: oh, yes you candy! :

lets talk about chocolate!

but first, did you see my tasty smoothie recipe, yesterday?

annnnd, each & every pair of babypantz is only $6 in the shop right now [and the shipping is reduced, too!]

ok.

[vegan] chocolate ; which is usually called carob. 

[you can buy carob chips in the bulk bins at whole foods & your local co-op // health food store]

it tastes just like chocolate & its delish.

annnd dogs can have carob!

oh, yes you candy [cutest business name ever, right?!] sent me three of their heavenly bites carob truffle bars to try out. [you only see two in the photo because i ate first, took a photo second...]

i tried the mint, sea salt & lime, s'mores & banana monkey crunch.

[anything sea salt & lime is my fave!]

these are so fun! they are totally vegan [no dairy, no gmo ingredients, no wheat & no refined sugars!] blake & i ask for a lot from our food & the companies we support & these truffles tasted great!

these bars [and they make flavor-infused coconut oil & popcorn crunch!] would make a great stocking stuffer, pen pal gift or a treat for yourself. [because hellllo, you know you love the taste of chocolate AND supporting the dreams of small businesses!]

connect with oh, yes you candy!

shop // website // facebook

disclaimer : i was gifted three truffle bars of my choice. my opinions are my own.

check out all their flavors! do you have a favorite?!

: in case you missed it ; my top posts for july! : plus THREE huge discount codes! :

FRIDAY!
can i get a 'whaaat whaaat'
what does friday mean for YOU?!
for us, it means the easiest RAGBRAI day [42 miles!] & tomorrow is our LAST day!
keep your fingers crossed for a safe ride ;)

today, i wanted to do a recap of my favorite blog posts from the month [in case you missed anything ;)]
also, i have 3 discount codes from three small, smart businesses i really dig!

*chelsea has great tips for taking a trip-of-a-lifetime on a small budget!

*au natural sent me some rad vegan makeup that i totally love!
plus ; type in ORGANICBEAUTY20 at checkout to save 20% on EVERYTHING in their shop. [the eyeshadow is my fave!]

*need a simple & filling recipe for supper tonight? naan pizzas are my go-to quick meal!

  

 *healthy surprise sent me a HUGE box of vegan treats ; a bunch of which we have been eating all week.
also, type in FLYTOTHEWALL at checkout to save $5 on ANY box [i highly recommend this!]

*still thinking about getting your feet wet in the 'vegan pool?' : here are my top 5 tips on reducing your animal consumption. i would LOVE to have you read this ; even if you do love bacon!

*looking for a beautiful statement jewelry piece?! paige has some really great pieces in her shop!
type in DIANA20 at checkout to save 20% on EVERYTHING in her shop! [thats really fun!]

*and finally, 19 things [that other really great people wrote] that you should be reading!

: how to set up your craft fair booth : an indie biz post :

hey!
earlier this month, i had my very first outdoor craft fair. i wanted to switch things up a bit, so i decided to totally revamp my entire set-up.
i wanted to keep the cost as low as possible [duh!] & repurpose // reuse as many things as i could.

today i will be sharing my set-up tips & easy 'how-to's'

here we go :

my entire set-up. i sold : photo notecards, ponytail scarves, bow ties, babypantz & farmers market totes.
[yes, i now see that my tablecloth was crooked!]

cute welcome sign, right? 

for the sign : 

i bought a $3 dowel at the hardware store & painted it yellow.

i cut out 3 pieces of cardboard in the shape of arrows & taped them to the back.

used regular chalk to write a few messages.

the base : 

i painted an old coffee can with scrapbooking paint.

placed 2-3 crumpled up sheets of newspaper on the bottom & filled up the can with vintage wooden sewing spools.

my photos!

last year, we bought two shutters at a garage sale for $3. i bought hinges & blake drilled them to create one shutter.
i covered clothespins with washi tape & used twine to hold the photos.

all 'extra' photos went into an old clementine box with some recycled fabric.

ponytail scarves!

i took a product photo of each 'category' [pantz, ties, ect] i was selling & printed the name & price. i then pinned it near all the items.

my business cards : i used an old berry dish [you can find them at grocery stores & farmers markets]

i LOVED how my ties were displayed!

for the bow ties : i used 3 pyrex bowls. i reused packing peanuts on the bottom, then used rocks at the top of the bowl.

to give the booth a 'visual lift', i used a vintage wooden box, covered with an old feed sack.

the ties were in the very center of the table, so they got the most attention, by far.

babypantz!

last summer, i found this frame on the side of the road. i brought it home & gave it some spraypaint.

its perfect for displaying the pantz.

to display extra pairs, i use a wire rack [flipped over] & covered with a vintage pillowcase.

 
 
farmers market totes!

another great [affordable] purchase! i bought this towel rack at a garage sale for a few bucks. i painted it with scrapbook paint.

also, i found shower rings for 10 cents & used them to showcase my bags.

didnt it all turn out so cute?!

i also made an easy banner from fabric scraps & i made my name banner with paint chips & sharpie markers.

tell us : 

do you show at craft fairs?

what is the coolest booth you have seen at a show?

how to boost creativity & time management : an indie biz post

happy saturday!
as you are reading this, i am hanging out with some of my favorite folks, hunting bargains, riding my bike & taking photos.
[i have a lot to do today ;)]

todays indie biz post is about boosting creativity.
working from home can be tricky. its hard to find inspiration when you are home in your underwear yoga pants all day, every day.

below are 5 tips that help me be a better & more productive business owner

1) go away

running out of ideas // inspiration // motivation?
go somewhere else. sit outside & blog. head to the coffee shop to work on your to-do list. bring a blanket & sit outside to work. sometimes a simple change a scenery makes all the difference. i definitely find that sitting at a table, windows open, music off has made me much more productive.

