Holiday Season ALREADY

Time flies when you are having fun.  Yes friends, that is exactly what I am doing, fun with friends, family and befriending some talented handmade artists and artisans locally, nationally and internationally.  My lack of posts is not due to lack of ideas.  In fact it is completely the opposite.  I have so many ideas written, pinned, saved and swirling around in this little head of mine it is difficult to keep from blogging about them.  But, I must wait...  until the official launch of  the Wind and Willow Home shop.
It is coming! When the days start getting longer and Spring is on our minds.  For now, please feel free to check out the Twin Cities Design Collective where I will be writing about fantastic local (Minnesota) talent.  You can also follow me on Pinterest where you can get a sneak peak into some the things you may see at Wind and Willow Home. Oh, and Make Sure you are a friend on Facebook for the newest updates!

Deep Dark Africa: Shops that inspire

This shop is inspirational not only because of it's uniquely modern vision of Africa but also it's dedication to fair trade and Eco-friendly goods.  Deep Dark Africa promotes hand designed and made pieces created by or in collaboration with a diverse range of local artisans, designers & crafters.  It's unique mix of  modern designs shows that "this uniquely talented continent & its rich creativity, showing that African design is evolving whilst still holding firm to it's handmade root."
I personally love the contrast of the earthy wood and reed products next to bright, colorful globes, balls and toys.  Calming and pleasant with energy running through the entire shop.  Check out Deep Dark Africa for yourself, I am sure you will find inspiration in this shop.

 Images via Deep Dark Africa

Do you know of a product or shop you would like to see featured here?

Are you looking for a special gift that we might be able to help you find?

Please contact Wind and Willow Home

Happy Monday

Happy Monday!  Re-energized from a weekend filled with friends and fun.  Now, back to work.  Although not a lot got done last week, this week should prove to be successful with changes coming to the look of the blog and some upcoming "shops that inspire".  Here is a sneak peak.

Do you know of a product that you would like to see featured here?

Are you looking for a special gift that we might be able to help you find?

Please contact Wind and Willow Home

Little Progress|New Opportunities

If you haven't noticed I have been trying to post one article per week about what is new with Wind and Willow Home and what I have learned in this process over the previous week.  Well, last week wasn't a very productive week in the world of business for me.  My business plan has gotten little attention for several reasons including beautiful beach weather, family vacations, end of Summer work around the house, new opportunities and funding disappointment. 

Photo credit Araya Jensen

On the bright side one good reason for my lack of progress on the business plan is a new venture.  I have been offered the opportunity to write about local art and promote local artists for the Twin Cities Design Collective.  As the Art Editor I will be meeting new people and keeping a pulse on the local art scene.  This weekend myself and my trusty assistant (aka 3 1/2 year old daughter) ventured out to the Uptown Art Fair to meet new artists.  It was a fun trip, not only did I get so see amazing art from around the country, I was also able to meet new people and find new products to post here at Wind and Willow Home.  I look forward to sharing some of my finds right here in the weeks to come. 

Photo credit Araya Jensen

What's in a Logo

I have been working with Ariel Tyndell of Velocity Vectors on a new logo and image for Wind and Willow Home.  We have come up with some fantastic designs that portray the simplicity and timelessness of nature inspired living.   Ariel is a graphic design student at Middle Tennessee State University working on her BFA in Graphic Design. I found her through etsy (yep, did you know you could find graphic artists through etsy).  Immediatly I was struck by her modern yet organic style.   She had many images of her work and they were just the style I was looking for. So, I decided to take the leap and partner with Ariel to create the image that Wind and Willow Home will be recognized as from now on. 
Let me say, that is a lot of pressure.  Image is so important these days and it was important to me to portray one of professionalism that incorporates the visual sense of our products and designs being timeless, high quality, comfortable and of course related to nature. 
  I started this process by filling out a brief questionaire so she could get an ideas of what I was looking for. I answered questions like, "give me a brief history of your company".  I threw around ideas for the image such as a tree, leaf or bird.  We landed on the feather for it's simplicity and vision of comfort. Next she took that information and came up with 5 different logo ideas.  This is where it became difficult.   They were all beautiful and interesting in their own way, so how to decide.  Well, one of them had that perfect mix of modern and organic that I had been looking for.  From here we did some color tweaking.  Again, this was a tough decision because there are so many color choices and with my background in interior design I couldn't stay away from color psychology.  Should I use yellow to portray energy, green to portray a fresh approach or grey to keep it trendy.  As you will see we landed on blue and brown which is the perfect mix of serenity and comfort.
 All in all this process has been truly rewarding but it hasn't been completely easy.  During this process I have learned just how important, and difficult it was to stick to my original vision.  It has taken about 2 weeks of multiple emails back and forth, trying different font styles and colors along with adjustments and readjustments back to the original images.  Ariel has been patient and professional.  Finally SUCCESS, we have landed on the final logo and I am happy to share that we will be updating the blog and other social media with the new images soon. 

What do you think of the logo?  Love it, Like it...? Please share with your comments below.

Professional design services, for a cause.

