A New K.Batty Blog Feature: Cards of the Week 1/24-1/30

Happy Monday! As I have said in an earlier post, I have a few new things planned to share here on the blog in 2011. Let's get started with our first ever Cards of the Week!

Each week, I'll be posting a few cards I've found around the "net" or perhaps a fun shop - wherever exciting designs seem to find me. Cards could constitute greeting cards, folded or flat notes, postcards, gift enclosures - any kind of social stationery & might wonder over to invitations from time to time. Let's get down to cards...errr, business.

Let's start with the gold standard - Crane & Co. I love their funky take on classic letterpress notes with this zebra print.

How adorable is the fox on this lovely thank you card from WhimsyWhimsical on Etsy?

Last but not least, this is a cool take on correspondence cards, from Ann Gardner at Minted.com

We are off to a rolling start in 2011! Hope you'll stay tuned for more. If you have suggestions of cards or stationery that you would like to see featured, please email me: kbatty{at}ymail.com.

TTFN!

2011 here I come!

Here we are, Readers! Starring down the barrel of 2011. What in the world will this year bring?

There are lots of things that I would like to see happen this year but they all boil down to 2 main things: 1. Produce more work & 2. FOCUS!!

2010 marked the beginning of my adventures in blogging & making my Etsy shop/design business a priority. But, Life has a tendency to take over & it's easy for both of those things (in essence, my professional life) to take a back seat to whatever personal drama is unfolding. If we are friends off line, then you know I have already faced that challenge this year. However, I feel that if I set small goals for each day, I am making progress toward productivity. So that is how I will accomplish goal number 1.

Goal number 2 is a bit of a toughy & I set it because I felt ineffective as a business person this year, letting myself get distracted easily. If I want to be a success, I need to keep my eye on the prize. So, focus. Focus on the task at hand. Do one thing at a time. It’s so easy to feel that you are drowning when you are starting out in business. There is so much to learn (how do I harness Twitter? What do I say on my Facebook page?) and even more to do. So, this year, I have resolved to let some of those things go. I can’t learn everything at once. I will learn more by taking a deep breath & concentrating on the task at hand.

Oh, and I have a mantra – well, maybe not a mantra, but something inspirational. The picture above was my fortune cookie the other night after dinner. I thought it was a good sign. It is a reminder that doing everything may not be as important as doing the right things. I taped it in my notebook for further reference.

I have a few plans for new designs & new blog features this year. Stay tuned! I have a great feeling about 2011!