Weekend in Sonoma and Napa

This past weekend I was in Sonoma with my mom and sisters for a girls weekend.  We had a great time tasting wine and taking in the beautiful countryside.  This was my first trip in a while so I didn't realize quite how spread out everything is and how many small adorable towns are in both Sonoma and Napa.  These are just a few highlights from our long weekend.

We wanted space to spread out so we rented this adorable little cottage a few miles from downtown Sonoma.  It was perfect for what we needed and we loved the outdoor space where we enjoyed a glass of wine after our daily outings.

Our first full day we wanted to see the beautiful coastline of Sonoma County so we headed an hour west to Bodega Head.  The views were pretty spectacular and afterwards we stopped at Roadhouse Coffee which is the quintessential small town coffee shop.  We ended up talking to a few local patrons and it is definitely worth the stop for a taste of the local color.

Afterwards we drove up the coastline then followed the Russian River inland to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve.  The park is less crowded than some of the more well known Redwood parks and the trail we took was extremely flat and easy.  We finished off our day in Healdsburg, an adorable town full of shops and restaurants.  We only had time to stop at The Shed, a cafe and home goods store, but it is top of my list to visit on my next trip back.

On our second day we headed over to Napa and had brunch at Boon Fly Cafe.  When you go you have to order the bakers dozen donuts, just trust me.  Our first vineyard of the trip was Turnbull Wines and it was like walking into the pages of a restoration hardware catalog.  Before heading back to Sonoma we stopped at Farmstead cafe in St. Helena for coffees and a snack.  

Our final vineyard of the day was Ram's Gate in Sonoma and might be the most gorgeous winery I've ever visited.  From the soaring wood cathedral ceilings, indoor and outdoor space that flowed together and dramatic light fixtures, I just couldn't get enough.  Just to note this is one of the vineyards you have to make an appointment for so plan ahead.

Our final day was definitely the most memorable.  We booked a private tour with Kent from Squire Livery and while it was a splurge I now can't imagine doing wine country any other way. He took us to small boutique vineyards not open to the public and we had private tasting experiences with such gracious hosts who are passionate about making wine.  We took tours of wine caves, were driven amongst the vines in a dune buggy vehicle and enjoyed tastings at farm tables in the middle of vineyards.  It was the perfect way to end our trip and we will definitely be calling Kent up on any of our future visits.

Summer Bat Mitzvah Invitation

This gorgeous warm weather has me so excited for summer that I thought I'd reach back in the archives and share with you a summer themed Bat Mitzvah invitation suite I designed last year.

The inspiration behind Sofia's invitation was a classy beach bash with bright colors.  The goal was to make it both sophisticated and fun at the same time.  I incorporated a modern wave pattern in different colors and sizes on the invitation, RSVP and information card and the bold striped pattern on the party card was inspired by a beach umbrella on the french riviera.

To pull the suite together I designed a circle tag and tied everything up with twine.  This is one of my favorite ways to make an invitation a complete package instead of loose cards in an envelope and it can help add another pop or color or interesting texture.  

I love how bright and fun these invitations turned out and I'm just about ready to pack my bathing suit and head to the beach myself! 

Goals

Happy April! I'd really like to know where March went as it flew by before my very eyes!  It has been a very busy month full of great work and exciting activities.  Looking back on this past month:

I shared: My rebrand package to clients and my 7 tips for working from home

I read: The Goldfinch, Yes Please, and Big Little Lies

I learned: I took a great calligraphy class from Twinkle & Toast when she was visiting Denver and I'm currently working my way through B-School with Marie Forleo and Happy Hour Coterie with Hilary Rushford. My head is swimming with all the knowledge I've taken in this past month.

I visited: My husband and I took a trip to Telluride which was amazing and one of the weekends I totally unplugged from my work.

Now it is time to look ahead and decide on what I'd like to prioritize for this coming month.

April Goals

1. Read Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham & Donald O. Clifton: I've been trying to hone in on what my strengths are to gain better clarity in my business and I think this book will be super helpful for my monthly business read.

2. Finish B-School: I've been absolutely loving the B-School program and if you are not familiar with Marie Forleo you should check out her free weekly video series for how to create and business and life you love.  Last month my goal was to learn a new skill on Skill Share but then I signed up for B-School and I think its fair that has taken its place.  My priority is just to stay on track and implement everything I learn.

3. Blog Once A Week: So it turns out blogging twice a week was a little ambitious for me and thats ok.  I'm not always going to achieve everything I set out to do and I'm learning what my limits are.  It seems once a week is much more manageable for me right now and I want to prioritize quality over quantity.

4. Spend Quality Time with My Family: I'm headed to California later this month for a girls weekend with my mom and sisters and it is my goal to leave my laptop at home.  This is such a scary thought being a small business owner but I've been trying to prepare all my clients ahead of time to avoid any fires.  I usually always bring my laptop with me just in case but it would feel so freeing and I could really focus on enjoying time with my family if I can leave it at home.  Fingers crossed! 

