Modish

Kitty Photo Friday!

Buds. These two love each other!

Have kitty photos to share? Find me on instagram @missmodish and add your photos to #kittyphotofriday! The more the merrier!

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Oowee! It's been a heckuva week and I for one am glad it's coming to an end! I can't wait to get out in the garden this weekend and catch up on some house stuff!

I have been busy busy all week, building the new blog over at The Maven Circle. Check 'er out! We'll be doing a new series over there called
And we'd LOVE to have you participate!

We want to keep up the openness going on here around blogland and talk about the stuff we don't always feel comfortable talking about. So, next Tuesday we'll be sharing our experiences with self-doubt, and would love to have you share too!

Post about your own struggles with doubt and we'll link up to it, and talk with each other about it! More details ova yonder.

Annnd, my sweet mister and I came up with a collaborative project this week pairing his AWESOME car photos with some mojo! (a sample of his pics are above- follow him on instgram @drsmoothdeath!)

We think it's pretty rad and can't wait to share with you! The new series will happen every Monday here to kick your week of right :)

Hope you've had a good week, ya'll! I've missed you, but will be around lots next week to make up for it. Happy Weekend!

<3 Jena

Kitty Photo Friday

Cats are weirdos. Especially this one.

Have kitty photos to share? Find me on instagram @missmodish and add your photos to #kittyphotofriday! The more the merrier!

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Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! It's supposed to be hot and sunny here and I'm gonna soak, soak, soak it up! Thanks so much for stopping by and for all your comments over the past week- they've touched me so much!

And Happy Mother's Day to all you fantastic mommies out there, including mine!

<3 jena

Dose of Mojo: Why vulnerability is good for business

I've had a hard time figuring out what to say now after my last post, unleashing some (not all mind you!) of the things I might not normally be keen to share to a world full of people with opinions.

I think it's also especially scary to put that stuff out there to potential clients, as I want to be seen as the person who has the answers, not the person who has the problems- right?

But the reality is, we all have problems, struggles, and secrets we'd rather not share with the world at large...

And in sharing some of those with you last week, and reading all of your AMAZING responses that really touched me (and in some cases made me tear up!) And reading all the other AMAZING honest and open posts that everyone contributed, it's becoming clearer and clearer to me that vulnerability can actually be an asset to your business.

When the walls come down, when the curtain is pulled back and you allow people to see you not only as "a brand", but as a real live human person with lots of ups and downs, struggles, and past experiences that have led you to where you are, it creates a deeper connection. A truer connection. A HUMAN connection.

And no matter how well someone may already seem to connect with your brand, your story, what you offer, what you sell- if they can connect to YOU as a person too? The potential for growth in your business becomes exponential.

Because underneath the branding and marketing and pretty pictures, we're all just a person talking to another person, hoping to find a connection with one another.

Allowing yourself to be vulnerable in your business is like opening up an expressway to direct connection with your customers. They feel vulnerable, too. They have their guard up, too. They don't want to buy the wrong thing, make a bad decision, hire the wrong helper-outer.

So, if you can let your guard down to show bits of your true flawed and well-rounded self, your customers/readers/clients just might feel comfortable enough to let their guards down too, and that's where the real communication can begin.

People may admire the perfectly polished professionals who seem to have it all, but they want to talk to, learn from and buy from people who are like them- who understand their needs and struggles inherently.

So where can you be more vulnerable in your business? How can you let people see "behind the curtain" a bit and reveal more? Put yourself "out there" more?

Think about your about page, product descriptions, marketing, blog posts, pitches, social interactions, etc- is there room for more openness and truth in there? I bet so.

Don't be afraid to show it! (I'm working on the same.)

Much mojo to you!
Jena

ps: If you're looking for more clarity, direction and enthusiasm for your indie business, you might like a mojo-session with me! We'll chat one-on-one about the steps you need to take to get your biz where you want it to go. It's fun, fiery and according to my clients, pretty dang helpful!

Things I'm Afraid to Tell You

We interrupt this Kitty Photo Friday for a round of juicy secrets instead!

Last night I read this post by Erin, of Design for Mankind, about the "Things I'm Afraid to Tell You" and immediately felt the need to write a post of my own. I think I'm kind of getting more of a thrill out of doing things that scare me these days.

Her post is part of an awesome challenge started by Ez, of Creature Comforts, (inspired by this awesome post by Jess LC) in an effort to combat the perfection-laden land that the blogosphere inhabits, and perpetuates!

