This is one exciting post to write!! As many of you know, the Simplified Planners were a big hit last year. I loved them but I wasn’t EXCITED about them. That’s the honest truth. I am using my planner daily but every day I have new ideas about how I would use this planner MORE if it had certain features. So I decided to go back to the drawing board and, with the help of my amazing Assistant Creative Director, Nicole, developed The Simplified System.

I wanted a planner that could DO more, HOLD more but was still clean and simple in design so that I could make it MY OWN. I had loose papers falling out of my planner and was aching for a way to keep them there. I needed to hold on to lists, receipts, notes and gather my thoughts. I needed something that was more than just a planner but didn’t include all that other STUFF you often find in day planners. I also wanted something I could use as an academic calendar OR a yearly calendar – depending on what I was using it for. So…

The Simplified System is an 18 month LIFE MANAGER. (Yep, get excited!) Start yours in August or in January – whichever you prefer! New releases will happen every summer, so it’s up to you how you’d like to use it! The System is sold a la carte so that you can BUILD your own planner with the pieces you need and want the most. As busy women, we all lead such different lives and wear so many hats. Some of us are planning weddings. Some are wrangling kids and families and meal planning. Some of us are busy business people / big dreamers and need something to keep us on track and our many passions in order.

Some of us are ALL OF THE ABOVE. I created this system with the idea that we all have different needs and prefer to organize ourselves in different ways. Use the new System as a day planner, meal planner, business planner – even a wedding planner!

Sign up HERE to receive email notification when the Simplified System is available for pre-order. Below are a few details about how you’ll be able to build your own Simplified System when our new e-shop launches in June! More details coming soon!

PS: We will be selling the Simplified System retail on our new e-shop as well as wholesale through a few select partners. If you’re interested in becoming one, please contact me directly for details: emily[at]emilyley.com

My overall realization: Marriage is work. I love Bryan with every fiber of my being, but marriage is hard sometimes. And that’s ok. We are created to be certain things to each other. As men and women we are wired differently on purpose. By no means do we have a broken or bad marriage. We just have fallen into that trap of being BUSY and neglecting each other. And I, personally, have put many things before my marriage. Life ebbs and flows. And it’s time for me to focus inward on how I can grow in my role as his wife.

After pouring through one hundred pages of notes from MTH, I pulled these key “thought milestones” from my ten day journey:

1) Realization: I cannot change Bryan. Period.

2) Question: Who would he be if I didn’t try to change or “guide” (fancy word for control) him?

Bryan would be an amazing father. He’d love football… a lot. He’s be messy sometimes and really, really funny. He’d prefer “man food” to healthy food. He’d have a heart of gold.

3) Question: In looking at those things, how can I, as his wife, minimize our differences and amplify our similarities?

For example: Difference – Bryan loves football. I don’t understand it. I’ve never taken the time to learn it. Learn football. Similarity – Bryan and I LOVE wine. We love learning about wine and trying new ones. Make good use of our new wet bar in our new kitchen being renovated this summer.

4) Question: When the differences we have (that will always be there) upset me or when I mess up in my attempt to have a new attitude or be a better companion to him, what will I do?

For me, I will start with prayer. Then I’ll take some time away by myself. Then we’ll move on. Knowing how I will handle the ups and inevitable downs in our marriage helps me to know that I don’t have to be perfect.

This thought process broke me down in a lot of ways. I don’t write much here about being a wife, but I realized on this trip that being a wonderful wife and cultivating a strong, STRONG marriage is one of the greatest things we can do as parents. And in telling my story to each class, I paused on the part where I met dreamy Bryan Ley and fell in love with his crooked smile and frat boy persona. His red jeep and his affectionate nature. Ah and I missed that : )

Thank you all for your encouragement and for sharing your thoughts. God is good. Grateful for these ten, hard days away. 1 hour and counting until I see my boys again.

xo,

Emily

I’m not exactly sure where to begin. But God has put it on my heart to share this experience. I’m not sure why. So I’ll just write.

When I left Tampa, I told Bryan I was ready to get away. Not really in a nice way.

But I was.

Cue the tears….

Being a mother is hard. Owning a business is hard. Being type-A and being driven makes it even harder or makes me harder on myself. I hold myself to a standard of PERFECTION. I would be lying if I told you I consistently held myself to anything else. I try. But it’s hard. I want to be everything to everyone.

