5 WAYS CAN STILL SUPPORT SMALL (WITHOUT SPENDING MONEY) DURING COVID-19

I had planned to write this blog post with all the ways you can enjoy shopping at Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market this weekend. It grieves me to even look at these photos from last fall (full with baby Penny), knowing that so many are feeling the loss of not being able to visit or set up shop this season. I've had the privilege to be a vendor at this market for the past 4 years and it has been one of my favorite events to be a part of each year.

Oh how I wish I could be sitting in my booth this weekend, watching the bustle of smiling faces walk around enjoying the atmosphere, listening to live music, sipping yummy coffee and pushing along all their unique finds the market always offers. I miss this. I miss the crowds, the new faces I get to interact with, the hugs of old friends coming to see me. I miss it so much.

With our world shifting and facing unknown in our midst I have seen so much creativity come from it too. Creative ways businesses have come together to support one another. Sharing their favorite places they love, buying from local small shops, connecting with other business owners in the same boat, shifting their products or services to online communities to help cater to every day needs for others. It's been amazing to watch the way people can come together in the midst of crisis and I've been so thankful for that. 

So it got me thinking, even though I would much rather be in person for this market I still want to offer some slice of it to those of you who planned to come or have been there in the past (maybe that's how we first met!?!). I would hate to miss out on the opportunity for you to enjoy some of the offers I had for the weekend.

This weekend I have deals across my Etsy shop that I ONLY give to those that show up at the markets. The great thing about this is you can pick and choose a few items that you've had your eye on or stock up on some thing for Mother's day around the corner or the holidays down the road and do it all from the comfort of your home. The deals will be up longer than the event usually goes for too--staring Friday morning April 24th until midnight on Sunday, April 27th. 

Here's how you can still shop my products this weekend and save!

Save these codes to use for the weekend:

Get 3 art prints for $45 (value of $54) with code 3PRINTS

Get 3 greeting cards for $12 (value of $15) with code 3CARDS
and automatic FREE SHIPPING on purchases $35+

I know these times are making us all feel a bit weary, so in case you're wanting to support small but don't have the means to in this moment I also wanted to leave you with a few ideas you can support in little, but BIG ways for the businesses you love so much!

Thankfully there are many ways the government is helping out businesses in this time of crisis and I'm so grateful for that as well, but what the government CAN'T replace is the people...the community walking through the doors experiencing the atmosphere, enjoying the fruits of the labor that has been poured into these businesses. People are the reason these places have been born and the reason these places thrive, without the community of people gathering around them nothing would move forward, get better, or make it through. 

Below I listed  5 ways (although I'm sure there are more) you can show up and support without  spending a dime, but instead just a little bit of your time. I hope it inspires you and gives you a little more insight on how you can and are making a difference for small businesses right now and for the future. 

5 ways you can support small:

1. FOLLOW! FOLLOW! FOLLOW!

On instagram, on facebook, if there's an email list to join then SUBSCRIBE! Following along goes a long way for these small businesses, it not only keeps you in the loop on everything we're creating and bringing to you but also builds trust with others as they see you following along and supporting our business too.

2. ENGAGE, LIKE, & COMMENT ON POSTS...WE'RE REAL HUMANS TOO!

Go take a few minutes to tell 5 small businesses why you love following and supporting their business. It might seem like a little simple thing (and it is) but hearing these things from the people that are on board for what we're producing means MORE than you'll ever know. It gives us that boost of encouragement and reminds us again and again why we're doing what we love doing. 

Along with that, when these social media platforms see that our followers are engaging with us it tells them that more people are interested in our business. So the more you're engaging the better the chances are that more eyes will see our posts! 

Here's a few things you can comment if you're feeling stuck:

-"Thank you for sharing your posts, i love follpwing your journey" 

-"I love (insert your favrotie product), I'm so thanful I found it through you"

- "I'm so glad to be following here, always inspired by you"

-"Thank you for (insert how their business has changed your life in some way)"

3. BE A SHARER

So you've followed and engaged with these businesses and for a reason you're sticking around. How about tell the group of people that are closest to you why you love these businesses too! You have the power to influence others and your influence into our businesses has a huge ripple effect for us. Share on your stories, your tweets, share pics of our products in your home and tell your friends where they can find us too--tag us! The next time one of your friends or family members has a need for something we offer, direct them to us before they start to scour Amazon! Chances are too, your shares will get reposted and more eyes will be able to engage and see our offerings! WIN WIN!

