Ribbon, Changes and BUILDING THE NEW!

So here I sit, with my I'm ashamed of my blogging habits behavior.  As much as I intend to update and blog on a regular basis I just don't make the time to do so.  Therefore, no excuses...we will just go with, I will try to do better!

Oh so much has changed in the (rather long) time that it's been since my last post and as I sit and reflect it becomes quite thought provoking. Especially when I find myself awake in the middle of the night with thousands of thoughts; New products for Toddle Tags, Did I send in the check for that school fee? Why did I drink a Diet Coke at 9pm knowing it would keep me awake?  Will my heart survive watching my daughter learn difficult life lessons?  Will she ever know how very proud and impressed I am for the way she is handling disappointment with such grace and dignity? Did I switch the laundry to the dryer before bed and how did another day go by without finding time to call my sister and... oh, is that a bug on the ceiling or a shadow? Etc., etc., etc... you get the picture. So with those thoughts in mind, I find myself reflecting on the challenges of change rather than the blessings of change. Not good!  I then decide that I must embrace these changes and find the good in them.  With that in mind, as I so often do, I find myself seeking a direction, so I say a prayer and decide... Let's start with understanding change, defined (thanks to handy dandy google) as;

change

                  [cheynj] /tʃeɪndʒ/                 

• Synonyms
• Examples
• Word Origin

verb (used with object), changed, changing.

1.

to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone

 

 

Hmmm...that can't possibly be what I'm experiencing.  It actually kind of has a positive ring to it, "different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone".   Well, if we would have left alone our chevron bag tags and not added ribbon they would never be as cute and unique as they are now, so that's a positive!  Maybe this change thing isn't half bad...let me look into it further.  Back to Google I go to look for "positive quotes regarding change".  Before I even have half of it typed in the Google Fairy, you know the one that automatically just knows what you are searching for and fills it in for you... OR thinks it's funny to not pull up anything remotely close to what you are searching for making you feel as if you are the ONLY person on earth who has ever looked up this very topic...depends on the day and maybe her mood, I guess.  ANYWAY, she (the Google fairy) pre-filled my search with "positive quotes about change."  Of course I spent WAY too much time there reading these cool quotes and found several that I love, this was one of my favorites; 

 

 

Ironically, I just spoke this week to a friend regarding a difficult situation and his words were, "this is a building block." I just love when God puts those subtle things in your path! So with that spirit in mind and the words of one of my favorite friend's, "let's plow forward" and see where it takes us!  Building the new... which will include many new products for Toddle Tags.  By the way, have you seen our new vinyl products?  Probably not since we haven't added but only one to our website so far, however...here's a sneak peek of what's to come:

 

 

Fun, right?  Yep, lots more ideas and cool stuff coming soon!  Which I now will consider part of the, "building the new" phase.  I like it, it's positive, it's productive and it's going to happen...stay tuned for further updates!

So off I go to BUILD THE NEW in my attitude toward change, among other things... :-)




P.S. Don't you love when you do spell check and it doesn't find any wrong?  Yes, that rocks!



 

Be "ALL IN" this season...

Okay, so let's not even discuss my lack of consistency when it comes to keeping up with this blog!  We will just glaze right over that and go on... K? K!

Recently I was thinking it was time to update and was pondering what to write about.   You know when you see or hear something and it just "sits" with you for several days.   Well, that happened to me last week.  I heard someone say to one of my friends and I'm paraphrasing, you are amazing and so involved in your kids lives / activities.  Her response was, I have no choice but to be "all in everyday" because I don't want to miss a thing, this time with them goes so fast!  I thought, how wise that is!  Now, we have all been there as moms...an older mom will say to you, "enjoy this time, it will pass so quickly" and we listen, but brush it off because, frankly we are in the midst of the day to day busyness.  Did I pack a snack and water bottle for after school practice?  Did I send in money for that yearbook, pictures, club t-shirt, fundraiser, etc, etc, etc.  (and we all know as parents there are plenty of those ETC's!)  However, it was interesting to hear it come from a Mom that is in the same phase of life that I am in with similar aged children.   It was really profound and therefore I have chosen to take that advice and do my best to be ALL IN EVERYDAY!  (Thanks, SB for the perspective!)

