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Guest post by Aimee Lyons Image: Freepik Unlocking Discovery: A Creative's Guide to Making a Mark In the dynamic world of creativity, getting discovered is often a pursuit that requires equal parts passion and strategy. Whether you're a fashion designer, artist, maker, or any other kind of creative, the path to recognition can be both exhilarating and challenging. This article delves into the art of making a mark in the creative sphere, offering insights on how to get your work in front of more eyes, elevate your craft, and stand out from the crowd. Broaden Your Reach Showcasing your art on a variety of platforms can do wonders for broadening your audience. Social media platforms provide immediate and vast reach, while traditional avenues like art galleries can lend credibility and attract a different set of eyes. Online marketplaces are another effective channel for reaching a global audience interested in your niche. By diversifying the platforms where your work is displayed, you increase the odds of catching the right eyes and growing your following. Create a Home Studio Creating a multi-purpose studio in your home can serve dual functions. It enhances your workflow by providing a dedicated space for creativity, and it can add value to your property. Proper lighting, ergonomic furniture, and ample storage can make the space more functional and aesthetically pleasing, thereby improving both your creative output and home value. Showcase Your Portfolio A portfolio offers a curated look into your talents and skills. By highlighting your best work, you make it easier for potential clients and collaborators to understand your capabilities. An online portfolio is especially useful because it's easily shareable and can be updated frequently, allowing you to show off your latest projects and achievements. Craft a Distinct Brand Identity With a Logo A memorable logo goes beyond mere aesthetics; it is essentially the face of your brand, encapsulating its essence and values. Crafting a unique and compelling logo can set you apart from competitors and forge a strong brand identity. If you're working on a budget, an online logo maker can aid in this crucial process. This page deserves a look for anyone interested in making their brand unforgettable. Understand the Business Side As a creative, you might be inclined to focus more on your art than the business aspects of your career. However, understanding the basics of contracts, pricing, and negotiations can ensure that you are not only creatively satisfied but also financially secure. Business savvy can make the difference between a hobby and a full-time creative endeavor. Seek Mentorship Mentorship can be invaluable in any field, but especially in creative industries where connections and advice can open doors. Find a mentor who has experience in your creative sphere and who can provide not just valuable insights but also potential networking opportunities. A mentor can help guide your artistic and professional growth. Establish Your Online Presence Having a digital home — be it a professional website, blog, or social media account — is essential for anyone looking to make a mark. Consistency is key, and an active online presence can help you engage with your audience regularly. This engagement can result in stronger community bonds and a larger following, both of which are critical for gaining recognition. Collaborate for Creative Growth Teamwork has the power to ignite creativity and result in extraordinary projects that may have been unimaginable when working solo. Collaborating with fellow artists or creators in your field can introduce fresh perspectives and a variety of skill sets, enriching the overall creative process. The diversity in output achieved through such partnerships can be both professionally rewarding and personally fulfilling. In the world of creativity, getting discovered is a journey that demands dedication, creativity, and a strategic approach. By broadening your reach, enhancing your home workspace, developing a unique brand identity, and even designing a logo, you can carve a path to recognition. Remember, getting discovered is not just about recognition; it's about sharing your unique vision with the world. Discover a world of creative and personalized products at Joatmon Creations. Explore their wide range of apparel, bags, home decor, jewelry, stationery, and more. Aimee Lyons loves crafting, refurbishing furniture, remodeling rooms, and landscaping. She is passionate about DIY projects and sharing tips about them. Aimee runs DIYDarlin, which provides DIY project resources and tutorials.

When you buy through my links, Joatmon Creations may earn an affiliate commission. Let me get a little housekeeping out of the way first. Hello, it's Shannon, and it has been a while. I started the year with good intentions, as I always do. Then life got in the way, as it always does. Things started off well with my focus on the goals I established. I was very careful about spending and saving, which I am still staying on top of, though a fair in April prompted me to purchase this E-Z UP Ambassador Instant Shelter Canopy that wasn't budgeted, but I couldn't find the one we already had. Luckily, we've since used it for a couple of get-togethers at the house, so I've stopped dwelling on the unplanned purchase. It was nice to get back to selling in person after an almost three-year break, and even though the business is always quiet during the summer, I am already planning ahead for the holiday markets in the fall and winter. I have a feeling my Boston Sports Mug will be a big seller at those, plus I am debating about starting a Tik Tok shop. Stay tuned! Since I am saving for a new vehicle, I have been limiting how I spend my money, except for the aforementioned fair canopy. I have been making a wish list of items that I want, and every so often I revisit it to see if it's truly something I need. Now with Amazon Prime day coming up on July 11 and 12 I have been scouring through the early deals to see what I may want to add to my list. If you don't already know, Prime Day is a 2-day event full of incredible deals and low prices across millions of products. Some deals even begin several days ahead of the actual event. Because I have come across so many great deals, I have also added a page to my website with some of my favorite Amazon finds. Not all of these are Prime Day deals, but I do have those tagged so they can be filtered. For example, I am always asked about my awesome cellphone ring holder/stand, so even though it hasn't been marked as a Prime Day deal, I still have a link for it on my page because I think it is awesome. For actual deals, I am really excited to get another FireTV stick. We cut the cord from cable a year ago and our FireTV stick has been great. Even though we have a "Smart TV", the native apps are not always reliable, but using this FireTV stick really helps have all of our streaming services in one place. I plan to pick up a couple of these to upgrade a few rooms from what we currently have. I have been listening to podcasts more and more, but my husband isn't a fan, so these Echo Buds would be perfect when we are both sitting in the same room scrolling through our phones. Lately the wifi in our house has been spotty, so this Amazon eero Pro mesh WiFi system being a deal couldn't have come at a better time! I am determined to be more active this year, so new sneakers are a must. I love these ASICS Women's Gel-Venture 8 Running Shoes especially in the mako blue/pink glow! I also love my Quick Dry Hiking Pants from Baleaf. It looks like they will have some deals this week, so I plan to get a few more pairs since I practically live in them three seasons of the year. Of course, you do need to be a Prime member to snag any of these deals, but honestly it is so worth it. There are many perks that come with membership, over and above the great deals and free shipping. One of my favorites is Amazon Photos. Prime members get unlimited photo storage, 5 GB for video, and free shipping on prints! I have it set up to automatically upload my photos when I am on wifi, so I never have to worry about losing any. The best part is that even when I delete them from my phone to free up space, they don't move from Amazon Photos, unlike other mobile photo apps that back up to the cloud. Another favorite perk of Amazon Prime is Prime Video, which is a must have for some great original programming, like the brilliant Marvelous Mrs. Maisel or even live TV if you have cut the cord like we have. We are also always using Amazon Music in our house, typically playing it on our Echo and Alexa devices (which will be up to 60% off)!! We also curate special playlists according to our moods, like our Party, Firepit or Sunday morning playlists. There are so many additional perks to Amazon Prime, you need to explore them all just to see how amazing it is! So, given that I have so many products I am hoping to grab during Prime Days, you can understand why I wish it was a national holiday so I could stay home from work and just shop all day. But don't worry, I will keep checking in as I see some great deals popping up and I'll get them posted on my socials and my Affiliate page! Joatmon Creations recently became an Amazon affiliate. Products are selected by personal use (my favorites), wish list items that I would like to own, or things that I think are cool and others may enjoy. When you buy through my links, Joatmon Creations may earn an affiliate commission. More products can be found on my Amazon Affiliate Shop Page.

