Thank you, The Wooden Lane, for sponsoring this post, part of the 2017 Shop Small Spring series. I was selected for this opportunity by The Wooden Lane; the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.
John 1:16 ESV
I needed this sign for my office. There are many blessings that come with a work-from-home job, but sometimes if I can be honest for a moment, it is lonely. It is taxing. It is hard. I am either frustrated because I cannot get a hold of somebody to move forward with my work or I cannot get myself motivated because of the household chores. You never "leave work" and the day is never "done".
But this little beautiful reminder keeps me happy. Do not hear what I am not saying. I LOVE my job. I LOVE working from home. I LOVE the flexibility that it provides. I LOVE my coworkers, my company, and everything about it. But there are days that are hard just like any job and now I look up at my beautiful sign by The Wooden Lane and reminder myself "grace upon grace". Give grace to others. Give grace to ourselves.
On more of a decor-side-of-things, I also just adore that this print is not in a stereotypical frame. It gives it so much character and it is printed in such great quality canvas. All of the shop owner, Rachel's, items are handmade with wood with all the natural elements of wood, knots and all. I love that she chooses to let the natural beauty of the wood shine through and many of her items are distressed to give the appearance of age. And they are so well priced too!!
Her shop is packed full of gifts for spring birthdays, Mother's Day gifts, or wedding gifts. If you hop over to her shop down and use the code "20off", you can also received 20% off your entire order! How neat is that!?
Check out a little bit more about Rachel, the owner of The Wooden Lane:
How did you get your shop started?
I guess you could say it all started with a miter saw I received for Christmas in 2013. I’ve always loved design and diy projects so I quickly became obsessed with working on new ideas with wood. I realized I couldn’t constantly replace my old décor when I still loved it. So I started thinking on how I could turn it into a business. I read and studied everything I could about Etsy and eventually opened a shop in February of 2014.
What is the hardest part of owning a shop?
Balancing my time! I love what I do but at the same time, I’m not super woman…I still get tired and stressed at times while trying to be mom and housewife at the same time. When running a business from home, it’s hard to forget about it and take a break when I need to. My to-do list is always staring at me!
What is one thing unique about you?
I’m a homeschooling mom of 2... One is graduating this year! YAY!!!
What is the best part of owning a shop?
Freedom to work from home whenever I want to... because I love being home!
How did you get your shop name?
I don’t really have a very sweet story for that. It wasn’t my first choice actually! When you’re starting a shop on Etsy, the name has to be completely original. I thought some of my first choices were very original but ended up being taken already. After playing with many different words, I finally came up with one that no one had.
What is one way that you keep organized?
Lots of notes! I’m a bit old school when it comes to organization. I don’t use any fancy apps or computer software. I will use my “Notes” app in my phones and “Pinterest” for keeping up with ideas. I do my bookkeeping handwritten in a ledger. My big business brother thinks I’m ridiculous but that’s what I’m comfortable with. I have a notebook to keep up with orders and a dedicated work space for storing supplies.
How do you balance family life and work life?
As I said earlier, it’s a daily struggle! My husband helps me on the weekend with orders so I don’t get too overwhelmed during the week. My kids even help with cleaning and cooking! So we’re all in it together! I do try to shut down by a certain time in the evening so that both my mind and body can be there for my family.
