// are you that one sheep? //

Just last week I shared my feelings about this calling - this calling for me to create beautiful journals that inspire people to get closer to God and themselves.  Is this my calling?  Am I doing what God wants?  Just as I pressed "publish" on that post, I started seeing signs... everywhere.  But, the biggest came to me this past Sunday in church.

I LOVE the story from the Book of Luke:

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain saying, 

"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." 

So to them, he addressed this parable, 

"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?  And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, "Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep!" I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over the one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need for repentance." 

While this verse speaks more to mercy and compassion and God's unwavering grace, it also proves that God's logic defies ours, and that he never tires in his pursuit of each of us.  His mercy is like the shepherd with one hundred sheep.  God wants to make use of all of us.  Maybe he chose me to create these journals because he felt that my flaws would inspire similar people to not give up.  Maybe I am that one sheep.  Seeing a perfect person serve a perfect God seems unrealistic for the average person. But seeing someone open up about their shortcomings and still believe, makes seeking him seem possible.  The point is, God does not care either way, he accepts us a imperfect.   

It really got me thinking about this brand that I am creating.  In the past, I have pushed away from many spiritual brands because of the persona of perfection.  I cannot relate to a person who only listens to gospel, always says the right thing, and can recite every verse in the Bible verbatim.  My faith is most important to me, but that does not mean that I do it perfectly.  Similarly, being a good mother is a top priority in my life, but that does not mean that I don't sometimes make mistakes.  It is not fair to say, "Well, if it is important to you, then you will do it right."  The entire way in which this world is designed is to completely throw us off our game - to get us to make the wrong decision.  It has been said before, "strait is the gate, and narrow is the path" - always doing the right thing is hard, heck, it was designed that way!

And, THAT is why these journals are valuable!  I am not sitting over here like, "Journal like me and be perfect!" That would be crazy.  What I am saying is, "Hey!  I have come a long way and I found that when I do this certain thing (journal), I find that I get a lot further a lot faster!"  In other words, don't  be afraid to try it out.  I created a layout that can be as intense or as relaxed as you make it.  I created a platform for intentional, guided journaling.  A place for you to record your thoughts, prayers, regrets, and gratitude.  Spending some time putting your thoughts on paper everyday and reflecting on your growth every once in while is all that I am suggesting.  I simply created a tool that does not intimidate people, it inspires them.

So, in a way, I guess I am like that lost sheep.  I stray at times, but God still sees my value.  He believes that I am still useful and most of all, that I am worthy.  God has set this fire inside of me to show that same idea to you.

If you keep following me and this story, you will see more and more how much journaling has changed me and can change you.  Coming from the girl whose parents famously refer to as "the free spirit", I have a LOT of experience in the "imperfect".  The older I get and the more I purge my thoughts on paper, the more growth I achieve.  With that added growth, I find more responsibility in sharing my stories with others.  The secret is too good to keep!

One last thing... it goes both ways.  If God accepts us, we must accept others.  Don't keep people different from you at a distance, bring them closer :)

In Peace,

Katie

// Visualize the Prize //

Ever want something so bad that you think you are going to explode?  Well, then you should be visualizing it!
I can remember laying in bed in high school, the night before a big soccer game, and visualizing myself doing something totally awesome.  Sometimes, my visualization would be something that I had never even done!  I just pictured myself doing it and then did it!
When Christian and I were struggling with my infertility, I would just visualize us with a family, and how we would be... and we made it happen through the wild process of adoption.
Two years ago when my husband suggested that I create a journal for people to use like the one that I use for myself, I had to visualize it.  I had to picture myself running a business, calling on retailers, designing covers, and formatting layouts.
I truly believe that if you want something, you have to VISUALIZE it.

How? It is really simple -
- sit down in a quiet space
- close your eyes, scan your brain left and right, then find center
- in that center, create the image - whatever it is
- focus on it, put yourself in with it, watch yourself doing something incredible
- when you are satisfied with how far you went, get up, and go do it!

The mind is everything.  What you think, you become.

Buddha

xoxo

Katie

// Favorite Meditation App ~ Headspace //

It's Meditation Monday!  Today I am sharing my ultimate favorite app for meditation - Headspace.
I love this app because it offers easy, guided, ten minute meditations.  The Headspace guru, Andy, walks you through the process helping you to get the most out of it and it doesn't hurt that he has the voice of an angel.

One suggestion that he makes in the very beginning is to make meditation a habit - so you should choose a time to do it everyday.  For me, I do my meditations in the morning.  I start my coffee and head over to our sitting area and launch the app. Ever since I started spending my first ten minutes of the day in meditation, I have felt a HUGE difference in my mind and how I carry on with my day.
Meditation clears my mind allowing more space for creativity.  After I finish my meditation, my brain feels ALIVE!  It is like I can feel all the synapses firing giving me clarity, ideas, and happiness.  Then I go to my journal and set my intentions for the day :)

Headspace has a super clean design and the interface is very user friendly... oh, and it is FREE!  When you first start the app, it gives you a great animated tutorial on how to start.  Then, you begin with the 10 minute exercises.  Once you complete your first ten, then you can begin unlocking deeper meditation experiences.  The deeper experiences focus on health, relationships, and other topics that you do eventually have to subscribe to and pay for.  Some of those topics get even more specific -some focusing on addiction and even creativity.  Get this, they also have a kids series!

The benefits of mediation have been well researched and science backs it up.  Headspace promises that you will smile more, have better focus, stress less, love better, eat better, and best of all, sleep better.  I promise you that it is all true!

Go download it and let me know what you think!

xoxo

Katie

// I am Grateful for... Google //

One of the pillars that my business is built on is the concept of gratitude.  I am not picky either, I will show gratitude for anything that gets me from one point to another... even Google.

