Saturday I had my pop:up shop, which was so much fun! My only regret is that I didn't get photos with everyone who came and especially online friends I was meeting for the first time. :/ Memo to self: be more proactive about taking photos! Jesse got a couple and my friend Kim got a fun shot of Jesse and I which I plan on framing. I love this guy! My pop:up wouldn't have happened at all if it wasn't for Jesse and my Mom! Thanks so much for your support guys and my lil sister Mari came and helped out the day of as well....thank you Mari! And a HUUUUGE THANK YOU to all who came out [on such short notice] and supported this tiny event that at first made me soo nervous to throwing but  in the end made me so happy.

photo taken by Kim Nelson

and a last minute idea to paint a little sign on the window... :)

I bought these sweet tea lights last week for the pop:up to add a little ambiance...

isn't the pattern so pretty? Only 79 cents at Michaels craft store. Can't beat that! 

I had two giveaways at the pop:up - the first being 3 essential oils from doTerra! Ali Malan, you 

my friend are the winner! I will mail this sweet set off to you tomorrow lady! Congrats! ;-[)

the second giveaway was for my Heirloom Bear Blanket! And the winner of that is Tracey Atkinson! Congrats to you Tracey and so fun to meet you! I will mail your blanket to you tomorrow as well! Thanks again to everyone who came! :-[) 

and then....oh man it just keeps getting better! My internet friend Jane [of Nova Granola] whom I got to meet for the first time too, brought me a FABULOUS batch of her citrus granola she makes, well we did a trade actually! You guys, buy this stuff....you will gobble it up and become instant Nova Granola addicts! And the packaging! loove luvooo love!

and last but not least. A little update on Harley love pants Mcgee! The dog got a haircut which at first made me quite sad because they cut off his locks on the top of his head which I had been meaning to put a sponge curler in... :/ and it just looked like he lost his innocence...but i've become used to his new look very quickly and now I see him as a little puppy instead of an old man...oh Harley. I just adore this guy. This morning I found him sleeping as usual on top of the pillows on our couch...but then when I went back into our living room no more than 5 min later, he had moved over to the other side. He's all about the cozy! :-[) I was worried that he would get a little out of hand at my pop:up with all the people there but he did wonderfully and was as gracious as could be. 

and check back for more organizing tips/videos from my Mom. :)

Best word to describe last week: crazy! Thursday and Friday I decided to opt out of blogging to save me as much time as possible to get ready for my pop:up shop that I threw over the weekend...which was a great success for such short notice. I will be posting about that at the end of today as well as announce the raffle winners! :)

So for now...back to organizing...

we got loads more videos folks and tons more tips from my mom! 

What to ask yourself while going through the organizing/de-junking process.... a.k.a:

Here are a few more thoughts on storing in drawstring bags: Hanging as much as possible frees up shelf space for all those things that can’t be hung. For instance, if you store extras of your favorite foods, look what can be tucked into bags and hung, so that you have more shelf space for what you can’t hang. Put all your extra herbs and spices in a drawstring bag and hang them up—they don’t need to sit on a shelf. Then you have more space for a few extra cans or bottles of olive oil, or packages of pasta, and so on. You get the idea.

And get creative about this hanging. You can insert screw hooks under shelves along the back wall and hang from them. If you’re storing in a basement, you can put nails or srew hooks into ceiling joists and hang from them. Or if you have a crawl space, consider storing there by hanging bags from the floor joists.

Finally, don’t forget to label your bags if you need to. This can save you time and energy in the long run.

"The most important room in the home - your bedroom - THAT'S where you start first with your anit-clutter control! And take a look at the smart way to store your tights, leggings, and pantyhose. Finally, here's what to do with toddler and baby clothes! Home management is so much easier when you're using these tips." - Alice Osborne, my mother. :)

More tips from my Mom: 

Wouldn’t it be lovely to have more time and energy for what matters most—achieving goals, pursuing dreams, and especially nurturing loving relationships? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our homes expressed an atmosphere that encouraged, supported, and fostered healthy esteem? This can be the case if we fill our homes with quality rather than quantity—if we learn to live clutter-free.

