Ode to Cupcakes

Source: buzzfeed.com via Sarah on Pinterest

On this fabulous Friday I'm  doing an ode to cupcakes post. You wanna know why? Because I love them. They are perfect in their simplicity! I've tried baking a few of these cupcakes (see the ones above) and they're not only super fun, they're also delicious. I get a lot of relaxation out of baking. I love cupcakes so much I even got one tattooed on my arm! 

Angry Birds - another guilty pleasure of mine. 

Source: thecraftingchicks.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: treats-sf.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: treats-sf.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: citified.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

Source: citified.blogspot.com via Sarah on Pinterest

What do you like to do in the kitchen? 


Have a great weekend.

Sarah & Lisa

The A-Team

I got some really great news this week regarding Zelma Rose. I'm not ready to talk about it, because like everything else in the world of small business, there is that possibility that it will fall through, but never the less, I had to do a ton of work in a very short amount of time to prepare for a potentiality. Sounds familiar, right?

http://collider.com

Well, lucky for me, I have spent the past few months pulling together my own Zelma Rose A-Team and I'm oh so glad I did! Pretty much exactly like the popular 80's TV show, there are different personalities carrying out different tasks, all helping to keep Zelma Rose in tip top shape. Without my team in place, I NEVER would have been able to adequately prepare for this surprise business opportunity.

Hiring out my weaknesses was a tip I received from creative entrepreneur Willo O'Brien. I was interviewing Willo for an IndieMade Blog piece, you can read the interview here, and she shared with me the importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses as a small business owner. Willo advised me to spend time on my strengths and hire out whatever weaknesses I could afford. Whether that was in the form of online applications, or actual people, do it and do it now. With Willo's sage advice in tow, I set out to gather my A-Team. And yes, I need an entire team, my weaknesses are many. It takes a village!

www.ilovedoodle.etsy.com

So how did I do it? How did I gather my bad ass, street fighting, riding around in a van team? Like all good 80's TV show plots, I went out on a mission, with a killer soundtrack of course. Here are some tips on how to assemble a crack team of experts.

• Research and Investigate. Ask around. Approach friends and colleagues and ask for their recommendations and keep a running list. This can help with cross referencing. If three different people give you the name of the same graphic designer, that's a good sign!
• Collect. When at conferences, events, and meetings, collect business cards. Then keep them organized! A friend once told me when looking for a copy editor, she took out a business card from a conference two years earlier. You never know!
• Once you have assembled a group that you feel good about, take the time to get to know them, how they work and what a typical timeline is. This is really helpful when you find yourself in a last minute time crunch.

Here's my A-Team, for those of you looking to recreate your own 80's TV show:

Rabbit Foot Fern Design

Portraits To The People

Lightbox SF

Stitch Labs

Outright

Shoeboxed

Who's in your A-Team, besides Mr. T of course?

xo

Lisa

Awfully Grand & Awfully Lame - March 28th

Awfully Grand & Awfully Lame

What a week. I can't believe it's only Wednesday. Here's what has made the list thus far...

• Retail Readiness with Rena Tom! I'm taking this class to polish my selling skills for Zelma Rose and wow! Lots of great information and Rena gets right down to brass tacks. If you want to start selling wholesale, you need this class!
• Sharing a brain. Sarah and I seem to do this quite often. We will email each other about an event, class, or blog at the same time. That's right! Yesterday we invited each other to an Etsy Craft night at the same time. Creepy or awfully grand? I'm going with awfully grand!
• Finally kicking this cold/flu I've has for 2 weeks. Being sick is the pits. Being sick without childcare is downright psychotic.

• Self-centered entitlement. It seems to be running rampant these days. Taking into consideration that there are other people on this planet is a good thing, I promise.
• Rain. Yes, I know we need it after such a dry winter, but it's almost April and I have some really pretty spring dresses I want to wear. Waaaaaaahhhh.
• Not having enough time in a day. I feel like I always say this. Seriously though, I need a stunt double.

What are your weekly ups and downs?

xo

Lisa

To Do List

Saw this fabulous drawing today by Wendy MacNaughton and just had to share. Buy one here!  I can totally relate to this...can't you?

xo
Sarah

Remembering What Is Important

Found on Pinterest.

