Hello 2013! Going Big

Ok 2013, I'm keeping this short and sweet.

I usually write up a list of my goals at the beginning of the year (looks like I missed 2012...it was a rough start) but I really don't feel like making a long-winded post about it. My theme for 2013 is "Go Big" or another vulgar one (my fave) "S*** or Get off the Pot". (And oh lord am I cringing at the amount of times I've written about pillow making and hiring help)

• Create everyday / aka get my hands dirty / more FELTING (and shut off that computer)
• Make a small line of pillows (I just ordered the wool and it's on the way!)
• Work with my most fave places to create something exclusively for them
• Hire some helping hands (anyone out there interested in a day or 2 a week??)
• Look into artist residencies

So that's the gist. Capisce?

And before I go, I've got some new and one-of-a-kind pincushions fresh in the Etsy shop! They're all made from scraps of my hand felted merino wool leftover from projects and pillows from years before. They're all a little wonky, different shaped with fabric backings. You can even have the option of getting your initials stitched on the back. I just love this idea just as much as I love the idea of pincushions being such a personal item in general.  I've met people who have had their pin cushions for a really long time. What about you?

Things Are a-Changing (and getting some things off my chest)

I just launched my new website last week. I had given myself a deadline (up to right before I got on a plane to Austin to see my new baby nephew) and I accomplished it, but not without a lot of lack of sleep, tons of coffee and just lots of unnecessary stress. Somehow this is how I do things. Set deadlines, throw in some major procrastination, get closer to said deadline, work harder, panic, panic, coffee, coffee, ignore husband for several days and then DONE! I know lots of people who do this, but it always seems like I'm the best at it. And when I say best, I mean the craziest. Not in a good way.

Regardless, my site is up, I really love it and I'm excited to be able to upload my work myself in real time. I had been wanting a gallery-like site and I got it! So go take a peek already. I'll wait here.

In other "things are a -changing" news, I finished working on my fall 2012 line which is something I've never done before (having a seasonal line.) To be honest, I fought this since I started my business. I just thought I didn't need to, that I didn't want to be held down by a season so that I could create willy-nilly whenever I wanted. Well, this year I decided to make some changes. First off I met with Rena Tom, strategist extraordinaire for creative businesses. It was an intense hour of back and forth and it helped me SO much - thanks Rena! She helped me formulate a plan for my business and it really rejuvenated me big time. I came home and got cracking that very day. I feel very grown-up in my little business - new website, new fall line, created my first linesheet to send to stores, edited my current product line and I'm working on a small line for spring 2013. Holy smokes, who am I????

Before all of these changes came about, I had a couple of really rough months. Late last year I had made the decision to take some time off in my business and I think it was a culmination of going through some personal things and being in a rut with Papaver Vert. I didn't write about what was going on here (like I did when my husband and I lost our friend Chris to suicide last year) mainly because I just didn't feel like sharing yet. A few weeks before Christmas, my mom came down with a mysterious illness and was hospitalized for 10 days. I was so freaked out to see my mom that ill that I lived in her hospital room the whole time, not wanting to leave her side. Thank the stars she is doing so much better now but being confronted with the idea of losing my mom was a real rude awakening.

Then, several months later, my husband and I lost his mom to breast cancer. She had been diagnosed several years before, so we knew what was coming, but it was still shocking none-the-less. We were able to be right next to Lynda, in her house, when she died. I feel so lucky to have been there right at that moment.....we didn't know that that would be the day. I mean, how often do you get a chance to witness such a personal moment and say goodbye? My mother-in-law was always so lovely to me and accepted me as her daughter from the moment I met her. It's not often you hear that about a mother-in-law, right? There was a time in my young life when my mom didn't speak to me. I felt like the world had ended but Lynda's house was my refuge and I spent so much time there. I will always be grateful for that and even though I never told her how much it meant to me, I'd like to think she knew. On a side note, Lynda was an avid crafter. A few weeks after she died, I cleared out her craft room, donated a bunch of things while taking home lots and lots of books, yarns and antique notions for myself. She was always giving me bits and pieces from her room so I know she'd be happy that I took lots of good things. Thanks so much Lynda :)

Looking back, I'm pretty sure what got me out of my funk was my work. And by that I mean working with my hands, designing, creating. More so then thinking about my business. And then the business followed. And then the openness to changing. And now here! 

Things are a-changing and it's good.

Well, Hello 2011!

Whew. I'm happy to say the Holidays are over! Yes, I know this is the best selling time for people like me but I think I always forget that it ends up being all work and no holiday playtime! I did take a bit of a break the week before and after Christmas to do my own thing, drink lots of mexican hot chocolate, have a social life and work on things that I've been wanting to for a while - such as hang up some branches in my kitchen. It was all very nice :)

(The kitchen set up for a New Years dinner.)