Keeping myself on track, as I work through the plan I crafted to create financial stability. March is here, so I thought I would do a February recap and update on my goals for 2023. If you read my last post, Crafting a Plan for 2023, you know that I set several goals for this year, with the most significant ones being more financial stability and the purchase of a new vehicle (the former will definitely help drive the latter, no pun intended). I also have a lot of smaller goals for my business and home life, which are very important, but my biggest focus during these first months has definitely been the finances. So, here is my journey so far, two months into the year. Updates to my vision board To help me reach my goals and stay focused for the year, I created a vision board which I keep in my planner. This is a living document, which can be adjusted as necessary, so this morning I did a check to see if I was staying on track with each area of focus. Overall I am doing well. Adding new goals I did add a goal of “5 household projects”, which doesn’t seem like much in a year, but we tend to be lazy when we have no plans on the calendar so this will force me to tackle some things that we keep putting off. Since we both work 40 hours a week, not including the time I spend on my hobby business, Joatmon Creations, it is definitely nice to just sit on the couch binge watching tv, but I hate that Sunday night feeling that the weekend went by without accomplishing anything. Hopefully seeing this on my vision board will push me to get things done. Another added goal was striving for a better morning routine. Right now, I wake up between 5:45 and 6 am, but I still struggle getting into the office by 8 am (which is less than ten minutes away)! I never had a problem with this before I started working from home during the pandemic, but now that I am back to the office, I forget how to budget my time in the morning. I find myself doing the most random things around the house, or working on a design that needs processing when I get home, and I just don’t want to stop to get ready. There actually once was a time that I woke up at 4:45 in the morning to walk on the treadmill for an hour before work. Those days are long gone, but I’ll be happy with just getting in the shower before 7:45! Updated goals for my craft business I had given myself a lofty sales goal for 2023, partly because I knew the three-year renewal for my website was coming up, which is a significant expense, but mostly because I don't usually budget expenses for the business since it is just a hobby. Although I do include the cost of supplies within the final price of a product, I almost always buy supplies in multiples. This is to have backups in case something doesn't work out, or it sometimes is more cost-effective to buy several items based on the shipping rates. So, normally I pay more in total supplies than what I will actually get in revenue, which may result in charging my purchases and that is against my goals for this year. Although the yearly sales goal was on my vision board, I failed to update my financial spreadsheet with the projected monthly revenue needed to reach that goal. Although my sales ebb and flow based on the season, I decided to split that yearly goal evenly into 26 mini goals (my financial spreadsheet is set up biweekly) and if I don't hit the target for that month, I will just roll it over to the next one. This will be daunting during the slower times, but I am fairly confident I can reach the snowballed amount during those peak seasons, especially if I do some in person markets this year. Having that yearly goal on my vision board helped me realize I needed to do some better financial planning for the business so it would be fiscally beneficial to me on top of just something I enjoy doing. Financial Changes I want to start by stressing that I am not a financial expert. I have only consulted with a financial advisor, for one hour, once in my life and everything I am about to share below is just based on me getting bits and pieces of information off the interwebz or (gasp) TikTok. This is what is working for me, so far, so maybe you can take a few ideas and tailor them to your own needs. However, some of these things may have no basis in fact at all and could end up not helping in the long run, but so far this is what I am doing. Low Spending One goal toward my financial stability was to have a minimum of 21 No Spend Days in the month. My definition of a "no spend day" is to not spend money on anything that was not budgeted for in that pay period. This could be take-out, shopping, donations, just anything that I didn't plan for that may be considered a spur of the moment purchase. This does not include business purchases, purchases with gift cards, or take-out paid for by someone else. If my husband has a craving for Chinese food, and he is paying, then I am all for it! Otherwise I am cooking almost every night to make sure I don't spend extra money and what I spend on groceries doesn't go to waste. After several "No Spend Day" stickers in my January planner it became an obsession to see how many I could add. I ended January with 22 no spend days out of 31. In February I had 21 out of 28. I also started writing down where the money went on the days that I did spend. This made me really justify all of my purchases to see if it was worth the risk of not getting a sticker. Now this did cause an issue when I finally went to Walmart because I definitely binged. However ultimately when I reviewed what I bought, it was mostly stuff that I needed. I was very good about waiting on things I didn't really need in the moment, but I did get things that had ran out or needed to be replaced. There was a bit of guilt after that shopping trip, so I am trying to figure out how to avoid buyer's remorse in the future. For March, I am starting a wish list for things I want and instead of buying them in the moment, I'll wait five days if possible. Then I'll review the list to see if it is something I still want and if it can wait until I get some extra money saved or if I can use the money allotted for "miscellaneous" in my budget for that pay period. A big impulse purchase in February that has caused some guilt was a subscription to the streaming service HBO Max. We had been wanting to watch the series "The Last of Us", so I made the quick decision to subscribe, and instead of going on $14.99/month plan, I paid $149.99 for the year which would be cheaper in the long run. The downside is that I didn't account for this $149.99 in neither my personal nor our joint budget for this week. I ended up splitting it between both accounts and I haven't stopped thinking of what a rash decision it was, even if we do enjoy the show. Maybe I should have just subscribed month-to-month, but I think the savings is something like $30 for the year, and there seem to be a lot of good shows on this service, so I do see us keeping it for a while. So much for guilt-free tv.- Credit Card Consolidation My primary focus for February and the next several months will be knocking down my credit card debt. I have always been one to buy whatever I wanted in the moment and credit cards were ideal for that. I know it is a terrible habit and I've been down this road many times before, but I never seem to learn. At my age, I should be much more fiscally responsible than I am. Two years ago, I got everything paid down, but then I increased the balances again with the purchase of the new laser engraver for my business and some big car repairs that were unexpected, and everything escalated from there. Currently I have three major credit cards which are all reward cards. I have one that earns Marriott reward points, so we use that one for our vacation expenses. I am thinking about rewarding ourselves with an overnight stay somewhere to use those reward points, but I need to come up with a good milestone to celebrate. The second reward card I have is for Costco, which gives us a reward certificate once a year that can be used at the warehouse. This works out well since we have a lot of summer parties, so that certificate will be used as soon as we shop for the first one. My third, and primary card, is an Amazon Visa. Purchases on this card earn points that can be redeemed on Amazon, but only if you have selected the Amazon Visa as the backup payment method for purchases exceeding the reward points applied. As a part of my financial stability plan, I am only purchasing from Amazon using my debit or gift cards, so I was happy to find out that any rewards I currently have can be redeemed for cash back, so they won't go to waste if I am not charging to that card anymore. In addition to the three major cards, I also have a few store cards that I use infrequently, such as Kohls, Old Navy and Best Buy. I don't usually put a lot on these, and when I do have a balance, I try to pay them off completely within one or two months. Store cards seem to have significantly higher interest rates, in my experience, and with a smaller balance they are easier to pay off in full. The Best Buy card was opened when I got my son a significant electronics gift and they were offering 0% interest for 12 or 18 months. I paid more than the minimum balance each month and I was paid off within the promotional period before the interest rate kicked in. I have had other store cards in the past, but I typically stopped using them for a long enough period that the store closed them on me. I do not like to close accounts myself because that has a negative effect on your credit score. In the future I need to stop falling for the promotions they offer to get a new card and just stick with the ones I have. Going into February I only had balances on my three major reward cards, so the plan was to pay off the Marriot and Costco cards completely since they had lower balances and higher interest rates than the Amazon card. My first step was to transfer the Costco balance to the Amazon card because, although I would incur a 3% fee for doing it, the transferred balance would have 0% interest going forward for the next 12 months. I couldn't transfer the Marriott card because it was held by the same bank as the Amazon card and they won't let you consolidate those together. Stock sale Next, I sold some stock I purchased through my company's employee stock purchase program. I realize this is not something everyone participates in, but it is definitely something I use when I want to pay off a high balance like this. The way the ESPP works, is every paycheck I have a small percentage taken out before taxes and put into the ESPP account without me even seeing it. Then every 3 months, the company uses the balance in that account to buy company stock for me at a discounted price. There are rules around when I can sell shares, so I typically wait until I have enough eligible shares to make a significant dent in my debt. Sometimes the sale is considered a loss because I am selling it at a lower price than what it was purchased at, but since I literally never have possession of this money, it doesn't feel like I've lost anything. Making this sale at the beginning of February allowed me to pay the balance of the Marriott card and apply the rest to Amazon. Now I only have one balance that I am carrying. Dual payments My financial spreadsheet/budget is set up biweekly since this is how I am paid. Every two weeks shows the bills that need to be paid from that check, gifts that I need to buy, pre-planned nights out and anything else that know is coming up in that period. In addition, I include $60 for gas, $15 for my Dunkin Donuts app auto-replenish, and $100 for miscellaneous. Since I don't drive too far for work, gas doesn't typically cost me that much, so whatever I don't use will be rolled into Miscellaneous. Same thing if I don't end up needing to replenish the Dunks app. At the end of the two weeks, if there is anything left in miscellaneous, I put another payment on the credit card. For March, I have everything budgeted out so I will be able to make two significant payments 15 days before, and then within the week of the statement closing. Closing out February I'm very pleased how February played out. By planning really well and sticking to the spreadsheet and the no spend days, I was able to be comfortable and not touch my savings or use my credit card except for the trip to Walmart (and that was only because my debit card expired, and I didn't have the new one with me). If you have stuck through this whole post, I really appreciate it. Writing about my journey is actually helping me stay accountable, especially knowing there may be people out there that are following along and perhaps getting some ideas of their own. If you have any tips to share with me that will make me more successful, I'd love to hear them. Now that all this visioning, goal setting, and money talk is done, it is time to get back to my designing!