I am a crazy big time overachiever. I work a full time job at a non-profit, I do a lot of photoshoots, I blog for Awfully Grand, I post photos on my blog M-F, I organize the Success Squad, I Twitter, I Facebook, I Pin lots of stuff, I read tons of blogs, I keep up with my favorite photographer's blogs, and on and on and on. From time to time things get neglected like my wife, the dishes, laundry, my personal life, exercise, eating well and of course my cats. So, on this fabulous Monday morning I'd like to take a moment to stop and remember what is important.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Right now I'm sitting here with my eyes closed (well, I was a second ago anyway) and I'm thinking about how much love I have in my life. I remember how supported I am in all of my creative endeavors by my friends and family and I feel the well of creativity and energy inside of me filling back up. There it goes....filling all the way up to the top. My wife and sister joke that I do too much and one day I might burn out, but you know what? When you're doing something that you were meant to do and you're in touch with that creative spark - you'll be able to find tons of energy reserves.

So, in my moment of remembering what is important I think about my cats. Silly, perhaps, but they know where it is at - they are the perfect vehicle for me to stop doing what I'm doing, especially when they come sit on my chest, legs, or feet. I have to stop and be present with them. I love those moments where I can stop, pet my cats, and remember what is important....not because I have particularly want to, but because I have to.

This is Nigel. He will trip you to get attention. 

This is Fergus. The moment you start petting him he starts purring. 

What makes you stop and remember?

xo
SD

Photo Friday: Big Sky San Francisco

San Francisco is rarely cloudy. Not because the sun is ALWAYS shining, but because the fog does not really allow for clouds. When we do have actual cloudy days, everyone gets their camera out. Here's some shots from earlier this week. Suddenly San Francisco becomes big sky country!

Happy Friday.

xo

Lisa

The Practice of NO.

I'm often asked by my friends, "Just how are you so good at saying no?" This question is usually asked with a certain degree of attitude and a few expletives thrown in. The fact of the matter is saying no and maintaining good boundaries around what we can and cannot provide, just like every other valuable skill, takes a ton of practice. I didn't get here overnight. It took years of training as a psychotherapist and a year working in a psychiatric ward to really get the hang of having healthy boundaries and saying no. And still, even I occasionally blunder. Practice makes perfect and getting the hang of consistently and comfortably setting boundaries will take time. Being that this week at Awfully Grand is all about practice, I thought I would put together a helpful list of ways to practice creating healthy boundaries and saying no.

www.thelittlechickadee.etsy.com

1. Before you read any further, you must do this: Reframe what you think about boundaries. In my post about boundaries a few weeks ago, I wrote that boundaries are a courtesy we extend each other. Yes, boundaries are a GOOD thing. It is challenging to say no and create healthy boundaries, but it is a lot easier if we understand that saying no is a courtesy. By saying no and creating healthy boundaries, we are letting others know what they can expect from us, and this is positive for all parties involved. I don't care if you use my boundary mantra or create your own, but start to see setting them as a social grace.

2. Start small. Before you decide to test your boundary skills out in the board room, hold up! How about a little role play? Ask a friend, partner, or if you really want to test your skills, me, to role play a customer, co-worker, or family member. If that seems too close to home to start, have fun with it. You are seated in between Eva Mendes and Brad Pitt on an airplane and they both want to take you home. What do you do?

3. Take it to the streets. Once you have tried out some role play, it's time to take your practice live! Start with strangers. I think it is most difficult to maintain boundaries with family and work relationships. Why not try saying no to someone who you do not have a relationship with? Practice on the Greenpeace canvasser, that telemarketer you keep ignoring, or the person trying to cut in front of you at the store. Remember, you are coming from a place of concern and courtesy.

4. Be unapologetic. If boundaries are a courtesy, there is no reason to apologize for them. Saying no is enough. When you apologize for saying no or setting limits you are sending the message that what you are doing is wrong, and it's not, so drop the apology. No need for an explanation or back story. The more you say no, even to questions like, "Do you want fries with that?", the more easily you will begin to create a way of doing so that feels polite and genuine without the apology.

www.breedingfancy.etsy.com

5. Write and record. When you feel as though you have a way of communicating your boundaries that feels right to you, take notes! Write down your dream scenario, with your fantasy sentence and response. Study this, believe in it and know that if things ever go this smoothly you might be dreaming! I want to stress the importance of this step. What you are doing here is creating a toolbox for yourself, a mental checklist of words, sentiments, and feelings that will help you in the moment. This is where you break out the coffee and the highlighter and get down to studying.

