Whew! It's been a week. A good week, but by the time Friday night rolled around, I was feeling exhausted. And looking back on the week, I can see why. Each week I start with a to-do list of projects I want to make progress on or finish. I love using my Idelwilde planner for this because I like to add to-do list items throughout the week. This week's list included: a wholesale meeting, two online workshops, a Merriweather Council zoom meeting, and the launch of my new ice dye fabric collection (there's still some colorways left, BTW.)
What I really did this week: a wholesale meeting, which led to researching new kit packaging, designed new kit packaging, ordered new kit packaging, and ordering a giant amount of thread (over 200 boxes!!!)
I also taught two online workshops which were so enjoyable. I found some new book recommendations, shared in my love of plants and got to see so many peoples pets while sharing in a love of embroidery. These really made my week, so thank you to everyone who joined in! If you'd like to join me for an upcoming workshop, see what's planned here.
Along with online workshops, I finished stitching the October Pattern Club sample and digitized the design for pattern testing, designed a new holiday kit design (OMG it's so cute!), stitched a new mini plant design, applied to two online virtual holiday markets, scheduled social posts (the only way I remember to post things these days), launched my ice dye fabric collection, and mailed all your wonderful orders. It's crazy how a 4 item to-do list snowballed into so much more... And this doesn't even include my day job.
No wonder I'm pooped.
You might be wondering why my week was so packed. Why didn't I just put something off until next week? Well, right now might seem like down time between summers end and the holidays, but as a small business, this is a busy time of year for me. I am prepping for the holiday season. Kits, patterns, and finished pieces all take time to create and put together. As a one women small business, I am the one that does it all. The more I can do ahead of time, the less likely I'm going to feel like a headless chicken during the holidays.
And yes, I know this year isn't like years past (I mean it's just crazy pants). I'm hoping that even though I don't have in-person holiday markets, businesses and shoppers will still think to shop small and local this holiday season. I already have a few small businesses in mind for some of my holiday purchases.
But let's get back to the here and now. Yes, this week was tiring but in a good way. And I'm so thankful that there is interest in my work to keep me busy and planning towards to future. Along with my passion for MCreativeJ, my amazing followers are driving me to continue progressing and to make new things. I'm also so thankful for everyone who shopped my new ice dye collection. I loved the creation process and how each color option turned out. More new workshops, patterns, and kits will be coming your way in the coming months! So thanks for being here and making this possible -Melissa