ME ON "NASHVILLE" EP 104

Hey guys! Just wanted to share this video from the recent episode of "Nashville" on ABC (Have you seen it?? It's so good!). I was an extra that day but you can actually see me a lot during the performance, standing behind / beside Eric Close, who plays Teddy. Check out the video below:

CALENDAR GIVEAWAY WINNER

The winner of the calendar giveaway is Jessica Christie! Thanks to everyone who participated, and look forward to more giveaways in the future! 

HWP WALL CALENDAR GIVEAWAY!

It'll be time to change calendars before you know it! Calendars make great gifts for the holidays too so I'm giving away 2 of my new, large 11" x 17" year-at-a-glance calendars (one for you, one for a friend). You can frame them, tack them to the wall, tape them up with washi tape - whatever you want. 

How to enter: 

Just leave a comment below with the number of the 2 calendars you would like (ex. 1 and 2) or you can enter the same number twice.

*For an extra entry, like HWP on Facebook and leave a comment on the post about the giveaway too!

I'll announce the winner on Monday morning. Good luck! :)

One entry and bonus entry per person. Winner picked at random.

*UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for your participation!

WORKING FROM HOME / OWNING A BUSINESS

I've been working from home, running my stationery business for almost six months now and I thought it might be a good time to talk about what I've learned so far. I think a lot of people have a certain idea about what it means to work from home and own your own business that isn't completely accurate. I wanted to give you a bit of information about it in case it is something you have considered.

One major plus? Setting up an adorable home office! (via Chic Sprinkles)

THE GOOD

Control: When you own your own business, you are in charge. You can take on clients that you want to take on and turn down clients that aren't a good fit. You decide if you want to expand the business, slow down the growth, change your logo, change your website, change your business direction; it's all in your hands. This is good for control freaks (which I tend to be) or people who always dreaded group projects in school (also me). 

Motivation: When you work for yourself, work becomes so much more important to you. Incoming work directly affects your pay. You want your work to be good because it reflects badly on you as a person and a brand if it isn't. Because of this, you also appreciate work so much more. Sometimes working for a corporation doesn't inspire much motivation, as Peter Gibbons explains because you don't feel that what happens to the company directly affects you so you just do what you have to do to get by and go home (but I realize this isn't the case for everyone).

Flexibility: Not a morning person? You can sleep in and work late into the night if you want. Need to take the dog to the vet today? You don't have to worry about telling anyone. Hate wearing heels and dress suits? Wearing makeup? Showering? You get the idea (though I do recommend showering...). When you work from home, you can work in whatever makes you feel most comfortable and productive. All that matters is that you get the work done.

THE BAD

Stress: With having all of the control comes having all of the pressure. If a customer or client is unhappy, there's no one to pass the blame onto: it's on you. If a deadline has to be met, you've got to get it done no matter what. On top of that, you've got to know the in's and out's of every part of the business. You know that commercial where the business owner has to take his computer to the IT department, and the IT guy is the same guy as the business owner, just dressed differently? And then he goes and checks with finance, and it's him again in a different outfit? When you own a business by yourself, you have to wear many hats. Just because you started a photography business because you enjoy photography, for example, doesn't mean you'll be taking pictures all the time. Actually it means you will cherish the moments that you get to just take pictures but the rest of the time is spent doing finances, marketing, IT, customer service, etc. In other words, it's not just fun.

You can't turn it off: One of the main reasons that it's not for everyone is that some people want to completely leave work when they leave the office (makes sense), but when you own your own business, the work is always there. Sure, you can watch TV at night, but that pile of work isn't going to get any smaller. It's quite literally like having your desk and computer at work be with you all the time because chances are if you work from home, your office is always staring you in the face. There's always more work you could be doing and this makes it hard to relax. The flexibility that I mentioned before is true, but the work still has to get done one way or another.

The "respect" factor: To me, this is probably the biggest negative about working from home and owning a business in a creative field. A lot of people do not take it seriously. In my case, people often think that I'm sitting at home playing on the computer making pretty little cards all day and they say "wow that must be nice". While that is partly true, and I feel so blessed to be able to do something that I have a passion for, there is so much more to it than that (as I previously mentioned) and a lot of people don't consider that part. Expect people to think that you have all the time in the world to go shopping, hang out, or even take a trip just because you have a flexible schedule. Worse than that, expect people to say rude things without realizing it. I have seriously had people say varieties of the following things to me:

(After explaining what I do) "So what do you do all day while Wes is at work?" 

"Now that Holly isn't working..."

"So I know you have your little business, but what do you do with all your time?"