6. If at first you don't succeed, try, try again! Once you have some practice under your belt, you will find yourself in real world situations being able to more easily see and feel when your boundaries are being crossed. If you are lucky, it will happen in the moment and you can work on reaffirming those boundaires in real time, but what will most likely happen at first is you will notice later. This is so very frustrating, but all part of the process! And seeing the events play out in your mind afterwards, is very useful! First, you can take stock. Think about what you could have done differently. Hindsight is 20/20, so give yourself a little constructive criticisim. Second, know that you did not blow it! Establishing boundaries is not all or nothing. It is never too late to start, so just becasue you missed something first go around with a client or co-worker does not mean that you are now stuck. You can say no at anytime.

7. Ask for help! This is a process, and like any process, it will take time and it is nice to have some guidance and support along the way. Let me know how I can help!

I will leave you with a glorious NO.

xo

Lisa

Awfully Grand & Awfully Lame - March 20th

Awfully Grand & Awfully Lame

Rant and rave. Here we go:

• Custom orders. I truly love working with customers to create custom designs for their special day. I'm so excited that wedding season will be in full swing soon. Looking forward to making lots of Zelma Rose Pocket Squares!
• Being a total GEEK! Between regular season baseball starting any minute now and Game of Thrones returning to HBO April 1, I'm getting my geek on big time.
• Retail Readiness! So excited for my upcoming class with Rena Tom about getting your business ready for retail!

• Even thinking about moving. AUGH. So much to do.
• Thankless people in general. BLAH.
• Getting a cold in March. Really? March. Can cold season please learn some damn boundaries already?!

What are your rants and raves for this week?

xo

Lisa

I Suck At Being Patient

Found on Pinterest

I am the worst person when it comes to being patient. Take for example my photography career - I want to be doing it professionally 100% right now, no, yesterday, I want to be a professional photographer like yesterday, but obviously that's not how things are panning out. I struggle with how frustrated I am with myself and and how long everything takes. So, when I gripe and complain to my friends and family  what's the one word they always say? Patience. Patience. Patience. 

And I look for signs from the universe that I'm on the right track and things are coming together, but not on my timeline. Is it a blessing? Sure. Am I frustrated? Usually, yes. But last night I had a huge 'a-ha' moment went to see Jasmine Star, an Orange County based wedding photographer that I've admired for several years. Jasmine is going across the country presenting 'The Fix' which is all about helping photographers fix their businesses and shift the industry. Check out one of her inspirational videos right here - it is all about being you, which I love!

It was kind of like going to see a doctor for a check up. Jasmine talks a lot about the mistakes she's made, what she's learned along the way and how she built her business. From the looks of things - I am doing everything I can to make sure my business will be successful one day, do I wish that I was shooting enough to support myself 100% right now, hell yes, but that's not in the cards and I have to be ok with that.

So, I guess the point of this post is to ask for help? How do you practice patience? What do you tell yourself when things aren't happening as quickly as you would hope? Any tricks or tips are greatly appreciated.

xo

Sarah

Practice Makes Picture Perfect

Art School. There is so much to say. It's the best and the worst. Fun and humiliating. Easy and unbelievably difficult. In short it prepares you for adulthood and parenthood more than it actually prepares you to be an artist. And for this I am quite grateful.

www.heroesandcriminals.etsy.com

I graduated from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, which feels like a million years ago to me now. I was an Interdisciplinary major, which I'm not even sure if they still allow. It was fantastic! I wrote my own curriculum and could take classes from any and all departments, as long as I exhibited a cohesive body of work based upon the multiple disciplines at the end of each semester. I studied print making, sculpture, painting, drawing, photography and anything else that struck my fancy. While it may seem like a jack of all trades approach, having a good sturdy skill set in all these disciplines enabled me to get a lot of great teaching gigs when I graduated. And get paid, which really helped!