To begin, set a bedroom clothes closet goal: The closet should be attractive and it should serve you rather than frustrate you. You should be able to find what you need or want quickly and easily, and what you do find should look good on you and help you feel great about yourself. You’re going to touch each and every item and ask yourself “Do I still like this?” (Never mind how much it cost.) “Do I still use this?” (Never mind who gave it to you.) “Do I still need this?” (Yes, you may need it some day, but meanwhile give it to the person who does need it TODAY, and if ever the need arises for another, borrow it from an overloaded neighbor.) “Do I still want this?” (This is where you must watch out for over-sentimentalizing.) Send anything you don’t feel terrific in to charity—you’ll be better off without it. If you’re mired in sentiment, consider bringing in a brave and trusted friend whose unbiased opinion could speed up decision-making. Finally ask, “Do I even have room for this?” (Forget about the day when you add-on—deal with TODAY by accepting and living within the fixed space you have now.)

Closets tend to house a lot of stuff that should really be kept someplace else. To avoid the “chucking and stuffing pattern,” live by the rule that the closet is for clothes and clothes-related items only. No golf clubs, tennis rackets, ski poles, soccer balls, shot guns, luggage (sure it holds clothes, but there’s a better place for it), Christmas ornaments, etc. etc. allowed. Not even extra bedding. (Bed linens and spare blankets can be folded in half and placed between the box spring and mattress. Even electric blankets and controls can be stored here. No one will know the difference, they are easily accessed, and precious closet space is free for clothes-related things.)

Closets don’t need to be humungous to serve us well. It’s time we quit wishing for what we don’t have and make excellent use of what we do have. BIG isn’t better—it’s just BIG. Small closets can be perfectly fine, IF they are only housing things you  like, use, need, want, and  have room for.

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And... a great diy tutorial I saw on Pinterest a couple months ago was to make boot shapers out of water bottles!  My sister Mari and I have been meaning to get together and do this for sometime now, and then a couple weeks ago she said we should just use pool noodles instead! You might think, what's the point of keeping your boot's shape, but this helps the longevity of them, just like the other simple tips my mom suggested in her latest video... and taking care of things automatically means you are saving money over time. Now who doesn't like that? 

This week kicks off with videos of my Mother talking about how to get yourself 

totally organized!  I told you last week that I was excited about this because of the wonders it has done for me. I wouldn't consider myself someone who is super messy and dirty, if anything I do keep a clean and orderly home...but there was SO much room for improvement, at least in our home. :] 

This quick video here explains what clutter is and the first step to removing it. Enjoy!

This second video talks about what to do now that you know exactly what clutter is and to 

get you ready to take the first of the 8 Streamling Steps - get some containers. Learn about these, and also a quick tip on how to never be given any "clutter" again. 

I hope you enjoyed these videos. My Mom will be back tomorrow and the rest of the week with more great organizational tips. And if you have any questions she will be more than happy to answer them on here! :) 

and a little note that I found tucked in one of my old stacks of paper, hence the word "old" 

no more stacks folks.....they're all organized and in their rightful places. 

Two constant things that have happened in my life almost every single day for the last couple years is my search for that "perfect" kilim rug and to find the book "The Magic Glove" by Evgenii Rachev.  This time last year I did find that perfect rug on ebay and let it slip right through my fingers.... It looked similar to this one but the color palette was off-white, gray, muted bright red, sage green and black...I think about that rug everyday and still search ebay and etsy in the hopes of finding a twin or cousin someday.

Then there's the book "The Magic Glove" of which I have fond memories of checking out at my elementary school's library, while all the while not knowing I had a rare gem in my hands. Honestly, had I known how rare this book was...I would have made color copies of it. :/ So... last night I found a copy of it in good condition on Amazon..... for $200. My heart leaped...then my heart sank! I wonder if there is anyone out there who perhaps owns this book and would like to sell it to me for a lower price of $200...or even do a trade perhaps? If not, well I do hope that you too have at least had the joy of reading this book and looking at the illustrations... a favorite folk tale for sure!  And I secretly [not any more] have a dream of illustrating my own take on it.... someday. :] 

pictures found on the site: Zeb Bakes

Lastly, this weekend is going to be crazy getting ready for next weekend's pop-up shop. However, thanks to our newly organized office and my studio space i'm feeling confident. :) And I am excited for next week to come because it's all dedicated to getting organized where I will share videos of my mom telling you just how to get started. I think you will find it very motivating and inspiring to tackle your own space. 

