Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

DIY: Colorful Paper & Thread Garland

I's been gettin crafty lately. I'm working on creating a moveable background for my videos- I want to have something fun and colorful, handmade of course, and refelective of my personality and the colors in my logo, so I decided to make a background full of different garlands!

I wanted to share this first garland I finished up this morning, using paper & colorful embroidery floss.

What you'll need:

•     stiff paper/cardstock
•     circlular craft punch, or you can just cut out shapes
•     scissors
•     embroidery floss
•     craft/all purpose glue
•     needle & thread

• Punch or cut out however many circles you need for the length of the garland you want. I used 13 circles to make a length about 5 feet long.

• If you can get helpers to punch holes for you, and keep track of paper scraps, all the better!

• Spread some glue on one side of the paper circle and glue the end of the embroidery floss down. Then proceed to wrap the floss around the circle like crazy until it looks how you'd like it, slightly pressing the floss down into the glue on the back. 
• Knot the end when you're done, cut the remainder and let dry! The glue will dry clear so it'll be a double sided pattern.

• Once you have all your finished dots wrapped and dried, lay them out in the order you'd like to create your garland in. 

• And then thread them together! Thread your needle and come up on one side, go underneath the embroidery floss and down the otherside (I went over the floss in the photo so you could see where I went in and out)
• I wrapped a loop of the thread around the floss one more time on the backside to help it stay in place along the thread
• Keep on going, spacing the dots apart as you go. I placed mine each a few inches apart along the thread.

• Keep adding your paper dots along the thread until you're at the length you'd like.
• Tie off the thread at the end and cut off the extra length.

And voila! You have a pretty, spinning, colorful on both sides, paper garland!

Many more different types of garland to come- can't wait to see how it all looks together. I'll keep you updated on progress! 

Happy Monday and happy making! Working on any projects just for fun lately?

Why Consistency is so important for business

I was having a mojo session with a lovely lady yesterday (which by the way, is some of the most fun I've ever had in my life- I could talk with people about their businesses all day long!) and we chatted a lot about consistency.

Specifically, we talked about creating more consistency between the different aspects of her brand- the products photos, graphics, overall message & vibe. 

And after our chat, I started thinking about all the things that I've been wanting to change with my own business branding but haven't done yet. You know, all the little things that get pushed to the back-burner behind client work and other priorities (I'm like a contractor with a crummy house, I get it!)

And I started to think about how I could sure use more consistency in my business, too.

And that sucks. Because, I'm not really one for consistency in much other than relationships. I like things to change, I like to feel free, I don't like being pinned down to any one thing- I want to explore it all.

But I realize now, there are a few gaps in the ol' branding machine that more consistency would really help smooth over. It'd make things easier for people to understand me & work with me, and that alone makes it worth it.

Creating more consistency in our branding, in our image, in our message... More consistency in showing up, in communicating, in doing what we say we're going to do...

That's the good kind of consistent that creates a stable base for your customers, and potential customers, to trust you, get to know you and start to rely on you.

Where we can be free to experiment, explore and change it up still, is in our thought process, in our execution, in how we deliver our message.

I'm realizing more and more that consistency doesn't hinder growth, change or creativity- it supports them.

Where could you stand to get more consistent in your business? Are you naturally consistent, or tend to fight it?

Goats, Flowers & links to check out

This weekend, we met the Mr's parents (who recently moved to Salem, OR near us!) out at Bauman Farms & Nursery in Gervias, a little farm town in Oregon. The weather was incredible and the drive was so pretty. We got to see some cute goats and I, of course, couldn't resist coming home with some new plants!

{cute goats at Bauman Farms- the top one was scratching his butt on the post ;) And above is a baby bugging its mama!}

{Deeelicious! Mexican food in Woodburn at Luis' Taqueria - worth a drive back just to eat there again}

{Came home with a new Dahlia- it looks highlighter yellow in real life, very neon. A very happy addition to the garden!}

{some white bleeding hearts, which I've never seen before! These guys do good in shade.}

{some vibrant geraniums, also good to brighten up shade.}

{and my fave find, this crazy thing called a "gold velvet" anigozanthos- it's supposed to attract hummingbirds, which we love getting visits from!}

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In other news, I have a guest post up today on Kind Over Matter, about using Fear as a friend to guide you! It's an excerpt from something I wrote for our Catalyst Course, and a teency taste of the kind of stuff we talk about in there.

