But He's Mine.

There's this little boy. 

     He's stubborn. 

          He's determined.

               He's independent.

                    He pushes limits and buttons beyond breaking points... then a little further.

                         He drives me nuts on most days that end in "y".

                              But he's mine.

I relate to his crazy obsessive drive to do things on his own and to learn from his own attempts, regardless of if it ends as planned or not. I guess it wasn't that long ago that I was a crazy kids myself - full of energy, curiosity and wonder about the world around me. 

It's amazing being a parent and watching this energy and curiosity find an escape; to watch the little gears in his head turn and to see the results come out of those little fingers (usually to my chagrin).

But I also realize that it's in these early years that he's developing and setting the stage for who he will become. As much as he pushes my patience to newer and further extremes daily, I'm proud of who he's turning into. I wouldn't change a minute of it, and regardless of good or bad, I'll claim him every time.

He may be a Monster, but he's mine.

  

NEW Blogger Template Day // Peek-A-Boo Colors

This is always one of my favorite days here on the blog! I'm always excited to add to my Etsy shop for you guys. Also, if you would like to see any additional designs or patterns feel free to leave some ideas in the comments and I'll see what I can come up with. :) Think of it as a game where we both win. :)

Peek-A-Boo Aqua // $35

Peek-A-Boo Lime // $35

Peek-A-Boo Pink // $35

Peek-A-Boo Sherbert // $35

(And yes, I know it's spelled wrong. It's intentional.)

Happy Freelancer // Read. Know. Forget. Do.

When I started out freelancing, I went to Barnes & Noble, and logged on to Amazon, and went to the library (two actually). I found as many books as I could on the what and how and I spent hours upon hours reading. I studied pricing. I studied forms. I studied contracts. I studied layouts and designs. I studied the "Do's" and the "Don't's". I studied rules and guides. I read every success story I could find trying to gain perspective and understanding. I read every failure story I could find trying to learn from their mistakes so I wouldn't make the same ones. I studied everything I could think of, and then some! 

By the time I actually started my business I was practically burnt out on the inner workings of freelancing. I didn't even have a client yet and I was tired of dealing with them. I knew the basic rules, and had a really good understanding of what I needed to know and how to do it.

So BAM. I opened shop...

My first customer came around and I did everything by the book... 

...and I hated it! 

It felt so constricting. I was so frustrated and almost quit after that. It was like working for somebody else, but worse because they weren't actually there to answer my questions or to clarify anything. 

That's when I realized that freelancing is just like anything else. It's yours. It's up to you to figure out all the best ways. Yes, there are simple things that you need to remember and always do, but then there are other things that just aren't going to work for you. I's really ok to color outside the lines as a freelancer. Make it your own. That's the only way you're going to stick out from the throng of other freelancers and do-it-yourself-ers.

It's good to do your research; to know all the basic rules and to  understand why they are out there. It's always important to know the same things as your competition; however it's how you forget about or bend those rules that will put you outside the box. That's when you'll start to grow your business for real! And THAT's when you'll start to really have fun and love your new found freelance life! :)

Blogger Template Day: Carved -n- Colored

Today's new Premade Blogger Template is called:

Carved -n- Colored

Carved -n- Colored // $40

This is always one of my favorite days here on the blog! I'm always excited to add to my Etsy shop for you guys. Also, if you would like to see any additional designs or patterns feel free to leave some ideas in the comments and I'll see what I can come up with. :) Think of it as a game where we both win. :)