On a similar note... my favorite rockstar mentor, Beth Picard.  A/K/A "My Friend Beth" of my favorite graphics company; Great Graphics...  If you pop over to her website and are familiar with our products you will see that a good bit of what we create starts with this awesome artist!  Check her out; http://myfriendbeth.com/  or tweet her @Beth_Picard (...yes, I know you all are tweeting now thanks to my, "how to" on Twitter right?  Just kidding...)   Anyway, she recently was sharing some thoughts with our creative group about the upcoming holiday season and said the following;  "....don't get caught up, don't get stressed out, ENJOY your holidays- remember when you used to ENJOY decorating, cooking, wrapping presents, having friends over, watching Christmas movies-(I highly recommend It's a Wonderful Life) or the Grinch, Charlie Brown or Rudolph, even shopping. 
Enjoy the next 2 months, set aside time to play, time to rest, time to enjoy all the fun the next 2 months hold in store for you, if you are present and paying attention you won't miss it."  HOW MUCH DO YOU TOTALLY LOVE THAT LAST LINE?!?!  Let me repeat it for you in case you missed it...IF YOU ARE PRESENT AND PAYING ATTENTION YOU WON'T MISS IT!

So...as we enter into Monday of a new week, a bit slower than any other day...good grief, that alarm clock certainly seems louder and more annoying on Monday...who's with me on that?   Let's take the advice of these wise women in my life... be "ALL IN EVERYDAY" and be "PRESENT AND PAYING ATTENTION" to the important things in life...our families, our friends, our pets, our health and our other many blessings!    With that thought I'm off to make it a great week...come with me!  Ready? GO!

Oh, and while you're at it...stop by and say hi this week!  We're on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & Pinterest...pick your favorite guilty social media pleasure and be our friend!

www.toddletags.etsy.com
www.toddletags.com

Thoughts for the day...

So there is your Facebook status...somewhat limiting just in the fact that how much are you really going to read beyond 3 or 4 lines of a status?  Then you could tweet...definitely limiting, keep it under 140 characters, people!  Maybe even post a photo on Instagram and certainly don't forget the #hashtags!  But the point is, what if you have a bit more to say?  Which is where I am today...

Sure, there are definitely some things to complain about, the renovation that is taking double the time allotted or projected.  The weather that just seems like it wants to HOLD ON to winter just a bit longer.   That endless to do list, and the few things that we forgot to add and missed...please forgive me,  my sweet child,  for the picture blunder!  However this would be a better use of time to point out a few positives instead...

1. Good things take time and will be worth the wait.
2. Spring will arrive, it's a proven scientific fact!
3. Mistakes will be made, learned from, and most hopefully... forgiven.

So with that attitude I will proceed with my day.  Knowing that the perspective I take on life's little annoyances will be the difference between getting thru the day and being blessed by the day.

So with that in mind... go have a great day!

Hey, write me a note!

So at the risk of totally showing my age, I'm going to admit something...

I'm from the era of passing notes at school.   Yes, believe it or not some of us who currently rely so heavily on our iPhone, texting and email to communicate remember a time when there were no computers at school and the main means for communicating anything was note writing.  I can still remember heading into class and shouting out to one of my friends, hey write me a note!  I guess that is why I still haven't outgrown the excitement of getting mail either!  You know when you head for the mailbox to pick up your daily allotment of flyers, coupons, a few bills here or there and mixed in you see it...is it really handwritten?  Is it for me?  Who sent it?  And you fly through the pile to find a handwritten note or card addressed to you!  How awesome is that?  It immediately makes you feel loved and important.  In this time when so much of our communication is immediate how nice it is to receive  handwritten correspondence that someone took the time and effort to send to you.

So back to the being in school thing and passing notes...here's a funny story for you; due to the miracle that is modern technology (also know as Facebook to many of us)  I've been able to reconnect with one of my best grade school, note writing friends!  Ironically, she owns an awesome company that makes handmade cards and provides a wait for it....Card Service!  Yes, can you almost hear the choir of angels singing when I say that?  Card Service, as in you don't ever have to remember to get a card in the mail on time for your Great Aunt Myra!  You sign up once a year and give her a list of birthdays, anniversaries, bosses day, Mothers Day, Fathers Day...you get the picture.  Any of those times when you find yourself lost in the card isle at the local grocery store searching for that perfect card that you know is going to arrive late because you just remembered and the date is now two days away.  Face it, we've all been there, done that.  Anyway, due to Tracy's service I no longer find myself in that situation.  Here's her website, check it out!  It's well worth every cent and think of the smile you will put on the face of all your loved ones when they go shuffle through the mess of the mail and find a beautiful birthday card from you!  http://www.sincerelyyoursbytracy.com/

Oh and if you feel like going old school and bringing it back to writing a note to a pal, Tracy and I have teamed up to create some awesome gift sets. 

