Sep 2nd 2010 04:55:31 pm

This post is based on the blogging prompt “What do you like best about your hometown?” from IndieBizChicks’ September Blogging Special.

The photo of the flat land you see above was taken in Western Kansas. Not exactly my hometown, but close. There is nothing I can do about it, I am a midwest girl – born in Saint Louis, raised in Kansas City, college in Iowa, vacations in Chicago – and everyone can tell. In New York, people go out of their way to tell me I am the most smiley person they have ever met, or that I am too polite, or that I am definitely NOT a native New Yorker. I just don’t think they were prepared for the midwest invasion…

I always wanted to explore the world. I had aunts and uncles who traveled nearly everywhere and I intended to follow in their footsteps, but now that I am away from my hometown in Kansas, I have definitely grown to appreciate it more.

A few of my favorite things about suburban Kansas City:

♥ The wide open spaces.
♥ The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art where I had my wedding reception.
♥ The running/hiking trails, which are remarkably flat!
♥ The large and numerous movie theaters. (without bedbugs!)
♥ Inexpensive real estate.
♥ The Country Club Plaza.
♥ The freedom to drive anywhere and buy lots of groceries!
♥ My family! xoxo

There have got to be more…. what am I missing?!

I think the thing I like the very best about my hometown is just how comfortable it is. I guess that is what everyone would say about their hometown… even if it is bustling New York City!

p.s. I thought I should add, that while a lot of my personality traits could be traced back to my midwest upbringing, there are also a lot of ways in which I am not a typical midwesterner… my religious and political preferences being two of them. I guess it is never quite accurate to stereotype someone, even when the person I am stereotyping is myself!

p.p.s My brother, who lived for three years in far western Kansas, has informed me that you can’t see the Rocky Mountains from there… so the photo above may actually be from Colorado. (Travis and I have driven across the country twice and I didn’t label my photos extremely well.) So, here is a photo that I KNOW is from Kansas:

7 Comments » Categories: Family, Home, Just for Fun, New York, Projects, Thinking

Aug 31st 2010 05:37:10 pm

I am getting old. I can’t remember when this photo was taken. I must have been three or four, still living in Saint Louis, and totally rocking a sparkly unicorn face painting. Where did I get it? Did I request to have this photo taken? Why is my shirt so dirty? It is so funny to think that I lived inside that little girl for years and can’t quite even remember what it was like… Someday will I forget what it was like to be me, now, at 29?

I got this idea of a “30 before 30″ list from one of my favorite blogs, Making It Lovely, and thought it would be fun to do since I am turning 30 in February…

Here are 30 things I would like to do before my 30th birthday:

♥ Redesign the Swap-bot homepage.
♥ Go to dinner at Al Di La.
♥ Get super-comfortable using our DSLR camera.
♥ Run the NYC marathon!
♥ Be noticeably sweeter to my husband.
♥ Take my donation pile to the thrift store.
♥ Visit The Cloisters.
♥ Lose 15 pounds. (Isn’t this on everyone’s list?)
♥ Buy a really beautiful and practical dress.
♥ Make marinara sauce from scratch.
♥ Take an overnight trip with my husband that is not at a relative’s house.
♥ Visit the Bronx Zoo.
♥ Watch every episode of Tosh.0.
♥ Get the Florence + The Machine album on vinyl.
♥ Make Crusher a super-cute Halloween costume.
♥ Try to live in the moment.
♥ Make blueberry pancakes.
♥ Start taking a weekly yoga class.
♥ Figure out how to style my hair in loose waves/curls.
♥ Watch Meet Me in St. Louis again.
♥ Do all of my mending!
♥ Drive upstate to see the autumn foliage.
♥ Make cupcakes with some sort of filling.
♥ Reduce my internal negativity.
♥ Call my brothers and sister-in-law every week (or at least more frequently).
♥ Visit all five boroughs in NYC (should happen during the marathon).
♥ Get a new laptop.
♥ Read a novel. (Maybe this one?)
♥ Reduce the amount of time I spend on Facebook.
♥ Vote!
♥ Promote peace.
♥ Get a unicorn face painting!

