I had a number of ambitious projects this winter and have finally completed a few and I am so excited our house is feeling more like a home!
In January I had a surgery and was laid up for a few days. When I was finally able to get out I decided to head to the Home Depot, wandered around there for an hour or so, then to Target for a few things. On my way home I stopped into the Salvation Army and saw the hutch I had been dreaming about. Saturdays are 1/2 off EVERYTHING in the store so this was the perfect day for me to stop in. the hutch was priced at $299 so what a DEAL- So of course I had to call my husband and get his approval, he wasn't as excited I but I managed to sell him. One thing about being a creative mind married to an analytic mind is I can see the finished project and have to draw it out for him... So here we go!
I started the project by sanding it down with a fine sand paper and an electric sander. Since I was using the materials we already had I decided to go out and get some additional materials to help move the project along faster. I wanted to see some of the dark stain underneath so it wasn't sanded perfectly...
The second project was a dining room table. One of my favorite stores is in Long Beach, CA called Orange Ave Estate Salvage and Garden www.orangeaveestatesalvageandgarden.com/
Every time I go in there I come out with a treasure. This project was pretty quick, electric sander, course paper and some elbow grease. I used the same white wood stain from the hutch project and wasn't 100% happy. So I found some old paint in the wood shed and put a light coat and wiped it down to get the perfect tint. Once I did that I then decided to add the same light coat to the hutch to finally feel like they were complete...
Another project was a quick face lift- our range hood was looking extremely dingy and I just couldn't get it to look CLEAN enough. So with a little help of some black chalkboard pain we have a new look!
I've been spending quite a bit of time at my computer lately, therefore have been enjoying Pandora. I'm not sure how I found this group (Rend Collection) but I'm LOVING the lyrics and the sound of the banjo.. The way the beat just picks up makes me happy and I just want to dance! Christian music is very new for me, since attending Clairemont Emanuel Baptist Church (in my new neighborhood) I've found a love for it:)
Another group I'm enjoying is Needtobreathe, I first heard them in the movie P.S. I love you and just recently (again thank you Pandora) have heard some more of their songs. Love the sound and the energy they have-
I was in a wedding 3 years ago and the brides father was in the printing business.. I would say we received about 200+ pieces of stationary. In my business I do send a TON of thank you cards and get a wee bit bored with the same look each time. So I am always purchasing more and running out of room and want to be organized. Being that I represent Thirty-One Gifts I decided to invest this last year in our personalized baskets... Here are a few before and after photos..
My goal is to use the remaining 170 personalized cards this year!! Maybe now that I can see them they will be my first choice? I'm actually hoping to reach out to people that don't receive much mail and cheer them up... Maybe I'll start with one of my aunts :)
My oh my... Almost a whole year has gone by and now that I have more time on my hands I'm going to try blogging at least once a month... Have I said that before? Well, this time I mean it-
2012 in a nutshell- Eric was offered a new position in San Diego, CA and we decided to move last February. Shortly after we moved we found out we were pregnant, then we found out our offer was accepted on our house... Then we found out exactly a year after our first pregnancy loss we were losing our 2nd pregnancy. I didn't share about our loss the year before. I'm sure it would have helped to get it out but I didn't know how to do that and keep our family privacy- private... This year, I'm sharing... I find that the more I share with others the more others have suffered similar losses and it helps me heal. Im sure at some point I'll post our story but I'm moving on..That being said its been 9 months since that horrible news, and 8 months since we have been in our new home- so this blog is really going to take on a life! Woot woot!!
in June 12' Eric and I decided it was time for me to leave my FT job with Residential Elevators . I was pretty successful there and really enjoyed the industry and coworkers but I needed to focus on ME, US and our home. I did recently promote again with Thirty-One, I'm now a Senior Director which helps me cover a few bills each month (more than a few but not quite as many as I used to pay) :) My team is growing but more importantly the people I am having the opportunity to meet because of Thirty-One has been priceless. So that is what I do- I run my business, go to coffee with my new friends, I started attending bible study on Thursday afternoons, and I'm becoming CRAFTY!! I really am! I can't tell you how excited I am to share the projects that are on my list for this year!! Can you say DOMESTICATED?? Yes I think it's finally happening- I'm domesticating :) officially
Here is a picture of our little family on Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara visiting my in-laws- (I'm using my new iPad so I'm not sure where that photo is going to end up - haha
Ok- this project for January is going to be the BEST! I have been searching for a hutch that was in our budget and worthy of refinishing and here it is!!
(2) photos I'm excited to document this one :) well as long as it looks nice- so that's it for tonight, I'm back and excited! 2013 is our year!! Mine, yours or OURS together :)
I have been a consultant with 31 since October of 2009 and let's just say, I signed up to get some cute bags and ended up sharing the product with some great ladies. Look at me now, I'm a DIRECTOR!!
I can't say that I have been that good, I've just been consistent. Last year I had a few girls find me online and they, in turn are the ones to who I owe my success. Since I have had a full time job (in a male dominated field) the whole time and not a large amount of friends and family local. I have had to rely 99% on networking events. A great website for that is www.meetup.com, you can sign up for business, to find new activities, meet new couples and so much more! www.craigslist.org is also a good place as long as you are meeting in a public place. That is where I got started 2 years ago this month.