I think it's natural to only want to share the good stuff, the brighter side of our lives. It's not easy to put out there, for literally all the world to see, our struggles, our failures, our flaws, our fears.

But that leads to most blogs becoming only one side of the story. I think they are true representations of a blogger's life, but they're only a few chapters from our entire book. Only the stuff we want to share. And feel comfortable sharing to a world full of strangers, judgement and opinion.

I've been really trying to open up over the past year about the realities of my not so good stuff, tho, because I think it's important. I've shared issues I've had around competition and stress & anxiety, about getting super overwhelmed, facing a huge fear...

It's awfully scary at first to put that stuff out there, but it has felt liberating to be more open and real and honest in this space here.

So, I'm all over this challenge. Here are a few things I feel sceered to tell you!

• I doubt myself
  I doubt pretty much every decision I make right before I make it, and then again right after. And then some more. If I don't have scads of positive feedback about something, I think it sucks. I've put up posts that I thought were cool but didn't get any comments on and felt like no one liked them and deleted them. Which brings up another doubt that anyone is out there listening at all, or liking what I'm saying at all?
  FUCK DOUBT.

• I'm an out of control perfectionist with my work
  (...and some other stuff) I check, and double check, and change, and triple check, and change some more, and check again. I read over everything I write til my eyes cross before I'll publish it and then FREAK OUT if I notice a typo or something later. It's annoying and paralyzing and makes everything take a long ass time.
  FUCK PERFECTIONISM.

• I'm in debt
  Credit card debt. Much of which is from not paying any quarterly taxes all year long and ending up owing $XXXX come tax time and having only $XX in my savings- I paid my taxes on a credit card 3 years in a row and am still paying them off. Which means I'm also a bad bookkeeper. (I paid in quarterly finally this past year- 3 lessons learned later!) We also have some mega emergency vet bills that went on a CC, and if we were to have another pricey emergency we'd have to use a CC. I worry about being able to ever get out from under it.
  FUCK CREDIT CARDS.

• I'm procrastination station
  I seriously can't seem to get anything done unless it's at the last possible minute. I start most projects on the day they're DUE. On the one hand, it almost feels like I need the pressure in order to perform at my best, but I think I only say that as an excuse to keep doing it. Mostly, it stresses me out, makes things harder, makes me late for everything, makes me push deadlines. I've been doing it since little kiddom, it feels so ingrained that it's gonna be a hell of a habit to break.
  FUCK "I'LL DO IT LATER."

• I feel pangs of jealousy...
  ...whenever a blogger publishes a book. I wanna publish a book! And I will! Someday. Problem is, I wish I had already published one. I want to already be doing book tours and speaking and have all my dreams come true, like now, when I see other people doing what I want to be doing. I know everything happens at it's own pace and have gotten better at getting distance from those jealous thoughts when they creep in, but creep they do. I also don't hang out on social media much, or read other blogs much (I mostly read during research for clients, actually!) for the same reason.
  FUCK COMPARISON.

• I like to cuss in real life
  FUCK YES.

• I worry about what you think of me
  Yes, you. I'm worried about if you think my writing is interesing, if you think I'm interesting. I'm worried about your criticism, your judgement. I'm worried about offending you, of you never coming back. I'm worried about coming off as too "life is perfect", as blogs tend to do, or that I might sound preachy and annoying. I'm worried about whether or not you'd want to work with me, or if you think I'm doing a good job. I'm worried that I've scared some of you off with the changes here. I'm worried that I come off as a flake, because I change things up so much and am very slowly honing in on exactly what I'm meant to do. I'm worried about you not understanding me, or what I'm putting out there.
  FUCK WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK OF YOU.

Well, that's about all the secrets I can share in one post- phew!

I think the more we all open up with one another, the more we'll find we're not so different, afterall.

Are you going to participate in the challenge? I have to say, writing this felt pretty dang good! Hitting publish on the otherhand... (bracing for it!)

<3 jena

Pasta Monsta Recipe: Glamour Queen

I'm trying to cook dinner a little more around here- we tend to get take-out most nights, but I've cooked dinner two whole days in a row this week so far, wow! (which means we'll probably end up hitting the taco truck tonight ;)

Anyway, last night we had one of my pasta-monsta favorite go-to easy dinners- a Glamour Queen!

That's what it was called at Deux Gro Nez, a long since closed veggie restaurant that I used to frequent in Reno- this was my favorite dish there and after they closed, I've been making it at home ever since!

