Many of you have been following me since I was a blogger, long before I started Pretty Pink Posh. However, I know that since starting my business, there are also LOTS of new readers as well.
Before I started selling stamps, dies, sequins and stencils, I was a crafter and blogger. It was my therapy and outlet after my car accident. In those older posts, I shared bits and pieces of my personal life at a very raw place in my life. I cannot tell you how therapeutic it was to both craft and blog during those times. Getting to interact with my readers, share my heart and then starting my business because of my circumstances has been something that I do not take for grated and I am so amazed and blessed by how much has changed since then.
There were many posts about the struggle of the accident and then also coming to terms that I most likely wouldn’t get married or have a family because it would take a special someone to understand and “put up” with my circumstances. Well, a LOT has changed since then….
It’s been over two years since I have done a personal post and little did I know that a mere six weeks after writing that last personal post, my life would change. I won’t get into all the details now but I started dating someone back in October 2017 and let’s just say he has changed my life.
Earlier this year, we got married and now we are expecting a new addition to the Pretty Pink Posh family in Spring 2020! I couldn’t not share this part of my life since so many of you have been following my journey for so long. It’s definitely an exciting time, but also very scary since this is our first child and we have no idea what we are getting ourselves into!
Side note: now I’m inspired to create both wedding and baby products!
It’s rare that I’ll share a personal post on here these days, since I know you come here for craft posts and updates on the shop. However, I also know that I wouldn’t be here without sharing bits and pieces of my journey and wanted to share this big update. Plus, for those new to the blog, you get to see a picture of what I look like (now with a baby bump)!
In closing, I want to say I am so incredibly grateful for each one of you- both new and old readers/ customers/ followers. It is because of you that Pretty Pink Posh is where it is today and your kind, sweet and encouraging words keeps me motivated to create new products for you. ♥
It’s been two years since I’ve done a personal blog post and I definitely come on here a bit apprehensive. I feel like my writing skills are rusty. In the last two years, my business has grown and the blog has definitely become more business based and there’s always a vulnerability when you open yourself up in a personal blog post. However, I’ve done it in the past and it brought wonderful people across my path and I was able to talk to others who could relate to me, people I could encourage and at a point where I could barely leave my house because of the pain I was in, having a connection to the outside world and a sense of purpose was so powerful and writing (even when I didn’t know if anyone would read) was so therapeutic.
In the five years since the car accident happened, so much has changed, I have changed. I’m no longer the same person I was pre-accident and to be honest, I think that’s a good thing. I’m more empathetic to people, more sensitive and caring, I don’t take things for granted (I no longer take going down the stairs, taking showers, going to the store, walking, being able to sleep, brush my teeth, drive, eating normal food and so much for granted), I have a heart for those who battle chronic health issues or have been in any sort of accidents and the list goes on and on. I can’t say I understood any of these things before.
Back in November 2016, I took two months off of work which was beyond scary for me. I had fears that people would forget about my business and when I opened back up it wouldn’t be as busy, but I knew in my heart that I HAD to do this for myself, for my health. Around that time, I was not doing well and knew that I had been overworking and stressing my body. That in itself isn’t good for someone who is doing well physically, but someone who is battling health issues, stress and working crazy weird, long hours is just not healthy. I had to train myself to go to bed at a reasonable hour, be okay with resting and not constantly checking emails, re-learn how to spend time with family and friends and be fully engaged, and to start taking care of myself mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually. This was a scary time, but it was also a sweet time. I learned that I am stronger than I thought I was. There were many nights when all I wanted to do was work (hello, workaholic over here) but I instead spent time with family or friends and developed even more precious bonds with them, I learned that it’s a wonderful thing to not be attached to your phone at all times, and there is so much more to life than just work. Now don’t get me wrong, I love working, but it was my whole life for three years every moment I felt well and I never really took moments to enjoy what I had built.
BALANCE. Since I re-opened the shop after my hiatus, I’ve been trying to have a healthy work/ life balance. The hiatus did wonders for my body and I had felt better than I had in YEARS. I was able to drive again, go to events and activities, I had energy…. it was like the old Paulina was back (the one up for adventures, able to do things and go places) and that was beyond exciting. I forgot what it was like to actually live life outside of my house or 10 mile radius. I can’t even begin to count how many times I cried after an event because I was so grateful I was able to be able to go. I felt like I had missed out on so much but I hadn’t realized how much I had missed out on until I got to experience some of it again.
