Dreams - progress report

I'm mid-way through the summer and I've been able to maintain the 5 hours/week work schedule with my Rodan+Fields Business pretty easily so far.  Getting up and working about 1 hour a day M-F on my phone and computer.

I got my biggest paycheck so far in June (enough to cover my car payment on my Acura MDX, AND pay for my plane ticket to Vegas for conference!!!).  I maintained pretty well over vacation, working about 3 hours that week and hit Level One shortly after I returned!

My 5 goals this month are to get myself organized!  On my list:

1.  Consolidate all my many notebooks into 2 - one for customers and one for training call notes
2. Organize all my scattered files pertaining to training my new team members into one place.
3. Focus on business goals each month
4. Write down my changing story as to "Why" I want this business for myself.  It seems like it changes as I become more confident and successful and fulfills different parts of me over time.
5. Set working hours so I'm not looking at my phone when my kids are around!

Progress Report

As I was going through old photos the other day, I noticed a selfie where I had a large age-spot on the end of my nose I had never noticed before!  I can see in the photo I am wearing makeup but there is the spot front and center.

I took another photo the other day straight out of bed, no makeup, to take a look at my progress and there is no age spot there.  It's pretty cool that my Reverse Regimen is taking care of skin issues I never even noticed before! Liking the progress I'm seeing with my skin.  I'm turning 44 tomorrow and I have some lost time and sun damage to make up for.

On the business end, I have a friend who approached me about joining me in my Rodan+Fields business last month. I have my first partner in crime and I'm loving having my own person to mentor and bounce ideas off! Happy birthday to me!

Last month, I made enough in my paycheck to take over the payment on my Acura MDX so it's been a great few months for me so far!

If you have any questions about Rodan+Fields the business or the products I'd love to try to help.  Go ahead and email me or comment below and we can connect.

Have a great week!

Hope Studios...The Shop

I haven't given an update on Hope Studios, The Shop since the fall and a lot has happened since then!  I have continued to "meet" some great people, hear their stories, and help them give some great personal gifts.  I combed through my photos to find a few to share.  Here are some of the custom orders I have worked on recently.

The 16x16 Photo Plaques like the one above have really taken off as an alternative to my usual 20x20 Photo Frames.  This plaque has endless options when it comes to photo placement and has been really popular for it's price point and flexibility.   I have painted some quotes that made me cry and some that made laugh like the one above.

Here is the same size 16x16 photo plaque with the photo center mounted to mimic the 20x20 inch Frames. Isn't that the greatest baby name ever??

Of  course, my mainstay remains my 20x20 Wood Photo Frame with a custom quote and center shadowbox-style photo mount. There is just so much space on this frame that the sky is the limit when it comes to quotes.  I have even painted text from actual love letters and wedding vows on this style frame.  The quote on the one above is actually the one I painted for my own mom!  Yep, trouble!

My most reasonably priced 12x12 inch Photo Plaque with custom quotes is always a great choice.  This Pooh quote is just so sweet!  I love it when couples have their own special love language I can help capture.

Check out this little number I painted to commemorate someone's first experience at a major league baseball game, this customer needed flexibility for two differently sized photos on her 16x16 inch Multi-Photo Plaque:

A gorgeous rich red 12x12 inch Photo Plaque - I wish my photo was of better quality! 

And here is a wedding gift, 20x20 inch Photo Frame. Weddings make up about 80% of my business with people choosing vows, special lyrics, and Bible verses most often:

So, that's a highlight on what has been up with Hope Studios, The Shop over the past few months!  Still chugging along!

I have sold on Etsy since 2008 (and Ebay before that), and have been pretty successful (Almost 700 sales! Over $54,000 worth of merchandise!) but the latest policy changes have left me unhappy and looking for a change. 

I noticed a site called Storenvy.com and I'm considering opening a shop as a test.  Anyone have any experience selling or buying from this site?  From what I can see, there is no listing fee but they charge a 10% fee after you sell something...hmmm...

Hope Studios - The Shop Update

I have been busy with holiday orders already this month!  Check out some of the orders that have already shipped...

I love to hear the stories that customers share when ordering...  Here is one of my Affirmation Mirrors a friend ordered for another friend coming out of cancer treatment:

Wedding gifts...

A frame to announce a new pregnancy to a brother...

Song lyrics...