> Check it out if you get a chance, and thanks again, Amanda, for having me!

And my lovely lady e-friend Jessika from Oh My Handmade Goodness just launched her Guide to Bussinessy Goodness today! It's 68 gorgeous pages of biz advice and articles (including one from me!), worksheets, printables and really great quotes/artwork in between sections.

> Check out a preview of it here & name your price for a copy- it's a wealth of good information!

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Happy Monday everyone! Hope your week is off to a good start!

Kitty Photo Friday!

Look behind you, kitty! So unsuspecting.

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Today's the last day of our Catalyst course! <- click to see a peek at what our classroom space looks like. It's fun in there!

:( It's bittersweet because it's been so much fun and feels so rewarding and I'm gonna miss it! But I'm also excited for more free time for a bit, because now I'll have time to blog more and start some new projects that I'm excited about!

I'm also already looking forward to the next run of The Catalyst, which we'll be doing again this summer! The next round will start in July, more specifics coming soon. To me, summer seems the perfect time to destress and bring the focus back to you, your wellness, your relationships- the perfect time to take a break and figure out what you really want out of life!

I'm also realllllly looking forward to this weekend: 

If it comes true, it'll be our warmest days yet here this year! I don't think I'll come inside for 2 days straight.

Meet you here next week, friends! Hope you have a good weekend!
jena

Notes from Home (plus giveaway winners!!)

I went back home for a few days this weekend, home to the parent's house that is!

Portland and this house we bought most definitely feel like "home" now, but my parents still live in the house I was born and raised in, on the outskirts of Reno at the foot of the mountains. They've been there 39 years and counting! And I was there with them for 18. And when I go back to that house, it still feels like "home", too!

I realize that it's kind of a rare luxury to be able to visit where you came from, even go through the stuff in your old room, so I was grateful to have the chance to do just that this weekend!

Here are some things I found, some sights I saw and some goodies I brought back to Portlandhome with me. 

***If you're looking for the giveaway winners, they're announced at the end! :)

{school pics of me from 2nd-5th grade. Mom picked out the outfits and did my hair! And those aren't vests folks, much worse- they're half-vests sewn on the front of dresses! Apparently I liked that.}

{this is Scotty, my parents bought it new in 1976 and it's still kickin. It's what I drove in high school and for a couple years of college.}

{on a walk with mom around the neighborhood- that mountain is called Mt. Rose, and that there water's a crick!}

{brought a piece of the forest back with me : and these little guys, who remind me of my mom and my Swedish/Norweigan heritage}

{a cool astrology kit that helps you create your own birth charts, I used to geek out on it : and my favorite ever astrology book that I've been wondering where it was! Happy to have it again.}

{my old diary from junior high- it is super hilarious to read now : and a creepy funny dot-matrix (?) must've-been-super-cool-technology-at-the-time t-shirt from Sea World when I was 6ish. Mommy's Girl! Man oh man. Yes, I'm an only child.}

{some of mom's old jewelry that I couldn't resist : some of my old jewelry! A perfume bottle, a sachel with crystals & arrowheads from the desert, and an alligator necklace from a trip to South America that I went on with my friend Megan's family at 14}

{and an old bathing suit from high school! That by some miraculous occurence is not only cute still, but still fits! And I've been wanting a one-piece again... perrrfect... }

So, as you can see, I've always been a hippie. Except on school picture day!

Did you grow up in one home when you were a kid? Or move around a bunch? When's the last time you saw your childhood home?

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in other news, do-do-do-dooo! (trumpet noise :) The two big WINNERS of my 6th Blogaversary GIVEAWAY are ....

#21, a mysterious lady "H" and #28, Esther Stanford! You'll both be receiving emails from me later this evening! Congratulations!

And thanks so much to everyone who entered! You'll ALL be receiving a special email from me tomorrow as a thank you, so keep your eyes peeled :)

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Kitty Photo Friday!

Double. Trouble.

Happy Friday! Phew! It's been another long week that is not yet over because I'm still working on my taxes, blech! I gotta get them done tonight tho because I'm headed to visit the parents this weekend! I am excited to give them both big fat hugs, excited to play the piano!! And excited to go through some stuff in my old room- there's gotta be some good blog fodder in there, huh? (Man, blogger brain, it just doesn't quit)

Sooo, back to my taxes I go (I'm not the only last minuter out there right?)