   How about a little something for the holidays...

Or just a cute set for dropping a line...

Makes a great gift for just about anyone on your holiday gift list!    All of the styles  (and more to come) are available at;

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Toddletags

So with that I'm off to have a glamorous evening at the Fox Theater, complete with a beautiful dinner and lovely glass of wine at one of Atlanta's finest restaurants.  Oh that's right, who am I kidding...I'm turning of the computer and heading to the kitchen to make dinner.  A girl can dream right?!  



The Twitter Queen / Twitter 101

Okay, so first off... a housecleaning issue, I'm sorry!  No, I didn't do as I said I would and keep up with my blog.   Excuses, excuses, excuses, there are a few but really, why bother?  Life is good and busy and I haven't taken the time to do more blogging.  I hope to change that in the future.   That being said, here I go!

So I recently joined a new creative group, more about that later, and was dubbed the, "Twitter Queen"!  How funny is that?  Funny because I'm a few followers short of say, Justin Bieber's 27 million or Lady GaGa's 29 million.  Which, by the way, you should become one of.  Yes, follow them, follow many, that's the first rule of Twitter.  Follow, Follow, Follow!   Chances are most wont follow you back but some will!   Anyway, back to the point, so I decided to create a few tips for those of you who are new to Twitter or think you might want to dip your toe in and check it out.   FOLLOW me, the water's fine...no pun intended!

#1.  As I stated already... FOLLOW!  Yes, follow everyone you have an interest in.  Do a search of something you are interested in on the search bar and many will come up.   Give it a try, put in say, swimming.  Your screen will fill up with people / companies / clubs / organizations that have an interest in swimming.  Take a peak at a few profiles, don't worry you aren't being a stalker, it's what you are suppose to do!  It's very easy to follow and unfollow on twitter so don't worry if you follow someone or something and later decide you don't like their tweets.  No biggie, hit that unfollow button and away they will go. 

#2.  Follow back.   Once you start following people some will follow back.  Some will see you as a follower and follow because you have a mutual interest.   If you do get a follower that you aren't following, follow them back.  Before you do however, be sure to read their profile.  Be selective but not picky.   We can learn a lot from others who aren't like us.  One of my favorite Tweeters is a guy in a band in Canada.  No, I'm not overly interested in his type of music or Canada for that matter but he says (tweets) some of the most interesting thoughts AND he is always positive and polite, also a Twitter must!

#3. Be Positive!  Don't use twitter as a sounding board for your daily grips.   If you are frustrated or irritated, try and put a positive twist on it.   Yes, I can say this here because we are all buddies...the other day I was ready to shoot my printer.  As in go out, buy a rifle and shoot  my printer!  My tweet was;

Face each challenge with a smile...I'm smiling at my new printer that won't find my wireless network! :-) ☮ ♥ Bag Tags http://etsy.me/i4hyYT 

#4. Learn the Lingo.  @ (followed by a name without spaces)  = ID marker, as in if you want to tweet me or direct a comment to me you would put; @toddletags.    RT = retweet - you put this in front of tweets you copy and paste that others have tweeted.  (Be sure to leave their @ id on there so they know that you retweeted for them.)  SO = Shout out, basically just saying hi.  MT = Mention, used when you want to thank someone for mentioning you.   TY = Thank you.   FF = Friend Follow, as in, follow this cool person I follow.   You get the picture, when in doubt just hit those magic keys G-O-O-G-L-E, all kinds of tricks, tips and info. can be found.

#5. Use hashtags, they are the number sign #.   If you want to send a tweet that would be specific to a certain topic you use hashtags.   For example if I wanted to promote a new product that is geared to elementary kids I would use, #elementary #school #teachers #education.  Be careful not to over hash, just one or two per tweet is plenty.  When someone searches the topic education, your tweet will pop up.  Pretty clever, eh?