Photography was by far my favorite and by the time I graduated, most of my classes were in the photography department, and I was studying under Hank (Henry) Wessel. I think my gravitation toward photography was in part due to interest, but also due to Hank. I can't think of anyone at SFAI who doesn't adore Hank Wessel. He is a brilliant photographer and also happens to be a wonderful instructor, and those two rarely go hand in hand. For those of you not familiar with the work of Henry Wessel, here's a great video from KQED.

Hank's work can also be found in numerous galleries in San Francisco and among the permanent collection at SFMOMA. I encourage you to check out his prints in person. Hank is very much ahead of his time. While most photographers were shooting picturesque landscapes, Hank focused on finding the interest in the everyday. I'd love to know what he thinks of Instagram!

Photography in the 90's was with a camera and film. I spent most of my time in a dark room and the other part smoking cigarettes on the balcony outside the dark room. I know how to use film. Actual film. Developer, paper. Yeah it's crazy! Standing in a tiny completely dark room removing a roll of film and winding it around the spools of a developer canister, a thing of the past. It is safe to say I don't know a thing about digital photography. Sure, understanding the basic aesthetic of photography is the same, lighting, composition, and depth, but all the really cool stuff you can do to a photograph with the swipe of your finger....holy COW!

www.posterpop.etsy.com

In an effort to get with the program, I signed up for an Instagram account a few months ago (my handle is zelmarose is you are so inclined). I was very hesitant, because I have not really taken a picture in what seems like forever. This being said, I take all my own product photography shots for Zelma Rose and sure I have a ton of photos on my phone, but none were taken with purpose, considering the composition, lighting, etc. Just snap shots. My hope was that, if I take enough pictures, I will renew my interest in photography, and also by practicing, I'll get better, and maybe, hopefully, get close to where I once was skill wise. Hank would say, just keep shooting.

Let Them Eat Cake

So yeah, that's what I do. Sarah posted some of our Photo a Day shots on Friday and I have found the Photo a Day assignments to be a great way to practice. At least I am taking one shot a day. I'm learning about filters, apps and all that cool stuff from pros like Sarah and Instagram stars like my friends Linda @maplesyrup and Tammy @punkrawkpurl. I miss the paper. Especially the really nice silver gelatin expensive kind. The paper was nice, but all this new stuff is really really cool!

A corner of my house

People are usually surprised when one mentions the word practice in a creative pursuit. Like creative people don't need practice. We are just a bunch of lucky gifted people running around being lucky. Guess what, that is true. Just kidding, it's true for very, very few. The rest of us practice and practice and practice and make a ton of bad art and mistakes that no one ever gets to see!

Sidewalk Tree

For me, really looking through the camera again has been a reminder of the discipline of practice. The more photos I take the less I have to think about each shot. It is kind of like muscle memory and the more I practice, the more I learn. This is great news! It means that the medium can change, and in the case of photography it has changed drastically, but it does not erase my longtime relationship with the camera. The love is still there and so is the learning.

What do you practice?

xo

Lisa

Photo Friday - FatMumSlim Photo A Day Challenge

Lisa and I are both taking part of the photo a day challenge on the FatMumSlim blog. We wanted to share a few of our favorites with you on this cloudy and rainy San Francisco Friday! Wanna know how I keep up with the photo a day challenge? I make the photo a day list the lock screen on my Iphone, so I see it multiple times a day. I love the challenge of posting a specific pic a day and looking through the hashtags on Instagram is always entertaining. Here are 3 of Lisa's fave pics, followed by mine.

February Photo a Day Fruit

February Photo a Day Front Door

February Photo a Day Green

March Photo A Day - Someone I Talked To

March Photo A Day - A Smile

March Photo A Day - Something I Wore

Hi, I'm Lisa and I'm Putting Out

Yeah, not in the way that probably got you to read this post, let me explain.

www.blueeyedshark.etsy.com

I started 2012 with a promise to myself, I was going to say YES! Like all the time. As much as I could. Not in the weird, I'm a martyr and wear the weight of the world on my shoulders because I take on way too much way, gross. More in the, I'm not going to make assumptions about where an idea, question, relationship, or business proposition may or may not lead. I would say yes, and find out for myself. I learned a few years ago, that we can wish and dream and ask, but we don't always get to choose the exact way our wishes and thoughts come to life. Meaning you can choose where you want to go, but the path sometimes takes you in unexpected directions and these detours along the way are INVALUABLE if you see them as such. As a result, this year already has been one of enormous creativity. I've met a lot of wonderful new people, taken on a ton of fun and exciting projects and I have more design ideas than I can ever manage to make. Sounds great, right?! YES!