And...on that note, have a great and relaxing weekend :)

Early this morning I got to work on making the invites for my holiday pop-up shop I am having next week! Again, if you would like to come Utah residents ... then just shoot me an email [roxymarjdesign@gmail.com] with your home address and I will get one out to you asap.

The front of the cards are plaid and the back I splattered....this picture is of my first draft...the second go made the final cut. And please ignore the chipped nail polish [one of my greatest pet peeves in the beauty dept.] I haven't made time this week to make them nails all pretty like...

To add a little sparkle, I glue gunned my initials on top of each card. Quick, cheap, unique!

The backs of my invites below. I am really happy with how they turned out! Total cost: only $2.00... I supplied my own cardstock which cuts cost as well as opting out of doing color copies...hence going the glue-gun glitter route. The inside? That's for the recipient to see! :)

A super fun, quick, CHEAP, and magical d.i.y winter tutorial for you. :)

This weekend we set up our Christmas tree, made some decorations for it, hung up last years, had vanilla Coke floats and then afterwards we watched The Holiday...20 min into the movie I passed out... I can't tell you how frustrating this is to not be able to stay awake for a movie all the way through....and this happens 90% of the time.  Other than that, it was a really nice cozy family night. My favorite, and even though we don't have kids right now [which we look forward too happening someday] I highly enjoy the time that Jesse and I get to spend together...alone... well not entirely alone, Harley is there. :)

Please ignore the plethora of un-finished pillows [they need covers] in our living room....so little time in the day. 

One of the new decorations I made was a Santa Claus...I like how he has a folksy/outsider art feel to him. Using an old basket bowl for the face is a great way to add dimension...also, little fabric scraps, crepe paper, glitter and a simple painted face can go a long way! I'm tempted to keep him hung up all year long.... :)

And a fun little video of me decorating our tree and some bum flexing! What?! You don't exercise while decorating your Christmas tree??? Yeah right! :-) lol Real reason I wanted to add this though is because I love how Jesse asks "Hiiiiii Roxy..tell us what year it is?" maybe it's just me, but I keep cracking up every time I hear him say that! Just one of the many funny things he does. Love him!

decorating tree from R O X Y M A R J on Vimeo.

Organization week has moved to next week 

due to conflict of schedules w/ my mom...

 come back then for awesome tips & video tutorials.

On another note, I have been going back and forth the past 6 weeks trying to decide if I should

have a Roxy Marj Holiday Pop-Up shop.... If you live in Utah and would like to come, please let me know by tomorrow at the latest and email me [roxymarjdesign@gmail.com] your home address so I can send you a postcard in the mail.  I'll be honest, the thought of throwing one does make me a little weak in the knees, but if there's enough excitement for one [sorry, does this sound like a threat? :/ not meant to be] I think it would help get me excited and less anxious.  There would be mostly one of a kind items, as well as new items you have not seen. :) Thank you! 

This past week has been a really good one for me, and here are some reasons why: 

Yesterday my friend Laura dropped by to drop off the book that I loaned her [Animals in Translation] as well as a yummy salt scrub that she made! Thank you Laura! Then my other friend Lauren dropped by soon after to go over the essential oils she sells from Do Terra...and with her she brought homemade applesauce for me that she made too! I will be hosting a doTerra [pronounced dough terra] party at my house NEXT SATURDAY at 1 pm...so if you're big on essential oils and are wanting to make your body & home a more natural environment then you should come. Shoot me an email if you're seriously interested: roxymarjdesign@gmail.com  *This isn't something that you have to sign up for in order to get the oils...they have an online shop or you can order them wholesale directly from Lauren like I plan on doing. :)

I got my new rug cards [for packages] back from Alphagraphics... love them! 

I bought this awesome sweater vest at the thrift store last year even though it was gigantically huge on me. Just the other day it dawned on me to shrink it in the wash! [HELLO!] and voila, it totally fits perfectly now. I did do a little blocking to take some of the curve out and make it hang more straight. Just a hot tip there: buy huge old man's sweaters and shrink em. You probably already know this though huh and are thinking "ahhh Roxy, been there done that!" :-[) lol well, i'm sure stoked about it! Now I just gotta change the buttons. 