At the end of 2022, I assessed the year and made a plan for what was to come. I created some pretty lofty goals for myself, and as January winds down, I am reflecting on how the first month has gone; whether I set myself up for success, and what I can do to keep the momentum going. To help keep me accountable, I thought I would share my process, goals, and progress in case they are helpful to others. Here are the steps I am taking to keep myself on track. #1 - Set goals instead of resolutions To me, the word resolution conjures up an "all or nothing" narrative. You are resolving to do something and sometimes if you slip up, you just give up. At least, that has been my experience. Instead, I prefer to set goals for myself which can have small steps. Although I have done this many times in the past, this year I created a vision board of sorts, which I keep in my planner. It is a live document which I can keep adding to and adjust. I check it several times a week just to make sure I am doing things that support my vision for the year. "The best way to succeed is to have a specific intent. A clear vision. A plan of action, and the ability to maintain clarity" -- Steve Maraboli #2 - Use Guiding Words Over the past several years I have chosen a word, or one has been chosen for me, to help find focus and purpose in that year. Whenever I get a bit stuck, I think of the word and try to find a way that it can calm me down, guide me around the situation, or just help to look at things a little differently. Sometimes it is definitely a stretch to figure out a way to incorporate that word into my daily life (yes, I am talking about you, "Depth"), but flexibility is always the key to success. This year the word I was given is Joy. Just receiving this as my word honestly brought joy in itself! I love knowing that is what I need to strive for every day, and if I reach the goals I have set for myself then there truly will be a lot of joy in my life! In addition to the yearly Guiding Word, I've decided to give myself weekly words to help me have a mini focus. I've put 52 words a bowl and each Sunday I randomly pick one and write it in my planner to help steer me through the week. So far, my weekly words have been: Organize - what a perfect word for the first week of the year! Strength - this came at a perfect time when life with a teenager has become even more challenging. Appreciate - this one was great to help me find the positive in every situation and appreciate the lessons learned. Thoughtfulness - I spent this week making sure I smiled and said hello to every person that I passed by at work. Even when I was in a rush or struggling a little, it was amazing how just a smile and saying hi put both of us in a good mood! I also sent a text to a friend that I haven't spoken to in months and her immediate response was "well, you just made my day." Embrace - this is the word that I pulled for this upcoming week. There are a few things that come to mind for this word. This one will help me embrace any challenge I face, and it will also remind me to embrace the ones I love, physically and mentally. Throughout the week I try to take notes in my planner about things I did to follow the weekly word. It's a nice reflection and reminder of the positive things that happened, or even where I struggled a bit. I also try to continue following the guidance of each word every week moving forward. #3 - Take control of my finances I have been wanting a new vehicle for a while now, but it has become apparent that the want is turning into a need, as my 2010 SUV is falling apart by the day. Just last week I noticed a piece of the quarter panel, which had been rusted, was now completely gone. It's only about a 4x4" piece, but I am definitely curious about when (and where) it flew off the vehicle. My heart is set on a Jeep, no matter how impractical it may be. More than a couple of people have pointed out the low ratings by some reputable reviewers, but there is just something about a Jeep that keeps drawing me in. Of course, right now car prices are crazy and even though I know used car parts are highly sought after, I am not sure my trade in will help me too much. With this in mind, I knew straightening out my finances would have to be a top priority. I haven't had a car payment in seven years, and I don't want to take one on while I have some credit card debt, so I have put myself on a "low spend" plan. I've given myself a goal of at least 21 days of the month without buying anything that is not budgeted. This can be difficult for someone like me that is an impulse buyer and loves take-out meals. With just a couple more days left in the month, I'm happy to say that I have hit my goal and will be surpassing it! I also have added a "miscellaneous" line in the budget to cover any of those unplanned purchases. Whatever I did not spend from that miscellaneous bucket by next paycheck, gets put towards an extra payment on my credit card to help knock that down. I could probably create an entire post on how I am trying to get my finances in order and most likely I will do that, even though I am 100% no expert, but some of my ideas may help others. #4 - Set targets for my business Tied in with getting my finances in order, I decided to really map out some goals for my small business, Joatmon Creations. Since this is just a hobby, I don't always stick to a plan and I more or less just wing it based on what I feel like making, which results in a lot of inventory on hand without the demand for it. I also have a list of new ideas that require supplies or equipment that I don't have and since I tend to make impulse decisions it can add to the financial burden. For example, I wanted to try laser engraving for years, but the more popular machines were much too expensive for a hobbiest like me. Then when a Kickstarter popped up for a reasonably priced laser, I jumped at it without giving it any thought. Luckily I had recently paid off my credit cards, but with a large purchase like this and a whole new set of supplies needed, it sent me down the rabbit hole again. However, I absolutely don't regret it. The laser has been a wonderful addition to my business, and I do enjoy finding different ways I can use it. Unfortunately, almost everything I earn (and more that hasn't been earned) gets spent on new supplies, and I can almost guarantee for every one product in my shop, there are at least two mistakes that got tossed. I recently had an order for a $6 pen and I made four that I tossed before I was happy with the one that got sent to the customer. I truly enjoy what I do, and when the customer feedback is so great, it definitely keeps me going. If I set some realistic goals for myself, then I think it is going to help alleviate some of the stress that comes along with a small business and remove a lot of self-doubt. #5 - Focus on home and self-care Finally, another area of focus needs to be my well-being, which is also tied to the well-being of my family and the household. Toward the end of 2022, I started to feel a bit lost. The holidays weren't getting me excited. I was very busy with my shop, which isn't unusual for that time of year, and I still had time to spend with family, but I just didn't feel festive and my heart wasn't into it. It definitely worried me a bit. I was letting things go around the house and it was easier to avoid rather than address. I know it was affecting me, and I'm certain it was affecting my family. This is where my planner comes in again. Each Sunday I write down the list to tasks I want to accomplish, even if they are "just do it" type things. Each day I make sure at least two things are checked off. By the following Sunday whatever hasn't been checked off gets moved to the next week. In the past, I would just flip back to prior weeks to see what I missed and still needed to be done, until eventually I would forget almost everything that wasn't completed. Using the carry forward strategy helped me make some appointments I had been forgetting about (some that I needed to do last October) and I was tired of re-writing them every week. One day I wouldn't let myself finish the day until I went online and scheduled them, and now I'm happy to say the actual appointments are all done! I have taken the same approach to things that need to be done around the house, too, so I'm looking forward to sharing a lot of these ideas ... and hopefully get some suggestions in return! One month down So, how do I think I am doing as the end of January approaches? I am actually quite hopeful. I have really kept up with a lot of these changes and I feel excited to start each day. Even when I am sitting on the couch watching tv, I am working on designs or tweaking my budget. I love cheering my small victories, like walking into Target for one item that they ultimately didn't have and walking out empty handed without letting myself browse for anything else (I actually put "No Spend Day" stickers on my calendar as a visual "cheer"). My family has enjoyed homemade dinners almost every single night and I feel really accomplished. I did recently review an old post from 2021, Mid-year, New Start, where I shared several of the same strategies, and clearly I didn't completely stick with a lot of them, but all I can do is hope that this time it will be different. By sharing it here, I can be kept accountable, gather new ideas from others, and maybe next year I'll be showing off my new Jeep! (If you are interested in contributing to the Jeep fund, by way of placing an order, feel free to check out the latest items at JoatmonCreations.com. I'd love to have you stop by)!

