happy birthday!

happiest birthday wishes to my sis, the fabulous littlepapercuts! have a wonderful day and know that we love you to bits!

see you soon!!!!! xoxoxox

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so long muffin?

my muffin top logo was a drawing that started on a kelsey's napkin while i was dinner with my friend felicia (one of my earliest jewelry models!). i am so attached to it, but i find myself more and more these days wishing that i hadn't named my business "muffin top". to me, it now sounds frivolous and trendy - which is what my first jewelry designs were meant to be. actually, the whole idea of selling my designs was kind of a pipe dream at the time. now, over three years later, i am hoping that my work is classically rustic and organic, and i fear that the little muffin doesn't "say" that. over time, my marketing materials have become more streamlined, which, in my opinion, leaves my little muffin logo sadly lacking.

so, in the next few weeks, i think i just might be rethinking the little muffin and replacing it with something else. right now, i'm not going to do anything about the name "muffin top designs" - all of my business paperwork is in that name and changing it all just gives me a headache - but i think i might just put my little muffin to bed. or not.

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old office, new job, huge to-do list

so i've finally moved to my new job. it's at my old office - i had switched teams to be closer to home - but now that we've moved, the old office is now closer to home. (does that even make sense?) it's my second day, and i'm already swamped with stuff to do. yes, it's nice to be with my old team, with the "old" ways of doing things, but there is probably about 10 times more work involved in my position now. i am busy every second of the day - which i usually LOVE - but i think that i am a little stressed. between the new workload, transitioning to the new team, a new leak in our kitchen, a bout of sleeplessness and a raging eye infection, i'm feeling a little overwhelmed. i'm hoping things will eventually settle. it is the first time that i moved jobs for a reason other than being bored and wanting a change... but having more time to spend with the mini before AND after work makes it all worthwhile. funny how your priorities change when you become a mommy - before, a 1 hour commute was no big deal. now, it's unbearable!

*thanks to the fab redstarINK for making such a wicked "honey-do" notebook!

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labour day... what does it all mean?

(an undated photo of a Toronto Labour Day parade in the 1900's.)

according to wikipedia, Labour Day has been celebrated in canada since the 1880's. with roots reaching back to when the Toronto Typological Union staged a parade to bring attention to their strike demanding a 58 hour work week. as a result, parliament passed the Trade Union Act and soon all unions were in favour of a 58 hour work week. not shockingly, soon the work week was reduced to 40 hours so that the day could be broken up into "8 hours for work, 8 hours for play, and 8 hours for sleep." seriously, i used to work 50+ work weeks... talk about burnout! however, i know that there are many people who would probably work longer than that if there weren't labour laws... and i think that we need to protect our personal lives from interference from work!

as a working mom, with my own jewelry business on the side, i certainly feel like i "work" much more than 40 hours! but i am blessed to have the wonderful life that i have - and hopefully will be continuing to hack away at the work/life balance in my life! so... happy labour day! may there be picnics, sunshine and fireworks for everyone!

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