Looking back on 2010, I can say that this past year was so good to me and my little business.  I love how organic it's all been so far.....just taking things as they come and seeing what feels good or not. I'm not one of those people who plans out the next 5 years in advance nor do I have any crazy goals. I just want to create work that makes me happy, pay my bills, go traveling and hope that in between others will love my work too. On that note, this past year has had some crazy highlights for me, like getting my work into the MOMA Shop and several other museum stores (Ok, I'm getting that my work does well in museum shops!), being interviewed by some local magazines and not so local, I've taught 3 felting workshops, my work was published in a cool book, I was on tv (by far the craziest thing ever) and I came out with some new pieces.

As tradition, this is the week where I look back on my year and write out my goals for the upcoming year for all to see. Putting it out in the blogosphere helps me feel more accountable and I think that throwing my intentions out into the universe can't hurt either. Before starting this post, I read back to my New Years post from 2010 to see if I made some progress from my last years goals. I think I did pretty good.....3 out of the 5.

-I found some great help from two gals who do a great job crocheting. And they happen to be the sweetest things too which really is the icing on the cake!

-I've really improved my time management and I find that I can get more into a rhythm easier han I used to. Those blogs still beckon but I tell them to just wait their turn dammit! And learning how to say no in general has been a lifesaver yet still a really hard thing for me to do.

-Working on wholesaling with stores and keeping up the relationship. This is still a tricky one and it's something I'm revamping and adding to my current resolutions.

-My pillows....oy, my pillows. It didn't happen last year but I'm very optimistic for this year. There's a little something in the works with a beautiful store that may be carrying my pillows. And this makes me very happy :)

Goals for 2011:

• Join a business group that meets monthly
• Change my website to a gallery site that will link to a shopping cart such as Big Cartel
• Create a smaller wholesale line
• Make smaller, limited edition pieces in my shop
• Carry my pillows exclusively through one or two select shops (for now)
• Saying no is OK! (to friends, other vendors etc)
• Teach more felting workshops
• Find an intern?

This is PLENTY to start the year off with!

Hoping that this post finds you and yours happy and healthy. Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! 

Stepping Back, Mission Statements, My biz and Me

I've been thinking a lot lately about how and why I use my blog. I'm an avid blog reader, mainly reading design blogs but also ones about having your own business, cooking or traveling. I want to enter into a new phase with my blog.....and announcing this can be a good thing to get me going. I'm not sure what that means right now, but for this post it's about looking at the bigger picture, about my work and my passions.

So stepping back for a moment to Business 101 is the ol' mission statement. I cringe at this type of thing because having to really sit down and think about the bigger picture can be hard for me while I'd rather be just doing "it". But I realize the importance of things like this so here's what I've been using:

"Papaver Vert creates beautifully functional vessels by sculpting and shaping yarn into bowls, vases and objet d'art for your home. Focusing on color, form and function, Papaver Vert utilizes the time consuming technique of crocheting and wet felting wool to create tactile pieces with a contemporary twist, making each piece one at a time with the hopes of the item becoming a much loved piece in your dwelling."

Speaking in the 3rd person can be so weird, especially about the business that's me. This then makes me think of branding and I just hate that word even though I realize that that's what it is. Putting branding aside, I foremost think of myself as a designer over the word artist, but at the same time, my goal in creating the work that I do is to really hone my craft and technique to an artisan level.



To me, becoming a craftsman in the old-school sense of the word is the end-all be-all. When I first saw the Craft In America series on PBS, my brain and heart did a complete flip-flop and it really changed my whole outlook on what i'm doing and who I want to be. I watched those people using ceramics, wood or reeds as their medium and I loved their passion and sense of serenity when they spoke about their craft. Many of them saw themselves in the role of educator. This was a surprising thing to find out about myself -  the kick I get out of wanting to talk, educate and amaze people about the medium that I create with. I always love the look on someone's face when I describe the felting technique for the first time and watching their eyes getting bigger and bigger. It's the coolest thing ever - ok actually....It's seriously the BEST! And for those few minutes I revel in all my felted glory!! (sorry, not the most humbling of statements!)

So how do I see my work and my passion? For me it's simple. I love designing. I love creating. I love working with wool, seeing what it does and where it takes me. I love things for the home. The joy I get from my surroundings - ok folks, literal joy - is what I want to share and be a part of for others. It's that simple.

And now back to you guys...how do you see my brand and work? Is there something you love over the other? And for other artists/designers out there, do you see yourself as brand, artist or both?