Last night Jesse and I had the pleasure of attending The Christmas Carol at the Pioneer Theater. Our neighbor had extra tickets and so we got to go with him. He [Blaine] works with the Women's Small Bussiness Center in Salt Lake and specifically invited us so he could introduce me to a couple people. Before the play they had food and drinks for the women who go to the center [catered by La Croissant..& SO GOOD!] as well as a raffle & I won the grand prize! Two tickets to a Jazz game and 2 night stay at the Radisson Hotel! I'm thinking double daaaaaaate night, woo! Thank you Blaine for taking us and Thank you Women's Business Center for the food & prize! Oh, and the play was awesome! I saw The Christmas Carol at Madison Square Garden 10 years ago and honestly, it was just as good. Go see it and support the arts! :)

Lastly, the biggest thing of all. My mom has been over at our house three times this week helping me get organized. I had a little breakdown last weekend along with major anxiety [what else is new?] Well, Jesse and I were driving to downtown Salt Lake last Saturday to take a break from things and I just kept saying over and over..."I don't know what to do" well, no sooner did my mom call to ask a question and then asked how I was doing. In my quivery voice I said, not too well and then just started crying. I told her that I felt so overwhelmed and disorganized and didn't know what to do. Here's the funny part: my mom wrote a book on organization that was published by Readers Digest and then later by Barnes & Noble...HELLO, why am I not asking my mom for help? Well she offered to come help me get organized and she really worked her magic! This week i've hardly had any anxiety and have been more productive. I finally started responding back to emails from 2 months ago as well as wholesale inquiries. I've felt so good that every day next week on my blog is going to be dedicated to organizing and showing pictures of what my mom did with our office and my studio and hopefully get a couple videos of her talking about the process as well! 

The pictures below are a little funky in color because of our basement being really dark, so just work with me on those. :) I love seeing all my fabric nicely organized and in their own departments, funny how something as simple as that can make one feel so good inside. 

Double lastly, some great sites that mentioned my items this past week:

Design For Mini Kind - Thank You!

Rappimamma - Thank You!

To and From Magazine - Thank You!

Mer Mag - Merilee's Holiday Gift Guide - Thank You Merilee!

Urban Outfitters blog - some of you may have already seen this on my fb page Thank You!

Miss Moss's Noir Gift Guide - THANK YOU...this lady always brings me an insane amount of traffic and buyers to my etsy shop! I just love her blog and need to send her something for always blogging about my items. :]

Have a great weekend!

 I'll see you on Monday with tips and ideas 

on how to get you organized and staying organized! :)

Okay, one more thing for today...and then i'll be back on Friday. 

Perfume: something I really stress about when shopping for. 

There are only a couple perfumes that I have come across [not that i've been on a long winded search] that I have absolutely fallen in love with. #1 Floret by Antonias Flowers  #2 Stella by Stella McCartney and #3 Peony Blossoms by Mi Spa  but lately i've wanted something a little less flowery and more...unique? So I found this shop on etsy last week: Firebird bath & body and ordered 3 perfume samples for only $5!!! Can we say perfect stocking stuffer?! Yes, we can say that! :-[) Well, I just got my samples in the mail today and tested black & mint and I am soooo in love!  So in love that my wrist and nose are now dating and i'm sure they will be engaged by tomorrow evening! Well, that's it...this little secret is out and now i've gotta get back to work! 

About an hour ago [while packing orders] my rock Lou asked if she could have her picture taken. "Right now? I'm packing orders Lou...can't it wait till later this afternoon? I say"  silence....and then a little whimper... can I just tell you that all my characters are a tad bit sensitive...actually, no..they are REALLY sensitive. So I stop what i'm working on and take a couple photos of Lou, this picture was her favorite.

well, right after I finished taking pictures of Lou, I got an email from my little sister Mari. She sent me this quote that is by Ira Glass [my radio crush] and said it reminded her of me... :] I love how true and right on it is. If you ever have self doubt...this is worth printing out and putting on your mood board. :) Thanks Mari for your support and encouragement, I love you! 

Folks! We're seeing advent calendars pop up all over  [tis the season]
and I'M SOOO LOVING IT!!! Bah! I Love it!

Here are 3 that really caught my eye and have inspired me to do something similar...

but for when the time comes that Jesse and I have little people running around.