What did you accomplish this past month and what are you hoping to prioritize in April?  I'd love to hear how you are hustling and what goals you are setting for yourself!

7 Tips for Working From Home

While I'm still fairly new to working from home I get asked all the time how I manage it.  I thought I'd share some of the tips I've figured out so far that work for me in staying productive and resisting the distractions.

1. Have a Workspace
Having a space that is dedicated to only work is so very key in developing a good routine and work habits.  Even if it is just a desk in the corner, you've got to get away from where you watch TV or relax.   

2. Get Dressed Everyday
I know part of the benefit of working at home is that you can stay in your PJs and nobody will know but this has proved to be very important for me.  It makes me feel like a productive human to get dressed like I'm going to an office and is a good indicator to myself that I'm starting my workday.

3. Schedule Skype Chats/Coffee Dates
Going from an office setting to working by myself at home every day was a tougher transition than I expected.  I didn't realize how much I needed that human interaction.  Scheduling Skype chats or coffee dates with other designers has been so key in helping me to not feel alone.  It is also a great opportunity to build a community and come back to my work refreshed.

4. Separate Devices
It may sound like device overkill but I try to use my iPad for fun internet surfing and my laptop for work.  In the morning I drink my coffee, watch the news and surf instagram and pinterest on my iPad.  When it is time to work, I shut down my iPad and get to work.  Having separate dedicated devices makes it easier for me to switch gears  and not fall into hours of surfing the internet, losing track of time.

5. Build a Routine and Stick to It
I touched on this with the separate devices but I have a pretty standard morning routine which has been extremely important in building a structured day.  When I wake up I enjoy my coffee and inspiration time.  Then I go upstairs, get dressed and sit down at my desk to work.  One thing I'm still working on is dedicating a different day to a different task and trying to lump together my calls so I'm not switching gears so much.

Whitney English's Day Designer has also been helpful in mapping out the hours of my day and picking my top three priorities. I know there are a million apps and websites out there to help you manage your lists but I'm such a paper and pen girl and nothing beats physically crossing items off your list.

6. Pack a Lunch
Some days can get so crazy being a one woman show that I forget to eat or I have snack indecision and spend forever standing in front of the fridge trying to decide what I'm hungry for.  It makes it so much easier if I put together a lunch for myself in the morning before I dive into my work along with a few snacks to grab throughout the day.  To be honest I don't manage to do this every day but its been great for my super hectic days when I do.

7. Schedule Fun Field Trips
Being a small business owner is a 7 day a week job and I can't remember the last time I took an entire weekend off.  Its important to build in time to step away from the computer or you never will.  I try to schedule time during the week to check out a new store or go read one of my business books at a coffee shop.  The key is to put it on your calendar and stick to it or you'll end up just working the days away.  Its amazing what a few hours away from the computer can do for your energy and creativity.

In the end I think the key to successfully working from home is building a routine that works for you and sticking to it.  I'd love to know what some of your best habits and tips are for being productive when working from home.
 

Rose's Arsenal Rebrand Package

As many of you know I rebranded my company last month from Design District to Rose's Arsenal.  To share the exciting news with my current clients and thank them for their continued support, I sent them a fun box of goodies.  Designing packages is one of my favorite projects and I thought I'd share with you the treats I put together.

The theme around the package was to provide items that make work fun and provide encouragement. Because I was doing such a small quantity I personalized everything myself by using my silhouette cameo die cut machine to cut vinyl and adhere it to the mugs and notebooks.  This machine is meant for scrapbooking but it is a real workhorse and I've used it on all kinds of personal projects and client work.  

I found the most perfect enamel mugs at West Elm that matched the Rose's Arsenal red.  I selected enamel mugs since my rebrand also coincided with my move to Colorado.  And classic enamel just screams the great outdoors to me.  Even though I'm living in the city, you get the idea. Basically I just love enamel mugs.  Unfortunately West Elm no longer carries these mugs but Amazon has a nice selection.

I am a huge sucker for notebooks with phrases on them so I took Moleskin Kraft Notebooks and added fun quotes to the front.  Some of my packages needed to include multiple notebooks for my clients who have a larger staff so I used four different phrases "No rest for the rad" "Make today your bitch" "Just Start" and "Plans for world domination"  The pencils also included fun phrases and were from the online shop Design Darling.

Last but not least I included confetti poppers to add a little fun and celebration to the package.  Besides you can't make it about all work and no play!  Both the push pop containers and confetti came from Amazon.  The labels I printed on my home printer on label paper and punched out with punches.

Put all together it made a pretty fun package that hopefully brightened my clients day!  I'm already trying to think up an excuse to put together another package of designed goodies.  Maybe a celebrate spring package or just celebrate Friday package!  The possibilities are pretty endless.