I don't want to get on a soapbox about my work ethic, but I have had a lot of jobs. I've worked in retail, office environments, administration, customer service, corporate offices, restaurants...and I have honestly never worked as hard as I work now. I also make more money now than I made at my previous post college jobs, but some people think that I'm just doing a fun hobby, Real Housewives style, and living off of Wes' income. I know it sounds like I'm ranting, but the point I'm trying to get across is that if you want to do something like what I do in a creative industry, you have to develop a thick skin and realize that some people just aren't going to get it, and that's okay. You have to be happy on your own and lose the need to impress people or get their respect.

THE MAIN IDEA

It's not for everyone: While people like me thrive on the excitement of work and being inspired, some people just want their job to be their job and that's okay! There's nothing wrong with having your job be the thing that makes you money and then having fun when you go home at night or on the weekends. In fact, it's much easier and more secure. I really think that you have to have a certain kind of passionate personality to own your own business. When I was in 2nd grade, I made my own magazines and sold them to kindergartners for 50 cents each. In fourth grade I sold friendship bracelets. From 5th-8th grade I had a babysitting business with a friend of mine that kept me really busy (we put promotional magnets in people's mailboxes and everything). My point is, I think some people just are born with that desire to be their own boss and some people aren't and there's no right or wrong way to be.

I love what I do and I've never been happier. I feel so blessed every day that I get to do something that I'm passionate about. I also feel now that I'm on a career path that can grow into whatever I want it to be. The stress that comes along with it also means that I'm never bored and I love the control and flexibility that I have at work. 

Have you ever thought about starting your own business or working from home? If so, I hope that you found this helpful. Feel free to post any questions below and I'll try my best to answer from the little bit of experience I have! 

Also, 8 Questions to ask before launching a business 

an infographic about working from home

and an inappropriate but hilarious cartoon by the oatmeal

SLOUCHY FALL SWEATERS

My favorite outfit to wear this time of the year is an oversized sweater with skinny jeans or leggings and boots. So stylish, so effortless, so comfy! Here are my favorite sweaters so far this season:

Shopping Links:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

DIY DIAMOND RUG

Today I'm excited to share a DIY project that I made for the Drifter and the Gypsy blog. Check out the photos below and go to the post to see the full tutorial!

2012 HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA: INSTAGRAM BOOK

What a great gift idea! Turn your Instagram photos into a book. You can order your own Instagram book from Artifact Uprising here.

photos via Artifact Uprising

DIY HEART SWADDLING BLANKET

Dying over this adorable DIY swaddling blanket from the Delia Creates blog. What a sweet (and inexpensive) baby shower gift this would be - holy cuteness! Check out her post for the tutorial.

swaddling blanket by Delia Creates

LINK LOVE / 34

16 ways I blew my marriage - a great read by a single dad

How much food and drinks to serve at a party - very helpful!

How to add old house character to a new house - the only bad thing about a new house is that stark feel

27 reasons why kids are the worst - you'll laugh!

Cats that look like pin-up girls - this blog is the best thing to ever happen:

Obsessed with the idea of a coffee bar in the kitchen:

awesome family photo:

My washi tape obsession pairs well with this tape picture frame idea:

genius Eiffel Tower costume:

Have a great weekend!

SLATE GRAY KITCHEN INSPIRATION

Last week, during our trip to Ohio, we helped my parents paint their kitchen. I wish I had a "before" picture to show you, but my mom had already gotten so much done by the time we got there so all I have are "during" pictures. Before this point though, they had wallpaper. Lots of wallpaper. It was bad. My poor mom and sister had the fun job of taking all of that down, and then when we got there, we painted!

my mom hard at work

Wes on the ladder

 We decided to do all white walls with a slate gray accent wall. My parents have dark gray countertops and this accent wall really brought them out and made the room more interesting and modern. I love how it turned out!

The freshly painted walls and very few decorations as of now!

The next question my mom had was, "Which colors will look good with slate gray?" so I did a little research to help find complementing colors for the curtains and other decorations. Here are 4 slate gray kitchens with color palette inspiration at the bottom. 

Sources: Design Sponge | Country Living | Apartment Therapy | Cupcakes & Cashmere

AUTUMN IN OHIO

Last week, Wes and I went home to Ohio to visit family and friends. Up there, the leaves were already orange and it definitely felt like fall. We had a wonderful time, and I thought I would share some photos from the trip...

playing in the leaves at my parents' house

Wes' mom made an amazing pie from this recipe!

My dad and uncle at my cousin's country wedding - love the quilts at the reception.

You know you're in the middle of nowhere, Ohio when you see horse and buggy crossing!

We rode on the back of my dad's pickup truck through the country, which Chester loved.

& I got to see lots of college friends during homecoming festivities.