I just finished my first ever trade show at AmericasMart!  I debuted my prayer and gratitude journals in the Write-On category which is home to all things paper and stationery.  Throughout the show, shoppers would walk by and swoon over my booth.  I was super proud of it!  Many would come in and take a look around even though they weren't even buying stationery products.  While this completely warmed my heart, I felt that I owed it to everyone that this was not a professional build.  It was the valiant effort of my husband, myself, and a lot of Google.

When I first decided to do a show I knew that my booth had to be ON POINT.  I wanted hard walls and the space to feel airy and clean.  Christian and I in our 11 year marriage have owned a total of four homes.  Each of them being historic homes in need of lots of love.  We have torn down walls, installed kitchens, built decks, and done some light plumbing and electrical.  We felt well prepared to build three walls, but...

Turns out, building three walls that can stand alone with no support is a little challenging.  We could have built them with supports in the back but then that would eat into our space.  At trade shows, if you are given a 10x10 booth, you must have all of your display within the confines of that space.  So, if we used 12-15 inches in the back for support, we would lose a ton of actual floor space inside the walls.  Building a booth with three walls is like building a house of cards.  Then there are all the confines of the show that you must meet - nothing can be over eight feet (so it can fit in the elevator), certain tools are prohibited, and the booth cannot in any way attach to any parts of the building.  Lastly are the creases.  Since our booth was built out of panels, getting them to align perfectly made me want to pull my hair out.  Unlike drywall, you cannot mud the creases and sand them out.

We decided to go with a panel design.  We built fifteen panels each about two feet wide and a little under eight feet tall.  We started with eight feet of height but remembered that we had arm lights that would go higher, so we had to cut it down.  It was a constant struggle.  You have to think of EVERYTHING.  Then there is the one part we kind of overlooked... Where are we building this thing?  So, for two months we had this structure in our living room.  In fact, it was in two rooms - the wall was so large that we had to build it around some existing columns just to fit.  It was crazy.  We went through so much drama trying to get it perfect and it was really taking a toll on me.  I had moments of psychotic crying and total regret and then I would come back to it and be so proud of what we had done.  Go figure! The funniest part was that my five year old had no idea what it was for... when we left for the show, she said, "Good luck selling your walls!"  Ha!

In the end, the booth looked AMAZING.  The gratitude wall that I installed for shoppers to write on was a hit!  Buyers loved my candy and many felt that the space was super zen.  I won't bore you with all of the thousand details that we mulled through to build it (bring a bottle of wine over and I will tell you the whole process) just know that we were ultimately nominated for Best Booth in my category!  I didn't win though (pfft) ;)

We left our first ever trade show with FIFTEEN new retailers!  I am just over the moon excited that my prayer and gratitude journals will be spotted all over this country during this holiday season for everyone :)  I am grateful for you all... and Google.

Peace & Love,

Katie

My 5 year old deserves a promotion for sure...

Trying to get walls to stand strait in a 100 year old house...

I mean, there was no room for this thing!

What I saw every time I walked in my house

View while cooking - perfect!

My shopping partner

My calligrapher helped with my gratitude wall and it turned out great!

On our way ~ Move in day!

Move-In day!  The lights went off so we had to work in the dark!

Strict security at AmericasMart... 

Day one!  I was so nervous!

I loved our table set up!

Floral arrangement from Candler Park Flowers here in Atlanta - LOVE

Eeeek!  So pretty!

Buyers were LOVING our keepsake boxes - all journals arrive in them!

The wall!

Nomination for Best Booth!

had to get some custom M&Ms

Attempt at a Panoramic

Move-Out day... bitter sweet

Saying goodbye :(

// Meditation Monday //

Mondays are hard.  That is why we are going to start a new series on the blog ~ Meditation Mondays!
We hope to share some of our favorite tips and inspiration for stress free meditating and how your prayer and gratitude journal can assist in documenting it!

First and foremost, ANYONE can meditate.  You do not have to be in the lotus pose in a cave in Nepal to be able to benefit from the practice - although that sounds awesome!

In our Praise & Petition Journals, I have created a space for a morning meditation and mind setting activity each day.  I think it is SO important to command your mornings.  I am strongly against rolling out of bed and looking at my phone or reading emails.  I have found that waking before everyone else, heading downstairs, getting a cup of coffee and spending about 10-15 minutes alone in peace and quiet helps me set the stage for my day.  Most days I use this space to write what I am feeling but other days I may feel overwhelmed and decided to meditate and journal that experience there.  Once I am done with my morning practice, then I read emails.  Reading them after meditation makes you more proactive, not reactive.  Command your day!

Here are three tips that can help make meditation less intimidating :

1 ~ It only takes a few minutes
You do not have to set aside thirty minutes for meditation... you can achieve huge results in just five!  I rarely time myself, I just start and stop when I am ready.

2 ~ Any position will do
Please people, you do not have to be in some special pose.  The commonly used "lotus pose" is only recommended because it helps you keep your focus and keeps your lungs in the best breathing position.  You can benefit from meditation while standing, laying down, or sitting in a chair at work!

3 ~ Just focus on breathing
The hardest part about meditating when I first started was clearing my thoughts!  I felt anxious just sitting still when I had a million things to do.  The best way to stay on track and clear your mind is to BREATHE.  Focus on breathing, pay attention to how it feels, take note of your lungs expanding and contracting, envision air moving through your body and feeding your organs.  Envision light bright air entering in your body and dark air moving out. After a minute or two, you will see a huge difference.


So, there you go!  Three easy tips for meditating.  Try them out and let me know what you think!


xoxo

Katie