I’ve worked very hard at being a good mother. I love my son with every fiber of my being. Times infinity.

I love my work so much. God has placed this awesome (in the biggest, clearest sense of the word) responsibility in my lap to affect people. To help them achieve greatness. To help them achieve balance and focus on what matters most.

And while working so hard on everyone (and everything) else, I’ve lost site of what matters most to me. I’ve left out an enormous part of the equation.

And perhaps you’re thinking “Gracious, Emily, you’re being really hard on yourself. Lighten up.”

But my marriage is so important. And on this trip, God has smacked me in the face. And that’s ok. Sometimes change is started this way – especially when you’re a little on the stubborn side. Through each one of these intensives, God has pushed me further and further to realize that He has called me to be a good, good, GOOD wife to Bryan.

Lighten up, Emily.

But I can’t. It hit me at the beginning of this trip.

And I realized, “Emily, you have to feel this hurt and let it wash over you.” I’ve been a very good mother this year and a very good designer. I’ve grown in both areas, all while putting my biggest cheerleader on the backburner.

Thank you, GOD, for giving me this time of soul searching and deep digging to reconnect with what matters MOST.  I’ve left Making Things Happen tours before fired up to make changes in my marriage. I’ve also gone home and skipped off the plane right into his arms and rattled a laundry list of all the changes I couldn’t wait to make for us.

This time is different. I don’t even want to talk to him about it. I just want to go home and be.

Most significantly on my mind during the past week has been the woman God has called me to be as a wife. God calls us, as wives, to support our husbands as leaders of our households. I tend to push him out of that role from time to time.  Or all the time.

I was engaged once before. I dated my high school sweetheart for ten years. He was a wonderful man, but I knew he wasn’t THE ONE as we approached our wedding day. We ended our engagement and it was one of the most painful things I’ve ever gone through. Thirteen days (yes, 13) later, I was re-introduced to dreamy Bryan Ley. You know… the frat boy with the red jeep and the crooked smile.

Y’all. I was mesmerized. Infatuated. Smitten. In LOVE. I remember how fast my heart beat when I saw him again after many years that night. We talked until seven o’clock in the morning – about where we’d been and what we’d been through since I was a hostess and he was the cute bartender : )

I used to dream about how cute my first name would be with his last. Our romance was FIREY. We were so in love. But somewhere along the way we stopped chasing each other and started criticizing. Being parents became way more important than being husband and wife.

The end.

The end to that life. To that girl. Making Things Happen has, once again, changed my life. Perhaps in one of the most important ways ever.

Bryan, I’m not sure if you read my blog daily. But if you do, I can’t wait to see you and give you the biggest, longest kiss ever. I mean it : )

Xo,

Emily

image by Gina Zeidler at MTH Atlanta

Little B! I miss you so much bubba! Leaving B on Monday morning was so sad (the photo on the left was right before I walked out the door. I love the funny faces he makes). I woke him up early and held him a bit and talked to him about where Mommy was going. When Ms. Kara came over to stay with him a few minutes later, I kissed him goodbye and held my crocodile tears in. I said “Bye, bye, B!” when I got to the door. And when I turned around he was smiling ear-to-ear and waving just as hard as he could. Almost as if to say “Bye, bye, Mama! Go do your good work and I’ll see you in ten days!” You’re such a smart boy, sweet B.

I finished reading the book Rework on the plane to Chapel Hill and was SO EXCITED to finally see Lara and meet Baby Grace (who I haven’t put down since I got here. She is SO SWEET and so happy. Just like B – big happy smiles all the time. I might take her home with me. Don’t tell Lara.) This is Lara and I in her office being silly and so happy to see each other. Gina arrived later that night.

Making Things Happen Chapel Hill was AMAZING. It was an enormous group – 30 people to be exact. But those new friends BROUGHT IT. It was remarkable. I’m so excited to know each and every one of them. I can’t wait for Atlanta tomorrow and DC, NYC and Boston in a few days. I’ve never been to DC and Boston before, so it should be fun!!

Lara and I are loving being able to work in the same ROOM right now! We talk to each other every ten minutes normally and it’s so funny to be able to look across her (gorgeous) white dining room table and have a conversation rather than emailing or calling her! Now I’m just trying to figure out a way to get both of us to move to our hometown (Pensacola, Florida) so we can have a little shared studio space down on the water. Yes, please.