And my mojo session giveaway ends this Monday! Enter this weekend for a chance to chat with me about your biz and where you want it to go- one of my favorite things to talk about!! :)

Happy weekend!
jena

After the rain...

We were headed to an Andrew Bird show last night and it started pouring rain as we were getting ready to go. I was dreading the inevitable long walk from the car to the show in the middle of a sogfest, but just as we were leaving, the skies opened up and the clouds starting clearing. We headed west towards the show, and the sunset, and it was spectacular!

These moments right after the rain are one of my favorite parts of living here! This place takes my breath away all too often.

And to top the night off with amazing music?! Twas a good night!

What are some things you love about where you live?

PS: Only a few days left to enter my 6 year blogaversary giveaway! Win a free mojo session + pitch kit- just ask me a question about your biz to enter- details here :)

Why you should keep moving!

Happiness is progress.

Momentum. Movement. Growth. Development. Progression. That's the stuff joy is made of.

So then the opposite of progress, would be stuckness.

Feeling stagnant. Stubborn. Getting caught in a cycle of old negative patterns.

And that's the stuff frustration, stress, sadness, lack of motivation, discouragement, loss of confidence and all the other shitty shit is made of.

But if we dwell in the stuckness, in the bad stuff, in all that's not working in our business- if that's where our focus is constantly- then we sink ourselves farther down into the mud and keep ourselves stuck, stuck, stuck.

If we can instead just keep on moving, then the mud may slow us down a bit, we may slip on it from time to time, but it won't stick us. Or stop us. As long as you just keep putting one foot in front of the other.

So if you're not feeling happy, or are "stuck" with an aspect of your business, think about how you can create some momentum there.

How can you create positive energy there, instead of focusing on what's not working? How can you take a step forward and create some movement?

For instance, if you're unhappy with your sales, create some momentum around your shop! How can you get more visitors and thus more sales?

• Offer a giveaway, purchase advertising, reach out to bloggers, do a special promotion or discount, reach out to shops about consignment/wholesale, chat with your customers on social media, scope out local craft/selling events you could participate in, hire a coach or consultant, re-take your photos and make them super awesome, re-do your about page and product descriptions, blog like you've never blogged before, try a new design/line, read some marketing books, take a class to improve your skills or knowledge...

Instead of slumping, complaining or blaming, letting yourself get stuck in the mud- keep moving! Do something! Try something! Then try something else! And keep trying!

There's always something you can be doing to bring energy into your business. Always.

Keep the energy flowing! Keep your momentum up!

A step in any direction, no matter how small, is progress. And in progress is where you'll find your happy. So keep going! Keep trying! Keep moving! And remember to enjoy the journey along the way.

Much Mojo,

Miss Modish

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I'd love to hear from you in the comments below! Where are you feeling stuck in your business? What's the first step you're going to take to create some momentum there?

>  Sign-up to get my Doses of Mojo delivered straight to your inbox each week, to pump up your jam!

Kitty Photo Friday!

Happy happy Friday! It's been an interesting couple weeks around here and I'm glad they're over, phew! But all's well that ends well, and it all ended well. And now it's Friday afternoon and the sun is shining and I'm feelin' fine. Gonna take advantage of this afternoon with some estate sale going and happy houring!

And thanks to everyone who's entered my blogaversary giveaway so far! I've been getting some GREAT questions that I can't wait to answer!

I'm going to start working on some videos with the A's to all those Q's! I also have plans for a super silly, but hopefully inspiring video series meant to lift your spirits on poopy Monday mornings. More to revealed soon. I'm excited already, I hope you like them!

Well have a good weekend friends and I'll meet you back here next week!

<3 jena

6 Year Blogaversary Giveaway! 6 prizes to win!

I've been blogging here in this space for 6 years today! Can you believe it? I sure can't, especially since I still find it so much fun to be here!

Well to celebrate my 6 years of blogging, I decided to do a special giveaway for you! To thank all you readers, longtime and new, for the support you've shown me over these years and for helping make my self-employment dreams come true. I couldn't have done it without you guys, seriously! So, I thought it the perfect time to give back some of that good mojo you've given me over the years.