What else should I add to the list?

16 Comments » Categories: Birthday, Thinking

Aug 18th 2010 02:03:57 pm

At Team in Training practice my coaches are often telling me, “if you can carry on a conversation you aren’t working at a hard effort.” I usually nod my head, keep running and talking, and then come home to Travis and complain that I try to work at “hard effort” but I just love the social aspect of practice. Why can’t I have fun and train for a marathon at the same time?!

Well, I think these photos from the Bronx Half Marathon have finally made me realize that I should probably start focusing more on my running and less on chatting! I mean, look at me. I barely even look like I am running! It cracks me up. It looks like I am taking a walk with my friends and telling some silly story…. I definitely don’t look like I am in the middle of a half marathon. And it definitely shows that I could be pushing myself to go a little bit faster.

As the race progressed, I started to look more like I was working hard…

But I still think I need to concentrate on improving my running during my races and practices, and try to save all of the chatting for after… at least for the sake of my poor running buddies who are forced to listen to me blabber for hours on end!

——-

My fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is going very well! I have raised over $3,800 thanks to my awesome friends, family, and Swap-bot members, but to reach my goal I still need to raise over $1,100 more. Would you be willing to help Team In Training and the LLS find a cure for blood cancers? Any donation amount is awesome and will help make a difference! Visit my fundraising page to learn more.

3 Comments » Categories: Exercise, New York, Photos, Team In Training, Thinking

Aug 13th 2010 12:30:44 pm

This is my last BlogHer-related post, I promise!

The BlogHer conference last weekend included two large expo halls where companies had booths to promote their brands and new products – very common for large conferences. The companies in the expo halls were giving out lots of free samples and swag. And by lots, I mean more than you could carry home!

I toured the expo halls twice. I met some really nice people, got my photo taken with the Jimmy Dean Sun, and tried my best not to pick up too much free stuff. Despite my best intentions (I try hard not to be a greedy swag grabber), I came home with two large bags of product! I managed to collect everything from NyQuil to tuna fish – a very random assortment!

The company reps were all extremely sweet and informative (that’s their job, right?) and none of them required any of the conference attendees to commit to blogging about their product. The free stuff really was “no strings attached,” so why am I having an ethical dilemma? I probably shouldn’t be, but I feel guilty for taking the free swag! I tried to only accept things that I truly thought I could use, but I still feel guilty. Should I be feeling this way? Do the big companies know that we will feel guilty about the free product and feel compelled to reciprocate in some way? Am I a sucker?

There is no way I can blog about all of the companies I met, plus, I don’t want to. I have never done paid or otherwise compensated product reviews on this blog (although, I have received some free product that I have reviewed for Craft Critique) and I only write about brands that I really, truly like.

I do not plan to change my style just because I received some free product, but I do feel some pressure to acknowledge my gratitude for the companies’ generosity in some way… So, I would like to highlight some of my favorite things that I received at the BlogHer Expo. Is that an acceptable combination of integrity and reciprocation? I hope so!

My favorites of the BlogHer swag:

