Monday Motivation - Watch With Glittering Eyes

Good Monday Morning! My husband and I just returned from a long weekend in Charleston, South Carolina. It's one of our favorite places to visit for several reasons - delicious food, beautiful views, rich history, good shopping, and it's just oozing with true Southern Charm. We spent hours walking through Charleston's historic downtown taking in the amazing architecture and sophisticated gardens. I'm in love with those stately front porches, intricate iron gates, gas lanterns and beautiful courtyards.

I left Charleston with a renewed and refreshed spirit, motivational energy, and tons of inspiration for not only my business but also our lifestyle. So many days of my life I spend "in a hurry" - trying to cross things off the list without taking a moment to enjoy the Creator's beautiful masterpiece around me. Taking time out to explore the world around us and recharge our batteries is crucial to a well-balanced life. My friend and mentor, Whitney English, often reminds us that we need to allow for more "white space" in life, and I totally agree. The following quotation by Roald Dahl is an eloquently worded reminder that we must take time to watch the world around us with glittering eyes in search of the magic that lies in the most unlikely places.

I will be taking some time these next few weeks to complete and catch up on unfinished customer orders. I will also be using this time to finalize my new branding and website so that I can finally be 100% proud of the business I've built over these past 5 years. This Wednesday the 22nd will be the last day to place orders for the next few weeks. I hope you understand that I desperately need this time to recharge my batteries so that I can better serve you - the customer - the most important and appreciated part of my business! Thank you for your support, and stay tuned for the exciting re-launch of the new & improved Beth Hart Designs!

Monday Motivation - Optimism, Hope & Confidence

Good Monday Morning! I was blessed to spend the weekend in the mountains with our wonderful friends from our community group! We did a little relaxing, hiking, eating, football watching, and of course had lots of fun! My husband and I are so thankful for these people in our lives... Good friends are gifts from above!

Now it's back to reality with a week full of designing, proofs, printing, and checking off the to-do list. I'm so excited about working on my new Christmas cards, and I hope to share those designs with you by the end of the week! The Early Bird Special will run through October 20th... so stay tuned!

Lots of work has to be done this week, but I found comfort in this quotation from Helen Keller. It helps us remember that a positive attitude, faith, hope and confidence can lead us to achieving great things! I'm so much more encouraged to conquer the to-do list when I'm optimistic that everything {and more} can be done! I wish you a very productive week filled with optimism, faith, hope, confidence and lots of achievement!

Monday Motivation - Uplifting People

Good Monday Morning! I need a little extra motivation today... it's a dreary, rainy morning, and I'm worn out from a fun but very busy weekend! Friday night, my husband and I attended the Homecoming tailgate and football game for my 10 year high school reunion. It was so nice seeing some old familiar faces and catching up with everyone! It's funny how much some things change, but how some things remain the same. I'm thankful to have these people in my life... all of them have contributed in one way or another to my personal growth throughout the years.

A few of us girls from the Class of 2002

Saturday, we traveled to Oxford, Mississippi to see our Ole Miss Rebels take on the Texas Longhorns. It was a game that has been built up for several years now, and the atmosphere was electric! The Grove was busy with excitement, anticipation, school spirit, and of course the tailgating that has made it famous. Although Ole Miss lost the game (after putting forth a good effort), it was fun to be in the midst of the fall football fun! I also loved visiting with my brother whose birthday was yesterday... Happy Birthday, Mark!

My husband and me in the Grove - Yes, I love bringing paper to the Grove! (Homemade banner behind us)

Sunday was topped off with a little relaxation with my parents at Pickwick Lake and coming home to our church's Community Group meeting. I really love our Community Group and the relationships we've established with those friends. They are tremendous blessings to my husband and me, and I wish for everyone in the world to be able to find a group like that with which to "grow up" and experience life. I'm so very thankful for these friends!