SETBACKS. Within the last five weeks, I’ve had a few setbacks and we’re trying to figure out what happened. I was doing so well and making so much progress and then just last week, I was back in bed over 18+ hours a day unable to do anything. I feel like this whole journey has been a rollercoaster ride filled with ups and downs and unexpected turns and while I’m ready to get off the ride, I’m not sure it’s my time just yet. I’m hopeful that I’ll continue to make strides forward and this is just a tiny setback and I’ll get my energy back. Now that I’ve experienced what life could be like again, I definitely don’t want to miss out on anymore and want to continue to have fun, new experiences.
THANKFUL. As I think back on the last five years, I get teary eyed. I wouldn’t be here without the support of my family. They have been so faithful and supportive. They’ve driven me to countless doctor appointments and tests, made sure I had my own meals, took me to various stores and would hold me up when I couldn’t walk on my own, they would never cease to encourage me and tell me that I’ll get through this and remind me that I’m not alone in this journey, help me with my business and so much more. Then I have some amazing friends that have been with me through thick and thin. I can’t even begin to say all that they’ve done from notes and cards, gifts, texts, meals, taking me out on little outings… I have no idea how I got so blessed with such amazing people in my life but I am so thankful for them. This journey can be so lonely and tiresome at times, especially when there doesn’t seem to be any answers, but then I’m reminded I am NOT alone.
CHALLENGING YOU. I’m not sure where you are in your stage of life. Maybe you’re at a good stage and have the ability to encourage someone. There are so many that are going through a hard time- reach out, send a card or give a meal- you have no idea how much that could bless them. Maybe you’re at a stage in life where you’re on your own rollercoaster. Hang in there. I’d actually encourage you to write down what you’re going through, your thoughts and emotions (it can be on paper or in a private blog). There is something about looking back and seeing where you’ve come from, especially since we can forget details. It’s been so rewarding to look back at my old posts and read where I’ve come as a person, the lessons I’ve learned and what things I used to write about- some of it is humorous now!
I had no idea the direction this post would take, but as always, I wanted to write from my heart. For those going through your own journey, I’m sending you big, big hugs….♥
As some of you may know, I have been dealing with health issues for quite some time (due to a car accident before I opened PPP). This was actually the driving force to start something on my own, since I was no longer able to work. Over the three years I’ve been in business, I’ve been able to maintain orders and grow my small business, while also dealing with my ongoing health complications. It hasn’t been easy, but I have always made it a goal to put the needs of my customers ahead of my own. Sadly, this has taken a toll…
Recently, I’ve had new health complications come up, which have prevented me from working for almost two weeks. It’s been frustrating knowing that I wanted to do something special for the holidays and also plan ahead towards my big birthday celebration release that was schedule for January, but physically unable to. I had to make the difficult decision to postpone my January release and while doing this, also put myself on a month long hiatus.
Starting December 5th, I will be closed and will not be fulfilling any new orders until sometime in January (an exact date will be determined later). My hope is that the break will allow me to focus solely on my health. I will be checking into my emails periodically, but please note there will be delays in replies.
Again, this decision was a very difficult one for me to make. I am nervous about this hiatus and what it’ll do for my business, but as my family and friends have been reminding me for quite some time, I need to take care of myself or I’ll be unable to work permanently.
I have amazing new products, sets and dies already designed for 2017 and cannot wait to get better so I can share them with you.
Thank you for your continued support, understanding, and love. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.
P.S. I am hoping to hop on here and social media during my down time… I know I’ll miss interacting with you all!
You snuck up on me and I must admit, you scare me. The number 28 signifies that I’m getting closer and closer to 30 and truth be told, I’m nowhere close to where I thought I would be in life.