We’ve just announced lots of new things: the new Making Brands Happen website (thanks, Cathy!!), the Summer Making Brands Happen Webinar Series and MBH Power Sessions!! We only have four client spots left for 2012, so send us a note if you’re interested! Speaking of our amazing clients. I just had to post this gorgeous new image of our client and friend, Amber Housley’s new collateral. It’s just so much fun! These colors make me so happy! Amber is actually bringing her Amber Housley Inspired conference to Tampa later this month! Read more details here.

The Stationery Simplified E-book and Coaching sessions have been such a great success. I am only taking two sessions per month and am now booking for July of this year. Read more details here and send me a note to reserve a spot.

Ahhhh, I cannot wait to get home and squeeze my little B. I miss him and his daddy so much : ) It’s nice to get away, though, I must admit… and clear my head, refocus my priorities and take care of myself. I’ll be so glad to go home with a full tank : )

xo,

Emily

I remember when I was just getting started. I had no idea what ELP would turn into one day, but I knew I really loved to “design” (on Microsoft Publisher – go ahead, CRINGE!) I loved typestyles and beautiful paper and COLOR. I had a stack of Crane Lettra (before I even knew what Crane Lettra was) and a love for wedding invitations that had “that indented type” (I love you, letterpress).

And I wanted to take CONTROL of my life. I wanted to work for MYSELF. I wanted to wake up everyday EXCITED to go to work (in my pjs if I felt like it!)

I spent hours, weeks, MONTHS searching, searching, searching, googling, asking, emailing, digging, reading, buying samples, making mistakes, TRYING TO FIGURE IT ALL OUT. And there was no help out there. I found stationery friends on Let’s Talk Stationery and was blessed with amazing industry mentors turned friends by putting myself out there. But it was hard. I had no idea which way was up and I just started DOING. I climbed uphill, both ways in the snow.

Over the years, as I’ve grown and my company has grown, it’s become so important to me to pay it forward and to gather all the tricks, tools, resources and knowledge I’ve collected for those new designers who are also sitting at their desks googling ’til the wee hours of the morning.

I’ve been taking private stationery business coaching clients for a while now and have loved, so much, working with each of those designers. But I always felt like there was SO MUCH MORE left to say, to teach and to share. Even more than that, there were always so many more action steps I wanted these girls to take on. I wanted to spend HOURS with each one! So I started developing an e-book for young designers building boutique stationery brands. But this e-book isn’t for everyone. It’s for designers, like me, who are building boutique brands. A note to these designers (excerpt from the Stationery Simplified E-book)

To those of you reading this who are right where I was just four years ago… I’ve been there. You have a giant dream and it may not involve being the next Kate Spade or Crane & Co. Instead, you dream of owning a successful, authentic, powerful, manageable boutique brand that supports your ideal lifestyle and sets your heart on fire. You dream of a nice salary while working less than full time so you can be a mama, a wife and/or just enjoy life the rest of the time! You can make that happen. It takes work. I wrote this e-book to help you every step of the way. 

The Stationery Simplified e-book includes one half hour coaching session. The Stationery Simplified e-book and coaching experience is one thousand dollars (payment plans are available). Two weeks before your session, the e-book will be emailed to you as a seventy page interactive PDF booklet (just a few of the chapter intro pages above). Each of the nine chapters contains action steps and ideas for you to work through. You’ll collect your answers and details from each action steps as “homework” and email your homework to me before your call. During our call we’ll walk through your work and go through each Chapter to develop strategic next steps. Subsequent coaching sessions spaced a few months apart are recommended and may be added on at this time.

The Stationery Simplified e-book will also be shared complimentarily with all Making Brands Happen stationery clients! (Just a few MBH spots left for 2012!)

Stationery Coaching / E-book client spots will be limited to two sessions per month. Email me directly and tell me about your brand – about where you are to reserve your spot. I want to be sure this book and my coaching are great fits for you – so I’ll review your details and get back with you personally. I’m so excited to finally unveil this book and to continue coaching amazing, driven designers. As you’re reading this (on Monday!), I’m 30k feet above on my way to Chapel Hill to meet Lara and Gina for the SOLD OUT Spring Making Things Happen tour!

xo,

Emily

WHERE HAVE THE PAST FEW WEEKS GONE.

