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Deep thoughts from the past week

May 202013

1. I am sometimes astonished with the amount of "jewelry designers" out there. My next venture will be something super obscure that hobbyists cannot compare themselves to.

2. Sometimes when you want something so badly, it pales in comparison when you actually get it. This is not the case with my new blender. I haven't eaten solids in two days.

3. You have to eat ALOT of liquid food to feel full.

4. The time off from exercise is not worth the pain and annoyance of getting back on that horse. So much easier to just stick with it. Next time I make lack of time excuses, I need to remember this.

5. Even with a list, when you get home from early morning errands, something will be overlooked. Especially if you run them before coffee.

6. When I'm really busy or am on a deadline, I dream that I am either cross country running or shifting a very fast car into higher hears. Not sure if I'm racing in these, but both happen often. This may be one of the reasons why Adam thinks I will have a stroke from workaholic tendencies.

7. I love work.

8. If all the construction equipment in my neighborhood disappears one night, I don't know what happened to it.

9. I prefer to travel only once or twice a year. This once a month trip cycle is crap.

10. When women are mad at their husbands, they shop. When they team up and do it together, it's incredibly therapeutic.

Deep thoughts after doing a fashion trade show

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Feb 252013

The Manic Trout Pooltradeshow booth at Magic, February 2013 in Las Vegas

An unexpected side from doing Magic this past week was the inspiration for doing Deep Thoughts posts! I love writing them but when all I do is work in my studio all week, the content can get a little stale. I shared my Deep Thoughts on preparing for a trade show last week, so I feel its only fitting to give you my Deep Thoughts on actually being there this week. So here goes...

1. The boy scouts are onto something...Be Prepared. Plan your booth out on graph paper, have items pre tagged and be organized when you pack. It will make life easier on the set up day to not have to be stressed out about something you could have done leisurely at home...such as tagging all of your jewelry. Knowing how you want to set up and having all the pieces ready will make your life easy and awesome and lets you relax before the real work begins.

2. Wear flats.

3. You will (need to) consume crazy amounts of water and energy drinks while exhibiting. Partly due to flying, partly due to the dryness of Vegas in the winter and partly due to talking all day long, my throat (and skin) were super dry. I was thirsty for an entire week, no joke. I had the foresight to go to Whole Foods after set up and bought water, snacks and energy drinks and they were all life savers. Especially the energy drinks as I didn't want to drink coffee all day as 1. it was $6 for a tiny cup and 2. it gives you coffee breath.

4. Wear layers and make sure to have extras to add. The set up day it was crazy hot in there and I was glad I was in a t shirt. The last two days were so chilly that I added a sweater AND a huge scarf just to stay warm...it happened to be Manic Trout pink (totally planned...I am a branding machine) and my wearing fuchsia ended up encouraging people to look into the booth...bonus!

5. Ship your goods ON TIME. If your materials weigh under 150lbs, you can ship them to a Fed Ex location off site where they will hold them free of charge until you pick them up (rent a car, take a cab...whatever). It will make life easier...and save you money even with a cab. Well, unless you miss your ship deadline by one day and then you will have to pay $700 instead of $125 to ensure it arrives in time...oops.

6. Smile until your face hurts. No joke, at the end of each of the three day the show was going on, my back teeth and face actually HURT from smiling all day.

7. At a trade show as opposed to a show with shoppers, everyone is there to buy. Maybe not today, but it could be next week, next month or even next year. Your job is to make sure that anyone who is interested in your brand has all of the information needed to buy later if they do not today. In a perfect world they would orders right then and there. In an almost perfect world, they would hand over their cards and you would be able to follow up with them. In what sometimes is the case, they stop in their tracks to look at something you offer but are being dragged along by the person they are with and in a rush. At the very least get your line sheets in their hands so later on they can get a chance to see the item again!

8. Sleep is your friend. I am in my mid 30's so still on the younger side of things, BUT I know my limits...if I am tired or hungover I am useless, grumpy and not the best version of me. Therefore I made sure to be neither of those things.

9. People watching can be pretty amazing...some of the outfits are exactly that and provide amusement during the lulls. You are at a Fashion trade show after all, and that alone brings out the crazy in some people!

10. Its not about "today" at a trade show. It's about what being seen "today" can do for you in the future. (I thought I'd end on the deepest thought possible)

Deep thoughts from the past month…maybe two

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Oct 222012

1. Frozen yogurt (and the soy equivalent) are only as good as the topping you choose.

2. Wedding bombing the restaurant where you first met is awesome.

3. Teaching Adam the trick of avoiding laundry by buying more underwear was brilliant (and saves me from doing laundry every week)

4. Packing sucks. Actually moving sucks.

5. I have a crazy low attention span for concerts of bands I don't care about. However, for the bands I love, I would stand and dance for hours and hours.

6. As soon as you pack something and stack six boxes on top of the box its in, you'll need it.

7. No matter how many times I move with Faye, she always freaks out when the boxes start being packed. She seems convinced I won't take her with me.

8. The bed you sleep on seems absolutely fine until you order a new, much larger one. Then every night seems like hell in the current one.

9. 99% of the time, my gut is right. That I often doubt it is the problem.

10. I need to exercise everyday. It's incredibly obvious when I don't that it has a huge and positive effect of my mental state. Yet for some stupid reason, its always the first to get cut when I am crazy busy.