www.redvelvetpress.etsy.com

What you don't know is that I used to be painfully shy. Like so shy that my preschool teacher, after I hadn't said a word to ANYONE the first two weeks of preschool asked my mom why she didn't tell them I could not speak. Yeah, I sat, perfectly happy under the table by myself and drew. The whole time. I'm saying this because, while my shyness is a thing of the past, I do need to force myself to say yes. It is a daily exercise in persistence. Each day, I ask myself, what did I say yes to today? What did I do that made me a little uncomfortable, unsure? Sometimes it's as simple as saying hello to the person in line with me at the grocery store. Other times it's making that cold call, or going out on a limb and attempting to deepen a business relationship. My experience thus far has been very good. Saying yes really rocks.

www.loribruggeman.etsy.com

Now, being the Queen of Boundaries, I just said yes to that moniker, I want to be perfectly clear that I am saying yes within reason. I have my boundaries, they are clear. Crystal. Just ask my friends. This kind of saying yes, putting myself out there in ways that maybe last year I didn't, or never have before has been fun. It totally changes the energy around you. The openness you need to project to say yes, is a total game changer and I have seen immediate gains in my business alone.

www.happydeliveries.etsy.com

So I invite you to take the pledge. Not the putting out pledge, that's your own business, but to say yes. Yes to something everyday. Yes to things that stretch you by leaps and bounds, challenge you to grow, and push your skills to the limit. Growing pains are a good thing.

xo

Lisa

Awfully Grand & Awfully Lame - March 13th

And now for my most favorite part of the week - the celebratory and yet wonderfully ranty Awfully Grand & Awfully Lame. Ready, set go!

•  Getting all moved into my new apartment and finishing up painting, kitchen organizing and doing anything/everything that requires a cordless screwdriver. 
• Booking a record number of shoots in March and getting inquires about my April availability.
• Another awesome Success Squad meeting last Sunday.
• Got a new haircut from Cirrus at Salon Alta and damn it is CUTE!
• My nephew is turning 3 on Sunday and I'm so excited to be part of his party - decorations, cupcake baking and of course photographing the madness!

• Cabinets that were built in 1970, so nothing remotely tall and or wide fits into them.
• Another electric stove - really? 
• The fact that we have to wait many more months before seeing a new episode of Downton Abbey. My wife and I are totally addicted!

What are you thinking is grand or lame this week?

xo

SD

Who the hell are you?

Image found here. 

Not to piggy back too much on Lisa's kick ass post yesterday, but it got me thinking about the question above and how it relates to our small creative businesses. We read a lot about branding and as someone who has rebranded my photography business a total of 3 times it is really important to ask yourself some deep questions to get to the core of who you are! 


I also have some advice about what to do when you are getting in your own way - read on! 


I found this wonderful blog post on the DIY Business Association website written by Dixie Laite. She asks you do do a great Q&A with yourself:

• What are your values?

• What do you really care about?

• For what do you stand?

• What qualities are important to you in a friend, in a co-worker?

• What virtues do you consistently maintain, and which, in your humble opinion, are totally let slide-able?

• What gets you bent out of shape?

• How do you insist upon dealing with other people, where are you the most helpful, and whom is it you’d most like to serve?

I'm curious to find out what would happen if you answered these questions yourself and then interviewed your mother, partner, best friend to see what they think you'd say. Do the answers vary a lot or are they on point with who you are? Sometimes we have total dysmorphia about how we're seen by the outside world. For example, when I started my rebranding my business I was all about romance and vintage colors and lettering, but my clientele (and me) for that matter are much more modern and design savvy. Maybe it was because I got married last year and was still in the red and blue vintage DIY phase of my life and it leaked into everything else without me knowing! 

Image found on Pinterest.

I think that along with asking yourself who the hell you think you are - you should ask others as well. Lisa's incredibly successful rebranding wouldn't have been possible without the help of a few other individuals and we're so excited to see what she's done with our loving suggestions. Sometimes getting out of your own way can be a sure road to success.

Can you think of a time/example when you had to get out of your own way? 

xo

SD