On the Fancy Talkin' Box

Ceramic artist Whitney Smith and I were both interviewed last week on View From the Bay, a local show here in San Francisco. (I got to show off my Pod Vase and Circle Vase!) I still can't believe how calm I look in the interview as I was freaked out for WEEKS before the show. Many of my friends and family couldn't believe it either (hmmmm....they know me well :) Whitney on the other hand is always the epitome of cool and even though her blog might state otherwise, she always seems to have her shiznit together. She's been a big source of help for me art wise and especially business wise, always giving me lots of advice and tips. Although she did have a lapse in her status with me just minutes before we went on and I was a nervous nelly. She asked the camera guy "So, how many people watch this show?" "Mmmm....about 30,000". Whitney!! Shut up!!

Welcome 2010

(New little heart just listed for Valentine's in my Etsy shop....only 6 made!)

Say what???? 2010? Now that just sounds crazy! I always get nostalgic when I have to adapt to a new way of saying the year we're in.....is that just me?

I think I've been in a small state of denial so far this new year. This past holiday season really kicked my booty big time, just wiping me out and making it very hard for me to get my momentum swinging again. I don't like to say I thrive in chaos but it does seem that I can get quite a lot done! (That and some good strong coffee mixed with Netflix instant play) But that's not a good way to live ones daily life, so with this in mind comes my look back at 2009 and my looking forward to 2010.

I can see that I did NOT accomplish some of my resolutions for 2009 which will now be added to my 2010 goals. Regardless of this, I can still say that 2009 was such an amazing year of growth and happiness for me and my little business. I know I've said before how blessed I feel to be able to do what I'm doing, blessed to have the support that I have and blessed for all the amazing people I have met through this adventure that I am on, and I will say it again! 2009 was the year my website launched, my pod series grew, I participated in more shows/fairs, I was fortunate for some lovely press, I attracted more wholesale orders, found out that Canadians and Australians really dig my work (thanks guys!) and I got to travel around Eastern Europe with my best friend.

Here are my goals for 2010....which I love/hate posting because it's out there for the world to see and also helps make me more accountable:

• Find more help! - such a biggie....possibly an intern and looking into local senior centers for crochet help. I'm thinking there are some grandmas out there who can kick my ass at crocheting.
• Find a 2 bedroom home or live/work loft - I did find studio space this past year, but discovered that I love working at home way to much. So goodbye studio and hello craigslist.
• Better time management - I'm addicted to blogs. That's all I can say about that.
• Continue my wholesale relationship with stores - I'm learning how to go about making re-orders with stores who have already made an initial order. This is tricky to me.
• PILLOWS! - Oh for the love of god, my pillows! I plan to start small this year, maybe not pillows but little wall hangings, short runners etc. This ties into finding a bigger place.

And of course, always coming up with new designs! I still work a part time job so my time is more limited than I would like, but this is ok with me in times like these :)

A Happy Belated New Years to all of you reading! Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The Site is Live!

So please stop by!

www.papaververt.com

Site designed by the wonderful Nancy Palmer of Small Tree Studio and my beautiful logo by the talented Jillian Clark!

Looking To 2009

After spending a lovely evening at home with friends to ring in the New Year, complete with homemade limoncello and rum cake, Charlie Bravo and I went for a long and beautiful hike today.
photo - Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
(that's me in the middle, always trying to get Charlie Bravo to catch me in my dorkiness mid-air...doesn't always work)
It was the perfect way to welcome 2009. I'm tired and sore, but I'm feeling really great, renewed and just excited about the year ahead. 2008 was such a big year for me and my little business and I feel so very blessed. So much support came from friends and family (thank you guys :) but also from people I have never met in person, just over the internet - bloggers who featured my work, other small business owners with advice, lovely customers, people who just left inspiring and thoughtful comments. You all ROCK!

Last year, at this time, I wrote down goals for the year ahead. Looking back on them, I think I did pretty good. The website is the main thing that didn't happen, but it'll be up the next few weeks and I can't wait! Here are few for this year:

• Hire an assistant part time
  
• Find a bigger work space
• Collaborate with other artists on combined designs
• Get my pillows going! (I'm giving myself until the end of the year for this one)
• Collaborate with shops creating some exclusive pieces
• Make some smaller, limited edition designs
  

Happy New Year to anyone who comes to visit me here. I hope it is filled with a lot of love, happiness, good friends, good food and a year where you start to make your dreams a reality.
Well, goodbye 2008 and hellllloooooo 2009! So nice to meet you.

How Time Flies.....