As a little girl, I had dreams of being married, having a family and a house with a cute picket fence by now. The reality is I’m single, never been married and have no kids. The fairytale romance still hasn’t come and I’ve experienced a lot more life, heartache and difficulties than I ever wanted. (Partly due to me being rebellious and going down paths I never should have gone) However, despite the years I wish I could erase, I learned so much that I’ll carry with me through the rest of my life.
I learned that I’m stronger than I imagined. The accident that happened almost three years ago, has been a constant reminder of this. To this day, I still have to fight through things that surfaced because of the accident, but I’m still here, FIGHTING. There have been so many days in the last three years that I have cried in pain, desperation, frustration and a million other emotions, but I have pushed through. I can’t remember the last time I had a full week of “feeling normal” since the accident, but that hasn’t stopped me from still going for my dreams, fighting for joy and trying to be the best business owner I can be. There are days when all I can do is lay in bed, despite a million to-do items and orders stacking up, but that’s okay. That, my friends, is also part of being strong.
I learned what’s really important in life. It’s not the designer purses, a huge collection of craft supplies or thousands of followers *gasp*. My family and closest friends have taught me that you could have all the luxuries in life, but if you don’t have people to walk through life with you, who GENUINELY care about you, you don’t have anything. I without a doubt wouldn’t have made it this far had it not been for my family and close friends. I am beyond blessed by their love, selfless care and compassion on me and the daily struggles I go through.
I learned that life has bumps in the road but you have to adapt to them and move along. By golly, I’m not an expert at this (it’s that Type A, first-born, control freak in me), but if you don’t adapt, you’ll be stuck right where you stopped while everyone else goes about their life.
I won’t pretend that I’m not still hoping for a fairytale romance and that picket fence I mentioned above. I could write a whole post on how much I dislike dating and all that goes along with it, but I’ll spare you. In the meantime, I’ll continue to FIGHT for my dreams and goals, pursue opportunities and be the best person I can be- both in my personal life and in the crafting industry.
It’s rare these days for me to get real and personal on the blog. It’s not because I don’t want to, and it’s not for lack of time, but there’s a vulnerability that comes when you open yourself up. In my previous “my life” posts(and boy, I was looking through them and there’s a lot of them now!), I’ve shared different glimpses of my life- some have had tears streaming down my face while I wrote them, and some I felt a sense of relief when I shared the issues I faced. This blog has been a way for me to share from my little corner of the world- it’s how I started and truth be told, I feel like that’s why I have had the “success” I’ve had. Many of you shop because you know me; I’m a fellow crafter, blogger, dreamer and small business owner, and I share little snippets of my imperfect-yet-beautiful life.
So, what’s been going on with me? Well, for the last 25 days, I’ve completely changed the food I’ve been eating. My dear friend recently was put on the Whole30 diet by her doctor and I was really inspired by her new lifestyle. Ever since my car accident, I’ve dealt with a lot of health issues and my once super active lifestyle changed and you know what that means… weight gain. I decided to take on the Whole30 diet for 30 days and let me tell you, my relationship with food has definitely changed. I’m one to stress eat, pleasure eat, eat when I’m bored…. I just like to eat (which is my problem)! I’m a self proclaimed bad cook, but this whole process has made me a little better in the kitchen. At the beginning, I started taking pictures of my food creations, just because I hated being in the kitchen and figured I might as well document what I made. Now, it’s a great way for me to see the progress I’ve made and also an easy way to meal plan when I’m in a slump!
In the past, I’ve had numerous readers pour their hearts and stories out to me. This, my friends, is the beauty of blogging. I love that you feel open and comfortable to share with me and I hope that our interactions have been meaningful to you as well. If you are going through a hard time or know of a friend that is, please leave me a comment, or send me an email. I’m going to put together two boxes of things I enjoy, along with a card and send them out to two of you! I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time and even contemplated doing a sign-up program, but then I opened up the shop and things got crazy. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean I can’t keep it small and still send some of my own packages out! I’m going to try to make this a bi-monthly occurrence since I know so many are going through things and could use a little cheer in their life.
For those who want to participate on a smaller level, I challenge you to mail two cards or letters to friends or family today. Snail mail is such a rarity these days, but it’s SUCH a day brightener and is so easy!
