Weekly-ish notes on navigating big change

Good Shtuff

The Adventures

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

The View

Snow day = spending allll afternoon making a #vegan apple pie.
Actually, this whole neighborhood reminds me of Downton. #ifnotforthestripmalls
Just posted a short #monthofloveyarn spinning video on Vine! (I'm taraswiger, of course!)
Hanging art! #momsfirstexhibit
Yay! Mom and her art are in the paper with my press release!

The finds

  • On my car trip yesterday I listed to this interview from On Being, with Seth Godin. It is so good. Every maker, artist, or thinker should listen in.
  • Tammie Bennett made the MOST AWESOME map. Check it out here.
  • Confession: I know nothing about who comes to my site or how they got here. I check Google Analytics every once in a while, but I'd like to be smarter about it. Thank goodness Diane is teaching this series of classes.

My path

  •  How to plan your daring adventure – my post on the Karina Chronicles
  • Right now I'm in Cookeville, for my mom's first EVER Art exhibit! There's an opening reception tonight at Corner Coffeebar + Arthouse. If you're nearby – stop by and say hi!
  • The best part of this week was opening the new class and meeting the new students! Join us here.

The Adventures

Every week is an Adventure..and this is the view and the finds that made this one special. You can see all my adventures here.

 The view

Fonzie & Pinky
The Fonz + Pinky Tuscadero

Stella's passive-aggressive call for attention. She sneaks up slow until she's crushing my arm and I can't type.
Stella crushing my arm while I try to work

Pounced on love-y supplies for my #monthofloveyarn packages in Target's $1 section.
Love-y wrapping for the Month of Love packages

Valjean & Javert
Valjean + Javert

Planning my next class!
Planning my next class

 

The Finds

 

Yay! Sat down to spin a Dr Who + TARDIS yarn...and got this @amysnotdeadyet card on the mail! #serendipity #drwho

  • Tammie Bennett (my new favorite artist) sketched everyday for 100 days. And then made an adorable video:

 

  • I get a lot of questions from people who haven't started their businesses quite yet. And while I answer every single one, I'm far more interested in talking about all the middle parts. So I'm delighted when I find something I can recommend that covers all those just-launching-your-site steps. Paul Jarvis's new book, Be Awesome at Online Business, is exactly that. From finding a designer to writing your content to preparing for the launch, it's got what you need. This is my new official answer to “Where do I start with a website?“

 

  • And if you wanna get started with having a business selling your art or craft, Leonie's got you covered. Her business guide has every single step from pricing to printing your prints to shipping.

 

What did you find this week?

The Holiday Adventures

Every week is an Adventure..and this is round-up of the view, the links and the inspiration that made it special. You can see all the adventures here.

The View

Beau's new fave spot- the back of the couch, over my shoulder.

Four strips down, 7 to go! #quiltsbychristmas

And now... I have days of this ahead of me. #handquilting #quiltsbychristmas

Still life from a handquilting afternoon.

The finds

 

  • The Internet blew up over Instagram's new Terms of Service. Here's the scary way of looking at it…and here's the less-scary way of interpreting it (short version: YouTube + Twitter have nearly identical language). I'll be on Instagram for the near future, but I'm also on Flickr if you've moved there (with their new app, I'll be more involved in commenting, fo sho.)

 

 

  • This video is my favorite thing of the week, for thinking about how I want to work in the New Year.

 

 

And with that, I'm offline (except for welcoming new Starship Captains aboard) until the new year.

Speaking of, the Starship closes January 3rd. If you're curious, sign up here to learn more about who the Starship is for, and to get to know a few of the members. And if you're hoping to get my book or any support for your biz for a holiday gift? Here's a template for asking.

The Adventures

Every week is an Adventure..and this is round-up of the view, the links and the inspiration that made it special. You can see all the adventures here.

The View

Reason to love this town #324: this is the view. Everywhere. #nofilter
The lovely Johnson City
Finished!
The finished tree
Spinning this month's Yarn Mail by Christmas tree-light.
Yarn Mail by Christmas-tree-light
This is happening. (Both get on back of couch behind me) #snorgling
Back-of-the-couch snorgling
Everything is better by Christmas tree light. #quiltsbychristmas
Sewing by Christmas tree light
Love the reactions to this hat. #amusementorpity
This hat gets the best reactions…because it's a Happy Hat!

The Finds

  • “Yarnover Truck is your local yarn store on wheels, implementing the food truck business model and applying it to a mobile yarn store.” How cool is that? Support these clever entrepreneurs right here.

 

  • It's official. We're a total trend. This morning NPR did a story about what we're doing here: young (ish) entrepreneurs with no outside funding, who are succeeding thanks to….the internet! Read or listen here.

 

 

 

  • Planning your New Year in your creative business? Tammie has a list of 10 things people + spaces that can help you with that!

 

 What were your adventures this week?