This morning as I reflect on the busy weekend with friends & family and look forward to working on my {long} to-do list for the week, I'm reminded that I can be successful because of the amazing people around me. My friends & family are as much a part of my achievements as my hard work and determination. I want to inspire and encourage them in the same way they support me. I'm incredibly blessed, and I urge you to find people around you who will bring out the very best in you! I hope you have a productive and successful week!

The Stationery Academy...

I can't believe we're already half-way through August... where did July go? One thing I do know is that July brought me a life-changing opportunity called The Stationery Academy. I briefly referenced my experiences in one of my Monday Motivation posts, but now that I've had a little time to think it through and soak {some} of it in, I'm ready to share more!

I began Beth Hart Designs in 2008, but only since I got back from The Stationery Academy have I really understood where I was going to take my business... and I have confidence in that decision. I have always believed in my design abilities, but my biggest fear has been that I won't be able to reach my full potential because I don't know how. Thanks to the amazing speakers at The Stationery Academy, I feel equipped to map out a plan that I feel will allow me to reach higher and achieve the goals that I have for my business.

Here are a few of the things I learned and how I plan to implement them throughout Beth Hart Designs:

• I need to more clearly define my design style which in-turn will define my brand. Emily McCarthy shared some fascinating tips with us that can help us find our true design style. She is an amazingly talented designer and challenged us to find inspiration from things around us that we love - not from other stationery designers. She really built up my confidence, and I am so excited about the possibilities that can come from me looking deeper within myself! I have been working on a few collections that I feel truly represent me and my style. Stay tuned!

• I need to build an Etsy store and increase my online presence. The super-creative Rachel Shingleton of Pencil Shavings Studio is the ultimate social networking genius! I had the pleasure of being one of her roommates, and I learned so much from her. She has such a love for social media, and her positive attitude has started to rub off on me - a person who often feels overwhelmed by the internet! She has built a thriving Etsy business, and Etsy is something I've been afraid to tackle... but I'm learning that I've been missing out by not getting on board. I plan to have an Etsy shop open soon, and I'm increasing my social media presence (slowly, day by day). I'm really excited to see where these steps will take me!

• I need to make my client experience a top priority. I love helping customers by designing just the right "look" for their special events, but I've realized that I'm often in such a hurry to get orders completed and shipped out that I forget to include the special touches. I'm working on my packaging, I want my customers to know how much they mean to me, and I want to add a little something special to my orders that will help set me apart from the rest. Amber Housley has established an impressive client experience in her own business, and she shared so much eye-opening information at The Stationery Academy. I'm so glad she shed some light on this important feature that will help to better establish my brand!

• And last, but certainly not least, I know where Beth Hart Designs is going thanks to our wonderful leaders Whitney English Kolb and Natalie Ellis Chang. I arrived at The Stationery Academy unsure of what direction I was heading. I have so much going on within BHD - I have a wholesale line for retailers, I offer custom party designs, I offer wedding designs, I participate in Christmas retail shows, I offer free-lance work for other businesses, I rent a small retail space at The Shoppes on Main in Franklin, the list goes on... and I feel so busy doing all of this half-heartedly. I want to be great at what I do and give it 110%, not just part of me. Whitney and Natalie challenged us to look deep within ourselves and define who we are, what our values are, what strengths we have, and so much more. I didn't know just how much all of this soul-searching would mean to me. I desperately need to make Beth Hart Designs a true representation of me and all that I have to offer. I'm so very excited about the direction of my business, but there is so much {hard} work to be done! I am planning to spend some time re-reading the homework that we were given and start laying the foundation for the future of the new and improved Beth Hart Designs.

I owe a huge thank you to Whitney and Natalie for putting The Stationery Academy together. I know that my business will be better because of their vision and hard work, and that is so valuable to me. Whitney and Natalie have been my long-time stationery industry heroes, but especially now more than ever! Thank you for "paying it forward."

Look at all these goodies I brought home! Talk about successful branding!

Monday Motivation - Failure Does Not Exist

Wow! What a weekend I had! I left Thursday morning for The Stationery Academy feeling a little nervous and unsure of what was to come. I knew that Beth Hart Designs was in need of some guidance  and direction, but what I received was so much more than that. I'm still soaking it all in!