A Merry Mishap: if you haven't already noticed, Jennifer comes up with some awesome DIY projects...she is inspiring...and I love that they are affordable and if done patiently...they look expensive. I have a confession [woop dee doo you say? lol :-[) ] annnyways, my confession? Ah yes...well, there is nothing more frustrating than seeing a craft that looks shody. Many people use the excuse while crafting "i'm just not crafty" and in my head I respond...."no, you're just not patient enough" It doesn't need to look perfect, but making anything requires patience....and there's nothing wrong with going back to that project if it's a little frustrating, if it means producing something of exceptional quality then taking a break will be worth it....just a hot tip. :)

I love this calendar for it's masculine and simplistic qualities.

Now these girls: Elsie & Emma [such cute names] are the bloggers behind A Beautiful Mess and their blogger contributor Katie did a modern folkish/Scandinavian take on her Advent calendar that she shared on A Beautiful Mess:   

and lastly, from BABYCCINO KIDS....an advent book calendar! Mo [a contributor over there] talked about wrapping up her Christmas books for her children, so that each night they have a Christmas story to read. I absolutely love this idea for a couple reasons: #1 I have been collecting Christmas childrens books for many years now and so I have 26 books already...or errr close to 26 I should day. #2 Reading! And reading with kids is the best! #3 This would make a wonderful tradition! #4 I buy a lot of my books on Amazon [specifically vintage children's ones and I pay no more than $4 for a book...they are pennies on that site!] so this can be just as affordable as going to the dollar store for items...also, check your thrift stores for Christmas books! #5 this is great to do with any type of book...but themes are always fun! :)

What does this vintage cast iron lid...

and these sparkly leaf branches have in common? 

together they make a little dear named Hamlet. :) 

I saw this lid at the thrift store last week for 50 cents and instantly knew what I was going to do with that guy! When I brought it home, Jesse asked if there was a pot that went with it....I WISH, if so, there would be no Hamlet and instead there would be stew.... hmmm stew or Hamlet? Hamlet! This little guy was added to the few Christmas decorations I put up today...we don't have a ton, which I prefer... and it makes me feel like i'm living in Little Women... but cutting paper snowflakes...now those are something you can never have too much of. My mom & stepdad's house has at least a couple hundred hanging from the kitchen/dining area, each year more and more are added...I must be sure to take a picture to share on here! 

p.s. I wrapped tissue around the lights and then glue-gunned white pom poms on the strand for a touch of whimsaaay. 

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Got my letterpress business cards replenished yesterday from the fantastic Zach Jones! 

If you're in search of someone local [in Salt Lake City] to do letterpress anything for you, I highly recommend this guy! Jesse suggested I use these cards to hand out for when I meet people and then just make separate one's to go in my packages that I ship off...

those guys look like this [below] and I will be picking them up soon from Alphagraphics. Excited to see how they turned out! I love this company and the service they provide. Not getting paid to say that...it's just so nice to find people and or companies that work really hard to provide you a great product. :]

My book is now up in the shop! 

I'm done blogging for the week.... see you back here on Monday.

 And for those of you in the states...enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday....but even if you're not

celebrating Thanksgiving, it's always good to focus on what you have and show gratitude.

With that said, I want to thank anyone reading who has purchased an item from my shop. I've 

talked before on my blog about how grateful I am for the support I receive every day, and it's something I think about often. Thank you for all your sweet and uplifting comments, thanks for pinning or instagraming my items, but most of all....here comes the cheesy bit....thanks for helping me achieve my dreams. I really feel like Roxy Marj has become this huge team effort of people trying to spread the word and believing in me. I will be forever grateful! And even if you're not interested in the things that I make, no worries...but do try and support independent designers and artists. :) xo

In 2008 I designed 26 girls with wonderful patterned outfits. Their patterns were designed from the letters in the alphabet...and then about 6 or so months ago I decided to make them into a coloring book which I named "The Alphabet Girls of the North Winnie Mountains ..there is a coloring poster as well. I have shed some happy tears these last couple days while laying out the final pages...of course listening to the Little Women soundtrack while working most likely contributed to that. I wish it hadn't taken me so long to finish this book, but who knows....it could have been a timing thing. :/ Tomorrow this book goes on sale, and let me tell you...you're gonna want this for yourself or your daughter, granddaughter, niece...whomever...this book is magical inside!

Now....I gotta get to stapling these ladies and packaging them up!