Pregnancy announcement for a grandmother...

Do you have a memory or event you want to share with me?  Contact me and I can come up with a way to memorialize it on a frame, plaque or mirror in my Hope Studios Shop!

What's Up in the Shop?

I haven't posted about my shop in awhile, so I thought I'd share some special orders and new items in Hope Studios"the shop" this weekend.

*Baseball season inspired the new Babe Ruth Quote Plaque (available for purchase).

*Wedding season inspired the Happily Ever After Photo Plaque (can be personalized with your own name and date, available for purchase)

*And the movie "Frozen" inspired the Frozen Quote Mirror (available for purchase).

The rest are custom orders from some of my amazing customers!

Have an idea?  Check out my shop to browse or contact me about an order.

Shopping Trip to Hobby Lobby

The Soul Sisters went shopping last month and I took some photos of some things that caught my eye so you could tag along.  We stopped at IKEA to get our meatball on,  then headed over to Hobby Lobby (I thought it was Home Goods at first and was mixed up)

This funky patchwork chair and sofa set was so bright and quirky! I would love to have something like this in my studio...but then I might not get anything done.  Upon closer inspection, this is actually one fabric printed with several patterns to create the illusion of patchwork!  Clever.

I liked the aged multi-colored drawers on these dressers.  Looks like the kind of thing I might find in my friend Janet's shop,  only her's would be even more fantastic with all the chalk paint colors she carries!  Good for inspiration.

I was fascinated by these baskets made from Chinese newspapers.  I would like to attempt to learn how to do this during the summer.  This is recycling at it's finest. I could make a basket from newspapers to collect my recycled newspapers!

Treat Girl found some lovely fabrics, I'm noticing my photos are getting worse the further into the store and away from natural light we get.

 I won't embarrass her by showing you the Bambi fabric she was swooning over...well maybe just a small picture...

Check out this wire lamp shade form strung with ribbon and glass discs???  Doable!

Treat Girl also found these cool metal numbers that she was going to use to make artwork with her wedding date on it.  Hey, Treat Girl, did you ever show me a picture of the finished project?

There were so many  colorful knobs and pulls you could dress up any old piece of furniture.

I loved these ready to hang, screen printed, metal alphabet tiles but couldn't think of just the right word to spell.  My home is a little over run with "typography" art right now.

And that was our field trip to Hobby Lobby...

Newest Social Media Addiction

I'm still pretty high on Instagram (check it out here) and Facebook and Twitter will always be my old standbys, but this new Vine thing...oh boy...it's really fun!  It was a free download from the app store and I've been playing around with it for the past few days. I might be hooked.

Check out a few fun looping videos.

Here is my son playing frisbee with our dog:

Two of my boys demonstrating a wrestling move:

And an example of how 40 degrees seems like summer to kids in Pittsburgh:

What is your favorite app of the moment?

Tutorial Tuesday

Ruffled Pillow:

DIY Floorcloth:

Easy Tag Blanket:

CLICK PICKS (last week's most clicked links):

#1   Perfect Baked Fries

#2   How to Make a Plain Wire Loop

#3   Thrifted Earrings

 Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

* Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog 

address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!







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Stuff I Googled This Week...

It could be said that in this age of instant gratification, I am an obsessive "Google-er".  I'm the kind of girl who reads a book with a dictionary (or dictionary app) by my side in case there is a word I don't know.  I hate NOT knowing stuff!

So, any sort of question I have is easily answered by a quick "Google" (which is universal word for any search engine for me, kind of like Kleenex is used for any kind of tissue).  I started thinking about it and wondered if the stuff I wonder about might cause anyone else sleepless nights?  Then I thought revealing this information might actually make people laugh at the inner workings of my mind.  Self humiliation is a must if you have a blog, so let's do this!

I'll even include the crazy way I phrase most of my searches...surprisingly, Google and I are ALWAYS on the same page no matter how I phrase something!

"Recipes to Use Meatballs" - I made a crapload of meatballs this week and couldn't figure out how to use them.  Within seconds, I had 30 Ways to Use Meatballs and I was off and running with Meatball Casserole for dinner.

"What's the Latest Date of the First Friday in December?" - this was a classic example of using Google to win an argument.  Also an example of being too dependent on Google to attempt to use your own brain BEFORE Google-ing.  The argument was about the date of our neighborhood Christmas party...important stuff.