It was such a great trip home, and it was so nice to unplug for a while and be outside every day. Plus, I am now in full fledged fall mode (like I wasn't already?) and I can't wait to try to make that apple pie. :) Talk to you soon!

DIY CANVAS TRICK OR TREAT BAG + FREE DOWNLOAD

Click HERE to download this "trick or treat" file, shown above, and follow this tutorial that I did a few months ago to make your own canvas trick or treat bag for any cool kid in your life!

CONSTELLATION INSPIRATION

I've been noticing a new trend emerging lately: constellations! I had a telescope when I was younger and I went through a major astronomy phase. These items are really taking me back to stargazing on my back deck when I was 12, and I would love to incorporate a few into my home - what about you?

Reading the Stars Embroidery via Miniature Rhino

Decorating with constellations via Sparkles and Pretending blog

DIY constellation jar via Design Mom

Constellation Necklace via One Eyed Dog

Constellation Nightlight via Land of Nod

BACKPACKING ILLUSTRATIONS

Loving these informative backpacking illustrations by HCCMIS. I'm not a huge outdoorswoman, but these definitely get me in the mood to get a little fresh air and eat some granola.

PS Which of the top backpacking destinations would you want to do the most? Yellowstone seems beautiful and I would also love to go to France and Australia! 

UNIQUE FALL EVENT COLOR PALETTES

It seems like most fall weddings and parties are always the same old colors: orange, red, brown, etc. So I decided to come up with a few fall color palettes that are still in season but a little more unique. I hope those of you who are planning a fall event will find this helpful!

FREE PRINTABLE HALLOWEEN PARTY INVITATIONS

If you're throwing a Halloween party this year, here are some free invitations you can download, print, and cut out to send to your guests. Just click the link at the bottom of the post!

DOWNLOAD HERE

CUSTOM WORK: NEW YEAR'S EVE WEDDING INVITATIONS

Today I wanted to share a custom project that I worked on for a friend of mine who is getting married on New Year's Eve. Karen and Tim were wanting invitations that would set the tone for their wedding, which is going to be a very fun, sparkly celebration. They wanted bold typography and lots of color. 

I heat embossed these tags with gold ink to bind her different pieces together inside the envelope.

I also printed metallic gold confetti onto the front of the envelopes with my letterpress.They turned out really shiny in person because of the contrasting gold on deep purple.

These envelopes were addressed with a metallic silver pen (though it photographs white). 

Overall I think her invitations captured the celebratory spirit of her wedding that she was wanting and I think they will get people excited about toasting the new year with her and her new hubby.

Thanks, Karen & Tim!

5 PUMPKIN DESSERTS

Just a warning: this month's posts are going to be full of all things fall!

Yesterday, painted pumpkins. Today, pumpkin desserts. You can also expect pumpkin food (non-desserts) and drinks in the future. I like pumpkin stuff. It's delicious. The good news is, you won't have to scramble around before family get-togethers this fall for something to make because I did all of the searching for you (and now I'm hungry).

Here are the 5 pumpkin desserts I found that made me drool the most (I excluded pumpkin pie because it's kinda boring. Delicious...but boring):

Recipes:

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Frosting | Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies | Pumpkin Fudge | Pumpkin Doughnut Holes Baked with Cinnamon Sugar

PAINTED PUMPKIN IDEAS

It's already October! That means it's time to start thinking about fall decorations. I've never been a big Halloween fan, but I do like to decorate pumpkins in the fall, and painting rather than carving seems like a great alternative. Less mess and more options! Here is some inspiration:

Image Sources & Tutorials:

ombre | white pumpkin with flowers | glitter | candy corn | gold foil | geometric

NEW WEDDING ORDER PACKAGING

I have written before about my packaging for HWP, but lately I've been wanting to take it up a notch, especially for wedding orders. Packaging is something that I find not only fun, but also really important. The wedding invitations industry is pretty flooded right now, so I want my customers to know how much I appreciate them choosing me out of all the other options. I think one of the best ways to do that is to make the experience of opening their order really exciting and fun. I want them to feel like they're getting a present, not just a purchase.

Outside the box:

I added this sticker...

...and a logo stamp to make the boring brown box a little more unique.

Inside:

I made a quick and easy little garland out of washi tape and strung it to the top of the box.

Then I added colorful elements like the thank you sticker and mini business cards. I want the box to feel like a celebration, so I punch some big confetti circles out of tissue paper and sprinkle them around the box. 

One of my favorite additions to my packaging is a little muslin bag with these sheets I designed with tips to have a more joyful (less stressful) wedding. As exciting as the engagement experience is, it's also a time where a lot of couples feel stressed and overwhelmed, so I added these as a way to remind couples to enjoy this time and remember what's important.

I hope that these additions will make my customers smile, and make opening their mail a little more exciting!