I am a planner. I am a researcher. I am a muller. Everything you should be when making an important decision. Until I get so overwhelmed and can't bear to look at another product comparison, cost analysis spreadsheet, pro/con list or any other useful tool needed for a big purchase. Then I end up going with the next thing I see, whether it was considered before or not. Information overload results in a total impulse buy. This is what happened to me two years ago, in 2020, as I was working on the quarter 4 taxes for Joatmon Creations, by far the busiest three months for me every year. The reports offered by my old hosting site were definitely lacking. I also started to come to terms with the fact that my old site was a bit lackluster, but it had served me well since this is just a hobby business and my primary advertising has always been word of mouth. For months I had looked into alternatives. There were some pretty good options out there for craft businesses, but I was always turned away by the fees, so I never made the leap. However at this point I was frustrated by what I was working with, sales were slowing down after the holiday rush, and let's face it, I was a bit bored because it was the start of 2021 and we were still quarantining. This all added up to me doing a quick Google search on affordable website options, and within hours I pulled the trigger on the hosting site Wix. Never heard of it before that day, but without a second thought, I transferred everything over. I guess I am the Queen of Quick Decisions (which was the original title of this blog post when it was in draft form). Transferring everything for a crafter without a specialty or niche like me, is A LOT of stuff. And I did the site entirely on my own. No professional designers (which I am sure is evident) or advanced HTML knowledge, just a lot of hard work and sleepless nights (as documented in my post, Who Needs Sleep). I am now two years into the site, and I will say that I am very happy with my decision. I am still constantly learning and updating things, and Wix is constantly adding new features to make it fresh (including their reports, so my taxes much easier to complete). For years I have imagined opening a storefront, a small little shop like you would see in a Hallmark movie, with all of my handmade items on display. A little café counter on one side with a reading nook in the corner; an area to consult with customers on their custom pieces and a work space out in the open so I can chat with people as they browse, while I make something new to add to the shop. Since this storefront will never become a reality, I was hoping the website could be its own little "cozy shop" online. A place to browse, but also share stories or learn something. Chat with me through the blog or forum features, not just about handmade items, but life "hacks" and helpful tips to get through the every day challenges. A "Tuesday Tip" and Thursday "Quote of the Week". More than anything, I want to have that connection to people so I can get to know what they like and how I can help them get what they need when they "shop small." Unfortunately my original concept of a "go to" site didn't pan out. It began to get too daunting to come up with weekly updates, especially if I didn't know if anyone was checking in that often when they weren't specifically going there to buy anything. However, maybe on its second birthday it is time to revisit it. Things have quieted down after the holidays and I am planning to roll out some new design elements for my products, which I will share with my newsletter subscribers and Facebook followers soon. I also recently started a Loyalty Program to say thank you to my customers for a great 2022. It may be a nice time to get some input on how to make my site more of a welcoming destination than just a shopping site so people will visit more often. If you have any suggestions on what I can change on the site to encourage a regular visit, not just when making a purchase, I'd love to hear it.

Earlier in the month, while I was setting up my new 2022 Happy Planner I created a sheet of stickers with adorable gnome clipart and category titles that work better for me than some of the store-bought stickers I have in my stash. Of course, I shared a picture of them on social media, and as with many of the items that I create for myself, I got feedback from friends that they would be interested in buying some if I made them for sale. If you ever read the about me section on my website, you will see this is how many of my product lines begin. As I added these stickers to my Stationery section, alongside the wine journal, notecards, and magnetic bookmarks I already had listed, I thought about what a wide variety of items there are in my shop. Someone can order planner stickers to organize their week, while drinking a cup of coffee in one of my mugs, before they grab their handbag and key fob to head out the door to bring a custom gift to their friend's new baby. It made me think about a creator's marketing workshop that I took a couple of years ago, where the "expert" insisted you should have a niche product to focus on. I do understand the benefit of excelling at one item, but that's not entirely what I bring to the table. If someone comes to me with a request, I'm going to try to make it happen. My goal is not just to make things that I enjoy, but to make things that people need. I will not always be successful, and this is where my business name, Joatmon, came from - Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None - but I want to try my best, as long as it's not completely outside of my wheelhouse. Even then, I still may give it a try only to realize it's just not going to be possible. "This place has everything I need; I don't have to go anyplace else. It is a one stop shop!" Each time I reflect on that advice to focus on one specialty, I am reminded of how I feel when I walk into a store and think "this place has everything I need; I don't have to go anyplace else. It is a one stop shop!" That isn't a bad thing, is it? Personally, it is a major convenience if I don't have to go to multiple places to get everything I need for a project, a gift, or a party. The only difference between me and that convenient shop-with-everything, is that I make 100% of the products you see for sale. Just this week, I got calls from customers for decals, mugs, dog collars, and ornaments. It is easy for them to go to one person, but also fun for me since I am not burning out doing the same thing over and over. That's a win-win for all, right? I suppose you could say the Joatmon Creations niche is whatever you need at that time! I am that one stop shop. .

