Happy New Year!

​Happy New Year!  This last year has definitely been an intense one with a lot of ups and downs, but I will focus on the ups.  I officially launched my business as an LLC in 2017, which was very scary.  I do not know the last time I have had to do so much math or fill out so much paperwork.  There was a lot of guesswork and asking questions this year, but there is a great group of ladies in Babes in Business that are so kind and willing to help in many different ways.  They were a huge help!  S.C.O.R.E. of Ocean County was also a great help in the very beginning when I was overwhelmed with government forms.

​I’ve kind of made my business (and life) motto, “There is so much ugliness in the world, and I want to add more beauty.”  In the first half of 2017, I decided I wanted to actually physically add more beauty to the world.  At first, I started posting my art in a lot of different places online  Then, I had the idea to physically put more beauty in the world and really spread it around.  I started collecting rocks, painting them, and leaving them for others to find.  I think I (or friends) have hidden them in at least five states so far! 

Side note: I'm really excited about my new bag. Keep reading to find out more about it.

Coincidentally, 2017 was the year that painted rocks really took off!  I loved receiving emails and getting tagged in social media posts when people found my rocks.  No one was ever mad or even indifferent when they found one.  These little painted rocks really made people happy!  Something so small and so simple really was adding beauty to the world.  Happy people do good things, and happy people help others.  I hope my little hidden painted pebbles had a domino effect, and there are some great things that happened because of them that I don’t know about and may never know about.  If you decide you want to join me and paint your own, Patio Paint by DecoArt is a nice little exterior acrylic paint that I found to be best.

​As for New Year’s resolutions, I’ve decided to change the format of mine this year.  I, like most people, usually opt for a resolution that should somehow make me better.  Well, I’m constantly trying to make myself better anyway so if I don't stick to my specific resolution then I feel bad about myself.  This year, I decided to make my New Year’s resolution one that will help the earth and other people.  (I even started it at the end of 2017 to get in some extra practice.) It was partially inspired by a trip to California.  In NJ if you bring your own shopping bag, you get a few cents off your bill.  In California, if you DON’T bring a bag, they charge you ten cents!   My resolution for 2018 (AND hopefully the rest of my life) is to significantly cut down on my use of plastic shopping bags.  For years, I’ve done pretty well with this when I go grocery shopping.  However, it’s all those Target and AC Moore runs that kill me!  Reusable grocery bags are just too bulky to carry around when I’m running  a bunch of errands, and I don’t always have them when I’m making a quick trip to Target or AC Moore or a convenience store.  So at the end of 2017, I started keeping a little rolled up nylon grocery bag in my purse.  It’s perfect.  I carry it with me always, and I have already significantly cut down on my use of plastic shopping bags.

​Would anybody like to join me in this resolution?  More people using less bags means less waste!  To motivate myself, and maybe a few others, I decided to team up with Threadless and put one of my paintings on a tote bag.  It’s nice and sturdy so it can carry heavy stuff.  I can also roll it up pretty small if I want to keep it in my purse.  Of course, I will still be making too many trips to Target and AC Moore, but now I can throw everything in my tote bag.  Want to join me?  You can purchase your own tote bag here.

That is all for the first day of 2018.  I would love to hear about any of your endeavors with painted pebbles, cutting down on plastic bags, keeping the earth clean, and any other resolutions!  Cheers to 2018!