Instagram

I got an iPhone for Christmas, so I can now officially call myself an iHole. But luckily, I don't say things like "You're just kidding yourself that Android is better than iPhone" (I'm looking at you, Beth Howard!) because really, they're just different. I loved my Android but there just wasn't a great new Android phone on Sprint that suited what I was looking for.  So my hubs got me one for Christmas using his "new to you" program discount.

That's love, people.

There are definitely things that I miss about Android, but there is one program that makes up for it. It's Instagram, of course! I knew I would love it from all of the cool pictures my friends had been posting, and I was right. It's so fun to use and I love checking into my friend's feeds and seeing what they're up to.  For some reason, you can't look at these things online through Instagram's website (what's up with that?), but there is this other cool website called Statigram were you can view all the lovely photos on your computer like so:

Then throw in more fun apps like Diptic and PhotoStudio to edit your photos, and voila! I have found a new time suck.  Just what I needed...

This is inside the Nashville airport

Zero, with his standard "read my mind" face

Eddie's Attic in Decatur, GA 

 My daughter & Zero look out the window. Cute, right?

SO fun. Do any of you peeps out there know of any other awesome Instagram related programs or websites I should know about?

Pinterest

Are you hooked on Pinterest yet? I go in and out of phases, mostly when I have a project I'm working on to distract me from actual work.  Last spring when I was looking for a studio, I was pinning anything and everything to help me decorate this imaginary amazing place:

 

Of course, then I moved into a boring office space with grey carpet, fluorescent lighting, and a drop ceiling.  I moved in quickly, and I didn't even paint the boring white walls. It doesn't have beautiful hardwood floors or cool brick exposed walls, but it's very safe and I call it home.  I started a paper plane garland across the ceiling, and after months of them sitting in a box, I finally finished hanging one of them (there will be three, dammit).  I am also planning on painting a chalkboard wall in the next few weeks, though. It will be Pinterest worthy, people.  I hope...

About the same time as all the studio dreaming, I was obsessing over stylish baby girl clothing that I mostly couldn't afford. That was fun as it only involved making purchases and not actually following through with making actual clothing which is good since I can't sew...

 

Then I got very, very busy. I didn't go on Pinterest for months. I didn't waste hours scrolling through fun and inspiring pin boards. Don't tell the cool kids, but I kind of forgot about it. But for some reason, I got back on the wagon this year (or is it off the wagon? I always get confused which is which) and started pinning again. And it's So. Fun.

It makes me want to create things again. Things that I am not planning on selling. Things to decorate my house and my children's rooms with.  Art projects to do and paint chips to recycle for alternative uses!  Pinterest has no shortage of adorable DIY inspirations, and just to add a little performance pressure, they are very well photographed:

Such cute stuff.  I hope I have time to do at least one of these little craft projects...

In addition to all the fun, Pinterest is also being touted as a great way to promote products and drive traffic to your website. Even Real Simple magazine thinks so. If I had time to look at my Google analytics, I could see if this is true for me, too.

Then there's the nagging question, How does Pinterest make any money? Here's an interesting article about the founder that basically says it doesn't... yet. It's been valued at $200 million, but it doesn't actually generate revenue. Wow.

So what about you? Are you staying up late on Pinterest, too?

Winter Trade Shows - Accomplished!

We just did two wholesale shows back to back and it has been a whirlwind to say the least. We did Atlanta Gift, which was awesome, amazing, couldn't have been better! Lots of orders, loads of new accounts, good times! We stayed with wonderful friends, which equaled a more comfortable stay and we saved money to boot. We ate dinner with many of our favorite people who we don't see enough and we also got to feel a bit like our pre-parent-selves - going out every night without paying a sitter or waking in the middle of the night to soothe a toddler having a bad dream. Ahhh... 

Snapshots of Atlanta Gift

And then we did ACRE Orlando which was... disappointing. It wasn't dismal, but I heard from many talented artists who didn't even write a single order. That makes me sad. We did have some yummy dinners (Cafe Tu Tu Tango, anyone?) and got to visit with Greg's parents who were en route from Miami to Norfolk so that was nice. And hey, it was 70-80 degrees there. I got to wear tank tops and eat ice cream outside at night. Who am I to complain, really?

Scenes from Orlando, Florida

Anyhoo, I'm excited to have opened many new accounts and there are some exciting things on the horizon that hopefully will come to fruition as a result of all this hard work. Do I sound vague? Sorry - I don't want to jinx anything!

In the meantime, I'm on the hunt for a new assistant. It will be hard to replace my last one - she was FABulous but alas, she was so fabulous that someone else snagged her for a full time position. I cried when she told me (not in front of her - I am a professional!), but then I had to get through the Christmas rush with very limited help. And THEN I had wholesale shows to prepare for, and THEN I was out of town for 10 days! Seriously, I don't know how I haven't ended up rocking in the corner in a padded room somewhere. Running your own business is NOT for the faint of heart!

But when I walked outside in sunny, warm, Orlando and drove around with the windows down, it made everything seem okay...

New earring styles on the website!

I just added some new earring styles mixing sterling silver and gold filled metals to the website! My personal favorite is the Gold Swirl Teardrop, but the Honey Halo is a close second.  I'll be adding lots of new items and images to the website over the next few weeks, so keep checking back!