Goodness, it’s been busy over here. But we’re gearing up for some awesome new things and I’m excited to share them with you : )

Bryan and I are remodeling our kitchen. (This is our inspiration – not our actual kitchen. I wish. Hello, those ceilings???) I am SO EXCITED about this. We’ve renovated a lot of our house (well, Bryan did – he bought this house before he met me) and the kitchen is one of the last parts that really needs an update. BUT we’re not just renovating it, we’re really designing it out and making it gorgeous. I love WHITE spaces and natural light. My office is, truth be told, one of my favorite rooms in our house – because it’s painted a gorgeous color called “Conservative Gray” from Sherwin Williams that is a nice soft grey with a SLIGHT hint of dusty blue depending on the light. My furniture is white and the style is very traditional and clean.

So when we started dreaming up our new kitchen, we decided to use my office as inspiration. We chose white shaker cabinets and (after MUCH debate and input from family, friends and even Instagram friends) chose Viscont White granite. This was NOT the safe choice, but we’re excited about the little risk. I love the swirls within the pattern and the light grey mixed with white. We’ll be painting our entire open format living rooms (two of them), dining room, kitchen, breakfast area and foyer Conservative Gray and adding white subway tile as a backsplash. Here’s a little peek at our inspiration. I was dying for a farmhouse sink, but the price tag was high, so we opted for a 60/40 under-counter sink. I’m currently debating between faucets but I think we’ll be choosing a tall brushed nickel one.

These cabinets, let me tell you, are amazing. We’re adding a wet bar to our kitchen (B and I love our stay-at-home wine nights) and are building in a dual zone wine cooler to hold our favorite Cupcake Chardonnay and Cabernet. We’ll have glass doors with lighted cabinets and glass holders in that area. One of my favorite features is the pull-out spice rack within the lower cabinets near our oven. This is all happening (along with a few other smaller projects around our house) on June 1.

I AM SO EXCITED.

I’ll post a “before” photo soon, but I’m embarrassed to share my super-ugly kitchen with you : ) Fare warning. It’s awful. But the after will be worth the time we’ve lived with the UGLY KITCHEN.

What else is new . . .

(I’m leaving the obvious for last)

THE NEW SHOP!

So many product samples are coming in. Some of you have taken advantage of the “Secret Sales” I’ve offered here on my blog. Stay tuned, there’ll be a few more. But I’m not announcing them, they’ll just be posted early in the morning for you to see if you visit and taken down when they’re no longer valid. I’ve done this so that I can take a few sweet photos of your pieces before sending them off to you. I’ll be using these images in the shop.

I bet you’re wondering what the new shop will offer… well, here’s a short list: personalized iPhone cases, personalized Children’s Plates, invitations, photo cards, stationery, notebooks, notepads, clipboards, prints and… THE SIMPLIFIED SYSTEM.

“What is the Simplified System?” you ask.

Well, I can’t share details just yet – but it’s all tangled up in the Simplified Planner in a beautiful way : ) More details soon. I posted a sneak peek on Instagram yesterday : )

Next up.

Lara and I have had SO MUCH FUN with our Making Brands Happen Business + Branding Webinars. Our last is May 16: Get Published. There are still a few seats available. We’ve also been working so hard with our branding clients and are SO PROUD of them and all the hard work they’re doing. Their new brands are unfolding BEAUTIFULLY and we can’t wait to show them off to everyone later this year. We actually only have a very limited number of client spots left for 2012 – more details here.

Stationery Coaching. I’ve been hard at work developing an e-book for private stationery coaching and Making Brands Happen clients. This interactive e-book outlines all sorts of things (it started as a simple e-book and turned into a GIANT book of all my stationery / production / printing / business knowledge) perfect for designers building boutique stationery brands. More details on that soon.

