Happenings ‘Round These Parts

I know I’ve been quiet lately, but the silence on this blog stems from a pile of amazing people and projects I’ve been able to work on. I’d love to be better about documenting these adventures as they occur, but in the grind of daily minutia, the details don’t seem to matter. The tiny steps of progress every day are things that I’ve learned to celebrate, but I fear making a bigger deal out of them than they actually are, if I pay homage to them on the blog.

Maybe they are a big deal. Food for thought.

At any rate, here’s a quick summary of things I’ve been working on, in case you’re curious.

• Go Inspire Love – Cathy Olson from Love Inspired contacted me a few months ago to ask if I wanted to collaborate on something. We brainstormed and defined an audience: creative entrepreneurs with a desire to share God’s love with the world. Then we came up with a concept, that, to our knowledge, has never been done before, or at least in the way we are doing it. The basic concept is what I like to call “nuggets and network”. It’s a community concept (we’re working on exactly what that will look like), and a place for us (and members) to share feedback and experiences on problems other entrepreneurs might be experiencing. We’re very transparent about the fact that it will evolve based on feedback from members. Registration opened yesterday for 50 founding member seats. Check out GoInspireLove.com if you’re interested!
• Day Designer – The old duck analogy applies here. Calm on the surface, paddling like crazy underneath. We debuted 9 new cover designs on August 15th! This was the highlight of my month. I loved hearing the feedback from folks as they picked their favorite and placed their order. I can’t wait to get these in ya’lls hands, hence the paddling like crazy underneath! Here’s a pic of the cover designs we debuted:

Left to right in the image above we have:

• Spotty Dots – Definitely the new favorite! Quantities are on this one are dwindling, and we expect to sell out quickly when the shop opens again on September 15th at 8:00 am CST!
• Black Stripes – Aren’t they classic and timeless? Still a favorite among Day Designer users.
• Aqua Shell – Elegant and refined, light and airy!
• Navy Rugby – Preppy and bold with a twist! The “grosgrain ribbon” on the center adds an element of detail that charms my socks off!
• Gold Stripes – You all love your gold! This one will also be a quick sell-out, so if you have your eye on it, set your clock for that September 15th shop opening (8:00 am CST). Retailers also have stock of both the Gold Stripe and the Black Stripe, so if you miss out on one of these, check the retailer list. Most of our retailers ship nationwide!
• Grosgrain Stripe – You all like this one a lot more than I thought you would! It’s preppy, bright, fun and whimsical. What’s not to love?
• Green Gingham – My friend Natalie Chang commented that she drooled on her phone when she saw this. Isn’t it darling? Several of my close personal friends have picked this as their favorite. I think they all live in the South, too.
• Navy Gingham – Maybe this is the gingham for the girl in the northeast. She’s a preppy and nautical-loving gal, right? I think it make me want to take a trip to Nantucket.
• Mint Rugby – When I asked you all what color you most wanted to see, you said mint! Here it is, with a dash of coral and blush. It’s the perfect color combination for the gal who wants to be on top of the latest trend!
• Carrie Floral – This one might be my personal favorite. Named for Carrie Bradshaw, it’s bold and fiesty, feminine and crisp. It oozes confidence.

I might need to find a reason to carry two Day Designers!

Other projects that have my wheels turning:

• I’m working on getting some new community features in place for Day Designer users. It’s kind of a big project, and trying to figure out all the details, how to roll it out, get all the kinks worked out–well, it takes time.
• Over the past two years, I’ve received a few requests from folks who are non-planner people, but want access to the Define Your Core worksheets in that have come with our flagship Day Designer product. I’m excited to announce that these worksheets are now available as an e-workbook download! Check them out in my new Authenticate Etsy shop. I’m definitely rolling with these requests as they come, so if you are interested in purchasing other types of downloads, let me know!

On that note, a little bit of information about Authenticate, and my consulting business. I’ve dabbled in consulting over the past two years, but never really felt like I found my footing. I love helping folks, but trying to figure out HOW to help them, and put a process in place, has been a big challenge for me. In fact, if you’ve been a reader for any length of time, you may have noticed that I announced earlier this year that I wasn’t accepting any more graphic design or branding clients. After trying on those services for size, I discovered that what a client expects and wants isn’t really anything I’m able to offer right now, with kids and a whole lotta crazy happening at our house at any given moment. And if you can’t do it right, don’t do it at all.

That realization definitely left me floundering in the consulting department for a while, but I’m finding my footing. I’ll be rolling out a new service in the coming weeks, and I’m also opening a new class for Authenticate later on this fall. The first online class/course/mastermind has evolved over the course of this year, and I’m taking everything I’ve learned and everything I’ve taught am retooling that into an all-new Authenticate 2.0. To sign up to be notified when this opportunity opens, you can add your email address at AuthenticateExperience.com. And stay tuned for details!

I’m signing off now, because that’s a LOT of information in one “quick” blog post! Leave any questions you have in the comments, and I’ll try to answer them ASAP!