Although my dream for Wind and Willow Home is to have a beautiful and unique brick and mortar showroom, I thought I should share that I am currently offering professional design services and cabinetry drawings in home (if you are in the Twin Cities Metro area) or via email if you don't live locally.  For the past 10+ years I have been working with clients to make their remodeling dreams a reality.  The purpose of today’s blog post is give you a chance to get friendly professional design service for any room in your home.  And by doing so, you will also be helping to start a local small business as all proceeds will go toward the start up costs of the Wind and Willow showroom.  In addition to the design service/design drawings, you will also get a special, personal invitation to the official grand opening of Wind and Willow Home including a special discount on any gift or homeware merchandise purchase.  For more information on this offer or my design services check out the Kitchen and Bath Design/Custom Cabinetry tab or contact Araya at wind_willowhome@hotmail.com.

This offer is good for 3 years from the date purchased so if you or someone you know are looking to update or remodel a room in your house in the next few years and need professional drawings please consider starting to plan your next project now, with Wind and Willow Home. 

How exercise has motivated me to start a business

Image via YaniLavigne

This is definitely not a health or exercise blog by any means but exercise has played a large part in my decision to start a business.  It may sound a little weird because the two aren't directly related but I have found that the motivation is similar.
  After gaining about 40 lbs during my 2nd pregnancy and adding that to the 10 lbs I had gained over the previous year due to stress and a repetitive knee issues the weight didn't come off as easily as I had hoped. This left me disappointed and frustrated.  I was unable to fit into many of my favorite clothes and I wasn't in a position to purchase a new wardrobe.  Besides that, I also had knee surgery in January at which time they removed a good amount of metal that had been in my knee for 14 years.  The doctors warned me that after the removal of this metal  there would be a greater chance of break or fracture and suggested that I leave it (the metal) in and just get used to the daily pain. They also mentioned that is very difficult to regain muscle so if I chose the option to have it removed it was recommended to me that I should only do moderate activity from then on.  Well, I opted for the surgery and wasn't going to live the rest of my life in fear of a fracture.  So I decided to prove them wrong.
Therefore, I decided to start getting back into shape as soon as I was cleared by the Doctors.  Ten weeks after the surgery I started going to the Eden Prairie Community Center and taking some exercise classes. I tried out a Body Pump class.  The first day was hard and maybe that is an understatement.  I am talking doing squats for what seemed like days, a plank ab routine that was endless and over head presses that made my upper lip curl.   My muscles were shaking as to say  "No we aren't doing this ever again."  After that class I could barley walk down the steps and the walk to my car seemed like miles.  For the next FOUR days I was in pain.  But I went back.  Instead of getting overwhelmed by an hour of  intense exercise, or choosing an easier class, I learned to take one movement at a time keeping my eye on the prize. This was a tremendous break through.  After a couple weeks I started seeing results which only motivated me to test myself more, lift more weight, push harder.  After 2 months I was fitting into my before pregnancy jeans and feeling more confident.  Three months into it I was able to see the growth of muscle in my knee and am able to run after my children for the first time in 2 years.
Needless to say, the parallels between my experience with exercise and taking the plunge and starting this new business venture may be obvious but after getting very frustrated about the current job market and feeling like I may have to give up my passion for design I am reminded to keep my eye on the prize.   When I am feeling like things are impossible, when I feel like my goal is too far off  I have recently learned to take things one day at a time, and that one movement at a time is necessary.  When the odds are against you and the choice is to give up or get up... well you know the rest.

What motivates you?  Leave your comments below.

The Big News.

If you have been following this blog, a couple posts ago I mentioned there were some exciting things happening here at Wind and Willow Home.  So...I am moving forward with my dream of starting a brick and mortar showroom. 
After a lot of interviewing for jobs in the Kitchen and Bathroom/Remodeling industry (where I had been working for over 10 years and really enjoying the work) and finding out that a viable starting salary for someone who has to support two children in daycare and of course pay some bills, is virtually impossible (after the housing industry crash) I have decided to follow a dream and start my own showroom.  Well, that is, I will be putting my full efforts into doing so.  I have started the business plan and will be spending the next 2 months concentrating on collecting all of the information and funding necessary to ensure that I have a complete business plan that will ensure a unique and successful brick and mortar showroom.

As you know, my blog posts have focused on hand made products, design and inspiration with a nature inspired theme.  This will not change although there will be more purpose to each post as I will be highlighting products that I plan to carry in the showroom. I will also highlight design ideas and inspiration directly related to the showroom design and displays along with other shops and ideas that inspire me in this process.  I will also be detailing the business plan writing process and be asking for help and opinions along the way.   I will be looking to you my loyal readers, friends and family to help shape the showroom by giving your input via opinion poles and sharing comments.

I had struggled with the decision to open up this process to the virtual world because I typically am a very self sufficient and private person.  The fear of being exposed and potentially failing is a strong case to keep this a secret, along with potential negative opinions and the worries that someone with more experience and resources could come along and take my ideas, and make this happen much faster than I.  But, on the other hand the potential for support and advice in a process that I am utterly new to outweighed the negatives.  So here I go! On a journey to make my dreams come true.  Please follow me through my successes and failures.  Please support and encourage me.  And as always, feel free to share this blog with your friends, family and anyone and everyone you know because the more people that see this the more support and advice I will benefit from and the more likely this dream will become a reality. 

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