Image: Unsplash by Aimee Lyons of DIYDarlin.com In many ways, the pandemic has triggered economic devastation. But when one door closes, another door opens, and the pandemic has inspired the start of millions of new businesses in the United States. Many of these businesses involve the development of hobbies into profit-earning projects. If you’re a new business owner or thinking about becoming one, there are a few considerations to keep in mind. The following tips can help build a successful business as the world emerges from the pandemic. Register as an Official Business Have you been brainstorming ideas for a craft-based business of your very own? There are countless stories of creative activities developing into entrepreneurial endeavors. In order to enjoy the same results, it’s important to legitimize your operation. Registering your trade as an official business offers many benefits, such as: ● Acquire legal identity as a business operation ● Protect your business from a trademark perspective ● Access opportunities for growth such as financing and partnerships ● Register for licenses ● Better marketing opportunities ● Increase competitive value Streamline Finances and Processes As a hobby or idea grows into a functional business, entrepreneurs need to prioritize profit. There are several ways to cut down expenses and increase profit. For example, creating a detailed budget that includes all expenses will share insight on where to save money. Much of this is intertwined with your business processes; for example, if you intend to establish an assembly line for craft production, you’ll need to think through the details of how your product can be put together in stages, getting the parts in a timely manner, storage, and so forth. This will involve ordering, inventory, timelines, staffing, and payroll. You can organize everything through charts and spreadsheets, or another suggestion is to use an online accounting platform that does it for you. Popular platforms like Quickbooks allow business owners to easily capture all their decision-driving data and even share it with others. With the right tools and data handy, you can analyze what is selling, what isn’t, where your processes can improve, and so forth. Create a Strong Digital Identity The increase in online sales and digital communication has made the online world a competitive environment. Building a strong digital identity is essential for success in the modern business landscape. A digital presence can be created with a website, streamlined social media strategy, and paid adverts. Each of these avenues offers a way to connect with potential customers and increase brand awareness. Master Outreach Whether you’re making and selling scented candles, you’re upcycling furniture, or you’re producing handcrafted gifts, there’s an opportunity to grow your income. Reaching out to potential customers and investors plays a crucial role in this growth. Make an effort to refine your communication skills and practice networking. With lockdown restrictions lifted and more people getting out and about, outreach will become more hands-on and practical. You will also need to hone your digital marketing presence. This can include any number of outreach strategies, such as social media. As CraftProfessional notes, you should begin your social media campaign with an idea of what you want to get out of it, then look at the major sites to decide where your goals will be best fulfilled. Also, beyond social media, you should consider other digital outreach, such as email marketing, blogging, vlogging, and newsletters. Prioritize Customer Satisfaction Customer satisfaction plays a key role in the success of a business, especially for startups. Considering that it’s easier to retain customers than to acquire new ones, it’s important to make sure that customers are happy with the product or service that they receive. Word of mouth is another important consideration. A recent survey reveals that 90% of potential customers read reviews before making a purchase. The same survey suggests that product pages with reviews experience 3.5 times more conversions than those without. Prepare for Growth Finally, it’s important to position yourself and your business for future growth. There are several ways to prepare for business growth without unexpected hiccups. For example, you can enhance internal processes and continuously review your business plan. This simple strategy can help you identify areas in need of improvement and action items, like transitioning to a new web hosting service or switching up your routine. The business landscape is constantly shifting. The increased number of entrepreneurs shows hope for a dynamic economy. Implementing these easy tips can help your business flourish during a challenging time. Aimee Lyons loves crafting, refurbishing furniture, remodeling rooms, and landscaping. She is passionate about DIY projects and sharing tips about them. Aimee runs DIYDarlin, which provides DIY project resources and tutorials.

It is hard to believe that we are already almost halfway through this much anticipated year after suffering the countless losses and isolation in 2020. As the rules are relaxing and it is looking like I will be going back into the office full time soon, I began reflecting on the extra time I spent at home over the last 15 months. I was wondering if I had squandered it all away. Well, if I looked at the to-do list we've amassed over the years, the house projects to complete, the walls to be painted, the rooms to declutter, the files to sort through, then yes, it would seem like we did not spend our quarantine time wisely. However, when I turned 50 last July (a milestone that was largely uncelebrated due to the pandemic) a switch had flipped in my brain and I really started to see things differently. Instead of dwelling on what I didn't do, I realized that since you cannot change the past, you can try to find glimmers of good or lessons learned that will help you move forward. So, here is my list of ways that I am regrouping and moving forward with less anxiety and more hope for great things to come. Reflect on the small victories As I mentioned, over the years we have amassed a long list of projects to complete around the house, but for one reason or another we just didn't think to do them during this down time. This definitely disappointed me, but as I thought more about the ways we did utilize our time, I saw that we did so many other things that seemed to make more sense in the moment. At the start of the stay at home order, I was very busy making masks and other PPE that people needed. I was sewing until 1 am and then getting up five hours later to start my work day (thankfully from home). Once the requests slowed down, I took some much needed time to relax and enjoy doing nothing. I spent a lot of this time getting caught up on shows I had never watched before, such as Schitt$ Creek, Parks and Recreation, The Office, and of course Tiger King. I cannot say my life is any better for that last one, but it is what it is. In addition to the much needed down-time, there were definitely a lot of things that we did do, but weren't on our original list. Tip: add things to your to-do list even after they are complete. For some reason it makes a huge difference to see what you accomplished even if they weren't official "tasks" to begin with. For us, some of these things included building and stocking a pantry in our basement, which my husband has been talking about for years, but I was always so hesitant about (stay tuned for a full post about this. It is actually one of the things that I am most proud of from this past year). Another project that came up primarily because of the pandemic was gardening. I had always thought about it, but we didn't have the space for a proper garden. With the extra time at home my husband decided to dismantle our son's wooden play structure (which had long sat idle since he is almost a teenager) and he created a raised garden in it's footprint. I still have a lot to learn, but I am excited to see what veggies sprout up and what lessons I can learn along the way. With our stimulus checks, we finally got the new bedroom furniture we've been in desperate need of, but kept putting off. Goodbye to the mismatched pieces that we each brought into the marriage fifteen years ago! This also led me to some great new organizational hacks (many that were learned on Tik Tok) to help keep the space looking neat. Another major accomplishment that wasn't planned was my new website which I created from scratch in January. I hadn't been thinking about making a change, but as I was growing more frustrated with the limitations of my previous webhost, I stumbled across Wix and without much thought I made the change. Sometimes spontaneity pays off, as I am very happy with the new site so far. If you have any comments or tips about the new site, please drop a comment here! Work on Financial Freedom Finances are definitely a stressor for most people. Personally, over the years I have accumulated a significant amount of debt and it always turns into a vicious cycle. After paying down the credit cards each month I am left with little to work with for everyday needs, so I would inevitably have to put more on the credit cards. It seemed unending, and around the holidays last year I knew I had to make some changes. Around this time my company was offering free financial consultations through Fidelity, the company that handles our 401(k). I had always wanted to talk things through with a financial planner, but was honestly too cheap to do it. Having a free resource at hand was a huge help and we came up with a great plan that helped me pay off all of my credit debt and start planning better for the future. The anxiety I used to feel is gone and I find myself being much more careful so I don't go down that same path again. Another part of my strategy is to really look at areas where I thought I was "saving" such as signing up for subscription services. I found that sometimes getting a product auto-delivered each month wasn't worth it, especially when I would build up an accumulation faster than I would use them. I ended up canceling a lot of these items and now I just watch for sales when they are needed. Set Big Goals They don't have to be huge, audacious goals, but they should be something that gets you excited. I don't often set a lot of goals for myself and just let life happen as it may, but after spending a year without any significant ambitions, I felt it was time to have something to look forward to (other than seeing family and friends again). First, I decided it was time to replace my 11 year old vehicle. I am eyeing some type of Jeep, but of course I need something with a lot of room so I can transport my displays and inventory to the craft fairs I hope to start doing again. If anyone has first hand experience with Jeeps, I'd love to hear it. Of course this purchase is definitely going to put my financial planning to the test, so I need to make sure I can afford this without causing me to start using those credit cards again. Next, I am focusing on my career development by registering for the Professional Administrative Certification of Excellence (PACE). This is a certification for administrative professionals to demonstrate their depth of knowledge, expertise, and commitment. I have been an administrative assistant for over 25 years, and I really love what I do, but I also want to be as valuable as possible. It is always good to keep learning and growing. I already have my CAP-OM (Certified Administrative Professional certification with an Organizational Management specialty), so this would be a nice addition to those credentials. Finally, I am working on a marketing plan for Joatmon Creations to help bring in more business. I've linked my website with Facebook, which gives me another sales channel, and eventually I will link it to Instagram as well. I'm also working on some gift basket ideas which will allow me to definitely be a one-stop shop for gift giving needs. I am very excited to put these together in time for the holidays. Practice Self Care Regardless of all these steps I am taking above, it won't matter if I am not taking care of ME. If I find myself getting stressed out, I take a break. Open a good book, paint my nails, take a walk, write in a journal, or even color my hair. Anything to make me feel in control and happy. Setting aside a little "me time" definitely helps me be a better person. Hopefully some of these strategies will help others as we begin the journey through the second half of 2021. Ironically, as I opened my planner to June, these pages really spoke to me. New Day, New Adventures, New Memories, New Moments, New Lessons. What a wonderful way to start the month! I cannot wait to see what this planning page looks like by the time I am done with it! Please share some of your favorite strategies as well!