• TheYellowUmbrella.org is an organization created by Christine Baze to help educate women on how they can prevent cervical cancer. I received an actual yellow umbrella from Christine and promised I would help spread the word about her cause. Check out the Yellow Umbrella’s sister organization, Say Something!, to learn about how you can help spread the word about cancer prevention.
• The Bounty paper towel area in the P&G House at the Expo was co-hosting a collage art project table with the Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation. I actually use and like Bounty paper towels (they are thick & sturdy) and I was impressed to see them supporting and promoting a NYC nonprofit arts organization. The Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation was founded in 1995 by brothers Russell, Danny and Joseph “Rev. Run” Simmons and is dedicated to providing disadvantaged urban youth with significant arts exposure, access and education as well as providing exhibition opportunities to early and mid-career artists and artists of color. Very cool!
• The one piece of free product that I was most excited about was my new pair of Assets underwear. Yes, underwear! I know that is extremely weird, but Assets are the new, less-expensive line of Spanx undergarments and the company was handing them out to us at the conference. (Don’t worry, we got to choose the perfect size!) Ladies out there know how incredibly popular, but how terribly expensive Spanx are, so I am excited to see the company offering a more “value” version. Assets will be sold at Target.
• PUR Water Filters handed out free aluminum water bottles and hosted water filling stations all over the conference. BlogHer was trying to go more “green” this year and not providing bottled water was one step they took. PUR sponsored the water stations as an alternative. I actually love my new aluminum bottle (it isn’t too large and it has a little carabiner hook on top that you can use to attach it to a bag…) and I filled it up many times throughout the weekend.
• The new Jimmy Dean French Toast Griddlers that they were handing out at their booth were truly delicious – plus they use turkey sausage. I would honestly recommend them and will probably purchase them in the future. (And the actor who plays the sun is really sweet.)
• You already know that I love S’mores! Or at least you should, because they are one of my favorite foods. So I couldn’t resist the Hersheys + Honey Maid + Jet Puffed suite at BlogHer. You could visit the room anytime and make delicious S’mores over their mini fires. I only had one, but it was fantastic! I also picked up a little S’mores backpack and plan to use it and show my devotion to the treat.

For those who went to BlogHer, what were your favorite swag items?

9 Comments » Categories: Art, Fashion, Food, Thinking

Aug 9th 2010 11:04:19 am

Even after 48 hours, my brain is still filled with BlogHer thoughts. Here are my notes from the sessions I attended…

Gen Y Passionistas: Making Your Passion Work for You – Jenn and Jill from Pursuing Our Passion spoke about about having the courage to do what you love. Some of their ideas:

• Figure out what type of work brings you energy instead of leaving you feeling drained.
• Do what you love, but make sure you are solving a problem that people need solved.
• Show the readers of your blog that you are “listening” to them.
• Keep doing what you love and the opportunities will come, but also know that pursuing your passion does not necessarily mean quitting your day job.
• TGIMonday – enjoy seven days of your week, not just two.
• Check out the book, “Making a Living without a Job” by Barbara Winter
• Own your full name as a domain!

Mastering Intellectual Property Law – this sessions was hosted by two lawyers. It felt a bit dry and studious, but it included information that every small business owner needs to know to protect their work. A few tips from the session:

• Learn about your online rights on ChillingEffects.org.
• Register your logo, business name, and slogan as trademarks. Now.
• Protect your brand and act quickly on any trademark infringement you find.
• All public tweets are being archived by the Library of Congress.
• Make sure you have clear privacy policies and disclosures on your site.
• Basically, having a lawyer is a VERY good idea!

Good Blog Design: The Role of Layout in an Online Medium – this is the session I discussed yesterday that included Grace from Design*Sponge. They discussed general design principles and best practices when working with a designer. They did not delve into talking about code. Their design tips:

• Originality is very important because it translates into instant brand recognition.
• Never let design trump site function.
• Carry your design style across all of your online presences, like Twitter, Facebook, etc.
• Don’t go overboard with texture – one or two 3D-style items are enough.
• Map out your past, present, and future content ideas before starting a re-design so that you will have room to grow within the new design.
• Use CSS Type Set to create CSS code for your site.
• The Bold Italic is an awesome website.

Creating (or Massively Altering) a WordPress Theme – This session had a few technical problems at the beginning, but it managed to delve deeply into the code-side of working with WordPress. I self-selected and placed myself in the more advanced group and the presentation was just slightly above my head, but it set me on the path to trying out some of the newer themes and options for WordPress 3.0. The main general tip that I picked up was that if you are comfortable working in the code, use a framework theme like Thematic that you can fully customize.

Closing Keynote: How to Use Your Voice, Your Platform, Your Power – I already talked a little bit about this inspirational keynote yesterday, but I wanted to share some of my more specific notes…

• We all need to use our blogging voices to have important conversations.
• Nobody has to do everything. All of us just have to do something. That is how we make progress.
• More women in politics will make better policy and diversity of opinion = better decisions. Ask your blog readers to talk about one woman that they would like to see run for public office.
• The more “deep” writing we all put out there, the more legitimacy blogging will have.

