this girl is on fire

Hola friends! It was a long, cold winter here in Northern Ontario, and I found myself deep in a creative hibernation. At one point I had almost convinced myself that I should relinquish my beloved studio to the rest of the family to use as a den. It was madness, I tell you! Those winter blues can really do a girl in!

Alas, deep down there was still a spark, and you all know what happens when someone unknowingly adds a little fuel to the fire! She's back, baby!

I knew however that there was a bigger reason than poop loads of snow and sub-zero temperatures that made me take an extended hiatus from Becoming Paye. So I sat down with pen and paper in hand (ok I lie, it was actually the note app on my iPhone, but pen and paper sounds so much more romantic, don't you think?) and made a list of the things I loved about it and the things that bored me, frustrated me, or downright stressed me out. Thank you iPhone, you have given me clarity!

So I'm back with a plan! A plan-ish anyway, I haven't perfected it. Plus it involves something that I am really really really bad at... saying no!

Here it is, titled: Paye's Plan-ish Plan For the Longevity of Becoming Paye

 

That's it! That's my plan! Should work, right?

Perhaps it would help if I clarified ;)

No.1 - I am famous for biting off more than I can chew, and this is usually because I have great difficulty saying no. I have a fabulous network of friends and supporters, and there are many wonderful ideas out there of what they would like to have custom made. I am greatly humbled that they come straight to me to create what it is they want, and I truly want to help them all!
But.
It's just too much, and other things I wanted to do get put on the backburner, often forgotten.
So that is the first part of the plan, graciously declining custom orders and remaining focused on what it is I have set out to do.

No.2 - Sometimes the items that come out of my studio haven't been made from the heart. Yes, I am ashamed. They may be instead what sells well, or what the current hype or fad calls for at the time. But my heart just isn't in it, and this makes for a Becoming Sad Paye :(
I stand (of course I'm sitting to type this, who uses a laptop standing up?!) here today and do solemnly swear to follow my heart from here on in! In fact I am becoming increasingly exited with the direction that I am taking my business - the front of my business card (more on that later!) reads.. environmentally conscious creations. It is my goal to make all of my products benefit the environment in some way, and thus benefit you in turn!

No.3- This is another exciting part of the plan! I'm going to hit the road with my products. We have so many local craft shows and markets in my area, and I need to utilized them to be noticed and get feedback on my wares. My debut will be on April 27th where you will be able to find me amongst many other unbelievable talents at the Mom Show and Gift Market Fundraiser at the Davedi Club in Northbay. I am very excited, and just a teensy bit nervous :D

Here is a sneaky peek of what you will find on my table...


And here is my purrrty business card that took me way too many hours to design...



My hibernation is over! Time to spring into action!! Yes, I just ended my first blog post of the year with a lame pun. :p

Snack Bag Giveaway Winner!

The winner for the Becoming Paye Snack Bag Giveaway chosen by random.org is... thatinvisiblegirl. Congratulations! :)



Please contact me at becomingpaye@gmail.com to collect your winnings.

Thanks to everyone for their entries and fabulous ideas on how to use these very versatile bags!

Back 2 School Contest

Want to win these 4 super-awesome Eco-Friendly Snack Bags?

It's EASY!

Comment here with what YOU would put in these bags (besides snacks, of course!).  Be sure to leave your email address as well so we can contact you if you've won.

Then, if you haven't already - head on over and "LIKE" Becoming Paye on Facebook!

Contest ends Sunday September 2nd 2012,  Winner will be chosen by random.org

In the mood for a lightSnack

I have a lot of hobbies. Which is a good thing because I tend to get distracted easily. So, when whatever I am doing gets 'old', I have many other things that I can divert my attention to.

But there is one thing that will never get old for me.. making my little guy smile! Last night Kevin and I took Alex to see the band called Lights. He was so beyond jacked! The show was fantastic, all three of us enjoyed it :)

Lights singing her heart out last night

And there it is! One happy boy :)

I have also been busy down in my studio the last few weeks, filling orders and playing around with new ideas. If you are at all like me, you cringe every time you reach for a 'disposable' resealable plastic bag to put lunch snacks or sandwiches in. So when I came across this pattern from Maubys.net for Eco-Friendly Snack bags, I knew I had to make them. I scaled down the pattern to make a smaller snack size as well, and am now selling them by the bag or by the set in my Etsy shop :)

Eco Friendly Snack Bags - becomingpaye.etsy.com

thegraphicbin

Good morning!!

I have something completely different to share with you today! Several years ago I discovered my love for digital design when my kiddos introduced me to a cute site called Neopets. I strongly recommend this site to anyone who has children looking for a fun and safe place to play online :) I discovered that I could customize my profile pages, and after doing so received requests from other players to make one for them as well. I was more than happy to comply :)

Eventually I had made so many layouts that I decided to open a website where anyone who wanted one of my creations could easily access them. And so thegraphicbin (TGB) was born! It became an instant hit in the land of Neo ;)

Years have passed since then. I still maintain the website and, once in awhile, add a new layout or two.

This morning I wanted to make some Easter themed timeline covers to share with my TGB followers, and thought I would share the here as well! Click on the preview to view it in actual cover size. You will need to save it on your computer in order to upload the image to Facebook.











I hope you like them!

Ok, computer time is over, now off I go to my studio to finish up an adorable little bonnet that I have been working on. Have a wonderful Friday! =)

In the Studio

About one week ago my beloved craft studio had a wee bit of a leak. Err.. well it was a pretty big leak actually.. like the tap for the garden hose had a pipe burst and sent all of the water down into the basement. Not funny.
But it's dry now! Well.. mostly. And for the first time in over week I was finally able to create again! I was having withdrawals. Seriously.

A lovely bride-to-be had contacted me in February and asked me to create a one of a kind hair piece for her wedding day. Naturally, I was honored, and set to work shopping for what I needed. Initially I tried to shop locally, but after scouring the few resources I have, I had to turn to online shopping. I'm more of an online browser than an online shopper. I do love to sift through pages of beautiful merchandise that I will most likely never own, even create a faux shopping cart sometimes, as though I'm really going to go through with it! But alas! The realities of exchanges rates, taxes, shipping charges and the inability to touch or closely inspect will end my little charade in a quick hurry!

However, in this case it was a necessity, and I wasn't going to let my girl down! Weeks later I was finally able to sit down and create a flower fit for a bride 0n her wedding day :)


Happily, she loves it! And so did another Becoming Paye FB fan who viewed it, because I now have another bride who has asked me to create a special flower for her wedding day.

Online shopping, here I come!

Spring!

Spring came early this year.. until today! Temperatures soared into the upper 20's earlier this month giving us a little taste of what the summer will bring. This morning we were reminded that it is indeed still March in Ontario, my Weather Eye says it feels like -18C. Flippin-brrr! Thank goodness for the sunshine, that should take the edge off a bit!

Inside we are cozy and warm in our beautiful country home. There are signs of spring in our dining room in the form of old Mason jars filled with moss, wood, feathers and robin eggs, and a centerpiece on our harvest table filled with what the season has to offer!


We worked diligently this weekend collecting firewood around our yard in preparation for next winter. Fallen trees will be our main heat source during the cold months once we purchase and install a wood stove, replacing the energy greedy electric baseboards scattered throughout our home.



A great big pile of warmth sitting right there!