"Creative Name Spellings" - which I Googled to respond to a tweet I thought was funny (the tweeter hated weird spellings for names).  I came up with this Yahoo page  and decided on "Jessickah" as the winner and responded to someone's tweet about hating creative name spellings for kids as if it was a letter from someone named "Jessickah".  I'm beginning to think I have too much time on my hands...

"Melanie Mitro"(doesn't her name sound like a superhero?) - this is the name of my class instructor for my Tuesday night P90x class I take while my boys are wrestling.  She mentioned a blog several times during class, so I came home an Googled her and ended up on this lovely blog named Committed to Get Fit.  FYI, I Google people a lot; customers, opponents on "Words with Friends", people who comment...

"How to Send an Evite for Another Host" - this is circling back to our neighborhood Christmas Party discussion because I send the invitations for someone else who hosts who can't figure out Evite (??? I know, I know???).  Evite lists the person who sent the email as the host.  So, after a lot of looking, the short answer is...You can't.

"How to Change the Calendar View on My iPhone" - This is an example of how un-techy I am.  About once a week I bump something that changes the view of my calendar to the day instead of the month.  I usually just turn it off an hope it goes back.  I finally decided I needed to figure this out so I came up with Calendar View Options for Your iPhone - for Dummies (which made me feel like a dummy).  Turns out I actually AM a dummy, because there was a button at the bottom of the screen all along that said "Day", "Month", "List".  I'm starting to feel like I should have left this one off this list...

"Was Diane Sawyer Drunk During the Election Coverage" - couldn't get a straight answer on this one after hearing about this on the radio, but did gather some video evidence that helped me deduce she might have been. Also, video evidence that made me laugh:

  Diane Sawyer -- Drunk, Tired Or Flustered?
  - Watch More
  Celebrity Videos
  or
  Subscribe

"Whats in a Baseball" - I included the misspelling of this request to show that Google doesn't judge me.  Yes, there is no apostrophe in "What's"...Google don't care!  And, no, my dog is not going to die after gnawing furiously on a baseball because Inside a Modern Baseball is nothing more than leather, yarn, more yarn, a different kind of yarn, 2 kinds of rubber and a cork center.

Then there is a whole list of "My Dog Ate..." Googles.  So far, I now know that my dog will not die if she eats:

Stink Bugs

Hydrorcortizone Cream

Febreeze Air Effects Car Air Fresheners

As I look back over this list, I wonder if I should own a dog...

So, that's a look of what I Googled this week.  I'm thinking this could be a regular feature!

What did YOU Google this week?

***ANNOUNCEMENT***

Start thinking about 10 things that make you happy for a party on Monday!  I recorded my first VLOG! Yikes! And I will have a link up for blog posts so we can all share our 10 things!  WahHoo!

Fall Centerpiece

We celebrated a Soul Sister birthday last month and one of the gifts presented (always handmade is the rule!) was this pumpkin centerpiece.  Isn't it amazing??  Great idea, Joy!

Thanksgiving is around the corner and I would love to have this crowning my dining table.

Do you want to make your own? Let's do this thing!

Pumpkin Centerpiece

What to buy:

Pumpkin
Potting soil
Plastic bag
Various small plants and decorations

What to do:

Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the insides.  You can roast the seeds for a snack!

Line the inside of the pumpkin with a plastic bag and fill almost full with soil.

Plant your plants!  Easy peasy!

This pumpkin was planted with succulents and moss and adorned with mini gourds, Chinese lanterns, acorns, and greenery.

Some other ideas...

Herbs, lettuces, pansies, mums, or just about anything you will find at your local nursery or in your backyard!

When your pumpkin starts to rot, just transplant into a pot to enjoy during the long winter.

Doggie Pills

My little Cockapoo is 8 years old and we have been so lucky so far that no medical issues have ever come up...until this year.  For the second time in as many months, I'm faced with have to administer antibiotics daily.  She is NOT a willing participant.

I finally asked my vet for some tips, because all the advice on Google ("place near the back of the dog's tongue" and "hold their mouth closed") wasn't cutting it.  She was upset, I was upset and at the end of it all there was still a pill lying on the floor.

So this is what he suggested and it has worked like a charm!

First, choose a soft treat they really love, like hotdogs or cheese.  I chose hotdog and cut off about an inch long piece which I cut in half.

