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25 Ways to recharge creativity & de-stress
Business Tips

25 Ways to recharge creativity & de-stress

ByNicole Stevenson December 1, 2020December 26, 2020

You know that feeling when your TO-DO list seems better suited to being written on an extra long roll of paper towels than on a Post-it? It seems like for every thing you cross off, a new thing (or two…

Read More 25 Ways to recharge creativity & de-stressContinue

DIY Succulent Pumpkin Décor
DIY Projects | Uncategorized

DIY Succulent Pumpkin Décor

ByLisa Rios October 21, 2015October 1, 2015

When my best friend told me she was pregnant, I had three urgent questions for her. How are you feeling? When’s the due date? Can I start planning your baby shower now? You see, she’s not just pregnant; she’s pregnant…

Read More DIY Succulent Pumpkin DécorContinue

DIY Watercolor Journals
DIY Projects

DIY Watercolor Journals

ByLisa Rios September 16, 2015September 3, 2015

I’m always on the lookout for a good quick and dirty DIY, and this project is all that plus it’s pretty to look at and useful. So whether you make this now or pin it to your “holiday gifts to…

Read More DIY Watercolor JournalsContinue

How to make a Cat Coaster
DIY Projects

How to make a Cat Coaster

ByLisa Rios January 14, 2015January 16, 2015

When I was a kid, my family was very much a dog family. We’ve had several dogs throughout the years and I have developed a profound affection for their playful, super friendly and loyal nature. Once, when I was in…

Read More How to make a Cat CoasterContinue

How to Make DIY washi tape wooden gift tags
DIY Projects

How to Make DIY washi tape wooden gift tags

ByLisa Rios November 26, 2014December 1, 2016

I never considered myself much of a paper crafter until recently. I have made exactly one scrapbook… over 10 years ago. All of that changed when washi tape hit the scene several years ago. If you aren’t familiar with washi…

Read More How to Make DIY washi tape wooden gift tagsContinue

How to Make DIY Fall Paper Flower Pumpkin Decor
DIY Projects

How to Make DIY Fall Paper Flower Pumpkin Decor

ByLisa Rios November 5, 2014December 4, 2014

As self-employed makers, my husband and I rarely get a chance to slow down and really enjoy the holidays. Starting in about the second week of November our online orders start rolling in and before we know it, it’s the…

Read More How to Make DIY Fall Paper Flower Pumpkin DecorContinue

How to Make a DIY Felted Pumpkin
DIY Projects

How to Make a DIY Felted Pumpkin

ByLisa Rios September 24, 2014September 24, 2014

I literally had to force myself to wait until after Labor Day weekend to start sharing fall crafts with you. I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but I want to bury myself in all things…

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How to Make a DIY Air Plant Terrarium
DIY Projects

How to Make a DIY Air Plant Terrarium

ByLisa Rios August 27, 2014August 20, 2014

I’m going to be honest here. Sometimes I just need simple and fast DIY gratification. There’s something therapeutic about starting and actually completing a project in one short sitting. And it really doesn’t get simpler (or faster) than this project….

Read More How to Make a DIY Air Plant TerrariumContinue

25 Ways to recharge creativity + motivation + combat feeling overwhelmed
Business Tips

25 Ways to recharge creativity + motivation + combat feeling overwhelmed

ByNicole Stevenson August 1, 2014August 1, 2014

“How do you do all of that stuff?” This is a question I get asked often by people who know me, as well as by people I meet who find out I’m juggling two businesses, a blog, writing a book,…

Read More 25 Ways to recharge creativity + motivation + combat feeling overwhelmedContinue

how to make image transfer gift tags + sizzix giveaway
DIY Projects

how to make image transfer gift tags + sizzix giveaway

ByLisa Rios June 25, 2014July 13, 2014

Just so you know: Dear Handmade Life received products from Sizzix that we mentioned in this post. However, we only write about and recommend products that we use personally and believe are awesome!   You know how there are certain…

Read More how to make image transfer gift tags + sizzix giveawayContinue

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If you want the easy road… choose something el If you want the easy road… 

choose something else to do for a living with a clear path, a 401k, and steady paycheck. 

Those things are probably pretty great. I don’t know as I’ve never had them but what I’ve had is the true joy of paying my bills doing what I love for the last 20+ years. And for me, the ups and downs (and some of those downs were SO low, I almost threw in the towel MANY times) of being a creative business owner have been worth it. 

It took me a long time and I learned everything the hard way through trial and error. But you, don’t have to! I’m here to help.

Ways I can help you for FREE:

🎧 Over 150 episodes of our podcast featuring business advice from inspiring successful creatives.

💻 Hundreds of our blog posts with solid actionable advice to help you start of grow your business.

📱 Thousands of posts and videos here on social media with tips and stories to inspire you.

For an investment into serious mentorship and a quicker way to your goals:
✨ The Club is our members-only community for creative small business owners to get practical business skills, goal-getting guidance, mindset shifts + support and accountability to discover and take your next big leap. Join the waiting list via our bio link. 

🌴 Craftcation is our life-changing conference beach in California featuring over 200 craft and business classes and lots of social gatherings to connect, educate and foster community. Discounted early bird tickets are available now. 

