Ch-ch-changes.

Hey, wow... so tax season is starting like right now.  We usually don't get going (i.e. start working longer hours) till late January.   But we've got a big project coming in this week that requires us to bust it starting Friday.  So this morning - well yesterday, actually - I decided to go ahead and start my busy season hours.  Whereas I usually stroll in around 9am, this morning I got up at 5am (and have banned myself from hitting the *snooze* button) and got to work at 7:30am. 

 

Now I hate getting up early, but I love being up early - does that make sense?  I'm not a morning person my definition, but I do work much better in the morning hours once I'm up and going.  So from here on out - I'm telling y'all in an effort to hold myself accountable - I'm getting up at 5am every (weekday) morning so I can get my butt to work early so I'm not forced to stay late every night.  We've got to fit in at least 10-hr days, so I rather get a head start on them, you know?  Plus it's nice to get here early and have a little time of solitude before everyone else arrives and clients start calling, etc, etc...  So there you have it.  Tax season is officially here.

 

In other news, I was notified last night that Javis Davis is discontinuing their Design Partner program.  Many of y'all know, I was the Atlanta DP for Javis Davis and gabbed all about that on my sister blog.  I had a great time doing it and especially loved working with local moms and helping them put together crib bedding.  (And thanks to all of you who worked with me and referred me to friends - I so appreciate your business!)  But you know, I had a feeling this was coming.  I knew keeping the design partners updated with all the latest fabric swatches and samples had become a logistical nightmare for the Javis Davis gals.  Their fabric collections are constantly being updated or retired, so keeping our samples current was really tough.  And I don't think any of us were bringing in huge sale numbers to make it worthwhile.  I think I could kick some serious ass with it if I didn't have a full-time job, but I just don't currently have the time to commit in order to take it to that level. 

 

So is Make Room for Style going away?  No, no, dear readers.  Because through this process, I've rediscovered my passion (obsession really) for maternity wear.  How cruel that a prego-challenged person salivates over maternity fashions?  I mean, seriously.  It's seriously stupid.  Even pregnant people hate maternity clothes.  One day, way on down the road, I'd love to design a line of maternity wear.  But seeing as I can barely sew in a straight line, I'm talking way on down the road.  I think we get caught up a lot of times (women especially) in the oh-crap-I'm-this-age-and-I-haven't-accomplished-ANYTHING-yet mindset.  But if you look at a lot of designers and other successful people out there, many of them - most of them - didn't find that success until much, much later in life.  So my career - whatever that is - by no means is over by the time I'm 35 if I haven't accomplished everything on my to do list.  I've got the rest of my life to be amazing.  One day at a time, right girls?

 

But I do feel like I've been trying to find that "thing" over the last few years that really fits me.  I mean yeah, we all know I'm a CPA.  And that's all good - I'm very thankful for my job and I do it well and yada yada yada.  But as y'all know, my true *self* is a lover of art and design and more colorful  stuff.  So I've been trying to tap into that side of my brain and see what appeals to me.  I kinda feel like I'm good at a lot of things - crafty things - but what exactly am I great at?  I tried the paper thing for a while.  I did custom invitations and other paper products for a few years.  Just a little side business strictly based on word of mouth.  It was quite successful, but my passion for that ran out pretty quickly.  I liked the design end of it, but the actual assembly and processing of orders became very cumbersome.  So much so, that I burned out on it after a couple of years.  I officially ended that business this past year, although I still will do small orders for friends here and there.  I did a lot of the paper stuff for Lucky's wedding.  But I've hung up my hat on that otherwise.

 

So when the design partner opportunity at Javis Davis fell into my lap, I was very excited and thrilled because on my long list of dream jobs was being a nursery stylist.  It was another one of those "oh wouldn't that be fun" jobs and here was a chance to kick it off by partnering with a well established bedding company.  And I did have fun with that, but I've marked it off my list of dream jobs.  Would I kick ass at designing a nursery?  Yes.  You should see all the prototypes in my head for my unborn kids.  Seriously wicked ass nurseries.  But I don't know, as a career I don't think it's a fit for me.  But in getting my blog rolling to promote the whole Javis Davis partnership, I found myself blogging more and more about maternity fashions.  I love fashion in general, but I don't know - like I said, I'm a little bump obsessed.  And it's such a tailored market with such a limited selection.  So I think it's something I could really have some fun with...  therefore, one of my goals this year is to make strides in becoming a maternity stylist. 

 

I don't have lots of resources or funds to put toward that aspiration just yet, but I'm in no big hurry.  It's just something I want to move toward and start to feel out as a possible career path.  I imagine myself working with expectant moms - whether it's for a one time look for a special event or helping them pick out an entire maternity wardrobe.  It'd be all about meeting their needs and their budget.  I'd want to meet with them in their homes and thumb through their current wardrobe to see what they can work with and get a feel for their style.  Plus every mom has different needs - a stay at home mom pregnant with her 2nd child is not going to have the same styling needs as a first time mom who's in an office envioronment.  After establishing what a client's after, I'd then go do the fun part - shopping.  I'd go around town and grab different looks from all over and present them to her (again in her home probably).  She keeps what she likes, I return what she doesn't.  Simple as that!  You think moms would be up for that?  I do!  Not all people like to shop, you know!  But for now, I'll just keep doing my little gig over at MRFS and dish on my favorite maternity looks and whatnot.  Do keep following along!

 

So anyway, that's what's swimming in my head right now.  Among a million other things!  Well, better get these early hours in I've been yappin' about.  Hope you're having a good week.  I'm thinking I will be here Saturday working - bleh.  Fun times.  Alright, over and out.