Second, press the pill into the treat.

Third, with treats each hand place the first treat (with the pill) into the dogs mouth and immediately hold the second treat in front of her face.  She will rush to eat the first treat (sometimes swallowing whole) to get to the second treat!

It worked like a charm and we are almost through our 10 day prescription without a single struggle!

Do you have any other tips to get your dog to take medicine?

Juniper's Book Club

I can't tell you how many times I've heard or said "I wish I were in a book club..."

So let's do this thing!  Let's make our own club, and choose our own books, and tell our own stories!  Let's make it casual, where you can drop in if you like the book and no problem if you don't.

Are you in???

I'm thinking that the last Friday of each month could be Hope Studios' Book Club where we can discuss that we've read.

Let's begin with a roll call of everyone interested and your vote for our first book...

September Book Choices:
 
 Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

The Fifty Shades Trilogy

It's Feedback Friday...

Would you like to start our own online book club?

What title would get your vote for the first discussion?

Is one book a month too ambitious?

Tutorial Tuesday!

Grilling Teacher Gift:

 

Paint Chip Matching Game:

Thin Mint Ice Cream: 

 

CLICK PICKS (last week's most clicked links):

#1     How to Sew a Housedress

#2     Retro-Fitted Suitcase

#3     Easy Handmade Mother's Day Gifts


Please... (this is the part at the end of the commercial when the announcer talks real fast)

*  Link up using the link to your actual post (not your general blog  address) using the subject of your tutorial to generate  interest.

* Add my button or a clickable link back to this post so everyone can join in.

* Visit and comment with all our friends. Show them some love! Meet some new friends! Learn something new!

Ready? Teach Me Stuff!







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How to Snack Smart - 100 Calorie Snacks

It's so tempting to grab one of those 100 Calorie Snack Packs, isn't it?



Let's come up with some healthier alternatives, thanks to WebMD.

1/2 cup slow churned ice cream

Did you know that slow-churned or double-churned ice cream is a process that reduces fat and calories while retaining the creamy texture? 1/2 cup has just 100 calories, protein, and calcium.

Saturated Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 45 mg
Cholesterol: 20 mg
Carbs: 15 g

1.5 Cups Microwave Popcorn

Some brands have just 100 calories. It's also high in fiber, which can help you stay full longer.

Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Sodium: 220 mg

Mini Quesadilla

Sprinkle an ounce of grated low-fat cheddar cheese over a corn tortilla. Fold in half and microwave for 20 seconds.

Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
Sodium: 182 mg

Cottage Cheese and Cantaloupe

1/2 cup of cottage cheese has 14 grams of protein! Like fiber, protein can help you stay full longer.

Saturated Fat: 0.7 g
Sodium: 468 mg
Cholesterol: 5 mg

Three Crackers With Cheese

Choose whole-grain crackers and low-fat cheese and split it over three crackers.

Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
Sodium: 397 mg
Cholesterol: 7 mg

Fourteen Almonds

Almonds are rich in fiber and protein and super convenient on the go.

Saturated Fat: 0.63 g
Sodium: 0 mg

Six Whole-Grain Pretzel Sticks

This snack is cholesterol-free, low in fat and sugar, and provides more than 3 g of fiber.

Saturated Fat: 0.4g
Sodium: 257mg
Cholesterol: 0 m

Baked Apple

Core or slice an apple in half and then bake it at 350° F for about 20 minutes. You can sprinkle with a little cinnamon or nutmeg.

Saturated Fat: 0 g
Sodium: 2 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Cheese-Stuffed Pita Pocket

Whole-grain pita pocket and stuff it with 1/2 ounce part-skim ricotta cheese.

Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
Sodium: 149 mg
Cholesterol: 4 mg

Blueberry Smoothie

Blend 1/3 cup of nonfat yogurt with 2/3 cup of frozen blueberries and ice.

Saturated Fat: 0 g
Sodium: 59 mg
Cholesterol: 2 mg

1/3 Cup Edamame

A third of a cup has more than 8 g of protein, 4 g of fiber, and nearly 10% of your recommended daily allowance of iron.

Saturated Fat: 0.5 g
Sodium: 4.5 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

3/4 Cup Frozen Mango Cubes

A 3/4 cup serving has just 90 calories and provides 60% of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.

