity didn't matter at all. 
The fact that we had collected so many donations for 
The Kansas Food Bank and that light was shed on just one woman's hard night, 
makes it all worth it. 

Why waste time on negative energy when you can be sharing light with the world? 

December 16, 2011

Hey, Sweet Pea: Guest Post and Giveaway!

 I am SO excited to introduce you all to my friend Elise! She is such a sweetheart and and an incredibly smart and talented lady. I'm can't wait to meet her once we get down to Texas! Today she is sharing some tips with you all and offering a special something for one of you...
 ~~~

My name is Elise Ostermann and I am currently the Art Director at “Hey, Sweet Pea.” I specialize in branding + design and my fiance, Scott, specializes in video + animation. Needless to say, we are quite the creative duo!

But we didn’t always own a small business. Up until four months ago I was a designer for SONY’s digital media marketing department in Los Angeles. I was shocked and happily surprised with the amazing launch we had and the growth of our business! But I would be lying if I didn’t say we’ve experienced quite a few bumps and bruises along the way. Thankfully, those bumps and bruises have been far outweighed by supportive friends, amazing family, talented colleagues, and business/design idols. I’m thankful for these people, for their advice, and for our new business.

Hey Sweet Pea // Home is with You 

With that being said, here are my top ten tips for other creatives launching their own small businesses.

1. THINK ABOUT IT FIRST: One of the best decisions I made was to slowly launch (or soft launch) “Hey, Sweet Pea.” I spent months thinking through everything, planning, preparing, researching, etc. so that when the launch date arrived, I had a good idea of what I was getting myself into. Don’t rush into starting your own small business. Take the time to prepare, think through your businesses, define your goals, refine your purpose statement, research, talk to colleagues, and write down ideas. Make sure you take the time to think through the business you want to start before you leap. Putting time into your business ahead of time will only help you in the long run.

2. NETWORK LIKE CRAZY: Looking back, one of the best things I did before starting my small business was network. Honestly, I wouldn’t have had the guts to start our small business without the network that we had in place off of which to build. I spent about 4-5 months ahead of our launch date networking with people on Facebook, Twitter, over email, and in real life. Because I put so much time into building a network of friends and colleagues, I had the support and encouragement I needed. Without the support of so many people, from so many different circles, our launch would have played out much differently. But because of all the amazing people I had met we were able to launch with a big bang the day we “opened the doors.” So, network outside your comfort zone and social circle. Go to meet-ups, conventions, email your favorite artists, strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know on Twitter. Believe me; you’ll need lots of support!

3. HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM: Like I’ve mentioned previously, a network is super important to have! But it’s also important that you have the support of friends, family, loved ones, etc. There will be days you’ll want a normal 9-5 job, there will be days your clients frustrate you, and there will be days you ache for encouragement. So enter a new business knowing you NEED friends and colleagues alike. You can’t do this alone, nor should you!

4. SAVE MONEY TO LAUNCH: While you’re taking time to plan your new business, make sure and save for it! For months before I left SONY, I stuck money away to be used towards our move and towards new business start-up costs. Obviously, start-up costs vary, but there are always costs involved up front. Save your money and have a nest egg to dig into. Because whether you need a new camera, an up-to-date computer program, or office filing systems, you can’t launch a new business for free.

5. DEVELOP A STRONG BRAND: I know it may be quite costly up front, but developing a brand is worth EVERY penny. As a brand designer, I am biased… but that’s only from years of working in the creative field and designing for creative brands. I know it may be tempting to pay a “cheap” designer to design your products, but in the end it will cost you more. A successful small business needs to have the LOOK of a great business. It needs to catch the consumer’s eye, appeal to our visually stimulated population, and represent your business accurately. Remember that your brand is more than just a logo, but it’s the colors, your image, and your style. Find a designer who specializes in branding businesses. There are a lot of designers out there, but not all of them have experience building a brand or designing a strong logo. So do your research, save your money, and find a designer who understands you and your vision.

6. SELL YOURSELF: One of the most important things I’ve learned about my small business is that I am the face of it. People will choose to hire me not only because they like my work, but because they’ve connected with me. Whether we’ve connected on Twitter or Facebook, we’ve connected with each other in a relational way. My clients trust “Hey, Sweet Pea” because they trust me. So don’t forget that YOU are the face of your new small business. Make sure you are representing your small business well and that you focus on those one-on-one relationships. There are so many creative vendors and businesses to choose from these days, you want to give people a reason to choose your business and YOU.