2 years ago: Sabbatical 
3 years ago: My real-life yarn shop
4 years ago: Seattle recap

 

The Adventures

Every week is an Adventure..and this is round-up of the view, the links and the inspiration that made it special. You can see all the adventures here.

The view

Running downtown. #c25k
Running downtown.

Brunch with my honey. The perfect post-Thanksgiving recovery.
Brunch.

Grateful for yarn subscribers who love color as much as I do. #thirtydaysofthanksgiving #instagratitude
Yarn Mail spinning.

Fabric for Quilt #2: washed & ironed. (That's a towel on my kitchen table for an extra-big ironing board.) #quiltsbyChristmas
Secret project.

Grateful for…

This week has just been so full of love and support. From blog posts to tweets, there are so many sweet people I'm thankful for. Here are just a few:

The lovely Xiane, one of the first crafty businesses I met in person, said some lovely things about my work and my new site. Thank you!

Hanna, my favorite art journaler (and she does so much more!), wrote a lovely review of my book. She's giving away a copy right here.

I loved IdeaStorming with Garnet, of Karina Dresses, so I was utterly delighted when he wanted to share the experience with their community.

 

This week I opened the Starship, and I'm so grateful for the feedback:

 

 

How was your week? What are you grateful for?

 

 

 

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure…and this week was Sandy, Holiday Sanity and CraftLit.  Past adventures can be explored here. 

 The View
Beau is better than any personal trainer. Here he's saying: steps! We love steps!

Andre finds the sewing machine a warm snuggler.Too many cups of coffee later: the Digital Kit is done! Formatted, uploaded, buttoned. And $5 to Red Cross Disaster Relief. #sigh

 

The Delights

Making it about more than us.
This week was completely swallowed by Holiday Sanity. And feeling…conflicted about talking about the holidays when so many people are struggling to put their houses (and lives) in order. So I asked myself: What's worth talking about right now?  And the answer is clear: When Holiday Sanity is more than just me and you…when it makes a difference for people who don't even know us. And so, $5 from every Kit goes right to the Red Cross. Or donate directly.

Heather
I got to talk to Heather today, about crafting a season full of meaning, while ditching the culturally-imposed stress. It's the highlight of my day because Heather gets it. And she's got the best voice ever. AND she's reading Jane Eyre on her podcast, so you can “read” my favorite classic while knitting, painting or packaging up orders. Subscribe to her podcast right here.

Steph
I had video funtimes (aka, an Exploration) with Steph this week and yeah, she's exactly as awesome as you'd guess from her work.  She threw a Rockstar Geek Wedding and she's humble, hilarious, and on my must-stalk list. Get to know her on Twitter and then buy your nephew (or me!) a Kirby, mkay?

 

The Finds

How was your week? What were the delights?

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure…and this week was hot air balloons, quiet words, and stacks of books.  Past adventures can be explored here. 

The View

Epic game of Risk. #fallbreak
And then: the waterfalls.
And now, hiking the Appalachian. #fallbreak
Simpson's Clue. #fallbreak
Andre finds books snugglable

The Delights

  • I've been totally surprised by my very quite introduction of this. Just one tiny tweet (to a half-written page…it's still not finished!) and the response has been…delightful. If you're into it, jump on it.
  • Fitocracy. I'm not sure I can say anything more about this, but suddenly everything that seemed so un-Tara feels do-able + interesting. I blame it all on Lolly.
  • I could not be more excited about (and obsessed with getting everything just right for) the upcoming Holiday Sanity Kit (coming next week! Sign up here to make sure you don't miss it – there'll be a limited number) It's my first ever real-mail business-y goodness, and I'm having so much fun with it.
  • Quilting. Still. Spoonflower is having a Buy 1, Get 1 sale, so I'm finally going to order my first self-designed fabric!
  • I love hearing that I'm not the only one who procrastinates in order to savor an exciting project!
  • Too busy this holiday season with ORDERS to spend time marketing? Here's how to make it last, on Rena Tom for makers, and one for retailers on Vianza.

 

What was your week like? What were your adventures?

Two years ago (exactly!): Planning for non-planners
Three years ago: My photos – in a book!
Four years ago: Slowing

The Adventures

Every week is an adventure…and this is where I collect the week's photos, finds and lessons.  Past adventures can be explored here. 

 The view

Mutual snorgling

Beau + Andre do this ALL the time (we call it snorgling), but this is the first time I was able to capture it. 


Fall colors! 


Love the new fabric shop in town

Late night quilting.

Started a quilt

Had a party for a little bro

 
This @hrosstweets book is soo inspiring, I'm doodling fabric designs.

Love, LOVE this book

Hail! Everything (including yarn that was drying) is covered in it.

Hail!