Abby Holt of Craftability.org knows from personal experience that setting up to sell your products at a craft show or vendor fair can be very overwhelming. "From designing your display to pricing and inventory to processing payments, there’s a lot to consider." Lucky for us at Joatmon Creations, she has put together a wonderful list of tips and tricks that can be used as a "starter kit" for selling at these shows. If you participate in any kind of sales event, I hope you find this as useful as I did. Share your own tips and tricks in the comments as well! Image courtesy of Pixabay Budget-Friendly Tips for Top-Notch Booth Presentation Selling your wares and showcasing your craft to the public can sometimes feel pretty clunky, especially if you lack proper display materials. Since there is often some truth in the old stereotype of starving artists, stretching your budget on your booth makes good sense. Thankfully, you can find budget-friendly solutions to create a top-notch, professional presentation. Contemplate Structures Before you go too far, the first thing you need to establish is the bones of your display. Think about how much horizontal surface you need for an effective presentation, whether some of your items will hang, how to protect instruments, and so forth. For instance, will you require lightweight, collapsible shelving? Do you need folding tables? How about some freestanding racks? Make sketches to determine a practical layout for your typical booth to help decide what will go where. Amazon for More Savings Once you narrow things down, look to bigger retailers to find low prices and a broad selection. Most popular retailers have a wide range of items and will ship straight to your door. Plus, you can take advantage of cashback offers so your funds go further. Topping it all off, many products ship for free in just a day or two, so you’ll be ready for upcoming art fairs and events before you know it. Pleasing Aesthetics As someone selling beautiful things, aesthetics are obviously an important part of your presentation. With that in mind, beyond the bones of your booth, think about how you will flesh things out. One suggestion is to add drapes. You can use them to create a more intimate experience for your customers by walling off your work from other vendors and choosing colors and fabrics to compliment your wares. Round things out with coordinating tablecloths to hide table legs, and provide coverage for any materials, storage totes, and extra supplies you take with you. Exhibit Backdrops explains there are multiple ways to hang drapes, from a grommet and hook style to devising a freestanding frame. Think through the materials you need, and make some notes about tools and hardware to piece it together. Stores like Lowe’s offer hardware in all shapes, sizes, and types, so you can pick out everything you need, and if you spend $45 or more, you can save time and gas by having it all shipped to your home at no additional cost. Getting To and From Between your creative materials, finished work, delicate instruments, and display, there is a lot to haul to your events. Think about how you can make things as easy on yourself as possible. Items like drapes, tools, and hardware should be stored conveniently so they are kept together. Storage totes are one suggestion, and, as The Wirecutter points out, are better-designed options that offer protection from the elements. Whatever you decide, you want items to be easy for you to pack and have ready for the next event you attend. Consider whether it would help you to have totes that stack or roll and if you want them to be transparent so you know what’s inside at a glance. To ease your search, consider shopping with a retailer like The Container Store since they specialize in containers of all types. You can save significantly if you join their rewards program since they give a discount on your first order, have ongoing special offers, and will let you know about members-only savings events. It’s a great way to get what you need without going broke. Above Board Even if your handiwork doesn’t provide you with a full-time income, you will still have to pay your self-employment taxes every year. Before you begin selling at shows, it’s best to take care of a few basic business responsibilities. You can outline a business budget, develop an organization system for your financial documents, and structure your business as an LLC in order to take advantage of some welcome tax breaks. Plus, you’ll enjoy asset protection and plenty of flexibility. So how can you establish your creative business as an LLC? Filing your LLC in Massachusetts through an online formation service will make the process much easier! With a proper display, you can show off your wares in the best possible manner. Contemplate what structure your goods and/or instruments require, how to flesh out those bones, ways to cart it all to and from your events, and, above all, staying above board as a business. With a little creativity, you can put together a top-notch, professional presentation. Abby created Craftability to inspire you to put your own crafting abilities to good use, whether it’s painting, jewelry-making, quilting, or calligraphy. Joatmon Creations provides a variety of handcrafted accessories and gifts to fit your needs. You are bound to find something for yourself or a friend when you check out our shop.

Wishing all of the moms, grandmothers, aunts, Godmothers, and like-moms a very happy day today, and blessings to those remembering someone very special that is no longer with you. May the memories carry you through and always be in your heart.

"You were the first one I thought of" Sometimes hearing that phrase conjures up uneasiness. What could have happened that made someone think of me? Was it something bad? Should I be embarrassed or defensive? It's a terrible place that the mind goes, but nonetheless it does sometimes go there. Luckily, lately I have been hearing that phrase, or something similar, quite often, but it is for a very good reason. People are thinking of me first when they need something creative and they trust me to do it for them. First, a very good friend of mine asked if I could make a mask for her niece's First Communion. I haven't done masks in several months and most of the ones that I have made have been pretty basic with wild prints; nothing that would be fancy enough for a First Communion. But of course I absolutely love a challenge. I immediately started to think of satin and lace and went to work on a few ideas. I have to say after sewing over 600 masks last year, this one turned out to be my absolute favorite. It came out exactly as I wanted, if not better. It is the 3 pleat style, but when it opens up it fits the face beautifully and is covered with very pretty white lace overlay. So pleased with the result! As a thank you for thinking of me, I sent along a purple magnetic bookmark with a butterfly charm, something that holds a lot of meaning to my friend 💜 No sooner did I get this request, but another came in from a friend asking if I could make 90 decals to be used on teacher appreciation gifts. Turn around was pretty quick and it did involve finding the right image, sizing it well enough for the cups they ordered, cutting the design, weeding, prepping, and separating 90 decals, which was tedious. But she hooked me in when she said she would rather give me the business than someone else. I couldn't let her down and I got the job done a few days ahead of plan. To help them out with the application, I threw in two complimentary squeegees and made a video with some tips and tricks. Finally, I got a message from a friend on Instagram. She is an amazing furniture refinisher that can take an old piece and transform it into an amazing treasure. She was hoping to get a couple of shirts with her logo and maybe a hat. The shirts wouldn't be a problem, as long as the logo was easy to trace into my cutting machine software, but I wasn't comfortable making the hat since I didn't feel I had the right type of heat press. She was very understanding when I told her I couldn't do the hat, and she sent along the graphic for the shirts. Unfortunately, the logo did end up being a bit of a problem, as the trace was not coming out very sharp. It didn't look like the original artwork and I was not comfortable making a product that was sub-par. I was about to let her know that I couldn't do any of the order, but then I did some research and found what seemed to be a font very close to the one used for her logo. It may seem like a simple graphic, but when you are trying to recreate something to look exactly like the original design, it has to be perfect. I was so relieved to see how well it turned out and I was proud of myself for not giving up so easily. After the success with the logo, I was determined to figure out a way to make the hat she requested. My press is 12" wide, so it isn't ideal for working on the small, uneven surface of a baseball cap, but I am very excited to say I was successful!! So, I have now added the (limited) ability to make customized baseball caps to my shop. As time goes on, I hope to get a smaller press that will make these even easier. So, what is the point of all of this? I often think that maybe I do spread myself too thin. I offer so many different product lines, so I can't possibly specialize and perfect that one niche like many others do. But after being told that I am the first person that pops into their head when they want a mask, or a decal, or a shirt, or any other type of accessory or gift, then maybe I do already have a specialization - I specialize in giving people exactly what they want, and I am very okay with that. Oh, by the way, as I was finishing up this post, I got a Facebook message from a friend asking if I could make a few onesies. After sending me several ideas of what she would like, she ended the request by saying "I just like to ask you first before going elsewhere." And that is how I remain the Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None. -- JOATMON