4. WRITE REVIEWS & AFFIRM EACH OTHER

Most likely if the small business you love so much is online they have an easy way for you to write a review on their product or service. Look them up on Yelp or Google and send in a positive opinion about them--(so many people are searching these sites and will read these things so it helps a TON!). If you purchased from an online store (like my Etsy shop for instance) go back to the product you purchased and give it a good rating and a little more detail and insight into why you liked it. These reviews keep the momentum going when others are introduced to the business and see that their customers are excited about the products they've bought. It creates more immediate trust between the new customer and the business when they see others are saying great things--plus it does a great deal to our hearts to hear how much you're loving the things we offer.

5. BOOKMARK & SAVE TO REFER BACK TO

Saving posts on Instagram is another way the algorithm calculates that people are engaging with it. You can save a post you love from products you've viewed on feeds to refer back to when you're in the right season to buy. Or if you're on a desktop computer, bookmark the things you love from these businesses so you can purchase them when the occasion arises. That way you're already set way ahead of the game for when that birthday or holiday present you needed to buy sneaks up on you ;)

AND A BONUS WAY TO SUPPORT IS PROBABLY THE OBVIOUS...

6. MAKE A PURCHASE!

Even if it's just a simple little thing. Every dollar amount is one more dollar that wasn't there before. An art print or greeting card from my shop are my lower price points and are great simple gifts to buy for others or a perfect way to add a little art and encouragement in to your home. I would bet that if you've been invested and following a business for a while you'll most likely find something small and simple you can purchase from them right now.

I hope these were helpful for you and inspired you to think outside the box a little on how to support people in these weird times. I know I am so so grateful for the support you've shown me over the years...ALL of it! Every little bit counts and helps. Hope to see you over the weekend browsing the shop and I'll be looking forward to the day we can be talking in person at the next big market in town. Hope you're staying safe and healthy friends!

All photos take by The Hardins

Chalkboard Process

I'm gearing up for another exciting weekend at Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market. There you'll find me selling all my paper goods and original hand lettered chalk boards designed to make your home happy and pretty. A question I often get asked is if these chalk boards are stenciled or free handed and how it is I create these pieces so I thought I'd share a bit here about my process. 

The process for me starts by finding the right frame. I search high and low for good quality frames that have a uniqueness about them, whether its a small detail in the carvings, or the color of the wood, or an odd shape you wouldn't normally see. The fun part about this is the repurposing of these frames and making something seemingly ugly turn into something beautiful. 

Once I have a pile of frames to start working with, its a little bit of labor and love to get these to a quality thats no longer an eye sore. A lot of taking them a part, sanding out the flaws, giving them fresh coats of paint then sanding them down again to give them the rustic elegant feel I'm going for. I also like to stick to a color scheme so its appealing as you look at everything as a whole. Too many off colors can be kind of distracting in my opinion. So for this spring market I went for a lot of the neautral soft colors to go with the feel of the season. 

Next, is the sizing and cutting of the actual chalkboards all done by my amazing husband, thankfully! I get these mostly from home good stores or sometimes cut raw wood and paint black chalk paint on top. 

Since I was in jr. high I've loved to collect quotes. I kept a quote book all throughout college and still have piles of paper and notes on my phone of quotes that have inspired me. When the frames are done and the chalk boards are in, this is where the most fun happens for me! And to answer the much asked question from above, all of my work is free handed, no stencils whatsoever. 

Most of the time I start with paper and pencil sketching out ideas and designing a few quotes to see how I want to lay it out. Other times, I'll pick up a frame and just go for it by sketching it out with chalk first, playing with different lettering and ideas.

After I lay it all out on the chalk board and like the design, I use Posca chalk paint pens (my favorite) to draw everything on permanently. The paint from these pens flows really well, giving a rich opaque quality that I love. Once the piece is finished up I spray each piece with a clear matte varnish to seal everything in. 

So there you have it. Each piece is thoughtfully hand made from start to finish, created to last and bring beauty to your home. I love that I get to call this my job and that there are people out there that are being touched by and loving my work. 

If you're in town this weekend be sure to come by Westworld of Scottsdale and find me at booth 129 to grab one of these for yourself!

Logo for Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market

This project was an exciting one for me! Last fall I was asked by the team at Junk in the Trunk Vintage Market to create their new logo for them as they were starting to rebrand their business. I was so honored and excited that they would choose me of all people! It was so fun to work with them and come up with something they loved and were excited about just as much as I was. Something fresh and light, simple, with my own hand lettering and watercolor style is what we were going for. 

My process began with the sketchbook, as always, drawing out anything that came to mind and trying all kinds of different styles and lettering. Once we narrowed it down to a few they loved, I kept tweaking and working on those, pulled out the watercolors and worked on it some more.The final logo is what you see below and I love how it turned out. Not only is the logo spread across their new website and fliers and clothing and all kinds of stuff, but I also got to paint it on a giant mural you can see as the entrance piece to all of their markets. 