I would say that facebook helped me get started, then the networking events, it took the pressure off of me having to beg family and friends that I did have immediate access to. What was so great is that the ladies that I initially was just networking with have turned into some great friends!! We help one another in many ways and not just buying product. I'll figure out a way to put their links on my page...
The reason for today's blog is that I have as of Jan 1st gone part-time with Residential Elevators, Inc. and have gone FT with Thirty-One gifts. I now need to reach out, get out of my comfort zone and call people I KNOW and ask them to have parties for me. Whats funny is this- I listened to a training call on "Booking parties" the other day and decided to try it. it goes something like this: 3 groups of names-
A for the people you think will say yes
B for the people you think will say maybe
C for the NO's.
You are to start with the NO's so you feel good about your odds. But mentally you are still hoping for a "YES! I'd LOVE to help you out!"
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For those of you who do not know my background, I was a sales trainer, manager and recruiter for years (9.5 to be exact)... You would think I would know all of this by now. I feel like starting my own business is like learning a new language, but also just because I already know ALL of this doesn;t mean that I act on it.
"It doesn't matter what you know, its what you do with what you know that matters".... (I'm not sure who came up with this saying but it is SO true).
Here is what happened to me:
I emailed 5 ladies that I do not have #'s for and well I heard from (2) of them- one replies that she would LOVE to help, another said I am XXXXX and all of my friends are XXXX and we like "designer" items. SO now, in the back of my mind racial profiling my potential customers (I don't like this one bit)
I called 3 and left messages on 2- I haven't heard back from them and the one that did answer didn't know my # and picked up. I started by nicely catching up and the conversation was flowing smoothly until I got to the part of asking for help or a "favor". Being that I have been in sales FOREVER and so has this acquaintance, immediately I get, "I don't have any friends." and then I say, "what about work ladies?" She then has another call come on the line and says, "Oh, this is a work call I've got to get it, call me this weekend" well little does she know, when she goes to answer the next call... its still me on the line when she says "YOU WILL NEVER BELIEVE WHO THAT WAS" I then hung up and took that as a NO. My point here is that I truly feel that I am nice to EVERYONE, if I'm not interested I'll say, I'm sorry its not my thing. BUT, I'd be happy to send an email out to my email list for you. (OR something along those lines.) Needless to say even though I was contacting my NO's they totally deflated my mojo and well made me feel worthless. So now I need to rebuild my confidence and get back out there... or on the phone.
I called my husband who is being extremely supportive through this change and he just says brush it off- I took out my Jelly Bellies and ate a handful. :)
So to those of you reading this and wondering how I made it to a director and can't take rejection... I'm human and I'll get back on the phone and call an A Lister to boost my confidence. That is just what I did a few hours later, she isn't going to host a party BUT she is going to come to my party next week, and she is bringing a FRIEND. She is doing this to SUPPORT me, that is what friends do, they support other friends. So remember this, if you let people know what you are trying to accomplish they just may help. But those people who have their own agendas keep them on your C list and get it over with.
Did I mention that I am a DIRECTOR?! I keep mentioning this because as I write I am still questioning my decision to leave my great paying job to build this business that will in a few years be a GREAT paying job but not only that, I BELIEVE in this amazing company "Thirty-One"...
I received this when I promoted back in November. I use this cup EVERYDAY, I have my note hanging next to my desk (so I can see it EVERYDAY) and it reminds me that I have a team of 31 girls that need me to be successful so that I can help them be successful. They push me everyday to be a better person- and I am thankful that I have them, they give me a new purpose.
I just googled proverbs 31 and found this-
My goal for this year is to have 31 new personal recruits this year. What is funny is that on my 31st Birthday I said I wanted to have 31 girls on my team (I didn't specify how) and sure enough I have 31 girls on my team. Now, the next focus is to call and ask people if they know of anyone who would be interested in hosting a party, not them themselves... I'll keep you posted to see if the terminology change is successful :)
SO that goal means that I need to have 2.5 new team members a month. SO far Jan 21st I do not have any- I've got to get on it-
So of course as usual I have not been on for awhile and I have a TON of catching up to do. Well it isn't happening today :) But since I am all about having my camera in my hand at all times lately I wanted to share a little of my creativity
The heart is what caught my eye but then (because I learned how to take my camera focus out of auto and into manual) I was able to get the detailed web below...
In the winter Eric and I planned a trip to go back east for a friends wedding in Philly and to seemy family in Upstate NY. Unfortunately my grandmother passed during that time and sincewe were unable to make it to the wake and there were problems at the cemetery, Gram wasn't able to be buried. We were able to be there when she was laid torest and I am so grateful to havebeen able to do this with my family.
The first part of the trip started in Philly withour friend Lou (one of Eric's college buddies) and based on the photos it looks as if we just ate and drank the 2 days away. I have no pictures ofthe wedding but it was BEAUTIFUL!!
Then we headed to NY on Sunday to see my family and along with having the seriousness of my grandmothers burial we had a cookout and saw family that I haven't seen in 6 years. Aunt Joanne, Uncle Paul, Paula and her girls Caitlin and Marissa. I'm not sure how other siblings are but I have a feeling that my siblings and I will never grow up when we are around each other... I really hope that we don't.
