Good Shtuff Archives - Page 8 of 15

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure. I share my adventures via images + notes, and you're invited to join in.
You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

Last minute warning! The Starship closes tonight! Beam up here.

The view

The Path

I am bubbling with excitement for my upcoming to trip to Boston! I'm planning a series of workshops around the city (each with a different focus + a prize for everyone who comes to all of them!) and the registration for the first one just opened. I'll be teaching how to develop and FILL a class where you can share your creative skills (painting, knitting, writing!) at Cabot Street Studios, thanks to an invitation from Ana. (Want me to teach in your city? Shoot me a note and let's plan something!)

Wanna start holding your own workshops? Alex's got you covered with her easy-breezy tips on rockin it.

The highlight of the week is overwhelmingly the responses I got to this email. I've added a few of the stories (with permission) to the Love + Praise page.

The second best thing of the week? My FOURTH self-employment anniversary! I celebrated here + with my own quarterly review and planning (I use this mini-book + Leonie's Money Game (which you can find in her Business course here or as part of the Academy))

I also shared a bit of my How To Explore mini-course with Oh My Handmade. Here's what to pack before you leave for an adventure in your business.

Ever wonder what Prince eats? Here's a look inside his (extremely eccentric) fridge. You're welcome.

Everyone wants to crochet their own Star Fleet uniform, right?! (You know I do!) Doris Chan did just that.

**I plan to spend the rest of my weekend snuggled up with this stack of books. You?**

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure. I share my adventures via images + notes, and you're invited to join in.
You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

Savoring…pesto from my homegrown basil

Knitting…Staccato

Quilting…with bright red thread

Exploring…the Appalachian Trail around Watauga Lake

Celebrating…a succesful class that the students loved

Trying…Jammie Dodgers with The Doctor

Preparing…to open the Starship next week

Planning…at least two workshops in Boston, in September (!!)

Listening…to Icona Pop

Watching… (hopefully!) Before Midnight

How about you?

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure. I share my adventures via images + notes, and you're invited to join in.
You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

Adventure Notes

This pie was delicious. I didn't have a pie crust made, so I left it crustless…and it was delightful.
I just started knitting Staccato, and several knitters have commented they want to join me. Let's have an impromptu knit-along! Just weet/Instagram with the hashtag #staccatoKAL to share your pictures + progress. You can see the yarns I'm using on Ravelry.

Not sure if you should sign up for my new class? Here's some questions to decide if it (or any class) is for you.
I'm in the new issue of Crafty, handing out advice on pricing! Super exciting! You can buy it here or your local newsstand.

MONDAY is my birthday! Yay!

Some very generous friends wanted to send gifts…only to realize that my address isn't anywhere. If you want it, just ask.

Currently…

Every week is an adventure. This week's list was prompted by Ali Edward's suggestion. You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

Loving peonies

Writing everything I've learned by connecting with readers through email series

Sipping iced coffee with coconut creamer

Matching shoes and skirt

Editing all the ums and ahs, into clarity and zing, turning 20 minute videos into 5 minute videos

Anticipating my little brother's visit and our week of adventure

Planning a massive house-cleaning in preparation for a week off

Making my first handmade binding

Longing, oddly, to paint. For the first time ever, it just feels like I should be painting.

Hoping to join Flora's class

Bubbling with ideas for my next class with Diane

Join me?

The Finds

The only thing I can focus on this week is praying for Boston. I wish I could do more, but what we can all do is donate to help the victims. Give here. If you're looking for some distractions, here's what I enjoyed reading this week:

I love this post about beauty and our cultural insistence (even in the Dove Real Women ads) that beauty is important to self worth.
I feel in love this with quilt.
And this one. I'm definitely making it soon!

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure and I share the view, the path and the finds on Fridays, with an invitation for you to join me. You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

The view

The Path

After a lifetime of avoiding working on my quarterly taxes until the very last possible moment (and then remembering it's never as bad as I feared), I think I landed on a solution: Corporate Quarterly Retreats. There's a whole game system in place (leveling up, dance breaks, lots of tea), and I plan to make the retreats even more retreat-y (this time, since I dreamed it up and DID it in the same day, it was just me, the pup, my pjs and lots of breaks). Lesson learned: Find What Works. Don't stop experimenting and playing until you land on a way to do that task painlessless, and with joy.

