Business Tips - Dear Handmade Life

Skip to content

About
Contact Us
My Cart
My Account

Menu

About
Contact Us
My Cart
My Account

Blog
Podcast
Craftcation Conference
- Registration
- Get Involved
Shop
Patchwork Show
- Upcoming Shows
- Application + Vendor Info
Online Learning

Menu

Blog
Podcast
Craftcation Conference
- Registration
- Get Involved
Shop
Patchwork Show
- Upcoming Shows
- Application + Vendor Info
Online Learning

- EXPLORE MORE TOPICS FROM THE DEAR HANDMADE LIFE BLOG -

DIY Projects
Business Tips
Recipes
Adventures
Inspiration

Menu

DIY Projects
Business Tips
Recipes
Adventures
Inspiration

4 Ways to Build Your Brand by Embodying Community Over Competition

25 Ways to recharge creativity & de-stress

13 Ways to Support Small Creative Businesses

How makers can stand out in a crowded marketplace

Standing out in a Crowded Marketplace: A Q&A with Simply Made Local

23 Ecommerce Trends You’ll See in 2020 from Dear Handmade Life

23 Ecommerce Trends You’ll See in 2020

11 budget-friendly ways creative business owners can expand resources & reach Dear Handmade Life

11 budget-friendly ways creative business owners can expand resources & reach

Craftcation: Business + Makers Conference 2020 Registration is NOW OPEN!

4 steps to prepare your maker business for growth Dear Handmade Life

4 steps to prepare your maker business for growth

summer business checklist for makers Dear Handmade Life

The Summer Checklist for Your Maker Business

5 Things to Know to Create an Unforgettable Unboxing Experience

3 Ways Makers Can Improve Workflow Dear Handmade Life

3 Ways Makers Can Improve Workflow

Six Tips to Help You Save Money and Protect your Bottom Line in your Small Business Dear Handmade Life

Six Tips to Help You Save Money and Protect your Bottom Line in your Small Business

6 DIY Tips to Create the Best Business Card for Your Creative Business

Dear Handmade Life Angie Chua bobo design studio no issue

How to elevate your brand with custom packaging and unique unboxing experiences

10 Things you need to know before you sell on Amazon Handmade Dear Handmade Life

10 Things I Wish I’d Known About Amazon Handmade

How selling on multiple online platforms gives makers longevity Dear Handmade Life

4 Reasons Why Makers Should Diversify Where They Sell

The Most Commonly Missed Business Tax Deductions from Dear Handmade Life

The Most Commonly Missed Tax Deductions for Makers

How to prepare your online shop for the holidays from Dear Handmade Life

How to Get Your Online Shop Ready for the Holidays

Craftcation: Business + Makers Conference 2019 Registration is NOW OPEN!

How attending a creative conference changed my life and business from Dear Handmade Life

Three Ways Craftcation Changed My Life

Previous Page1 Page2 Page3 … Page10 Next

Email

get started

Craftcation Conference
Patchwork Show
Podcast
About Us
Shop Online

BLOG posts

CRAFT & DIY
BUSINESS
RECIPES
ADVENTURES
INSPIRATION

instagram

I've always been a goal setter. I mean, seriously,

I've always been a goal setter. I mean, seriously, I turned my Hello Kitty diary into a TO-DO list notebook when I was in second grade.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
As a hardcore goal getting Type--A lady, I always spent a lot of time thinking about the future. My thoughts carried this notion that once I got ... fill in the blank (this apartment, this relationship, this work success etc.), things would be ok. I would be ok. Like, that version of myself that would exist once that thing was done was a better version of the current me.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It took YEARS and lots of therapy and journaling and long late-night heart to hearts with friends for me to realize that the me in this very moment is ok. Not just ok, but awesome. That future me, she's great too. And, so is the past me. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
The best goal I have and the goal that's always on my list is to strive for harmony between being grateful for everything in this very moment and pushing towards growth in all aspects (self, relationships, work etc.). It's about letting your goals inspire you not make you feel like unless you accomplish them, you're 'less than'. It's about being your own biggest cheerleader.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thank you to #PatchworkShow alum @jessweymouth_ for creating this art that reminds me of my constant adventure with the symphony of gratitude and growth.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
📷🎨: @jessweymouth_

This little dog has been by my side through the wo

This little dog has been by my side through the worst heartbreak, letting go of businesses and starting new ones, half a dozen moves, my business partnership starting and then ending, hundreds of drives back and forth between Northern and Southern California, getting married, our sweet son Luca joining our family and so much more. She’s the sweetest pooch, a die-hard protector, loyal, adaptable and I’m so grateful her. Here’s to my dog Nina and all the four-legged furry best friends out there on Love Your Pet Day. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Pet portrait by yours truly!

Here are my top three favorite crafts of all time.

Here are my top three favorite crafts of all time...⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
1. Screenprinting⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
2. Sketchbooking ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
3. Sewing⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I can't wait to read yours below...

I'll never forget reading The Bluest Eye in 9th gr

I'll never forget reading The Bluest Eye in 9th grade. The way my world opened... not just to how gorgeous words could be when they're woven together by an artist with a pen and paper but also to another time and place, the pain of her characters, racial injustice, the concept of beauty and the ways in which I understood and related and the ones in which I didn't. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Thank you and happy birthday, Toni Morrison, wherever you are... I hope the Sunday mornings are long, the sunsets outlast your attention, the biscuits are buttery, your bookshelf is full and your pen never runs out of ink.

The thing I remember most about 6th grade Girl Sco

The thing I remember most about 6th grade Girl Scout camp is…⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
this annoying camp song we sang about kids going on a bear hunt (why on earth are kids hunting bears?) during which they run into various obstacles… a river, a cave etc. * sing, ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
“Can't go over it, Can't go under it, Can't go around it, Got to go through it!”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
30 years later that song pops into my head & whenever I’m in a rough spot, I sing that refrain to myself. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I sang that refrain here while I knit my way through anxiety during one of my almost daily monitoring trips to the hospital during my high risk pregnancy last year. I remember how filled with fear I was that I’d tell myself, "just get through this next hour. Got to go through it," & then when that hour was up, I’d do it again until I was another day closer to having a healthy baby.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
I’ve hummed those words, “... Got to go through it!” to myself many other times through heartbreaks, losses, disappointments & fear. Funny how that irritating song became one of my coping skills. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
It taught me that as hard as I try to push past the sadness or ignore the anxiety or fight the heartache, it won’t work. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Every life-changing conversation, every transformative business risk, every pushed creative boundary, every truly blissful moment filled with that magic that makes you pause and say, “Thank you,” to the Universe, ALL of those experiences are born from going through it. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
Although you didn’t make friendship bracelets at camp with me, I’m sending you a care package. You can borrow my camp mantra. When the road gets bumpy, remind yourself that the only way out is through & call on your past triumphs to bolster your confidence until the last line becomes a rebel yell, “Got to go through it!”⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
P.S. - Our newsletter subscribers got a longer version of this story - link to subscribe in our bio.

Which social media platforms should I focus on? Ho

© DEAR HANDMADE LIFE 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS SITE USES AFFILIATE LINKS. WE DISCLOSE ALL SPONSORED POSTS BY NAMING THE SPONSOR IN THE POST.

from our studio... to yours

Get our mostly monthly emails featuring event updates, secret deals, pep talks and inspiration to make every day awesome.

Email Address