It's a New Year----So What's New About It?

I'm not a person to make New Year's resolutions. I don't like to set myself up for failure. Besides when you're a person that over-thinks everything from every possible angle anyway, making resolutions can be a painful process. :) I do like to set goals for myself and my business. You know sales goals, new release goals, etc, etc.

Then there are personal goals. Like, making more time for myself to recharge. Being more mindful of my relationship with the Lord. Being a more "fun" mom and wife. Going to CHA and networking. Making a name for myself in the industry. Finally learning how to really use Photoshop. Being everything to everyone all the time. And my list goes on. It's crazy!

Then in one of those rare, still, quiet moments the Lord spoke to me and I finally got it! One of my goals should be about just being ME! God made me the way He wanted me. I was made and am according to HIS plan of who I should be. It doesn't matter if I'm known in the industry. It doesn't matter if I don't learn Photoshop. What matters is that I am a child of God. I need to just be me and learn to accept me---AND---stop comparing myself to everyone around me. I do that alot! I work hard and try really hard to have a successful business that also stands for more than cutting throats in order to make money. That's important to me.

So here's what I'm learning in a nutshell. . .

*I love my Lord and Savior inspite of me not being perfect.
*I love my husband, kids and family with all my heart inspite of not always being fun. I am here for them and make time for them. They are important to me and they know it.
*I love my business and am so thankful for it inspite of constantly second guessing myself and how I should run it. I have wonderful people that work for me. Wonderful customers who buy from me and I don't HAVE to do it a certain way in order to be successful. I have to listen to my gut, my instincts and my Lord. That's how it will be done.

So what are my goals? Well first and foremost. . . just breathe and be ME. All the rest will come and if it doesn't . . . well that's okay too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Shimmerz Meets Cards Magazine

If you look at the January 2010 edition of Cards Magazine, on pages 16 and 17, you'll find that the "Things" they love are SHIMMERZ, BLINGZ and SPRITZ!

All of us at Shimmerz are thrilled and honored to not just be mentioned, but to be featured in such a wonderful magazine.

We are family owned and operated and I can honestly say my FAMILY is very excited about this editorial.

THANK YOU Cards Magazine!

BIG News in 2010

Hi Shimmerz Fans!! I'm so excited to announce that I can't announce what we've been up to!! ;) But I can tell you When........
just in time for CHA WINTER 2010 we have a Big Announcement that we are SO excited about. It's been in the works for some time now and we think that you are simply going to Flip!

I can also tell you that it will include a Big Name and a Big New Release!!!

So be sure to keep checking right here on the blog for more updates as they become available. :)

I Wish You a Very MERRY CHRISTMAS

I want to wish you the Merriest of Christmases and a New Year full of blessings, smiles and the most wonderful memories. I wish you peace and the love that only Christ and give. It's such a busy time for everyone. So just know that I am thankful for all of you who read my blog and take an interest in all the craziness of my life.

Here's to 2010! It's going to be a great year! We have some AMAZING things in store for Shimmerz. Please come along with us----it'll be a great ride!

God's Blessings to you and Big (((HUGS))) from me.

My Little Ballerina

In all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, we paused for one special day. We had a very special little girl to celebrate.

Gracie had her very first ballet recital. Of course she was adorable! Of course I cried! The little girls were able to dance with the Ballet II and III class. It was so sweet to see the bigger girls helping and dancing with the little girls. So cute! Mia, was Gracie's pal. She was so nice and was doting on Miss Gracie.

After she danced her Daddy gave her a bouquet of pink roses. Her little face was priceless! I cried. . . again!

Our family was all there and we had a super time celebrating our Little Ballerina.

What Are You Thankful For?

Today is the day that we are supposed to pause and reflect on all that we are thankful for. Unfortunately, when my feet hit the floor this morning, I didn't pause to reflect. I immediately started thinking about getting the turkey in the oven and making all the yummy food my family will eat in a few hours. I should have started my day with a prayer of thanksgiving.

One thought I have is. . . are we only thankful for the good things in our lives? Of course we are thankful for our spouses, children and family members, our jobs, our homes and our things. That's a given! But. . . are we thankful for the hard times that come unexpectedly? Are we thankful for the loss of a job, because although it's horribly stressful, it brings families together and forces us to put our faith into action? We have to rely on the Lord to "Give us this day our daily bread". Are we thankful for illness that stikes in devastating ways? Or the loss of a loved one? Or the war that our country is in? Or (and this a big one for me) our President?

Difficult times of trial or testing do just that. . . they test our faith. Do we just talk about our faith or do we live it? Trials and tests make our faith practical. WE have to seek the Lord's will and put our own aside, because He has a plan when ours so often fails. We have to humble ourselves to the lessons that He wants us to learn. It's those lessons that make us better people. It's those lessons that truly make us a "child" of God. We have to sit at His feet and glean from Him His wisdom.

It's easy to reflect on all the warm fuzzy feelings we've had over the year, but I challenge you (and myself) to be thankful for the difficult. The pain. The tears and the troubles. AND. . . (this is big!) be thankful for them throughout the year. Each day thank God for the trials, because they one day will be blessings.

I wish each and every one of you a very BLESSED Thanksgiving! I hope it's a day that you can spend with the ones you love making the most amazing memories.

May God Richly Bless You!

DESIGN TEAM CALL

ATTENTION!!! Shimmerz Paints is having a Design Team Call! We are looking for individuals who are not afraid to think outside of the box. Get Messy! We are looking for artists and designers who can create a variety of projects such as layouts, cards, altered art, and whatever else you can do!
Design Team Responsibilities:
3 required projects each month, posted on your personal blog and the Shimmerz blog. More is great! One must be Shimmerz specific.
1 tutorial with photos during your Design Team tenure.
Willing to promote Shimmerz on blogs, forums, Facebook, and anywhere else possible.
We are looking for Team Players!
Benefits:
Name and blog link added to the Shimmerz blog.
A Design Team kit to start creating Amazing projects.
Publication Incentives.
A Design Team Discount
New Product Releases!
Chance to be part of a Wonderful Design Team!
What To Send:
Submit 2-3 projects (Does not have to feature Shimmerz, but we want to see the sparkle and shine); Good Photography is a MUST!
Name and Contact Information.
Blog Address.
Previous Design Team Experience and/or Publications.
A few sentences on why you want to be a part of Shimmerz.
If interested in being a part of Shimmerz, please apply by emailing photos of your projects, and other information to mcelyea@q.com by December 28, 2009. The new Design Team will be announced on January 1, 2010.
Blog: shimmerzpaints.blogspot.com
Website: shimmerzpaints.com
Email: mcelyea@q.com