It's Kind of a Big Deal ~ This 2014 Thing.

2014. I read an intriguing question the other day. It simply said, "What would you do this year if you knew you only had this one year left to live?"  Wow.

This year is momentous on a personal level. 

In April I will celebrate 5 years in business with the Whee Ones® and cmh design LLC.

In September I will mark my 40th Anniversary living in my adopted home state of Colorado. (And 21 years married - 21... Vegas, baby)

In November I will turn 60 years old.

All of that, I would say, is cause for celebration and reflection. I've not really had time to do the reflecting part and the celebrations are in the offing.

But here is what I know:

* I am feeling that 5 year restlessness and wanderlust that sometimes comes with that 5 year mark of owning a business. I still like what I do. I am grateful to my shopkeepers and my customers. What I struggle with is the feeling that no matter how hard I work, I'm just kind of spinning my wheels. And the "making money" part?  Ha - that's funny. The "Oh it must be so nice to work at home and whenever you want" part? Ha - that's even funnier! So while I have no plan yet, I feel change in the wind. Maybe small; maybe not. I love what my friend Susan said to me once ~ life should be fluid.

* I love creating. I love new ideas and new projects. I love learning. Those things will never stop as long as I draw breath.

* I love Colorado but if you were to ask me at this time of year why I love it, I would respond, "Why am I not living within walking distance of the nearest beach where temps are about 85?" (Florida is out. Unless perhaps we talk Key West...) There's that wanderlust thing again...

* Colorado has been a blessing. I raised my boys here and I [hope] they had some fun growing up wandering the hills and valleys. I don't get to the mountains much these days (the reason I moved here - thank you very much, John Denver - in 1974), but I sure did in the past. Now I'm more citified and I get to galleries, museums, restaurants, delightful little shops and events around town more. 

* Colorado is by far one of the most beautiful places in the country to live and it [usually] has a very temperate climate. I fell in love with the big open blindingly blue sky and swear I can never live anywhere that doesn't have this same sky. 

* 60. I have no idea how to feel about that. I know that it used to sound old to me; now it sounds like a good friend; because most of mine are 60, or at least close. I do know that it has - already - prompted me to think some deep thoughts. Usually at the oddest times. Or to tear up. Usually at the oddest times. (And I am not a crier.) I don't know if that means I'm sensing my mortality or what. Whatever it is I want it to pass but I suspect it will be with me for at least most of this year.

* I know I do not like receiving mail inviting me to check out the new Assisted Living complex down the road. What year are we in? When did turning 60 mean you're ready for The Home?

* It's a scary thought to think that - best case scenario - 2/3 of my life is behind me. If longevity is in my genes and I'm a little kinder to my body than I have been I could have another 30 years. My Mom is 95 and going strong. But maybe I do hear the clock ticking a little... I really do need to make the most of each day. And for Pete's sake get this idea that I must always be doing something productive out of my head and out of my life. Period.

All that said:

* I promise myself to eat fewer potatoes. Potatoes are bad. Mashed potatoes are my crack. Only green veggies for 2014.
* I promise to take a little time each day to do something I enjoy on a personal level. Not domestic chores, not work, not taking care of the pets... something I enjoy just for fun.
* I promise to find a way to incorporate more travel into my life. There's always a way.
* And I say this every damn year - I promise to find balance between my professional life and my personal life.
* I promise to shoot more. Dust off some of my cameras and lenses I don't use and put them in a regular rotation. Shoot randomly. Shoot with a purpose. Just shoot.
* I promise to take more day trips.

And not one mention of the resolutions I made every year for the longest time ~~ quit smoking (I did in 1999); lose weight (I lost 28.5 lbs. in the last quarter of 2013); cut back on drinking (I love my wine, but yes, I have cut back); exercise more (Kizzie gets me out for 3 walks a day and that will improve as the weather improves!).

I promise to blog more. It's really just kind of a journal so I probably say too much - forgetting that the world sees this. But maybe I will reach someone who can relate. Or at least be humoured. Thanks for listening.

xoxo, me

What Balance?

My life is in transition now.  For the first time in 36.5 years I find myself with no children living in fairly close proximity.  They are both in other states. And although I am happy for them and wish them all happiness, love and adventures ~~ it's a little weird for me.

Couple that with the fact that for about eight months now (not discounting the 3.5 years prior to that - but the last eight have been intense) I have been going 100 mph with my work and I feel burnout coming.

Finding balance is impossible for me. Because I've always prided myself on my drive to succeed, my work ethic, my ambition and my dedication to customer service (individuals and shops I work with).  I don't know how to do anything halfway.

So, yeah.  That's pretty much me.   Because I also do this

So this new phase of my life ~ the true "empty nester" phase ~ which shouldn't really feel that much different because we haven't had a child actually living with us for over 15 years ~ does feel different.