#smallbizlife #smallbusinessowner #smallbusinesssupport #smallbiztips
Relatable? Drop an emoji! 📣BTW: 🗓Today is th Relatable? Drop an emoji! 📣BTW: 🗓Today is the last day to apply for our fall @thepatchworkshow season! Apply via our bio 🔗. 

Our fall Patchwork Show schedule:
🏖 Long Beach @marinestadium 10.29
☀️ Ventura @downtownventura 11.5
🌆 Tustin @oldtowntustin 11.12
🌉 Oakland @jacklondonsq 11.18
🌳 Redwood City @cityofredwoodcity 11.26
🎨 Sebastopol @sebastopolarts 12.2
🛳 San Pedro @craftedportla 12.10

#shopsmall #shopsmallbusiness #smallbiz #craftshow #patchworkshow #craftfair #craftmarket #makerfaire #makermarket #communityovercompetition #communityevent #longbeach #sebastopol #oldtowntustin #sanpedro #oakland #jacklondonsquare #marinestadium #redwoodcity
Rather be getting crafty than making content for I Rather be getting crafty than making content for Instagram? READ THIS ⤵⤵⤵

Same friend, same. I used to spend HOURS searching for trending audio, scripting & shooting reels and writing captions for Instagram. After lots of trial and error I now I have a real strategy I use to plan, create and post here on Instagram. I’m able to conceptualize and create a month’s worth of posts in a day and I love never having to wonder...

What should I post today? 

I’ve got it planned out and my posts support my business goals. 

I’m ready to share it all with you in our new course debuting next month,
📱 Instagram for Creatives 🎨 where you’ll learn to confidently create and plan on-brand content that builds your community and business on Instagram.

Join the waiting list via our bio 🔗. 

This course is years in the making and I can’t wait to show you the behind the scenes of how I manage two accounts and over 30k followers.
Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live Einstein said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

If it’s not obvious, I choose the later. 

Here’s to my 47th year on this planet and every beautiful, sad, funny or confusing moment. Thank you to all the people who have loved and supported me and made life more interesting. Ever grateful for it all. 

P.S. - Last year I started this birthday tradition of making a slideshow of myself through the years. The idea behind it is to destigmatize self-celebration. Why shouldn’t we toot our own horn? The answer is, we should!

Birthdays are the ideal time to look at yourself with the eyes of someone who adores you. YES, you can (and should) adore yourself! We’re taught that self-love makes us conceited & that it’s a bad thing but loving yourself is actually pretty selfless.

Hear me out! If you love yourself, you’ll embrace the best parts of you & share them. When you share those parts with the world, you make it a better place!

It’s scary to put yourself out there but you can’t let that little voice hold you back.

Think about the artists, musicians, actors, chefs, writers etc. who inspired you, made you see things from a new perspective, caused you to swell with emotion or made you feel less alone.

I bet every single one of them wrestled with their inner critic. How much less magic & beauty would be in the world if they gave in to that voice saying, “what makes you think you’re so special?” etc.

If you want to get me a birthday present, it won’t cost you a dime.

Comment below with something you love about yourself. It can be a talent, accomplishment, natural gift etc.

It can be BIG or tiny (if you’re proud of yourself for getting out of bed today despite feeling anxious/depressed, that’s something to be proud of & love about yourself and it isn’t tiny). Sometimes the smallest things can feel like mountains.

Get to it! I can’t wait to celebrate YOU today!

#innerwork #innercriticbegone #impostersyndrome #movingforward #keeponkeepingon #birthdaywishes #smallbizsupport #smallbusinesssupport
What can you expect at Craftcation 2024? ✨Five What can you expect at Craftcation 2024?

✨Five life-changing days at the beach in California.
🎨💻Over 200 craft and business classes taught by industry experts.
😍Lots of social gatherings to connect, educate and foster community.

As multi-year alum @marshmueller said...
“Craftcation has this effect… when you walk through the door it’s almost like a magical transformation.”

Holly and all the other alums and newbies... we can’t wait to see you next April!

Discounted early bird registration is open now! 

#craftcation #craftconference #smallbusinesssupport #smallbizlife #artconvention #craftconvention #makersformakers
Which emoji best describes how you cope with appli Which emoji best describes how you cope with application anxiety? 

🍷 📓 📚 📺 🎧 👯‍♀️ 🌮 👟 or something else? 

Application anxiety is real! Remember, one craft fair won’t make or break or break your business.

BTW: Our @thepatchworkshow applications close next week on 9.27. Apply via our bio 🔗. 

We have SEVEN awesome locations in California this fall.

🏖 Long Beach @marinestadium 10.29
☀️ Ventura @downtownventura 11.5
🌆 Tustin @oldtowntustin 11.12
🌉 Oakland @jacklondonsq 11.18
🌳 Redwood City @cityofredwoodcity 11.26
🎨 Sebastopol @sebastopolarts 12.2
🛳 San Pedro @craftedportla 12.10

#craftshow #craftshowprep #smallbizowner #smallbiztips #smallbusinessowner #smallbusiness #makerfaire

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