——————–

For more perspectives on the conference, here are some links to other descriptive blog posts about BlogHer:

• Jenny Cisney of ljcfyi shares tips she picked up at her sessions.
• Megan of Crafting an MBA asks where all the crafters were.
• Tara of ScoutieGirl thought is was a little weird.
• Marcy of Pine Creek Cottage had a great experience.
• A full wrap-up of the entire weekend on IndieBizChicks.com.
• Nichelle Stephens has a quick, but telling post about her BlogHer experience.

I am still digesting my experience. For me, the conference was a very positive two days, but I probably will not make the investment in traveling to next year’s BlogHer conference in San Diego. I had a lot of fun (I mean, where else do you get to eat a unicorn cake?!) and took home some good info, but I think the sessions were mostly geared toward beginning bloggers. I certainly know that we can all learn from each other no matter what, but as someone who has been blogging for nearly seven years and running my own small business for five, I may not have been the target attendee. I also got a little bummed out when I learned a bit about how much the corporate sponsors paid to be there (think hundreds of thousands of dollars) and how much profit the BlogHer organization took home. I definitely think the conference should be profitable, but I felt a bit naive when I truly realized that the conference was mainly a money-making venture and not necessarily only about empowering women… hmmmm… we DO all need to make money, though.

Were you at BlogHer? Have you attended in the past? What are your thoughts?

11 Comments » Categories: New York, Thinking, Website, Work

May 19th 2010 02:50:03 pm

Recently, I have been reading/viewing the blog Kind Over Matter daily. It is sort of a combo of feel-good indie crafts and positive inspiration. They share hopeful illustrations and quotes multiple times a day. I really like that it is sweet and uplifting without being super-cheesy or specifically religious.

I have been wanting to post my own version of an uplifting illustration in Kind Over Matter style. While I was thinking about what I wanted it to say, the song “Secret Crowds” by Angels and Airwaves kept going through my head. It is a song I listen to often when I run and it always gets me pumped up. AVA (the band name abbreviation) is a side band created by Blink-182 guitarist, Tom DeLonge, and here is a perfectly descriptive quote from my sister-in-law, Chelsea, one of their biggest fans: “AVA is AWESOME!! They’re an amazing punk bank spreading a postive message!” Right on. (Plus, they just came out with a new album, LOVE, that you can download from their website FOR FREE! sweet.)

That is probably too much description for something that was meant to be a quick snippet of inspiration, but just listen to the song. I love how the lyrics use such urgent and aggressive words (violence and fire) to express the imperative of spreading hope and love.

spread hope like fire; spread love like violence

2 Comments » Categories: Feeling Happy, Just for Fun, Thinking, music

Apr 23rd 2010 03:53:49 pm

I have been reading a lot of websites and resources about independent and small businesses lately. I am searching for ideas on how I can transform my online life into a successful business I can be proud of. Travis and I have been running Swap-bot.com for over four years, but for most of that time it was only a hobby that supported itself with advertising while we continued our full-time jobs. Ever since moving to New York, I have been devoting myself to Swap-bot and freelance design full-time. In monetary terms, I don’t think anyone would say I am a huge success, but I love doing what I want to each day while meeting tons of cool, online peeps along the way.

Tara, the owner of one of my new favorite blogs, recently started “the kick your door down project” and encouraged others to share their own stories of embracing an adventure or making a big step. I want to add my own story to the project, but it is hard to distill my independent career experience into one defining moment. I think my “kick the door down” moments happen quietly everyday when I make the decision to keep trying to make something out of Swap-bot and myself. Certainly, Travis and I were courageous and bold when we launched Swap-bot, but we were so naive that it didn’t feel like kicking down the door. Now, years later, after all of the site glitches, troll shenanigans, server costs, advertising issues, etc, it feels more like an act of will and defiance to simply carry on.