I am so excited to purchase items to fill these first two boxes and I’m already thinking ahead to boxes in the future. I know it’s hard to face challenges, especially when you feel alone, so I’m hoping these boxes go to those who truly need some encouragement and joy. We have one life to live- let’s bless those around us!
P.S. Anyone have a good name for these boxes? I’m not sure all the logistics of how I’ll let you know when I’m ready to send new boxes out, but I didn’t want to hold off on this any longer. (Goodness knows sitting on this idea for two years was long enough!)
Today I have a personal post to share- something that my new readers may not be used to. A little back story… before I started my business, videos or social media, I was just a blogger. I posted about my mediocre craft projects, things I was doing and little bits of randomness. During this time, my readership grew slowly but those readers became some of my very first blog friends. As I became more serious about blogging, and eventually started my business, these personal posts have been become a little less frequent. Nevertheless, they are still some of my favorite to write because I get to share my heart and give you little glimpses into my life.
Over the weekend, my sister that lives in San Francisco, surprised us with a visit. We don’t get to see her often, so when she does come, I try to put aside work so I can enjoy my time with her. As it turns out, I had stayed awake until 3AM the previous morning to finish up work projects, so it worked out perfectly. I had planned on stamping the whole weekend, but that was pity in comparison to spending quality time with my sister. As some of you know, my word for 2015 is LIVE, so I decided at that moment to live.
We had a lovely weekend together. We stayed up to the wee hours watching Netflix together, I randomly decided to cut off 8-9 inches of hair off, we planned details of my assistant’s wedding that’s in June, lots of delicious goodness from Chiptole was consumed and then we ended it with manicures and pedicures. Absolute bliss wrapped up in a single weekend.
Some may be wondering why my word for 2015 is LIVE. I won’t go into it all, but back in August 2012 I was in a car accident that changed my life. It turned my whole world upside down and I went through years of trying to find logical answers on why I was dealing with all these health issues. Just this past year, I have been able to slowly enjoy moments in life. While I don’t live a “normal” life, by any means, I have learned to take advantage of the moments I feel well and in the midst of the craziness, I opened my shop. THIS POSTreally goes into it more, share links to other posts on the topic and even gives you the podcast where I share how the Pretty Pink Posh Shop came to be.
I won’t pretend that everything is pure bliss- that is far from true. I still have days where I can’t get out of bed due to chronic fatigue. I imagine life without health issues and the ability to drive wherever my heart desires, meet the man of my dreams and start a family. Who knows, it could happen someday… if it does, I’ll keep you posted.
In the meantime, I’ll continue to keep plugging away. I want to continue to inspire you, my readers, customers and friends. Let’s continue to LIVE.
Question: when is the last time you lived in the moment? It could be something spontaneous, or an event that was planned for a while. I want to hear how you all are LIVING in 2015.
Today I’m taking a break from my crafty posts and bringing you my favorite type of post to write- a personal one.
As the years have gone on, this blog morphed from a crafting blog, to a hodge podge and now it’s a place where I can share my projects, but also to be open and real. With the PPP Shop opening, I had some complaints that I should stop sharing personal posts on a business blog. I’ll admit that for a few days, I struggled with this decision. The whole situation got me thinking and honestly, I wouldn’t be in the position that I am had it not been for this blog and me being me. While I can’t say this will forever be a place for me to share a mixture of both, at this time in life, I plan on keeping it the way it is. (I hope you’ll stick with me!)
Some of you may be familiar with having a word for the year. I did it in 2013 and it was COURAGE. Needless to say, the word definitely shaped my year and by December, I found the courage to pursue a dream I had– starting my own business.
Last year, was a year where I felt like I was in transition and quite honestly, things were a blur. I was dealing with the residual issues from my car accident, pursuing answers from doctors, trying to stay afloat after all the medical bills, tackling the world of being a business owner and taking a leap and quitting my job of seven years to devote my time to Pretty Pink Posh.
Now we’re here in a new year and I really wanted to have a word for this year and ultimately, the word LIVE came to mind. This year I’m determined to live. Due to my health issues, I haven’t been able to interact with friends, go places and make plans like a normal person would. Every day would bring on new challenges and since I didn’t want to back out of plans or disappoint, I would just not make any plans. I saw everyone else living their lives, but I felt like mine was almost at a standstill. In 2015, I want this to change, even if it’s baby steps. As we look to this new year, I’d like to encourage you to choose a word. Have one? I would LOVE to hear what it is!