2) rank your list
i have a huge fan of lists [you already knew that, right?] i always have a 'master to-do list' going at all times, but i also have a list of things i need to get done right now ; today. making a list the night before of things i need to do at certain times helps move me along.
if i dont have a deadline, i become a professional time-waster.

3) just quit, already!

when i first started :dianapantz: ; that is ALL i did. i would get up at 6:30am and work til 11pm. working working working. i didnt take care of myself. my apartment. my partner. none of it.
i have learned to set a 'stop time.' when you have a 'real job', there is a stop time. the line is much blurrier when you are working from home, but you owe it to yourself [and the other people in your life!] to step away at a certain time each night. plus, its hard to be objective about your work // projects when you arent taking care of the rest of your life.

4) simplify your phone
i have an iphone. and with the iphone comes HUNDREDS of apps. i can do anything at anytime on my phone. cool, right? not cool.
there was a time when blake would be telling me about his day, but instead of listening, i was checking in with my 500 twitter followers. not fair.
so what did i do?
i deleted both facebook & twitter off of my phone. and i do not miss them!
i spend SO much of my time on the computer being :dianapantz: ; it is also so important to step back & be diana. spend time with my friends & family. bike without wondering if people are 'liking' my statuses. live my 'real' life & be so thankful for all the beautiful things around me!

5) sick day!

take an afternoon // day // weekend off.
i know that when you are just starting a business // blog, you want to make it the very best you can. BUT [i have said it before] if i am not taking care of my brain, then i can not take care of my business.
taking a day off will fill you with inspiration & creativity. go for a walk [or a BIKE RIDE!], visit a lake or farmers market. sit outside & read a book. leave your phone, ipod & kindle inside. enjoy the sounds, smells & colors around you.
i find i am more productive once i take an hour or two to enjoy the things around me.

what tips do you have?!

my other indie biz posts : how to stay organized & why you should be measuring your influence

: small business inspiration : BEEBOLT :

i have something super fun today!
a while back, i won this linky party!
my prize? this great sewing book AND a $25 giftcard to beebolt.

look at this cute bag i made with the fabric!! [psst ; you can buy the bag here]

so, i went online, checked out beebolt and ordered two yards of fabric.
i started emailing with kate and was super inspired by her business
[come on ; she runs a fabric shop!!]
i had the chance to interview her ; and was so impressed.

here we go : 

1) who are you? what do you do? where at? where can we find you? 

 *I am a Minneapolis based textile designer who gets her kicks out of sharing my love of fabric, sewing and quilting with others.  I have two businesses.  One is as a freelance studio and the other is a design focused e-commerce site for the home sewing and quilting enthusiast .  You can find me working out of my home studio (sometimes in my pajamas) covered with threads and surrounded by fabric, color and all kinds of strange items that inspire me.  Currently, beebolt is an e-retailer so you can find us and our incredible selection of fabrics, patterns and books on the web but stay tuned because I am considering having a brick and mortar presence in Minneapolis!

You can find me on facebook, twitter, my blog, at beebolt annnnd my design site. 

[gerties blog is here]

2) how did you get where you are today? how did your business start? how long did it take? 

*I started my career as a textile designer for Target and left to go freelance when I decided to start a family.  Along the way, I started designing fabric collections for the quilt world and basically fell head over heels in love with the independent sewing and quilt industry. It took me about 3 years to muster up the time, money and guts to start beebolt.

3) how to do you manage everything? family, fabric, health, ect.

*My life is really like a scrappy quilt- busy, pieced together, not exactly planned and a little unconventional but beautiful at the end of the day!  As a single working mother of 13 year old twins it is a HUGE challenge to find balance.  I have learned to ask for help and support from those around me, including my kids who scan images for the website and keep me current on social media. 

My personal fabric stash is quite vast and I consider myself a complete junkie!  I am constantly rescuing handwork from garage sales (really, how could they sell that?)  My textile collection is fairly organized in plastic bins by type and color.  I tried to label the yardage for awhile but that went by the wayside.

I am working at managing my health better than I have in the past.  Being diagnosed with celiac disease this summer has really caused me to eat more mindfully and without my running shoes, I’d probably lose my mind.

 [find this fabric here]

4) we would LOVE to know the truth ; how hard is it to run a business?! what have been your biggest struggles? your biggest accomplishments?

 *Running a business is a lot less glamorous than it looks and it is a ton of responsibility.  Very little happens without my energy going into it.  I am the IT department, the janitor, the bookkeeper and the customer service specialist in addition to being a designer. 

There is never enough time or money to execute things and it can be a little lonely running a business.  There is sometimes this little voice that creeps in and says “Who do you think you are to do all this?”  That voice has to be banished!  My passion for design, fabric and sewing fuels me to keep moving forward even when times are tough. 

My biggest accomplishment is that my kids see me pursuing my dreams and using my creativity to support our family. 

 5) where would you like to see yourself and your business in the future?

*I would like to see myself as a grandmother sewing quilts for my many grandchildren (no pressure boys) and expanding the beebolt community to connect and inspire people to tap into their own creativity!  Oh, and if you could throw in the man of my dreams that would be delightful!

 [pattern found here]

 she also had the chance to head to the sewing summit [jealous!] - you can read her write up here.

how fun was this?!?
a few months ago, i had the idea to find and interview small business owners that really inspire me, and kate was my very first!
doesnt she totally make you wanna drop what youre doing and sew something?!

show her some love ; and remember, if you are looking to buy some fabric for holiday gifts, support local, small businesses!


cheers!