Gosh, I sound negative, but it isn’t my intent. Running a complicated community website – or any small, independent business, for that matter- is difficult, but it is the ONLY thing I want to do with my work life. The good news is that I think I am getting better at it. Through my experience (and obsessive reading of business blogs), I have compiled a list of ideas/tips for running a web-based business. They are mostly just reminders for myself (I have them written out and flagged in my notebook so that I can read them each day), but I thought others might find them helpful. They aren’t get-rich-quick tips, only simple ideas to keep in mind when you start feeling overwhelmed or discouraged.

My thoughts:

• Quality, Hard Work & Kindness – This is like the “eat less, move more” diet advice. So darn simple and obvious, but so darn difficult to achieve. Despite that, I still remind myself daily that my ultimate goal is to create something of quality that will help and bring enjoyment to others. Quality and Kindness are on my to do list every day!
• Embrace Chaos – Another simple statement, but this is one I have really learned to take to heart. The internet is a wild place and there is no way to control it all of the time. Trying to control everything that is said in a forum or everything that is said about your brand will suck up all of your time. I’ve learned to trust others and just let things flow on Swap-bot most of the time and it usually turns out so much better than if I had tried to plan out everything or control every situation.
• Never Be Negative – I may have already broken this “rule” in this post, but positivity really is the best way to handle nearly every situation. Always present yourself and your brand in a positive light. (Tara, who I described above, just recently posted video on this theme here.) Others may say negative things about you, but the only true way to fight it is to out-shine the few negative snippets out there with tons and tons of awesome, positive content. That sounds so Polyanna-ish, but really it is about showing the best sides of yourself and your business without being fake or cheesy… which brings us to the next idea…
• Sincerity & Authenticity – I read somewhere (I wish I could find the link…) that authenticity is going to be the next “currency” on the internet because it is so hard to find. I agree. Well, I agree with the idea that authenticity has value. Your personality and your uniqueness are your most important assets when trying to make your brand stand out in the vast sea of the internet.
• Don’t Take It Personally – So, I just told you to be sincere and authentic, and now I say not to take things personally… it seems a bit contradictory, but this idea is more of a warning: The internet can be ROUGH. There are some weird, hurtful, wild, and crazy individuals out there and sometimes they will hurt your feelings or even do things to hurt your business. Never stoop to their behavior and never respond in anger or emotion. Much, much easier said than done, but trust me on this one. Staying kind and professional will make you feel better in the morning!
• Set Priorities – This has been the hardest thing for me to tackle. I want to do everything! Answer every email, read every forum post, write every blog post, make every craft, go to every craft show, design all of my own websites, sell each individual advertisement, send each Tweet, and on and on and on… But one person can only do so much. I have been working hard to bring more structure to my days and focus on the tasks that have the highest “return on investment,” to use a business term. Setting goals sometimes sounds cheesy to me (I mean, they have been telling us that since elementary school), but it is vital to understanding which tasks help you reach your goals and which things are just taking up time.

Whew! It feels good to get those ideas written out. They are all very simple concepts, but they are the core “rules” that shape my work. If you want to read more business-related stuff, check out a few of my current favorite resources: Crafting an MBA, Make & Meaning, and of course, Tara Gentile.

Do you run an independent business? What are some of the lessons you’ve learned or ideas that you carry with you to help you stay motivated? Is money the main goal or are we working for something more satisfying?

2 Comments » Categories: Swap-bot, Thinking, Work

Jan 1st 2010 05:39:01 pm

I decided to choose a focus word again this year. Since I have been so focused on the concepts of discovery, exploration, and enjoyment, I choose wonder. In 2008, I chose hope as my focus word, and in 2009 I chose busy and should as words I did NOT want to focus on.

Wonder is a vague and abstract concept but it feels like a good fit for me this year. Last year, one of my resolutions was to embrace adventure. I knew at the time that we would be moving to New York and I wanted to try to be ok with the chaos that I knew would follow. This year, the move is complete, but the chaos seems to have persisted. After losing our jobs, struggling through the rocky economy, selling our home, driving across the country, and settling in a tiny apartment in a demanding city, I no longer pretend to think that I have control over much of anything anymore. The adventure continues and this year I plan to not only embrace it, but to enjoy it. I want to find wonder in all of the new experiences.