One year ago, on March 17, 2020, I went into the office knowing it would be my last day there for a little awhile. We had been discussing the Coronavirus pandemic for a few weeks, updating our emergency plan, following state guidelines, and now finally being told that office personnel should work from home until further notice. As a medical device manufacturer, we still had essential personnel on-site because our cardiovascular (and other) devices would still be needed, but most of the support staff would be able to do our jobs remotely. I worked most of that morning trying to clean up loose ends, meeting in person with people for the last time, and then around noon I packed up my laptop, extra monitor, a few files and a notebook, so I could head home in time to do my first remote conference call that afternoon. I remember looking back at my desk feeling like it was one of those situations where decades later someone will come in and see the office completely abandoned, as if the occupants ran out in a hurry and never looked back. I actually felt like I was about to walk away and never return. I realize how silly that was since we assumed it was only going to be for a few weeks. Boy, was I wrong! As I mentioned, leading up to this day our senior leadership spent weeks preparing for what could happen. Our state had already announced the kids would be home from school until March 20th, then that kept getting pushed out. Our office assumed we would be working from home for maybe three weeks (this was a mandate from the corporate office, so no one knew exactly when they would give the guidance to return). Looking back at my old emails, I saw all of my responses said "since I will be (temporarily) working from home, we will be doing this over video call..." Eventually over time I started removing the "temporary". When I got home that day, I set myself up on the couch, reclined with an extra large lap desk on my legs, and my laptop and extra monitor propped on top. I did my first conference call without a headset so my husband sat on the other side of the sectional watching tv on mute. Three hours, and two aching legs later, I realized this was not an ideal set up. I eventually moved to the dining room table. I took that over for weeks and once my son started up remote schooling, I forced him to sit across from me so I could watch him do his work (all independent assignments at this time), while I did mine. As a feisty 6th grade boy, he took advantage of those times I was preoccupied on calls and would announce "all done!" then close his Chromebook and run upstairs to his Xbox, while I couldn't protest or chase after him for fear of missing something important on my call. It was very stressful, but I kept telling myself it was going to get better once he got into a routine. Yup, wrong again! One year later and I am counting down the days until he goes back to school in person full-time (2 more weeks to go)! It has not been easy for working parents that are trying to oversee schoolwork as well. As for my own work, I have adjusted very well to working from home. Eventually I moved my workspace from the dining room table to a desk in the upstairs hallway, although video calls can be a little more challenging with the bathroom door as my background (that only proved to be a really bad idea once). I have been more productive and not as distracted as I feared I would be. It has actually been hard to separate work and home time, since it is pretty easy to jump on the laptop as I walk by my desk in the hallway. I was supposed to take some "use or lose" time off last week, but since I had no place to go, I ended up logging on anyway and working a full day. I have been in the office about a dozen times over the year and it's nice to see my co-workers, but it is definitely an eerie feeling when I am the only person in my area and there isn't the buzz of phone conversations or meetings. Everything was just as I left it, but there wasn't a thick layer of dust and debris as I had imagined there would be. No indication of a mass exodus, just an odd sense of calm. I am not ready to go back to the office full time just yet, but it will be nice to get back to normal eventually. How can a lot change in a year, yet not much change at all? When I am back on site full time again will it feel like we have all woken up from a long sleep? I actually fear it may take me longer to readjust to the place I spent every weekday for 11 years than it did to adjust to the last 365 days at home..... And I probably should have taken my plant with me a year ago......

Tomorrow, March 17, 2021, will mark one year since I left my office and started working from home full time ("temporarily"). There is so much to process about that, and I will probably post a follow up tomorrow, but for now I am looking at the sun pouring in my window and I am reminded of that first week at home. I suddenly found myself on more conference calls in a day than I ever had been before. I support our senior leadership and with the uncharted territory of the pandemic came many, many more meetings to discuss how to move forward. Added to these back-to-back-to-back calls was the "home schooling" for a reluctant middle schooler and you can imagine that the stress was adding up quickly. That is when I started stealing away between meetings to go outside and lay on the ground where the sun hit just right over the house. It was still chilly in Boston since it was March, but there was a little beam of light that would shine down on the steps, and it was a perfect place to just lay down and soak it in. I was literally solar powering my body. In that short amount of time my mind would wander all over the place. I would get some great ideas of things I wanted to make or ways to organize the rest of my day. Somehow that small beam of sunshine jumpstarted my creative juices and helped me get through the next few hours until I could get back into the craft room. Sadly, over time my break was spent doing other things around the house. Emptying the dishwasher, sewing masks during the PPE crisis, prepping dinner. There were many things that pulled me away from that quick ten minute sunshine break. I did try to work outside during the summer, but that lasted about 20 minutes before it got too distracting. When winter came I found it really hard to leave the comfort of my hallway-turned-office. I definitely found myself in a bit of a funk. Other than redesigning my website, JoatmonCreations.com in January, I haven't done anything fun or creative over the last few months. Coffee was the only way to get myself perked up to face the day. Now a year later I sit here, on my fourth call of the day, and I am staring at the sunshine beaming in my window. I know it is still cold out there, but I am drawn to that beam and I am counting down the minutes until I can go outside to try and catch it. I need the vitamin D, I need the warmth, I need to get my mind moving. It's time to get out of this funk and start feeling normal again. Whatever that may feel like....

I love finding little tips and tricks that make things easier around the house or in my crafting. Even things that seem so simple and obvious, sometimes don't always occur to me, so when I try something new that has helped me, I want to share it. I'm hoping to post a "Tuesday Tip" each week and maybe some of these will be new and helpful to you, as well. Today's is a really simple change, but it has made things a lot easier for me in the kitchen. I grew up watching my mom crack eggs with ease against the rim of her mixing bowl, then I would watch as she tried to fish out any small pieces of shell that may have slid in the mix. It always seemed inevitable (and frustrating), until I recently saw this tip. The old way: Next time you crack an egg, don't use the rim, but instead tap the egg against the inside of the bowl. Just a little bit of a quick tap on the flat part of the bowl below the rim will crack it open, but rarely send the broken pieces into the mix with the egg. Look no shell!!! An additional benefit - there won't be any egg running down the outside of the bowl, like would sometimes happen when cracking it on the rim. If some pieces do end up in the bowl, the other trick I learned is to use a larger piece of the shell to fish it out. Somehow it just works! Hopefully this tip helps someone out there! If it does, drop a comment down below.

