I had the longest day, so tonight I turned to my favorite funnyman, Conan, for a little relief. And who was I lucky enough to catch as his guest? None other than Patton Oswalt–my second favorite funny guy. I laughed so hard my abs got a much-needed workout and I scared one of the cats out of the room. I love those two together.

This morning when I woke up my hair really resembled Conan’s pompadour. My bangs are getting longish and this morning they were piled into a giant swoop. And since I’m going through another redhead phase, I really looked like I had on a Conan Halloween costume. Actually, that might be something to consider for this Halloween…

NBC Photo: Paul Drinkwater

Here is the happiest image ever posted by this stationery designer: boxes formerly packed full of envelopes that are empty due to big sales! It has been a whirlwind holiday season for The Sweet Unfolding, and has left me so grateful! Every day has been busier than the last. I’ve filled orders for customers from all over the country and even as far away as Australia.

It’s been a true gift to me to have so much business! And it has confirmed in me that I’m on the right path. I’ve written a little bit about my journey to pin down the identity of The Sweet Unfolding, to reign in my ideas and try to narrow the focus to something manageable. It’s a strange thing to admit the vulnerabilities, especially on a blog that is linked to my business. But I want to communicate truthfully and personally—what’s the point of being a small business if you can’t relate to people on a genuinely personal level? Being personal is a large part of the beauty of being small. Sometimes it feels like I’m not “keeping up appearances” by writing so openly about the successes and the struggles…but I don’t want to appear to be something I’m not. How is that helpful to anyone, including me?

Speaking frankly, all the business this holiday season has been a huge boost to my spirits. It’s lovely to see people purchasing my designs. It’s surprising and so sweet to read their happy comments about my cards when they place their orders. Even lovelier is the feedback I’ve been getting from customers after they receive their order. It means so much to me that they would take time to email me and tell me how much they like their cards!

A friend of mine put it best by saying that I’ve been giving all my time and energy to The Sweet Unfolding for two years, planning and launching and working on growing the company, and it’s nice to see the business able to give back a little to me. It’s the nature of business and not something I have a problem with, this constant attention and care that a little business needs to get itself going. But it is so rewarding to see it gaining a little strength and maybe even a little confidence. Kind of like watching a baby learn to walk.

Thank you so much to all the customers and supporters of The Sweet Unfolding this holiday season! You’ve certainly given me the best Christmas present I’ll get this year. Happy holidays to you!

At long last, The Sweet Unfolding is open. Last night at 6:00 we officially launched. It was so thrilling, but I will confess that I was paralyzed with fear for a good long while after the site went live. There are still so many things left to do! And I know there are probably typos and things that I haven’t caught yet and, being something of a perfectionist, that’s hard to deal with.

It’s also really scary to put out for all to see this business that for so long I’ve planned and dreamed and stayed up nights and nights working on. All of these fears of failure instantly filled my mind. I read somewhere (I think maybe in the Ladies Who Launch book) that many of the most successful entrepreneurs claim to never have doubted the certainty of their success. Failure never entered their minds, they said. That’s pretty hard to live up to!

The authors of the book I was reading said that being honest with yourself and looking all your fears in the face was more empowering to them as entrepreneurs. Of course failure is a possibility. Of course you’ll doubt yourself. But you keep on working and dreaming and doing because you have to. Because you know that this is your dream, and you can do anything with hard work and persistence and by being true to yourself. I much prefer the honesty of that approach and mindset. It’s also liberating to know that other successful entrepreneurs had their share of fears and self-doubt.

So, The Sweet Unfolding is open. It’s wonderful that the shop is finally a reality. Of course I’ll be working night and day to make everything as perfect as possible. But for a few minutes I am going to sit back, take a good look at how far we’ve come, and breathe a sigh of relief, rest, and thanks.

Please enjoy looking around the shop!

The photo is a little melodramatic, I admit, but it pretty accurately describes my feelings about starting The Sweet Unfolding. As thankful as I am to have worked for great companies in the past, working for myself feels luxurious and liberating.

This blog will be sort of a collage of things: things I love, things that inspire me, cool ideas that I stumble upon that I hope will inspire you. I imagine that it will probably contain some of the day-to-day adventures of The Sweet Unfolding team, too. We’re a business built on relationships, after all. And since that’s the case, I really should start this blog off right by thanking my husband. Mike, I could never have done this without your support. You truly are the very best!

So this is my boutique, The Sweet Unfolding. We’ve hand-selected each product with care. All of them are lovely and unique, and as many as possible are friendlier to the earth. Many of our items were made by independent artists and designers. We look for products that embody our values: creative, stylish, and socially responsible. Our hope is that you’ll find just the right items to add your own signature style to your wedding or event.

Thanks for stopping by. Please check back with us now and then, as we’re always updating our collection with new (or sometimes beautifully old) pieces. We hope to see you often.