Watch the quick video below to see what you can win, and how!

There will be 6 winners total! 2 big winners and 4 special "pay-it-forward" prizes! 

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TWO big winners will each win: a 1-on-1 MOJO SESSION with me (worth $200) + a PITCH KIT ($24)

And then those two winners will each get to select two of their friends to win: a PITCH KIT ($24) plus a 50% discount on a MOJO SESSION! (they'll save $100!)

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TO ENTER:

I want to hear what questions you have for me about your business! Do you have questions on marketing? branding? pr and media reach-out? advertising? blogging? building community? getting past fears? finding your path? time management? reducing stress? finding more fulfillment in your biz? 
I want to help!

-> ENTER HERE BY FILLING OUT THIS FORM & asking me your burning business question.

That's it!

The questions you ask now will be answered either on video or in a written post, and will be shared here on the blog and via my Doses of Mojo newsletter!

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Contest deets:  

• entries accepted thru Monday, April 16th at midnight, pst. 
  

• the two big winners will be selected randomly from all entries received, and will be notified by email and announced here on the blog by April 18th.

• upon winning, I'll ask for the names & email addresses of two friends/fellow business owners/online comrades, or anyone who you think could use a little more mojo for their independent business as well, to receive the pay-it-forward prizes. You keep the karma credit!

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So start thinking about who you'd like to give your pay it forward prizes to, if you win! And tell your friends to enter too, so if they win, they can pay it forward to you! :)

I'm looking forward to reading all your questions and answering them here on the blog! And really looking forward to getting to work with the winners, one-on-one!

Good luck everyone!
Miss Modish

What started as a DIY post but I got distracted and ended up revealing a nugget of my true inner geekdom

It's a dreary rainy day here and we've had some crazy server issues where our e-course site is hosted that I'll just say threw us for quite the loop. (F! U! dreamhost!!!)

But I'm not going to talk about the crap stuff. I want to talk about the fun stuff! To brighten my mood, I decided to try a little DIY project that I've had in mind to do for awhile- some fabric covered flower pots! Using this old tutorial from Chrstine Chitnis.

Above is my first attempt so far...(was still wet) I obviously need some practice wrapping/pleating/smoothing! And I probably won't use a light background fabric again- the terracotta color wants to show thru. Going to try out some more of these with other fabric and follow-up with some pics, if they come out cute!

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So while playing with the pots, I caught up on the latest episode of Smash, my newest guilty tv pleasure. It's really bad, acting wise- but the songs and music compell me to watch! Well, the Broadway ones, at least. Because you see, I was at one time in my life, a super Broadway geek!

I used to play piano- I played from my 10th birthday til I moved out of my parent's house at 18, pretty much everyday. And when I was younger, I played a lot of broadway tunes! Songs from Les Mis., Rent, Cats but my heart belonged to The Phantom of the Opera, the first Broadway play I ever saw...

I could play the whole songbook, but my favorite was the title song of course, where I got to be really BIG and really LOUD and felt really impressive and mysterious and phantom like!

I just loved that feeling.

And one year, I think I was 12-13ish, my piano teacher got to organize a group of her best students, including me and my friend Megan, to play piano at the entrance to a special event in Reno called Fanatsies in Chocolate- that year was Broadway themed!!

And the event was basically a big fair of all the fanciest, yummiest, chocolatiest treats you could find all in one place. Playing broadway tunes on piano and swimming in chocolate? Count me the fuck in!

So I recalled this whole memory while I was watching stupid Smash (I really like it) and got distracted from the pots and thought I'd dig around for old photos instead...

Behold- my mom, my pops and me, dressed as none other than the Phantom of the Opera!

Oh yeah.

I can't believe I'm showing this on the internet. This was not Halloween. And we were walking around like this in public, people! I say we, because I least I had Megan by my side, who played songs from, can you guess? Cats!

Please notice the super cool mask I drew on my sheet music binder, and Megan cut her nails into points to be more cat like! Hey, at least we were both geeks!

I found more pictures of more revealing childhood things in my search today- I'll have to share them here in the future along with more embarrassing stories.

What about you? What nerdy secrets are you hiding? What did you totally geek out about as a kid?

ps: there'll be a special giveaway here tomorrow afternoon, to celebrate my 6 year blogaversary! stop on by!