Digging in

Today I am trying to catch up and get a little bit organized. The whole last week has been so discombobulated without my printer, and then without an internet connection. I had a little bit of a brain storming session too while I was hanging out at the West Seattle show, so there is a little pile of notes and lists of things I wanted to look up or research or work on for the fall and winter seasonals. Now that I'm back to actually working on real stuff, it's more than a little overwhelming.

I tried to spend a few minutes catching up on my favorite blogs and sites, but I feel so behind. Truly, I don't know how all those folks find the time to write such long and interesting posts every day. I've been so harried and rushed, that it's a wonder I can spit out anything here at all. I know the blog is stale and boring and I need to freshen it up and give it a little time. But it's so far away from the pressing items that are hitting me from all directions lately.

It's been a weird kind of week, with moments of clarity, lucidity and creativity - where I think I've come up with some great ideas for products and packaging and scents in the next couple of seasons. And then moments of utter frustration, complete stagnation and self-doubt. The process is never a straight path, but a lot of stops and starts, meandering, dead ends and then zipping forward.

Usually I love deadlines and work best under pressure. But this time it just feels like stress. There is so much I want to do and play around with, but there never seems like enough time to even do the laundry. Is it only me? Or is that happening to anybody else? So I'm plugging away, digging in the shovel and trying to make the best of the week ahead before the next month of constant shows.

Supply orders, errands, bills, making soap and wading through the desk piles. Super fun life of an entrepreneur on a pretty, sunny, Thursday.

A few of my favorite things today: baker's twine, french ribbon, tall skinny glass jars that are too cheap to pass up, darling little metal canisters, dark chocolate, cat fluff, shades of blue, Farm Girls Holiday, vintage wallpaper, letterpress cards, a rhinestone crown pin, an antique picnic hamper, tomatoes that are just starting to ripen, sunflowers.