It's super simple! You'll need:

• 8-12oz pasta- I like Thin Spaghetti or Capellini for this one- a little thinner keeps the whole taste light and fresh!
• pesto sauce (we bought it jarred this time but when basil is in season, fresh pesto is yummiest!)
• 1 tomato
• 1 red onion
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• feta crumbles

1. Salt & boil water. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. While the pasta is cooking, dice tomato and onions, wash spinach.
3. When pasta is al dente perfecto, drain and return to pot. Mix in pesto sauce. Let cool a bit so that spinach doesn't wilt when you serve it.
4. Serve pasta in hefty piles. Layer bed of spinach on top first, sprinkle on tomatoes, onions and feta to taste (lots is better :) Add some fresh ground pepper, if you'd like. 
5. Dig in!

It's super fresh tasting, healthy and delicious! We love it in spring & summer. And it's a good way to get your veggies if you're a pasta monsta like me! 

Whatcha been cookin up lately?

DIY: Colorful Paper & Thread Garland

I's been gettin crafty lately. I'm working on creating a moveable background for my videos- I want to have something fun and colorful, handmade of course, and refelective of my personality and the colors in my logo, so I decided to make a background full of different garlands!

I wanted to share this first garland I finished up this morning, using paper & colorful embroidery floss.

What you'll need:

•     stiff paper/cardstock
•     circlular craft punch, or you can just cut out shapes
•     scissors
•     embroidery floss
•     craft/all purpose glue
•     needle & thread

• Punch or cut out however many circles you need for the length of the garland you want. I used 13 circles to make a length about 5 feet long.

• If you can get helpers to punch holes for you, and keep track of paper scraps, all the better!

• Spread some glue on one side of the paper circle and glue the end of the embroidery floss down. Then proceed to wrap the floss around the circle like crazy until it looks how you'd like it, slightly pressing the floss down into the glue on the back. 
• Knot the end when you're done, cut the remainder and let dry! The glue will dry clear so it'll be a double sided pattern.

• Once you have all your finished dots wrapped and dried, lay them out in the order you'd like to create your garland in. 

• And then thread them together! Thread your needle and come up on one side, go underneath the embroidery floss and down the otherside (I went over the floss in the photo so you could see where I went in and out)
• I wrapped a loop of the thread around the floss one more time on the backside to help it stay in place along the thread
• Keep on going, spacing the dots apart as you go. I placed mine each a few inches apart along the thread.

• Keep adding your paper dots along the thread until you're at the length you'd like.
• Tie off the thread at the end and cut off the extra length.

And voila! You have a pretty, spinning, colorful on both sides, paper garland!

Many more different types of garland to come- can't wait to see how it all looks together. I'll keep you updated on progress! 

Happy Monday and happy making! Working on any projects just for fun lately?

Dose of Mojo: The good kind of consistent

I was having a mojo session with a lovely lady yesterday (which by the way, is some of the most fun I've ever had in my life- I could talk with people about their businesses all day long!) and we chatted a lot about consistency.

Specifically, we talked about creating more consistency between the different aspects of her brand- the products photos, graphics, overall message & vibe. 

And after our chat, I started thinking about all the things that I've been wanting to change with my own business branding but haven't done yet. You know, all the little things that get pushed to the back-burner behind client work and other priorities (I'm like a contractor with a crummy house, I get it!)

And I started to think about how I could sure use more consistency in my business, too.

And that sucks. Because, I'm not really one for consistency in much other than relationships. I like things to change, I like to feel free, I don't like being pinned down to any one thing- I want to explore it all.

But I realize now, there are a few gaps in the ol' branding machine that more consistency would really help smooth over. It'd make things easier for people to understand me & work with me, and that alone makes it worth it.

Creating more consistency in our branding, in our image, in our message... More consistency in showing up, in communicating, in doing what we say we're going to do...

That's the good kind of consistent that creates a stable base for your customers, and potential customers, to trust you, get to know you and start to rely on you.

Where we can be free to experiment, explore and change it up still, is in our thought process, in our execution, in how we deliver our message.

I'm realizing more and more that consistency doesn't hinder growth, change or creativity- it supports them.

Where could you stand to get more consistent in your business? Are you naturally consistent, or tend to fight it?

Goats, Flowers & links to check out

This weekend, we met the Mr's parents (who recently moved to Salem, OR near us!) out at Bauman Farms & Nursery in Gervias, a little farm town in Oregon. The weather was incredible and the drive was so pretty. We got to see some cute goats and I, of course, couldn't resist coming home with some new plants!