It's a pretty cool thing seeing my work all over a brand that is so well known and loved. And its even more fun to me that I get to be a part of the JITT "family" too. If you haven't checked out their markets yet, I highly recommend it. They bring in the best of the best with thousands of things to choose from that is sure to make you want to come back for more. I'm heading to LA next weekend to be a part of their first market at the Fairplex, so all you California friends please come say hi! 

Here is a little map I created for them too to let you know where and when all their markets will be this year! Hope to see you at one of them. 

Ephesians One Mural

I had so much fun creating this mural for our church a couple weeks back. This verse is at the center of everything that will be talked about in the next series we're going through and is being encouraged to memorize throughout the next couple months. When I was approached about the project, originally the idea was to have something painted directly onto the wall, but after I started sketching it out and knowing the amount of time it would take I wanted to make something that could be reused instead of getting painted over. So I came up with the idea of mounting something on the wall that could be hung in other places throughout the church once the series was over. Once I had the measurements figured out and the pieces were built, I realized I did some math wrong and didn't factor in what the size of the whole piece would be once they were all put next to each other. After trying not to freak out too long, I thought to overlap them and have the two smaller pieces pop off the wall--which in the end turned out even better as it saved space and created a dimensional look that would make the over all piece a lot more intriguing.

I spent the course of three full days working on this thing not including the sketching and digital processing time. (Shout out to my amazing husband who took on parenting duties--needless to say he's the BEST!) It was a hefty deal, making it the largest lettering project I've worked on to date! Sixteen feet high by 16 feet wide (each piece measured 8x8, 8x6, and 6x6). I started out sketching it onto graph paper and used my pen to make it look exactly how I saw it in my head. I then scanned it onto the computer to make final tweaks to the size and proportion it would be on each board. From there, I projected the digital file onto the board from my computer and made it fill the whole board. Then I got to sketching again, tracing out the digital picture in chalk on the the piece and eventually painting over the chalk to created the final look. Its a time consuming process, but I really do love every minute of it!

I loved getting to read through each paragraph as I sketched and created what I wanted the final to be, pulling out words that I wanted to have a focus on and creating lettering that would appeal to the overall feel of the piece. I felt like I put a lot of my own heart and self in this as I thought about the verse in my own life over and over. 

As any artist knows, we are our own worst critics, so I've tried not to be over perfectionist about it, but I am pretty happy with how it turned out! And even happier knowing its being hung in a sacred, safe place that is becoming a blessing to so many.

Family Photos With Monica Mae Photography

girls dresses-old navy// Sage's romper- baby gap// my sweater- clad and cloth

We spent an evening last weekend running around by the water and exploring together. I met Monica of Monica Mae Photography a few months back as we talked over coffee sharing our life stories with each other. She instantly became a friend and a talent that I will always recommend. (And my girls quickly fell in love with her too!)

It dawned on me the other day that these are the first family photos we've taken together since our youngest, Sage, was born. This year might be the one that has gone by the fastest. It still feels like Sage was born yesterday (heck it feels like Raleigh was born yesterday) and every time I look at her she's another month older! Our house is crazier, and messier, and louder, and "girlier" than ever before, but looking back on it I know I wouldn't want it any other way. There are days that I feel so defeated and frustrated and like I'm never catching up. There are days that I want to live all over again because of how fun being a mom that day really was. I think what I've learned the most, and am still maturing in, is how to give myself grace be ok with exactly where I'm at. I know there will always be more work to do, more dishes to clean, more laundry to fold--there will always be something. I'm reminding myself that the childhood my girls are living is the one that is happening right now.

 Going to take family pictures together helped things slow down a bit. We were present with each other, playing and laughing and discovering things together. Nothing else needed to be done except be with us. I've stared and looked at these photos over and over again feeling so full of thankfulness for the beauty that Monica captured in each moment. Moments that would normally be forgotten, like holding Raleigh's hand so she wouldn't fall or buttoning up Jaelynn's sweater because she felt cold or feeling Joci's head nuzzle onto my cheek or hanging onto that moment of laughing with Sage as she gave me a huge smile. These moments, these precious fleeting moments, give me more joy than I can muster up words for. These moments are what matter most and I'm learning trust that the things that need to get done will get done. These moments are the ones that are shaping their childhood and giving them something to hold onto and look back on as they're growing up. I love this time of year for the gift of being able to slow down and be intentional and present with the people in our lives that matter most. I'm hoping and praying for the new year to become more of these moments... more intentionality, more discovery with our little family, more grace, and more trust.