I can't believe that a year ago today was the last day of my "corporate" job and that just 2 days later I set out on a new path. It's amazing to me how fast time flies as we get older. Don't you remember summer lasting an infinity when we were kids? Sometimes I can't believe that another week has passed and I wonder "what just happened?" But even despite this year whizzing by, I have to say that it's been one of the best years I've had in a long time. That feeling of finally realizing who and what I want to be, what I like and don't like in regards to my life and just this "ah-hah" feeling knowing that I am on a path that I think is really right.....something that I don't think I've ever felt before.

It's hard for me to think too far ahead at the moment. I think that I'm reveling so much in just being that it's really difficult for me to lay out my plans like I probably should. For once in my life, I want to take things a little slower. Let things develop naturally and not have the feeling of such stress, always gasping for air with my chest tight like I always used to. God, it feels good!

I'll sign off with a pic of some poppies I took a few years ago.....a fun photo session I had with a garden of poppies that really led me to my business name "Papaver Vert".

To some it's a mouthful. To me it's just perfect.

This Picture Speaks a Thousand Words

It’s been way too long since I’ve written here and I always tell myself to try to write at least twice a week and then that overwhelmed feeling takes over. The one where there’s lots to do and I know I should just take it in stride and work my way through, but instead a paralyzing fear takes over and very little gets done. Talk about self sabotage, although it makes me feel better to know that I’m not alone after speaking with other people with small businesses. So in thinking of a post today and my new “Just Do It” attitude (no Nike endorsements here), I was looking through some old photos and started to laugh out loud with this one from a trip several years ago to Calaveras Big Trees State Park:And I’m still laughing because this is EXACTLY how I’ve been feeling lately.
(You want me to climb what? Uh….you mean this tree right here? Well…um….you’re kidding me right?)
That huge, daunting tree looms above me daily. There are days I look up it and think that it’s all so very possible and that I’m a fully capable and intelligent being. Then there are the days that are more frequent than not, where it’s all too much and I can’t even bear to look up at the tippy-top branches. I do stop myself often though, to point out to myself how beautiful that tree is and how fun it would be to climb.

I think a lot of this has to do with some big decisions I’ve made lately that have made my business more of a reality to me (hmmmm…..taxes anybody?) For starters, I just opened up my first wholesale account with a yarn company and even though it was a very scary (and expensive) thing to do, it was also so much fun, having a rep visit my house with bags of lovely yarn, looking at a myriad of color cards, touching and feeling all the wool skeins and getting a sneak peak at new products. Of course right after, my big tree feelings came back. Where am I going to put all this yarn I ordered? Can I possibly get through all this yarn? Do I even have enough hands helping me to GET through all this yarn? I envision skeins all over my apartment, yarn hanging down like pasta and criss- crossing back and forth like a huge spiderweb.

Does anyone else have their own tree to conquer?

Looking Up In 2008

Photo: Alameda, New Years Day
Taking a cue from decor8, and completely agreeing about the fact that writing something in such a public place like a blog makes one more likely to commit to doing it, here are my big goals for 2008!

*Hunker down and create daily, even if this means being out of the loop/society for a while*
I tend to do business first, design second and I feel that this is a big no-no for me and I want to break the cycle.

*Get my website up*
And I'm talking in the next couple of months

*Find a balance with my work schedule and my down time*
So that I'm not killing myself!

*Work smarter in regards to what I am capable of and the quality of work I can create*
If it means creating less but having a beautiful product, so be it.

*Stop the Comparing!*
Ugh, this can get ugly - stick with creating from within even when I see what's out there and start to feel like small fries....I truly believe others will love what I make when I love what I make.

*Stop and breathe every now and then*
Soak in the fact that this is what I've always wanted to do, so do a quick check - am I happy? am I still loving all this? yay! Then keep going!

On that note, I did do a check today and I am still loving it so this is good start to 2008!

Day 1 of New Life

Tomorrow starts Day 1 of my "new life".

You might be saying, "New life? Did you quit your job or something crazy like that?"Why, yes!! How the heck did you guess? Oh yah, and thanks for adding the "crazy" part to that question, cause geez...that makes me feel SO much better.

But yes, my last day at my well-paid, full-time corporate job WITH benefits, paid time off, 401K AND a really great cafeteria was Friday and there's no looking back. Well, ok, I've peeked over my shoulder for a second, but it was literally a nano-second and I don't think that counts.

So, now what? Well, I've decided to work part time, design and create full time and start my own business. I know times will be rocky but I really need to give it a go or I might implode. Anything is better than that......

I'm going to use this blog as a way of recording my progress and also to add structure to this new life I'll be living. I know thay I've been really inspired by the blogs that I read so my hope is that my blog will inspire ME and others who stop by.

My goal is to post about my new adventure once a week. So here's my first!