Jay made these meatballs (subbing 1 Tbls of flax mixed with water for each egg) and they were AMAZING (pictured above). Easily the best meatballs ever. We *may* be eating them for every meal….

Speaking of life-changing deliciousness, I was asked to donate cookies to a fundraiser at Jay's work. I send over half of all my baked goods off to work with Jay, so that I can maintain a semblance of self-control. These Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookies are a favorite and they're great for bake sales because the recipe makes over 3 dozen. (And no one cares that they're dairy-free and egg-free, ie, vegan!)

If you want to try dyeing with Easter Eggs (yarn or fiber, or even wool fabric!) NOW is the time to buy the dyes, while they're crazy-on-sale. Years ago I made a video with instructions. This is a totally safe project to do with kids!

I spent most of my week working with map-makers who are plotting a fabulous Quarter 2. I am SO thrilled to see where they're going. (You can make your own map here.)

The Finds

Yay! Starship Captain Heather just released her book, What (Else) Would Madame Defarge Knit? Knitting for book-lovers! (Speaking of loving books, don't forget to check out our book club picks!)*

I'm completely addicted to You Need a Budget. Read the lessons, get the (free) e-course and then try it! It's really perfect for working with variable income (as we all do) and syncing up with someone else (we both have the apps on our phone and can add transactions on the fly). The stress level in my life has decreased a thousand-fold, just since using it on Tuesday. (I might talk about this more, later, because I have spent years working on my relationship with money.)

Diane just opened up her super-helpful course, Monetize Your Craft Blog. If you've got a blog, but don't have a money-making plan (or if your plan isn't working) this class WORKS (lots of my students and clients have raved to me about this class). *

*I'm not an affiliate for any of these projects, but I am friends with Heather and Diane. So, you know, I'm a bit biased…then again, our friendship was predicated on the fact that I already respected their work before we ever met.

What was your adventure this week?

Explorer’s Book Club – April

Welcome to the Book Club!

Each month, I’ll suggest 2 or 3 books that you might like to read – one will be a biz-explorer pick (something to help you in you navigate your business) and one will be a general fun (or creativity) pick. I’ll provide links to Goodreads (so you can easily add it to your queue), IndieBound (buy from your local bookseller!) and Amazon Kindle (if available).*

Last month, we started reading The Art of Possibility and Six Thinking Hats. What did you think?

Did it change the way you think about making decisions? Leave a comment to tell me. (That's where I'll be sharing how I'm using Six Thinking Hats in my business).

April's Books

Contagious, by Jonah Berger. I haven't read it yet, but it was suggested by Jessica of Storied Yarns and it just came in at my library. I look forward to reading it along with you!

GoodReads | IndieBound | Amazon

The for-fun pick is Dinner: A Love Story, by Jenny Rosenstrach. More than a cookbook (since I don't eat meat, there's not a lot of recipes from it I'll be trying!), it's a lovely story of getting dinner on the table every day. I especially loved this bit, where she talks about how she and her husband end up “owning” recipes (Jay and I do EXACTLY this):

GoodReads | IndieBound | Amazon

*A reminder: I got both of these books at my library – so try yours! If you buy from IndieBound or Amazon using the links below, I get a tiny percentage for soy lattes.

If you’re joining me in reading these books this month, say hello in the comments! If not, what are you reading?

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure and this is the view, the path and the finds that made this one special. You can find all my adventures here, or follow along via email here.

The view

A new lamb on Mom's farm! YAY!

My newest project, a tea-towel (PS. You can get this pattern for 1/2 off!)

Checking out a local 5k course, through a beautiful neighborhood

I got a haircut!

The path

I'm gobsmacked by the reaction to my How to Read 100 Books in One Year post! I'm so glad to have met so many of you and gotten your recommendations! I am doubly happy that a random idea is turning into such a lovely book club! If you're “in” the book club (to be “in” – just read the books!) you might like this TED talk by Ben Zander, author of Art of Possibility. (Thanks to the readers who pointed it out to me!)