And of course… I’m leaving on Monday for the Spring Making Things Happen tour. I have moments of sheer joy and excitement over seeing Lara and Gina again and meeting SO MANY new friends in Chapel Hill, Atlanta, DC, NYC and Boston…. and moments of tears over leaving my sweet Brady for 10 days. My heart just hurts when I think about it. I’ve made freezer meals, spreadsheets of his schedule and emergency contact numbers (I know, I’m THAT mom), stocked our pantry, bought Brady new jammies, done all the laundry, cleaned our house and even prepared special Daily Surprises for B to open with Daddy before bath time hopefully with me on FaceTime (football paci’s, his favorite organic applesauce squeeze packs, bath toys, etc). Each one comes with a super sappy love note counting down the days until I’ll kiss his chubby little face! : )

I’m tired just writing all of this! Friday is Play Day with B : ) So I’m off for a fun play date with my girlfriends and their little ones! Bryan and I have planned a really fun weekend before I leave for Chapel Hill — a fun local music festival (with food trucks and bounce houses!) and Brady’s first trip to the BEACH on Sunday! : )

xo,

Emily

Sometimes we need to stop, step back and get back to basics…. Re-evaluate the CORE of our product, service or mission. When you feel like things are spinning a little too fast, it’s time to slow down. Today I’m unplugging completely to get back to basics and dial everything back in. I’ve been reading Rework, the book written by the founders of 37 Signals (who produced Basecamp, Highrise and a host of other simple, amazing, million dollar products). It’s BRILLIANT. Even with a masters degree in administration and years of experience and training under my belt, I still believe this book is bar none the best business book out there. Their philosophies are simple, brilliant and RIGHT. Enough with all the fluff and busy-ness that distract us, get back to basics and strengthen what matters most.

xo,

Emily

So far, nothing has caught on fire.

AMAZING!! The world didn’t stop spinning when I unplugged a little! When I went on maternity leave early last year, I was SO AFRAID my business would literally fall apart because I would be unplugged for a few months. And it didn’t.

Isn’t that a funny, slightly narcissistic way of looking at things? Why do we feel like we have to be plugged in 24/7 to be our best? I’m finding that the more I simplify and set boundaries, the BETTER I am for my clients (and my family!).

The past fourteen days have been more peaceful. I’ve felt more in control of my time. I’ve also felt like I’ve been better for my clients. Here’s a little illustration of the difference in my thought processes when I’m constantly available via email (email on phone) and when I’m only available via email when I’m sitting at my desk during focused work time (no email on phone).

When I think about it this way… I wonder why I didn’t do this sooner!! Next step…. Facebook on the iPhone. Gulp…

Happy Monday!

xo,

Emily

THESE ARE RARE, PEOPLE.

Kara is here with Brady only a few days a week and I’ve cut back my working hours a lot to be able to spend more time with B. But I still have days when I have work to accomplish and a 14 month old (WHAT!?) to grow/entertain/feed/change/etc. Today is one of those days. But for some reason, today, I feel like I’ve got this.

I was taking a shower this afternoon (sometimes that’s how it happens) and I thought… ok, what are you doing different today than those days when you feel like the world is caving in on you and you can’t do ALL OF THIS.

• I went for a long walk this morning with Brady. I always ALWAYS feel better when I start my morning with at least a good, long walk… when I get my body moving and my heart rate up.
• I started my morning with my favorite breakfast: a nonfat, two Splenda cappuccino from Starbucks. I’m one of “those” people. I spend almost $4… almost EVERY day… on that little white cup with the cardboard sleeve. It makes me feel good (not just the caffeine – though that helps me focus).
• I solved a problem. My husband and I had a quick call with my accountant to go over a handful of tax questions. I feel so much more peace knowing we’re getting a better handle on our business finances.
• I connected with friends and had a good laugh. I connected with other people – and this sounds silly, but when you’re a work from home (or stay at home!) mama, there are days when the only voice you hear is your own. I laughed with Lara about the way Brady likes to stand up in his wagon and talked with my friend Amy about a new (awesome!) blog she’s starting.
• I knocked off a big to-do. worked like mad for an hour while Brady napped and made great progress on the Making Brands Happen Client Experience Webinar we’re presenting next week. (IT’S AWESOME!!! There’s still time to sign up!)
• I made a healthy, special (pretty!) lunch for Brady. We ate lunch together. (I normally skip lunch, so this was great) Brady had goldfish, peas, strawberries and a mini toasted peanut butter + Nutella sandwich cut into the shape of a little heart. I served it to him on his little gingham Pottery Barn Kids plate I just purchased. It made me smile… and him too : )

These are all things I need to build into my every day schedule. It’s so important to take note of what’s making you feel the way you feel on the GOOD DAYS, not just the hard.

Happy Thursday!

Emily

PS: Follow me on Instagram where I take fun iPhone photos and make believe everything is chic and vintage-y. : )