7. BUILD SOCIAL AWARENESS: Social Media is your best friend. Not only is it a free advertising source, but it’s a way that you can connect with new clients, colleagues, etc. Take advantage of it. Don’t neglect it. One tip I heard that I’ve found super helpful and true was about building your social media platforms one at a time. I started with my personal Facebook page, started my Twitter account, launched my business Facebook page, etc. I focused on each platform for a few months at a time to really build up each one. It’s been easier for me to soft launch in this way and it’s proved very effective. Take classes in social media, read books/articles, and do research. For those of you who don’t know/understand social media (or don’t have the time), I would recommend hiring someone to help you. Find someone who can build up your platforms, advise you, etc. But be careful when you hire someone! There are a lot of “social media gurus” who aren’t worth your money. Before you hire someone check out their own media platforms (how many followers do they have on Twitter, how many likes do they have on Facebook, what does their website look like, etc.). Make sure you hire someone who KNOWS what they’re talking about!

8. HIRE PEOPLE TO HELP: Small business owners tend to want to do EVERYTHING themselves. Don’t do it. One of the BEST things I learned over the years was delegating. It’s important you learn to delegate. Know your company inside and out, but then hire people to help run the parts of it that you can’t do yourself or that you don’t have time to do. I currently have both a design assistant and a businesses assistant. The designer helps with our flow of design work; the business assistant runs the emails, the schedule, the invoices, etc. Initially, we’ve hired these people as only part time employees. In addition, finding an accountant and attorney early to help guide your business will be worth their weight in gold! My belief is that we all specialize in something and that it’s important I find people I can hire to perform the tasks I’m not as good at, I don’t know about, etc. On the same note, actually hire people and pay them for their work. If you need an extra pair of hands, don’t look for a free intern. Look for someone you can pay to do the quality work/assistance that you need.

9. SELL A QUALITY PRODUCT: So many people launch their businesses before they’re ready. Either their skills aren’t up to par, or their product isn’t up to par, etc. Make sure to invest in your own growth as a creative or your own creative product, before you launch a business. Take time to go to college, take classes, intern, hire a teacher, work for free, etc. Take the time to really perfect and strengthen your product so that when you do launch you can offer quality. A quality product will sell itself. Before I worked at SONY, I wasn’t ready to launch my own businesses. I needed to invest time into the corporate design world before I was ready to work on my own. So invest your time wisely and hone in your skills. This will help your business launch more quickly and successfully.

10. PROTECT YOURSELF: Take the steps to protect yourself. Whether that’s becoming an LLC, making official contracts, requiring deposits, etc. ALWAYS protect yourself. I never assume a customer or client will hurt me or my business, but I want to be prepared in case it ever does happen. So make sure you invest in protecting you and your business. Unfortunately, you will run across bad clients from time to time. These legal steps can help you get out of a contract, protect you from getting sued, etc. If you don’t know what the correct legal steps are hire someone who does.

And there you have it! Those are some helpful tips I’ve learned from others and personally experienced. I hope they help you in your own small business journey. Being a small business owner is exciting, freeing, and empowering. Make sure you take the steps necessary to protect those things!


+ WHAT IS A CREATIVE COACHING SESSION?
It’s a time where we can help you and your business. You can ask us questions about marketing, social media, design, branding, Photoshop, etc. We can be your listening ear, your guide, and your aid in moving your business forward, charting new waters, and a soundboard for your ideas. It's also a financially cheaper option for those who need a helping hand, but aren't ready the financial commitment of a new logo, website, etc. It's our way of making HSP affordable for even businesses/individuals on a tight budget!

+ WHAT DOES IT COST?
It's $100 for a one hour session. You can break the session up into two half an hour sessions as well!

+ WHAT CAN YOU HELP ME WITH?

We would love to help you with your questions about starting a small business, branding, design, social media, marketing, etc. We want to encourage you if you feel stuck, down, or lost. We want to help assess your designs, your goals, your strategies, etc. We are here to help your business towards HEALTH.

+ WHAT IF I DON'T LIVE IN DFW?
That's ok! Almost all of our clients are scattered across the states. We would love to chat with you via phone, skype, or facetime! Whatever medium you prefer and enjoy!

+ HOW DO I CONDENSE ALL MY QUESTIONS?
We send you a questionnaire ahead of time! We want to make sure that the hour we get with you is spent focusing on you, your questions, and your business/organization. We like to do research ahead of time, so that we are better prepared for our hour together!

+ HOW DO I SIGN UP?
Send an email to info@heysweetpea.com. We'll send you the questionnaire and your invoice! We'll book your coaching session at your earliest convenience!

But the good news is... today we're giving ONE lucky reader a free coaching session!!

To enter:
1) LIKE "Hey, Sweet Pea's" FB page here: www.facebook.com/heysweetpea
2) Leave a comment on her wall saying that Mallorie sent ya!
3) Comment on this blog post saying that you did!
 ...easy as that! So go enter now, giveaway ends Thursday the 23rd at midnight!

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