#6.  Say thank you and say it often!  If someone RT's (you remember, retweets) for you say thanks.  You can do this by putting their @ name and then tweeting your message.  Example @begreatgraphics  TY so much for the RT! #grateful   Right there I've singled out someone that did a RT for me and let them know I appreciate it.  This does two things, when someone sees this they think, hey @begreatgraphics RT's for their followers and @toddletags acknowledges when someone does something for them.  It's a win, win! 

#7.  Now I say this with caution...show some personality.   Put your best foot forward especially if you are promoting your product / business / service.  You want people who read your tweets to get a sense of you not just robotic tweeting.   As always, the usual Internet safety applies don't divulge too much info but have some fun and show your sense of humor.  For me, my tweets range from new products in my Etsy shop, interesting other Etsy shops I've found,  you might even find my tweets referencing my kids (without names, of course) Bon Jovi or Georgia.  All things that add a bit of myself but still allow me to retain some anonymity. 
#8. Politics and Religion...yikes!  I cringe even as I write this!  If you are representing yourself as in a personal twitter account, have at it.  Tweet it up on your political and religious views.   If you are representing your company / brand / service, etc.  proceed with caution.   That being said, I am a Christian and proud of it.  I'm happy to tell anyone, THAT ASKS, about my personal beliefs.  However, I keep my tweeting on the subject to a minimum.   I will however put an occasional Bible verse or reference to my belief in God.  It's exercising my right to freedom of speech! :-)

#9. If you have kids that are on Twitter, follow them and follow everyone they follow.  Just a common sense reminder.

#10. Have fun and don't take it too serious!  If someone tweets things you don't like, don't stress over it just unfollow them.  You control your Twitter account so delete anyone or anything that annoys you or causes you frustration.  We can find enough of that in our everyday lives.  Tweeting should be fun!

#11. And this is the most important tip I can give to those who have a business / brand / service.  Don't over tweet your products / service.  People should be directed to your products or website a few times a day and it should be listed in your profile but most of your tweets should be interacting with others, retweeting interesting articles or products that others offer.  Remember, if you tweet for them, they will more than likely tweet for you!

So that's it.  Again, I'm not claiming to be an expert I just thought I'd share a few tips I've found in the strange cyber land that is TWITTER!

Look me up if you decide to tweet; @toddletags.  Have fun, and tweet on! 

Do I tip the dog groomer?

Okay, so let me start out by saying I'm not the best about keeping up with this blog.   There I said it out loud.   My concern is what to really do with it.   There are days that it could be used as a vent, believe me I know I won't have much of an audience for that.  There are days that it could be used to share a positive story or life lesson, probably a better use.  There are days when it could be used to introduce a new product or idea for our company, again a better use than the vent also.   So I've discovered that the most important thing to use this blog for is to, use it!  Therefore, I am going to make an effort to update and post a bit more often than in the past.   Oh...and one more thing, I'd love to get your feedback, let me know what you think.  Comment on, people!  Otherwise I feel like I'm just talking to myself.  :-)

Okay, so here's the question; Do I tip the dog groomer and if so, how much?   Well, as I've become accustom to doing in any questionable situation, I did some extensive research...I typed in G-O-O-G-L-E.   And found some pretty helpful info. on the subject, as well as the subject of tipping the; hairdresser, nail tech, flower delivery person, parking attendant, concierge, etc., etc., etc....you get the idea.   The quickest and most to the point reference website I found was; http://www.itipping.com Hope you find this helpful too, let me know what you think. 

So armed with this information, I'm off to make it an awesome day...hope you will too!

The Animals are here!

Because one of our very favorite girls in the world, who will remain anonymous, seems to think her mom's bag tags are for, "little" kids...a new product has emerged! 

We are excited to now have, animal prints!   Above is a small sample of the prints we have available.   All of these can be customized with names, initials, phone #'s.   Even the font color can be changed!   These are perfect for teen / tweens...the zebra print is a huge hit! 

Stop by and see our listing in our Etsy shop; http://www.etsy.com/listing/84198471/animal-print-laminated-bag-tag-by-toddle



Many different prints / colors are available, below is a sample of  just a  few;