{cute goats at Bauman Farms- the top one was scratching his butt on the post ;) And above is a baby bugging its mama!}

{Deeelicious! Mexican food in Woodburn at Luis' Taqueria - worth a drive back just to eat there again}

{Came home with a new Dahlia- it looks highlighter yellow in real life, very neon. A very happy addition to the garden!}

{some white bleeding hearts, which I've never seen before! These guys do good in shade.}

{some vibrant geraniums, also good to brighten up shade.}

{and my fave find, this crazy thing called a "gold velvet" anigozanthos- it's supposed to attract hummingbirds, which we love getting visits from!}

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In other news, I have a guest post up today on Kind Over Matter, about using Fear as a friend to guide you! It's an excerpt from something I wrote for our Catalyst Course, and a teency taste of the kind of stuff we talk about in there.

> Check it out if you get a chance, and thanks again, Amanda, for having me!

And my lovely lady e-friend Jessika from Oh My Handmade Goodness just launched her Guide to Bussinessy Goodness today! It's 68 gorgeous pages of biz advice and articles (including one from me!), worksheets, printables and really great quotes/artwork in between sections.

> Check out a preview of it here & name your price for a copy- it's a wealth of good information!

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Happy Monday everyone! Hope your week is off to a good start!

Kitty Photo Friday!

Look behind you, kitty! So unsuspecting.

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Today's the last day of our Catalyst course! <- click to see a peek at what our classroom space looks like. It's fun in there!

:( It's bittersweet because it's been so much fun and feels so rewarding and I'm gonna miss it! But I'm also excited for more free time for a bit, because now I'll have time to blog more and start some new projects that I'm excited about!

I'm also already looking forward to the next run of The Catalyst, which we'll be doing again this summer! The next round will start in July, more specifics coming soon. To me, summer seems the perfect time to destress and bring the focus back to you, your wellness, your relationships- the perfect time to take a break and figure out what you really want out of life!

I'm also realllllly looking forward to this weekend: 

If it comes true, it'll be our warmest days yet here this year! I don't think I'll come inside for 2 days straight.

Meet you here next week, friends! Hope you have a good weekend!
jena

Notes from Home (plus giveaway winners!!)

I went back home for a few days this weekend, home to the parent's house that is!

Portland and this house we bought most definitely feel like "home" now, but my parents still live in the house I was born and raised in, on the outskirts of Reno at the foot of the mountains. They've been there 39 years and counting! And I was there with them for 18. And when I go back to that house, it still feels like "home", too!

I realize that it's kind of a rare luxury to be able to visit where you came from, even go through the stuff in your old room, so I was grateful to have the chance to do just that this weekend!

Here are some things I found, some sights I saw and some goodies I brought back to Portlandhome with me. 

***If you're looking for the giveaway winners, they're announced at the end! :)

{school pics of me from 2nd-5th grade. Mom picked out the outfits and did my hair! And those aren't vests folks, much worse- they're half-vests sewn on the front of dresses! Apparently I liked that.}

{this is Scotty, my parents bought it new in 1976 and it's still kickin. It's what I drove in high school and for a couple years of college.}

{on a walk with mom around the neighborhood- that mountain is called Mt. Rose, and that there water's a crick!}

{brought a piece of the forest back with me : and these little guys, who remind me of my mom and my Swedish/Norweigan heritage}

{a cool astrology kit that helps you create your own birth charts, I used to geek out on it : and my favorite ever astrology book that I've been wondering where it was! Happy to have it again.}

{my old diary from junior high- it is super hilarious to read now : and a creepy funny dot-matrix (?) must've-been-super-cool-technology-at-the-time t-shirt from Sea World when I was 6ish. Mommy's Girl! Man oh man. Yes, I'm an only child.}

{some of mom's old jewelry that I couldn't resist : some of my old jewelry! A perfume bottle, a sachel with crystals & arrowheads from the desert, and an alligator necklace from a trip to South America that I went on with my friend Megan's family at 14}

{and an old bathing suit from high school! That by some miraculous occurence is not only cute still, but still fits! And I've been wanting a one-piece again... perrrfect... }

So, as you can see, I've always been a hippie. Except on school picture day!

Did you grow up in one home when you were a kid? Or move around a bunch? When's the last time you saw your childhood home?

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in other news, do-do-do-dooo! (trumpet noise :) The two big WINNERS of my 6th Blogaversary GIVEAWAY are ....

#21, a mysterious lady "H" and #28, Esther Stanford! You'll both be receiving emails from me later this evening! Congratulations!

And thanks so much to everyone who entered! You'll ALL be receiving a special email from me tomorrow as a thank you, so keep your eyes peeled :)

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