Remembering The Reason For The Season

As I sit here checking off the last few orders for 2012, I'm breathing a sigh of relief and counting the many blessings that have come my way. What an amazing Christmas season it's been! We have fulfilled almost 200 orders since the end of October - I'm blown away by your support!

My Early Bird Special kicked off this busy season with many of you taking advantage of the extra discount on Christmas cards. I then participated in Christmas Village here in Nashville which was a huge success! My very favorite part of this show is meeting many of my local customers face-to-face who normally conduct business with me through email and over the phone. It's such a treat for me to establish more of a relationship with my customers, and I want to thank those of you who stopped by to 

introduce yourselves!

Beth Hart Designs went on the road the following week to the Junior League's Market in Birmingham, Alabama. This was a smaller show, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of support and business that we received - it too was a very successful market! I was blown away by the warm hospitality that the Junior League showed by helping us unload and load our displays & merchandise, by cooking amazing food for the merchant break room, by walking around to our booths offering food, drink, or relief for a short break, and by greeting people with a warm smile and a true volunteer spirit.

These shows would not have been a success without the helping hands of my husband, my parents, and my sweet friends. These events are a huge under-taking, and I could not have done it without them. "Thank you" seems so very insufficient for the gratitude that I feel!

Following these Christmas markets, my parents were gracious to host an Open House where I was able to sell more of my merchandise and visit with some dear friends who have meant so much to my family. Kim Hudson of Local Color Art Prints also brought some of her beautiful landscape and architecture photographs to sell at the Open House. It was a wonderful night, and I'm very grateful for the friends who came and my parents for hosting!

As the orders were rolling in and the work hours were becoming longer and longer, I'd be telling a fib if I said I wasn't overwhelmed. There were moments when I wondered if I could really get it all done, moments when I had to repeatedly apologize to customers for the longer-than-normal turn around times, moments when I was worn completely out, moments when I thought the whole world had decorated for Christmas while my fall wreath was still on the front door, and moments when I wished I had more time to spend with my husband, family and friends.

Then there were the precious moments when I was reminded of the real Reason for the Season, moments when I was overcome with thankfulness and gratitude for the support of my little business, moments when tears of joy flooded my face because of the blessings I know I have received, moments when my heart was warmed because of the beauty that comes with this time of the year. These moments presented themselves at the perfect times - once at the Women's Christmas Dinner at church when we quietly sang "Silent Night" a-cappella, once at Dickens of a Christmas in downtown Franklin when little children wished me a sweet "Merry Christmas," once when a customer took extra time out of her day to let me know how much her Christmas cards meant to her and how much she loved them, once when Joyce at my printing company spent extra hours to complete a very large round of orders for me, and once on a Sunday morning when we sang "Great is Thy Faithfulness."

I cannot express how appreciative I am for your business and support of Beth Hart Designs. I absolutely love what I do - no matter how overwhelmed I may feel - and I owe it to you for keeping me busy and allowing me to live out my business dreams! I am giddy with excitement for the new designs, merchandise and over-all changes that 2013 will bring! (And I will be looking to hire some part-time help next Christmas in order to shorten those turn-around times!)

I am taking some time off to celebrate this season with my family and friends. Beth Hart Designs will reopen on January 2nd with a renewed spirit and energy for the new year! I hope you find those precious moments this season to remind you of why we celebrate Christmas. The Gift that came so long ago is still the greatest gift of all. May you find joy, love and peace that surpasses all understanding this Christmas and throughout the new year!

November... Tis the Season!

Whew! November sure got here in a hurry... where does the time go? I apologize for the short blog post {and lack of blogging altogether}, but I'm in the midst of preparing for Nashville's Christmas Village and The Market in Birmingham. I hope you can come visit me at one of these shows!

As we enter this busy and sometimes overwhelming time of the year, I'm reminded of how much I have to be thankful for in my life and how much I long to have peace throughout this season. We often overlook Thanksgiving because the Christmas rush becomes so dominant, but this year I really want to make an effort to give thanks to the One from whom all blessings flow. I think I'll find the peace I'm looking for by being grateful rather than anxious and overwhelmed by all that is on my never-ending to-do list. I hope and pray that you'll find this peace and share it with others. I'll leave you with this little verse that carries so much weight... hopefully we can all remember it and take it to heart throughout this time of the year. Tis the Season!