And I find myself thinking this more and more...

Now if I could just turn off the voices from my childhood telling me to "always be productive." 

A Tipping Point

Last week I received a phone call that promised to change the trajectory of my little business and take it to a whole new level.  A big level.

I have felt for awhile that I'm reaching a tipping point.  Maybe not the tipping point, but a tipping point nonetheless.  The tipping point as Malcom Gladwell describes in "The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference" is "That magic moment when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips and spreads like wildfire."

I don't think I'm at wildfire levels yet, but I do see things changing for the Whee Ones® and me.  This morning I decided to review how this all started. Because it seems like all of a sudden things are moving fast.  Tracing the breadcrumbs in reverse, I think it all started last September when I received a very generous offer from the Art & Culture Program at Denver International Airport (DIA).  The Whee Ones® and I were invited to be a part of an exhibit at the airport featuring all manner of Colorado artisans and craftspeople who make handmade goods.

Once the exhibit was up and running I noticed that the Whee Ones® were gracing the banner on DIA's Art & Culture website page.  Now being the perfectionist that I am, I desperately wanted to fix Jeremiah Bullfrog's eye, but alas it was not my photograph to fix.  Nonetheless, I was ~ and still am ~ honored.

Then the good folks at the Denver Handmade Alliance interviewed me.

Then my friend Jen featured the Whee Ones® and me in her Holiday Gift Guide.

Also in December I started blogging for the Handmade Colorado blog associated with the Handmade Colorado exhibit at DIA.  And again, there was that wonky but dear pic of the Whee Ones® in the banner.  I'm not complaining.

Then things really started to roll on January 1 when I was offered to sign on for an Independent Design/Production project which - at least for a few more months is

It was a two month project with incredibly tight deadlines and learning curves  that almost killed me.  Well, that might be a slight exaggeration; but it was certainly challenging and ultimately rewarding.  Now if I could just talk about it... ;-)

Later in January a friend texted me an image from the Saturday edition of the Denver Post promoting Handmade Colorado at DIA ~ and once again we have the same wonky photograph.  I'm not complaining.

Offers for markets and special events have really been coming in over the last couple of months. Some I have signed on for; some I have - with gratitude to those offering - declined.  I take my commitments seriously and will never commit to something I cannot give 100% to.

And then last Thursday came the call that could change things forever.  I pondered the offer all weekend and ultimately decided to say no.  It would have required an initial investment from me that I'm not ready to make.  It would have required me to hire a staff ~ something that I've thought about many times, but again, just isn't in the plan for the foreseeable future.

And then the real discussion began with my business adviser (aka husband)... Where do I want to go with this?  How far do I want to take this? Do I enjoy what I'm doing right now?  Where is this intense drive for success coming from?  When is enough ~ enough? Or is it time for a serious business plan?

To date everything that has happened to me has just been one delightful surprise after another.  And I like that. :)  And I have the folks at DIA to thank for much of what has come my way.  But I won't deny the fact that I worked damn hard to even be noticed by someone like the Art & Culture Program of DIA.  I just didn't know at the time that's what I was working toward. See?  Delightful surprise.

So there is no doubt that I just faced a tipping point and I think there may be a few more down the road.  I just have to wait for the right one. And until then the Whee Ones® and I will just keep doing what we do.

Hanging out and smiling.

In the Whee Small Hours of the Morning...

I never intended for this blog to be about my business.  But anyone who knows me will tell you that I pretty much eat, sleep, drink (well except for the  ~ ahem ~ occasional glass of wine) and breathe what I do.  Because I love what I do.  So it is hard to separate me from business.  And as my 94 year old Mom would say about sewing, "That's not work!  That's fun!"  

Apple. Tree.

Once in awhile I get an idea for a product that just seems to come out of nowhere.  And once in awhile if it is something I just feel might be fun to make, I become obsessed with developing it.  I tweak and tweak and tweak until I work all the kinks out and then the fun really begins.

And so it has been this weekend with the Whee Tote Bags I've developed.  They are a twist on a bag I made a couple of years ago, but I like this one much better.  It's smaller and cuter than the previous incarnation and I'm using coordinating flannels and finally found a use for my button collection and a few other notions.  It's all about the accents, ya' know.

And I do love buttons.  I remember as a little girl sitting with my Mom's big glass jar of buttons and sorting them by color and shape.  I guess that OCD thing started young...

And no, I didn't eat all that gelato.  Nope. Not me...

And I love fabric ~ particularly flannel because the designs are so frickin' cute.

So I spent all day Saturday making bags.  And was up again at 1:30 am to make more.  And will spend the rest of today making more.  Obsessed?  Me?  Nah. ;-)

So Mornin' Peeps ~ Carry on. I've bags to make!