Just for fun I went through and checked out what I was doing at the beginning of the past six years. Enjoy:

• January 1st, 2009
• January 3rd, 2008
• January 1st, 2007
• January 3rd, 2006
• January 6th, 2005
• January 2nd, 2004

3 Comments » Categories: Feeling Happy, Just for Fun, Thinking

Dec 31st 2009 02:15:31 pm

It is hard not to feel a little overwhelmed by the end of one decade and the beginning of another. I feel the need to do something spectacular to mark the occasion, but this blog post will have to do. I got the idea of a top ten list from a friend on Swap-bot, and I liked it so much that I thought I would bring my list over here to my blog. My intention was to write ten things I hope to do in the next ten years… but my list sort of morphed into a group of somewhat broad resolutions or focal points. Some of the items may be a little vague and/or a little cheesy, but they are my sincere thoughts about what I hope to accomplish in the next ten years. I want to enjoy this decade as much as possible!

Improve Swap-bot – This item is always on my to do list! I want to keep working on the site to make it more fun and functional, but also continue to foster a community that promotes creativity, friendship, and understanding.

Buy a home – one of the worst parts of 2009 was that we had to sell our cute house in Eugene. I miss it and I look forward to buying a house again (or condo/apartment, if we stay in NYC for a while). I miss doing home improvements!

Exercise every day – this sounds intense, but I have a broad definition of exercise. Walking to the grocery store, doing chores, and shopping count as exercise to me. I would also love to train for another big road race – maybe a full or half marathon!

Make art – I want to make time to explore my creativity just for fun. This includes crafts, painting, web design, etc. Anything that lets me create something that I love. Paid graphic design work sort of counts toward this goal, but I also want to do things just for me.

Make more money – This one sounds shallow, but when you are making dangerously close to to zero dollars per year, I think it is ok to have a monetary goal on your list! I am a professionally trained and experienced graphic designer… anyone need any design work done?

Reproduce – Yep. I want to have some babies and I better get on it! This will definitely be my last decade of fertility (unless there are some major medical advancements), so Travis and I need to start seriously planning our family asap. I am a little nervous, but mostly excited!

Reduce my internal negativity – I beat myself up over the most stupid things. I need to stop. I don’t want to feel stress over things like how I look or whether I just said something silly. Time keeps passing more quickly; there is no longer time for those trivial concerns.

Promote peace – this is an abstract concept, but it is important to me. I want to promote peace and understanding in all of my personal interactions and also on a broader scale. I am committed to a personal mission of spreading peace, love, and happiness for all.

Fall in love everyday – with my sweet, dear husband, of course, but also with my family (including Crusher!), and friends, and with life in general. I want to focus on noticing and appreciating the things I love about every person in my life – including YOU!

Experience wonder – this one is a little vague, maybe… I just want to appreciate all of the small, but amazing things in life and experience joy as often as possible. I want to discover things I am passionate about and explore the world.

What are your plans for 2010? What do you want to accomplish or focus on in the next ten years?

2 Comments » Categories: Swap-bot, Thinking, holidays

Nov 30th 2009 11:13:06 pm

Thirty days! woohoo! I successfully completed National Blog Posting Month (and only had to post-date a few entries). I had planned to end the month with a bang, but posting every day is more difficult than it appears! I was hoping NaBloPoMo and blogging in general would help me improve my writing, but I don’t think it has. I never feel like I have enough time to devote to quality posts and usually just throw something together late in the evening. My quality writing goes to writing Swap-bot emails! Maybe that will change in the future… I still want to write a review of my Thanksgiving meal, write a preview of all the holiday craft shows I am attending in December, write about my recent design work, etc… I hope to continue posting frequently in December, so stay tuned!

1 Comment » Categories: Thinking, Website