Julie Ann Art

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Father's Day 2013

Well I'm back on track after yesterday morning's post. I spent the rest of my Monday working on my display for the Patchwork show I'm doing in Santa Ana this Sunday (If you live in SoCal be sure to come say hi!) and then ended the day with a couple rum and cokes. Sometimes you just need to let it out and (try to) move on.

So, moving on....I've been printing up a storm lately. With Father's Day, the craft show, a second UO order, and a special feature coming up.....there's a lot going on at the end of this month! I can't believe how quickly June is approaching. And with Father's Day on June 16th, I realized I never officially shared my Father's Day line!

I feel like Father's Day is tricky. Dads can be tricky can't they? The man of the house. Tough guy. Hard to make him laugh. Sentiment can be awkward. I hope I did them justice with this Father's Day line! :]

P.S. Have you joined my mailing listing yet? Once you confirm your subscription you'll receive a 15% off coupon code! Perfect way to save if you're in need of a Father's Day card or two!

P.P.S. Don't forget to enter this week's giveaway! You can win $25 credit to the Simply Just Lovely shop!

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Monday, May 20, 2013

What I'm Struggling With

Honestly, I wasn't planning to post today. I took yesterday off. Got day drunk on a beautiful Sunday with Jordan and remembered to be grateful for the life we have. This morning I found out that today's Blog Everyday topic is "share something you're struggling with right now." And still, I wasn't planning on posting. I knew exactly what I was struggling with and what I've been struggling with, but I wasn't sure I wanted to share. It's a touchy subject. Then, as my morning continued, and this struggle became more and more apparent and taxing on my mind and heart....well, I just thought I should let it out.

I'm struggling with copiers. Way too often. This post isn't to tell you why copying is wrong (you should already know that anyways). This post isn't to call anyone out (although I'd be lying if I said I hadn't though about it). I'm just going to talk about how much it is effecting me. How hard it is to constantly have it brought to my attention. What a huge mix of emotions it causes inside me all at once. (Tears already writing this.)

The thing is, I love you guys. You have given me the most amazing opportunity to have a job that I love and every day, every day, I can't believe this is what I do for a living. Your support is uncanny and I absolutely love that you have my back. I love that you look out for me and warn me about all the shops that are popping up all over looking way too similar to JAA.

But at the same time, it's so hard on me. When I first really started dealing with this sort of issue over a year ago, I really tried to walk away with the mentality of moving on, looking past it, and focusing on me. I tried to develop the understanding that there's always going to be those assholes out there. The more I grow, the more it's going to happen. But that I should use it as motivation to continue to pursue my own business growth. So that they can't catch me. They can try. But they won't catch me.

I've tried to look away, but it's brought to my attention often. A Facebook message. A Twitter DM. An Instagram tag. Shit, even at Elevate it was mentioned ("You have so many copiers!"). It can't be ignored because my friends, my supporters, you guys, you aren't going to let it go unnoticed. You openly voiced your support of JAA across the internet when I was still too scared to say anything. You had the balls when I didn't.

More tears. I must be PMSing here people.

And here's the thing. I realized I need to have more faith in you guys. I'm here brokenhearted, so scared of losing business....when really, you guys know what's up! You really are looking out for me and I can't tell you how much it means to me. This has definitely been my hardest struggle for some time now, but knowing you're behind me makes it a little bit easier. Thank you! xo JA

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Friday, May 17, 2013

Sponsor Spotlight + Giveaway: Simply Just Lovely

Today I'd like to introduce you to Erin, of Simply Just Lovely today! I love the sense of style that she depicts not only in the clothes she wears in her outfit posts, but also in the jewelry she makes. Here she is:

"Hey my name is Erin and I make jewelry over at SimplyJustLovely and blog about my life and personal style here. I design simple, delicate jewelry perfect for everyday wear. I have a love for the simple things in life which is represented in all my necklace designs.

By day I am a high school fashion teacher and by night I am a jewelry designer and momma to a beautiful baby boy. I live a creative lifestyle and design and craft any chance I get. I have been designing jewelry for as long as I can remember and recently decided to share my designs with the world."