Monday Motivation - Growth

Happy Monday! Well, 'Tis the season... I've got a busy week ahead full of designing, fulfilling customer orders, working on Christmas cards, new merchandise printing for my Christmas shows, and so much more! I love this time of the year because I have the joy of designing many new things and interacting with so many wonderful people!

Although I have a lot going on, I really try my best to maintain perspective. I can easily get wrapped up in the busy-ness of each day, but I truly desire to be intentional... intentional in my relationships with my husband, family & friends, intentional in taking each day as a gift from above, intentional in paying attention to the beauty around me, intentional in remembering those who are hurting or going through hard times, and intentional in my personal and professional growth.

I think it's so important for us to always aim for growth. We become better family members, friends, professionals, and children of the Father when we are constantly and consistently trying to grow. I found the following quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and I'm trying my best to take it to heart. Sometimes it's easier to set life on cruise-control and just get through it - especially during this busy season. But I have so many ways I want to grow both personally and professionally. There are some really exciting endeavors ahead for me and for Beth Hart Designs... but to make these things happen, I must push myself to do something {lots of things} beyond what I've already accomplished and mastered. I challenge you to grow by trying something new, something even a little scary - but something that you know will make you better!

Fall Favorites 2012

Hi there! It's been a busy week, so I apologize for my lack of blogging. So many fun things are happening in the studio this week! I'm gearing up and preparing for my upcoming Christmas shows {Christmas Village in Nashville and The Market in Birmingham}. Lots of new merchandise and designs are in the works... it's crunch time though... these shows are less than a month away! Yikes!

I wanted to take a minute to share some Fall inspiration... I love fall and all the goodness that comes with it! Here are a few of my favorite things...

Don't forget! The Early Bird Christmas Card Special ends October 20th... be sure to get your orders in for a 15% off discount! You don't have to have your photo yet, just send your card design choice, quantity and wording. Happy Fall!

What's Happening Wednesday - Parties & Note Pads

Happy Wednesday! I'm so glad the sun is brightly shining after some dreary, rainy days! I've been a busy designer these past few weeks, so I'm excited to share a little snapshot of my favorites with you! Below are a few custom party designs I've recently done... I'm loving these creative themes that my customers come up with!

I'm also very busy working on my merchandise for both Nashville's Christmas Village and Birmingham's The Market! They are just a little over a month away! One of my new products is this set of notepads to help you plan your meals and grocery shopping for the week. They will be packaged together with 50 sheets per notepad, and they will be available in my Etsy shop very soon! I'm really excited about using these myself... I need all the menu planning help I can get!

Monday Motivation - The New Day

Happy October 1st! I love the fall, which means October is one of my favorite months! Cheerful pumpkins and mums start appearing on porches, the cooler weather sets in, football tailgating is in full force, and I start craving every baked good featuring pumpkin and apple flavors! With the start of a new month, I often think of new beginnings. New beginnings are refreshing and precious, and although September was a great month, I'm looking forward to the wonderful things ahead for October! This quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt reminds us that not only with new months, but also with each new day, comes new strength and new thoughts... a time for new beginnings!

Don't forget! The Early Bird Special ends October 20th, so be sure to get those Christmas card orders in for a 15% off discount!

2012 Christmas Cards and Early Bird Special

Happy Wednesday! It's time to kick off the Most Wonderful Time of the Year... The 2012 Beth Hart Designs Christmas Cards are finally here! I'm so excited about these new designs, and I'm happy to share them with you!

The Early Bird Special is officially on! Now through October 20th, you can receive 15% off your Christmas card order... all you have to do is mention "Early Bird," and you're all set! You may either send your order to me at bethhartdesigns@gmail.com, or you may purchase one of the Top 12 designs in my Etsy shop. To view the entire Christmas Card collection, please visit my website by clicking here. Remember that colors, fonts, and wording can easily be changed to your preferences. I look forward to working with you!

I owe a huge thank you to my good friend Molly of SimplyMPhotography for providing the beautiful photographs you see in most of my designs. Be sure to book your Christmas card session with her today!