The Starship opens to new members in 2 weeks. This week I got a pile of emails asking about it, so I wanted to let you know! If you're even flirting with the idea of beaming aboard this quarter, do sign up to hear the stories of current captains. They share their best business lessons (useful whether you join or not) and you'll get a good feel for what you can expect. Totally free, daringly honest, right here.

The finds

“It's not easy to ask. Asking makes you vulnerable.”

If you don't like to ask for the sale, or ask for money, watch this:

via Kim Werker

Another thing that's not easy? Dealing with fear + mean comments. Here's a GREAT video on how to handle it:

via BrainPicker

If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I am (oh-so-slowly) taking up running. I tried the Couch to 5K program (I used an app) and really loved it for the first 3 weeks…and then I just couldn't seem to move forward with it. I don't know if it's the weather or the structure of the app…but I knew that if I'm going to run a 5K this spring (one of my 2013 goals!) I need a different kind of structure. And then I realized: The structure of the Starship has helped me and other explorers move forward on our goals…maybe I just need a version of this for my running? Something with specific lessons and check-in times and a community? And then I remembered, Alex Franzen had linked, long ago, to Up and Running! It's exactly what I was looking for and it started this week and I LOVE IT. I think you've got a few more days to join, if you'd like to!

What was your adventure this week?

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure and this is the view, the path and the finds that made this one special. You can follow all my adventures here.

The view

Kitty yawn!

Finished a new hat!

A finished wholesale order

Snuggling with my handmade throw

Spun by my 13 year old knitting student (she carded and spun the yarn from a local llama!)

The path

This week's email (How to not get bummed about the internet) really struck a chord and the replies have been flooding my inbox in a wave of solidarity. If you've been feeling down in comparison to everyone's apparent success, read it.

Budgets + Boundaries, my advice-column-y take on the tricky issue of your business money + your family, on OhMyHandmade. It sparked deep + sweet conversations during the live chat. I'm always open to chatting about this, so if you need a sounding board, don't hesitate to write. (I might be the only person in the world that really loves my inbox. Don't be shy!)

The ladies at Create Hype interviewed me! You can read the truth about fear (uh, yeah, I have it!) here.

The finds

“Sometimes we set out to do something, like write a novel, and we fail at writing that particular novel. But in the process of failing at that novel, we can actually succeed at writing another.”

-Wil Wheaton, in this awesome post on failure. (Thanks to Kim's newsletter for the link!)

(This is doubly true for business. You might start to sell one thing, and have one kind of business and decide to change your mind (500 times). While you've “failed” to do the first business, that process created your better idea)

This is a beautifully honest post by Diane. Please read the whole thing.

Thanks to Alex for sharing ReciteThis. With it, I made this in about 30 seconds:

What was your adventure this week?

The Adventures

The view

Every week is an adventure and this is the view, the path and the finds that made this one special. You can follow all my adventures here.

The first flowers of the year!

How my to-do list gets done

Starbucks Vanilla Spice Soy latte: my new best friend

Eep! I pinked the tips of my hair (instead of the front stripe)

Currently knitting

The Path

My week was filled up with class discussion and solo-sessions with Starship members (I had five, which might be a record!). It's so invigorating to talk to interesting people about their adventure.

I just brought on a new writing client and I'm just loving the inside view at a business I've long admired. I don't do much writing-for-other-people because with the wrong fit, it can be draining (for both of us!)…so I'm also delighted (and a little shocked) when someone finds the info and signs up. Which reminds me, I should probably mention that I do that kind of thing, sometimes.

Banana yarn finally (finally!) came back in stock! I've got just a few skeins left, and you can grab 'em here.

I'm a Frockstar! Karina Dresses said so!

The Finds

I was delighted to learn that fellow coffeeshop-regular David makes music I love. Listen in here.

Handmade Ryan Gosling. And Feminist Ryan Gosling. Thank you, internet.

This retreat is SO close to me, I almost can't not go. Who's coming with me?

This envelope for expenses is going to the change the way I live (currently: all recipes for a whole year go in sad, torn-up envelope at the bottom of my purse)

Bonzai Aphrodite is back! My favorite vegan-ish blog.