Saturated Fat: 0 g
Sodium: 0 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Eight Baby Carrots with Hummus

Dip eight large baby carrots into 2 tablespoons of hummus. Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A and beta carotene, while hummus adds protein.

Saturated fat: 0.4 g
Sodium: 210 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Apple Slices With Peanut Butter

Measure 3/4 cup of apple slices and spread a thin layer of unsalted peanut butter on each slice, don't exceed 2 teaspoons of peanut butter.

Saturated fat: 0.8 g
Sodium: 2 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Yogurt With Sunflower Seeds

Stir a teaspoon of sunflower seeds into 1/2 cup of nonfat plain yogurt. Make sure to use unsalted sunflower seeds, especially if you are watching your sodium.

Saturated Fat: 0.26 g
Sodium: 0 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Nonfat Greek Yogurt with Honey

Just 1/2 cup of nonfat plain Greek yogurt has 12 g of protein to help you stay full. Drizzle on a teaspoon of honey, and the whole snack totals 84 calories.

Saturated fat: 0 g
Sodium: 53.5 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Half a Baked Potato with Salsa

Microwave a baked potato, skin on, for an easy snack that's loaded with vitamin C, not with calories. Spread a tablespoon of salsa on top to spice it up.

Saturated Fat: 0 g
Sodium: 124 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Frozen Yogurt Sandwich

Spread two tablespoons of nonfat frozen yogurt between two graham cracker squares. Even with chocolate frozen yogurt, you're only looking at 84 calories.

Saturated Fat: 0.13 g
Sodium: 104 mg
Cholesterol: 1 mg

20 Pistachios

Eat 20 pistachios has only 80 calories and less than a gram of saturated fat. Plus, they're rich in protein, fiber, and several key vitamins and minerals. To avoid an unhealthy dose of sodium, eat them raw or dry roasted without salt.

Saturated Fat: 0.8 g
Sodium: 0 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Frozen Banana Pop

Slice several peeled bananas in half and insert popsicle sticks. Coat each half with an ounce of low-fat plain yogurt. Put the pops in the freezer, and soon you'll have ready-to-eat low-calorie treats.

Saturated fat: 0.35 g
Sodium: 3 mg
Cholesterol: 7 mg

1 Cup Tomato Soup

Tomato soup is full of disease-fighting nutrients, but contains as little as 74 calories per cup, no cholesterol, and less than 1 gram of saturated fat. Look for labels that say "low sodium" and check the calorie count.

Saturated Fat: 0.19 g
Sodium: 471 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

1/3 Cup Dry Oat Squares Cereal

Pour 1/3 cup dry oat squares cereal into baggies you can keep in the car or at your office. Each serving has 70 calories and barely any saturated fat.

Saturated fat: 0.17 g
Sodium: 83 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

1 Cup Grapes

Grapes are loaded with water, which means that a whole cupful has only 62 calories. Grapes are also a terrific source of vitamin K and manganese, and contain some fiber to boot.

Saturated Fat: 0.1 g
Sodium: 2 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Smoked Salmon Pinwheel

Spread 1 tablespoon of low-fat cream cheese onto a slice of smoked salmon (lox) and roll it up. This salmon pinwheel is high in protein and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

Saturated Fat: 1.6 g
Sodium: 495 mg
Cholesterol: 13 mg


One Cup Jicama Sticks and Salsa

Slice the jicama into French-fry sized sticks and dip them in salsa for only 54 calories.

Saturated Fat: 0.03 g
Sodium: 235 mg
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Spooky Outside Halloween Decor!

I mentioned the decorations I put up for Halloween outside my house before. The kids like the effect of walking through a spooky forest to get to the front door, and I like that it's cheap and easy. Win win situation.

I literally, gather dead branches from the woods, the gnarlier the better. I prop and tie them around my front entrance. (Free)

Then I begin to cover them with spiderwebs ($1.00 for a bag) and blackbirds ($1.00 or less each). I discovered last year, when the Dollar Tree ran out of large crows early in the season, that I could spray paint random craft store birds black to get the same effect. Actually, I like the variety of shapes and sizes a litte better and I can find them for about 25 cents apiece at any craft store.

I picked up one large vulture from JoAnn's that keeps watch over the front door for $5.00.

Creepy...

What do you do outside for Halloween?

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