The Lessons

The new Heather Ross book has me dreaming of fabric design. I've devoured all the posts mentioned here, added about 100 new books to my to-read list….and started my first design last night. The lesson? It's harder than it looks, but there's nothing like a new passion to fuel my creativity!

As I'm embracing new crafts (quilting and fabric design) I'm also deep into writing a new Holiday Sanity Playbook…and the combination of making and business-thinking has me pondering how the two affect each other. How do your creative skills inform your business decisions? What skills can cross over? Do you apply your lessons-learned-while-crafting to your business adventures? Or do you keep them entirely separate? So many of my readers + students are whip-smart + confident when it comes to their craft (whether it's actual crafting, or writing, or painting)…but they're tentative about business decisions.  How can I help you translate the confidence in one area to the other?

The finds

A year ago: Podcast: Multiple Streams of Income
Two years ago: Coffeshop Clarity 

The Adventures

This week was full-to-bursting with great conversations (with Diane and Brooke, Sarah, and Melissa), welcoming new members into the Starship, and baking for wrestlers. Why yes, most weeks are this weird.

The view
When you're feeling sad or lonely...look over at the cats. #snoringsoloud

The chilly weather made the cats even more adorable than ever.
My video "studio"-pulled from all over the house. Talking to @pressbound live in 15 minutes!

My “video studio” (which is just my living room, rearranged) where I spent most of my week.

Untitled

Pumpkin Spice Soy Chai + oatmeal.
Homemade Oreos for Jay's road trip (meanwhile, my sinuses are so stuffed I can't taste them)

Homemade oreos and…
The last item in today's bake-a-thon for @ultramantis : chocolate peanut butter bombs #vegan

Chocolate peanut butter bombs, all made for this guy:
@ultramantis approves of #vegan baked goods (most of what I baked yesterday was for Jays favorite wrestler)

Ultra Mantis, at the wrestling show Jay went to this weekend, enjoying the vegan baked goods I sent him.

 

The lessons

If you have three video chats scheduled in a week (and thus, have to look presentable and talk clearly three days in a row), you will come down with an old-man cough and get so mad at your bangs that you cut them yourself on Monday morning. Choose to be amused.

If you choose to say yes to the projects that are right, and no to the projects that are not-quite-right, things will work out. Not 2 minutes after hitting send on an email where I said no to a potential new job, I got an email from a Starship member about reaching her goal. All is right with the world, and I know I'm focusing on the right stuff (building your success).

The people I work with are the smartest. Proof: all three entrepreneurs featured in this week's conversations. I looove to talk to people who are getting clearer and more focused, and I am just squealing with delight that our new workbook had something to do with it.

It all proves what I'm always telling you: You know. You know what to do next, you know what to say, you know how to make your business great. You might just need the right questions and the right framing and the right encouragement. If you feel confused right now, find someone to ask you the right questions.  (This is why everything I write is filled with worksheets – it's all aimed at framing the issue for you, then asking you the question so you can get to your right answer).

The finds

Don't have time for marketing? Here's how to make time, on Rena Tom (written by me!)

8 rules for writing  (and making!) from Neil Gaiman

Adorable handmade business card…envelopes!

Elise has convinced me to make quilts for Christmas. Even though my big sewing machine is in storage (it's  a vintage machine, from the 40's, built into a big table that I don't have space for in my tiny house), I'm heading to the fabric store in just a few minutes. I might borrow my mom's machine, or rearrange my whole living room until the sewing machine fits…but this is a quilt-thirst I hafta quench.

 

What are your adventures this week?

 

A year ago: Right Action
Two years ago: The Hard + Soft of Money
Three years ago: The Pain of Craft Shows

 

The Adventures

This week was quite an adventure. An all-day doctor's appointment, a funeral and burial (my husband's great aunt, beloved by his mother), and (on a happier note!) the Starship opening for new members.

 

The view

A rainy September calls for apple pancakes with fried apples.

I'm addicted to apples.

Delicious apple pie pancakes, from @isachandra's recipe

Apple pie pancakes, from this recipe.

A good start

A typical work morning: coffee, oatmeal, to-do list and laptop.

Love the view from the library.

The view from the library (my second favorite working spot)

Tonight's dyepot brought to you by the color Leaf. #nofilter

Dyeing hemp laceweight for a wholesale order.

Thanks for all your sweet notes. We really are fine, it was Jay's mom's favorite aunt, so we're spending the day comforting, supporting and hugging her.

In the funeral procession.

 

 

The finds

  •  I (finally) collected success stories from Starshippers and have been sharing them with the Early Boarding list. Sign up here to get a dose of inspiration.
  • Kim is making a TV show that teaches SKILLS, not just projects. Support it!
  • Ack! This is so cute I want to crochet all the Doctors!
  • Serendipity! The very day I declare my intention to feel good, Anna posts about her very same experiment!

What was your week like? What were your adventures?

One year ago: What are Right People
Three years ago: Autumnal To Do

 

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