I’ll see you all tomorrow for day 1 of the birthday celebration with special guests, prizes, inspiration and more!
No, no, it’s not a profane word. In fact, it’s a word that is fairly common and yet to more and more people, it’s a word that reminds us of our humanity.
FEAR.
Growing up, I was in no way a daredevil or carefree child. I was cautious and never intentionally did something that could cause injury and to this day, I’ve never broken a bone. Partly because of my cautious nature, but also partly because I’m terrified or breaking something in my body. Even typing those words makes me cringe.
When I was growing up, I never thought of myself as fearful or one to struggle with anxiety. Sure, I liked things done in a certain way, but it never caused sleepless nights or anxiety if it didn’t happen the way I had planned. Now things are quite different….
I’m finding myself in fear of a lot of things. Truth be told, I can pinpoint that it got a whole lot worse when I had my car accident. This was the moment when life as I knew it changed and the everyday things that I used to do became a distant memory. Fear took over when I started having panic attacks after I started driving again. Fear took over my mind when I thought of all the things I couldn’t do anymore. Fear took over with my recent blood sugar issues. Fear took over my dreams of the future. You know, the one that had a Prince Charming, a picket fence and a couple kids in it.
You know what I hate most about fear? It robs me of joy. It robs me of excitement for the future, or things I dream of and it robs me of the progress that I HAVE made in the years after the accident.
Lately, as the one year mark of my shop inches closer, I find myself fearful that this will all end. What started as a part-time job has turned into my full-time, this-is-how-I-make-my-income, job. What if customers don’t need sequins anymore? What if I can’t come up with my creative ideas for dies? Seriously, the list goes on and on.
FEAR. It’s only four letters but it causes havoc in our minds and bodies.
Want to know one things that has been helping me deal with fear? YOU ALL. Lately I have been having numerous blog readers, friends, or customers randomly (and yet all around the same time) bless me with e-cards, gift, notes or emails. Knowing that I’m not facing these challenges alone is so incredibly helpful and reassuring. These journeys, both my health and business ones, are ones I have been open about since the beginning. It’s been amazing to see how me being open (and sometimes downright vulnerable) has opened doors to friendships with readers across the world. Now I wouldn’t wish chronic illness, unknown health issues or a car accident on anyone, but knowing that these are doors that have prompted friendships is crazy-yet-amazing to me.
This may sound silly, but I’ve also been reading my previous posts and seeing how far I HAVE come makes me a little less fearful. If you’re new to my blog, you may want to read these previous posts:
Do any of you suffer from fear? How do you deal or cope with it? I’d loved to hear from you all about this topic. I know I’m not the only one who suffers from it! *wink*
Whew! This was a long post, but I was long overdue for a heartfelt post and I wanted to share a little bit of what’s been going on with me. I miss chatting with you all and while I’m “officially” a business owner now, I still think of you all as friends and I hope that you’re okay with me sharing posts from the heart. ♥
I don’t know about you, but I love a feel good story, especially one that is faith building. I have that for you today.
It’s been two years since my accident and during this time, the doctor bills, tests, MRI’s, medications and other things that went along with the car accident have added up. It’s been faith building every single time I got a bill (and boy, they were not cheap) and had to dip into savings and get additional credit cards. During all of this, I had to cut back my hours drastically for health reasons and the credit card bills got higher and higher and the savings got lower and lower. If I had to pick a word to describe all of this, it would be defeated. Every time I felt almost “caught up” on bills, a new one would come, or I would have to get more tests done that basically said “You are healthy”. That’s a whole other story though…
A month after my accident, I had to have several MRI’s done for my neck, back and brain and those are pricey. With the six days a week of chiropractic care in addition to the doctor visits, massage therapy, etc., the PIP from insurance got depleted far before the bills stopped coming. Let me tell you, the initial bill from those MRI’s could feed a small village. It was so hard to be in a place where I knew I had this bill looming over me and I would get “reminder bills” in the mail every few months, but knowing I couldn’t pay it all.