I attended the 2 (full) day workshop with the most amazing business women and designers in the stationery industry, and I learned so much from all of them. I am very excited about the future of my business, and because of the Stationery Academy, I am now confident that I'm capable of doing great things!

The development of the new and improved Beth Hart Designs will be an intentional, fun, detailed, exciting, time-consuming, and slightly scary progression because I'll be laying myself {all of me} out on the line. I'm going to make my business and brand something I'm 100% proud of... and something that will reflect me, my style, my heart, my passions, and my love for Southern living and hospitality. What's going to carry me through this development will be the wonderful support system of family, friends, and clients that I'm so blessed to have around me... Thank you!

I have so much more to share with you about my experiences at The Stationery Academy... it's going to take way more than one blog post! But for today's Monday Motivation, I want to encourage you to pursue your dreams and go reach your potential - knowing that you will not fail. We had to address our fears this weekend, and many ladies feared failure. The wise and encouraging Nicole of Libby Lane Press let us all know that we cannot be afraid of failing, because in our minds we have to know that failure does not exist. Amen, sister!

I came home yesterday to my amazing and supportive husband of 6 years {July 29th is our anniversary} with the knowledge and confidence that my business will be great because I won't fail. I have 22 new friends and motivators from The Stationery Academy, and I'm already so blessed by my family and friends here at home... my cup runneth over!

What's Happening Wednesday - Busy Bee!

Whew! It's already Wednesday! Where do the days go? Thank you so much to all of my customers for keeping this workin' girl in business... I really can't express enough gratitude! I also owe a BIG thank you to my favorite printing company for coming through for me and my customers this week! I'm blessed to be surrounded by so many good people!

It's been a very busy "short" week for me as I am preparing to head to Pensacola, Florida in the morning to attend The Stationery Academy! I am beyond excited about this opportunity! I can't wait to learn from some of my stationery business heroes and meet all of my fellow students! Be sure to tune in next week when I will be sharing about my experiences and introducing you to all of my new friends!

I better run! I've got lots of orders to package and ship out before I leave... I'm a busy busy bee! But before I go, I'll leave you with a photo from my last beach trip. I found this handsome fella at The Red Bar in Grayton Beach. I love his way of thinking!

Monday Motivation - Something Wonderful is About to Happen!

Happy Monday! I apologize for posting so late in the day... we had a 4 hour power outage which has caused my work schedule to be off a bit today. But better late than never, right? Feel free to apply this little bit of inspiration to your Tuesday as well!

This week has me oh so very excited! I'll be attending The Stationery Academy in Pensacola, Florida with 20 other paper entrepreneurs. We will be learning valuable information from some of the paper industry's greatest business women. I can't wait to share my experiences with you when I return! I consider this an opportunity of a lifetime!

The excitement I have for The Stationery Academy as well as the launch of my new and improved Wholesale Line definitely has me feeling that something wonderful is about to happen! I am so blessed to be living out my dream every day by being a stationery designer and entrepreneur.

I think if we all wake up with the anticipation that something wonderful is about to happen... it just might!

Monday Motivation - Smile!

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was wonderful. I'm back from my family vacation at the beach which was so relaxing - just what the doctor ordered! Now it's time to get to work, and I myself am in need of a little Monday Motivation!

On vacation, my mom and I visited the Zoo Gallery in Grayton Beach while waiting for a delicious meal at The Red Bar. The Zoo Gallery is one of our favorite little shops - full of so much artistry and inspiration. I noticed a print on the wall with a message that I've chosen to be my motivation today.

We can choose to conquer each day with a smile or a frown - and most likely, the day will go in the same direction that the corners of our mouth turn. So why not smile?! Things will start looking up immediately... just try it!

Be sure to check back later this week for the launch of my new wholesale line. I'm so excited to share it with you! And I wish you all a wonderful 4th of July - be sure to thank those who make our freedom possible. I'm truly grateful for those who serve - God bless you!