My husband and I are great at doing the wash. Notice I didn't say we are great at doing the laundry, because that would imply getting through the whole process of washing and drying in a fairly reasonable time. Unfortunately in our house, gathering up the dirty laundry, carrying it down to the basement, sorting it into whites, darks, and colors, then starting the washer is all we can muster. We have a tendency to go upstairs then forget about it for days. DAYS. When we do finally remember, we usually have to run the load a second time so they don't stink of mildew. We have even triple washed. Yes, we are that lazy. We also use a lot of Downey Unstoppables. Laundry was much easier for me when I lived in my condo because the units were in a hall closet right near the bedroom. It was hard to ignore when you walked by it several times a day. My husband always wonders why I miss that small condo when we now have much more room in our house, but the convenience of the washer and dryer is high on the list. Even when we do remember to switch the wet laundry over to the dryer, we still bring the full baskets upstairs and stare at them for several more days until someone caves and folds them. I am lucky enough that it is usually my husband that gives in before me. There are two reasons for this - first, I usually leave the baskets in the den where he spends most of his time, so they are hard for him to ignore. Second, he is the only one that leaves the house on a daily basis for work, so his need for clean clothing is a little more pressing than for my son and I. My pandemic work-from-home outfits are definitely more forgiving when it comes to the need to be clean. Now, once he has it all folded, it will stay like this on the den table for hours until I acknowledge his good deed. Of course I appreciate it, but do I really have to say thank you for doing something that clearly benefits him as well? I digress....... The other night I went down to the basement for something in the pantry and I glanced over to the laundry corner. The washer cover was closed, which meant there were wet clothes just waiting to be rescued. As much as I wanted to ignore it, deep down I knew I had no choice but to swap them over. As I pulled the clothes out that were sitting in the dryer (who knows how long they had been in there) I found myself using the closed washing machine as a table and I folded each piece as I removed it. I was able to quickly get the dryer emptied and the entire load folded and ready to be put away before it even got upstairs. Brilliant! What an efficient way to complete a task that we monumentally hate! Of course, when I got upstairs I brought the folded pile into the den and smugly told my husband "see, I can fold too, and I don't even need to take up an entire room or get kudos for it!" (Yes, I recognize the irony of that statement). Next I found myself humming a tune from Hamilton, but with some new lyrics, Soak Less, Fold More! Of course I had to turn it into a sign design. I think I may need to create a whole collection dedicated to laundry in my store. I think I could have a lot of fun with these This may not help us remember to check the washing machine more often, but at least it will encourage us to be more efficient when we do. Now, I just need something to prod us to match up that overflowing basket of socks...... (If you want to see any of these signs produced for JoatmonCreations.com, leave a comment)

As I make my way over to this new website and blog platform, I'm going through a lot of old site pages to link them to the new ones (not an easy task when you have over 600 products). I came across my old blog host, so I figured I'd post a link to that so I won't lose some of my favorites, especially the post I made after my son's 5th birthday party with the Indiana Jones theme. I definitely wasn't a regular poster, and it definitely seems like a brain-dump of sorts, but it is interesting to see my old ramblings. Not much has changed over the years, I suppose. Now I think it may be time to take a break and revisit some of those old cookie recipes I had posted in there...... Anyone in the mood for Chocolate Peppermint Cookies? Creativity and the Cluttered Mind (joatmoncreations.blogspot.com)

As we inch closer to one year in quasi-isolation, I am fascinated to hear about all of the things people have discovered, or maybe rediscovered, during their extra time at home. People have been really creative, suddenly finding the opportunity to do things they have been putting off, like learning a new language or mastering a favorite family recipe. As for me, at the start of the pandemic I gathered up a lot of different staples with the thought that I would be baking bread every day or making elaborate dinners since I was suddenly working from home. However shortly after I devised this plan in my head, I also realized that since I owned several sewing machines, it was a no brainer that I should be making cloth masks when there was a dire need for them. Instead of baking bread or learning to make pasta, I was at my machine every moment outside of my day job hours. For months I would stay up until all hours of the night to get through the requests for over 600 masks that I would provide to frontline workers, friends, and family. As the days got warmer and my husband and son took advantage of our backyard pool, I would drag the machine out onto the patio and enjoy the nice weather as I stitched away. It was exhausting, but really helped me feel like I had a purpose. During this time, my family (of 38) stayed connected via Zoom calls every other week. Being Italian, of course the conversation always turned to food. I was amazed at all of the things people were making, especially the breads (meanwhile, my barely-used 25 lb bag of flour was mocking me). However the one treat I was most jealous of was the homemade ice cream! I always assumed it would be difficult to make, but after listening to all of the frozen treats they were making, I was determined to try it for myself, so I put an Ice Cream Maker on my wish list. Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law, my wish was granted in July for my birthday, and I was the proud recipient of a Cuisinart Ice-30 Frozen Yogurt and Ice Cream maker! Of course, I immediately got to work and started making some of the typical flavors, such as vanilla, strawberry, and my favorite, mocha chip. It not only was tasty, but it was refreshing to be able to have a frosty treat ready for us in 30 minutes without leaving the house (yes, the pun was intended). I will always love Brighams and my pals Ben and Jerry, but there is something about being able to make it myself and know exactly what fresh ingredients were going into it that makes it so much better. Sadly, as usually happens, the novelty wore off and the whole milk and heavy cream started to get pushed to the back of the fridge. Each time I tossed out the expired dairy, I would replace it the next time I went to the grocery store with high hopes of restocking the freezer with more deliciousness. I think part of my resolve stemmed from those family Zooms, where the conversation still steered toward food call after call, even 10 months later. So, this morning as I looked at the January 17 expiration date on my milk carton, I did a quick search to make sure it was still okay to use, (as long as it didn't smell funky, it was) and I whipped up a batch of chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips. It may be close to freezing outside, but when my 12 year old asked what was for breakfast, I told him cocoa and dairy, and neither of us felt guilty about it at all. If you have any good ideas for ice cream (preferably without using eggs....still a bit apprehensive about that), please post. I am now on a quest for a creamsicle recipe to try next. .

It is 3 in the morning and I need to be up in 3 hours to get ready for work. I have been on vacation since December 23rd and I feel like a little kid dreading the first day back to school. The first week of my break was uneventful, even though it was Christmas. We didn't do very much because, well, 2020, so we had a pretty laid back holiday. I was very lazy for the few days after that, which I justified because I was really busy with orders right up until the holiday. I also somehow discovered Tik Tok (apparently 10 months late) and that became a time suck of epic proportions. Amazing how I became obsessed with watching videos of people wrapping presents, yet mine still looked like they were wrapped while I was wearing mittens. At the start of last week I sat down to organize my yearly sales records and do my quarterly taxes which became an endeavor that kept me up until after 2 am for several nights. Meanwhile the house still looked like Christmas threw up. I never even got the bag of discarded wrapping paper to the curb in time for trash pickup. No excuse but just sheer didntfeellikedoinits. Once taxes were done, I took my frustration out on my current web hosting site because they have crappy reporting capabilities and it took three times as long to gather the info I needed. Don't bother bringing up the fact that if I kept on top of finances as I fulfilled the orders then I wouldn't have to scramble to gather it all in two days. That just makes too much sense. Instead I decided to do the sane thing and change web hosts to one that *hopefully* has a better e-commerce platform to make things easier. Of course I won't know for sure until I make my first sale. In the meantime I have been glued to my laptop for entire days trying to migrate all of my products and design a great new website. I am so excited, I can't even get to sleep once I do call it quits for the night. Which leads me here.... writing this post which may never get read since joatmoncreations.com isn't even live on the new site yet (I haven't broken up with my current web host since I am still creating the new one). I already got out of bed twice to do a brain dump of things I need to do (where do I prioritize cleaning up the damn Christmas decorations)? I don't even feel tired anymore, which is dangerous since I went to sleep at 2:30 and 3:30 am respectively on Friday and Saturday. I suppose since I am still working from home and all of my Monday meetings are non-video calls, I could really just sleep an extra hour and roll right out of bed into my office chair.... Glad my 12 year old is still remote learning so he can make me a cup of coffee every hour. This new website had better be worth it!