Okay, now fast forward two years.
I got a call from the MRI people yesterday saying this was the last call before it went to collections. Despite the attempts to work something out with them, I had to somehow figure out a way to pay them all of it. As I was talking with the gal, trying to see what we could do, she calculates numbers, I talk to her and then she says “Let me see if I can get this cut down to half for you.” What? We tried calling two weeks ago to work something out (they wouldn’t budge) and now this? Not to mention that she said her boss NEVER gives approval for a cut this large.
I had been praying the whole two years that somehow, someway it could get cut in half. Could this really happen?
Yes. It. Did.
I have to say I almost started crying when the phone call concluded. No more agonizing over getting this daunting bill paid. No more happy days crushed when I get a statement from them about this past due bill. No more freaking out about paying the biggest bill I have ever had in my life.
God is so good. He knew that deep in my heart I was hoping and praying this would happen. He knew that the last few months have been extremely hard and I needed to know that He still cares about me. I admit, my faith meter felt empty and I needed some sort of sign and here it was.
I felt the need to share this story in a post. Partly because it’s part of the car accident story, but I also felt like some of you are going through some deep valleys, or are feeling alone, and needed to hear something uplifting. It’s a miracle itself that I walked away from the accident, it’s a miracle that I’m still alive and here is yet another miracle to add to the ever-growing list. Miracles happen.
Do you have a miraculous story to share, or are you thankful for something today? Leave a comment- I would love to read your stories and I know others will be encouraged by it as well!
It’s been a few days past the two year mark of my car accident. My life these last two years has been so up and down. Life as I once knew it changed and I find myself always adjusting the term “normal” in my life.
I have to be honest, I have had some really, really dark days and weeks. Days when all I could do was cry from being in pain, clench my teeth in frustration at everything I couldn’t do or just lay down and sleep because that was all my body allowed me to do. This glamorous life that I imagined I would have as a kid was far from the reality I was living in.
It’s easy to have a pity-party for yourself in these circumstances. A while back I wrote a list of everything that I could no longer do and I cried. Why me? Why did this accident have to happen? I was in this downward spiral of thinking of everything that was wrong with my life and forgetting all of the good things I still had.
Some of you may remember the post I did calledFinding Joy in the Journey. Despite the fact that I wrote that over a year ago, I still have to consciously make an effort to find joy in the difficult circumstances. It’s so easy to be down about where I am and forget how far I have come and where I am now, in this moment.
FIGHT FOR JOY, even in the heartache, pain and difficult times. Trust me, once you take a step back from the pity-party and find joy (even in the small things), your perspective starts to change.
Some of you have shared your stories with me and I have been touched by your transparency and openness to share. I know for certain that had I not gone through this, I wouldn’t have some of you as readers. Despite how difficult this journey has been, I know that I’m not alone. Occasionally I’ll get an email or comment from a reader who has encountered their own difficult journeys and while I wouldn’t wish this on my worst enemy, it’s neat to be able to relate in a way that far outweighs crafts and blogging. In these moments, I almost sense God saying, “See, I DO care about you, I’m still here and you are not alone in this.”
If you are one of those who have sent an email or reached out, thank you. You may not have known at the time, but you were/ are little “joy tokens” that remind me I’m not in this alone. In the moments where I want to give up and have doubts that I’ll ever fully heal or get past my health issues, I cling to the things in life that bring me joy. It’s a mental change that I’ll admit isn’t easy, but it does change your perspective. It’s almost like it gives you a little more fighting spirit to tackle the difficult things.
FIGHT FOR JOY. And remember, dear friend, you are not alone in this journey.
Hello, friends.
I won’t pretend that I’m not still hoping for a fairytale romance and that picket fence I mentioned above. I could write a whole post on how much I dislike dating and all that goes along with it, but I’ll spare you. In the meantime, I’ll continue to FIGHT for my dreams and goals, pursue opportunities and be the best person I can be- both in my personal life and in the crafting industry.
Today I’m taking a break from my crafty posts and bringing you my favorite type of post to write- a personal one.
I don’t know about you, but I love a feel good story, especially one that is faith building. I have that for you today.
