Today is about recognizing love. There are cards, candy and sometimes beautiful, new, dreamy sheets from your husband. 🙂 But today, I want to share five things I love right now related to Sweet Boo Design.
1. My Old School Tools. See this picture below? These are LITERALLY the same straight edge, cutting board and X-Acto I’ve been using since art school. That was a REALLY long time ago (hello, late ’80s.) But sometimes nothing is better than the original and I still love busting these tools out to create mock-ups for my clients. I learned how to create by hand, and will always be grateful for that.
2. Candles and Tchotchkes. On days when I’ve got serious office time, I will almost always have a candle going. I’m partial to those from Anthropologie, but am a sucker for any that are not sweet (i.e. Vanilla) or too sweet (i.e. smell like fabric softener). I also love pictures of my family and, of course, a teal, ceramic bulldog. Which is honestly the truest definition of a tchotchke.
3. Quickbooks Online. I know this sounds insane, but I no longer dread bookkeeping. As a creative, the last thing I ever wanted to do was invoice, keep track of my money, and prepare things for my accountant. I finally signed up for Quickbooks Online and it has been a dream. Invoice. Receive Payments. Run Reports. And an awesome dashboard. Sign up here.
4. Pantone Swatch Book. Another old-school love is my trusty PMS guide. But unlike my other tools (see 1.) I have gone through a bazillion of these over the years. They wear out, fade, fall apart, and it’s also fun to order new ones. Even though things are mostly digital these days, I still love selecting colors and palettes the old-fashioned way.
5. Being Boss. I first learned of Kathleen Shannon and Emily Thompson years ago after stumbling across their podcast, Being Boss. I was instantly hooked. These two bad-ass women are creative, smart, funny, and I know if we met IRL we’d be friends. I have taken one of their online courses and still employ their Chalkboard Method, which I’ve written about in the past. Their book came out last year, and as you can see from the stickies, I connected with so many things they wrote. One of the greatest lessons and experiences? I now have a Business Bestie, Laura Bessinger-Morse from Sharp11. #sharpandsweet
What are you loving these days? What inspires you and makes your work experience enjoyable? Email me here. I’d LOVE to hear from you.