Deep thoughts from the past week, er…month

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Aug 282012

The Succulent Safari progressing nicely

1. I apparently have very few deep thoughts when I work excessively.

2. I really, really, really want to hang out with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for an evening.

3. Do you see the yellow leaves up on that giraffe plant?? I am horrible at keeping even succulents that have a "tell" when they need to be watered alive, arrrghh!!

4. Moisturizer and iphone speakers do not play well together.

5. I look better tan...sorry future skin for moving to the south.

6. If everyone keeps telling me how "unique" and "unusual" my designs are, yet I don't think so...does that mean that I am the "unique" and "unusual" aspect?

7. Trying to predict the future is pretty much impossible...and yet I so badly want to be able to do so.

8. I don't miss cheese as much as I thought I would.

9. New white t-shirts are essential every summer, although you don't realize it until you see the old ones next to the new ones.

10. Punching things is my favorite way to work out. That can't be healthy.

10 Deep thoughts from July

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Aug 012012

1. I learned that I can do outdoor markets in Austin during the summer and not die. Athough I may also have learned that I do not want to do them ever again after this year.

2. I finally have figured out how to not give up exercise when I'm busy...give up blogging everyday instead. Oops.

3. I actually like to teach...as long it's to adults who are eager to learn.

4. I am infinitely lucky to be living my dream. On the flip side, dreams sometimes turn into nightmares, night terrors, wake you up crying...well, you get the idea.

5. I suck at giving myself pedicures.

6. 5pm-6pm is the worst time ever to go to any H.E.B.

7. Some of the biggest things you plan for end up being nothing while the things you think will be small potatoes end up being huge.

8. I'd rather be in a constant state of turmoil than be bored.

9. Somewhere, deep inside me, there is the ability to be patient.

10. The hotter it gets outside, the less frequent my deep thoughts.

10 Deep thoughts from the past week(s)

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Jul 172012

A tower of wire in my studio...part of the new collection debuting August 17th.

1. Due to the current cricket plague in Austin, I have been jumping out of my chair at least twice a day as they dive bomb my head in my apartment. How are they getting in here??? And WHY are they the size of my thumb??? The only upside is that they eat the mosquitos.

2. It takes a crazy amount of restraint not to make every piece of jewelry I design in every single color in the pantone palette.

3. I sometimes make oatmeal for breakfast so I can justify consuming a tablespoon of brown sugar in the morning.

4. Speaking of food...I realized I was spending about $50 at the grocery store on cheese. Yikes! No more cheese for YOU! (I shouted that at myself)

5. I have been watching Monk in my studio, have you seen it because you must (you can download it on Netflix)...you'll thank me later.

6. Some of the greatest things I've been working on are things I never thought I would do. Never say never.

7. Loving the Eleanor Roosevelt quote that's going around the web like crazy "Do one thing every day that scares you".

8. I shouldn't have ignored all the weird boards that were popping up in my pinterest account...when they locked my account for suspicious activity, I almost had a panic attack.

9. If I'm as busy as I am right now during the slowest month of the year, what is December going to be like???

10. It's been almost a year since I moved to Austin. Woah.

10 Deep thoughts from the past week

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Jun 262012

Renee and Sierra pre Moonrise Kingdom at Alamo Drafthouse Cinema

1. I'm pretty sure my bare tushy is going to suffer some weird side effects from burning it so often on my dark leather seats in my black car as I only wear skirts and it's in the triple digits. Ouch.

2. Movie Mondays are a brilliant idea. (Well done Renee!)

3. I wear an excessive amount of fuchsia and its all over Manic Trout as a brand....but yet I hardly design any actual jewelry with it.

4. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

5. If you are outside all day during the summer in the south, you will most likely sweat so much that you need sunblock for wet faces. As in: sweat will be on your skin all. day. long.

6. Being outside in the extreme humidity and heat makes my feet and ankles swell.

7. I find serial killers fascinating. I don't think I'm in the minority on this one either.

8. All movie theaters should serve food and have table service.

9. At this point everything that Wes Anderson touches is amazing.

10. It's HOT in Texas. Had to say it.

10 Deep thoughts from the past week

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May 312012

Now I'm a Texan!

1. The "heat of the day" in Texas is from about 3pm - 5pm. Which is much later than on the East Coast and around the natural nap time for me. I'm starting to understand the siesta concept.

2. Apparently, once you get your Texas plates for your car, you're a true Texan.

3. One quickly adapts to a higher level of being busy. Meaning that a month from now you'll be amazed at how much more you'll be able to take on!

4. I don't mind the shopping for groceries part, it's the putting them away that I detest.

5. I am a natural at public speaking...even with the sound being recorded, but put a camera on me and I freeze and stumble over words.

6. Workaholics get worse with age (see #3)

7. Letter writing with a significant other can be incredibly romantic.

8. If you go to events where there will be photographers, make sure you know who takes the best photos of you.

9. One of the best parts about being a designer are the long time fans who become friends.

10. Hyper people are like hyper dogs...they need to be exercised to avoid loosing their minds.

10 Deep thoughts from the past week

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May 152012

1. Two hours into a show on a Saturday, acting on the thought: "I should see if there's still a spot in tomorrows S Congress market" is not advisable. You will curse loudly when the alarm goes off early Sunday morning.

2. Crawfish are yummy.

3. Ford was really onto something with the time saving aspects of assembly line production.

4. My designs have now been known to excite someone so much that they spill their drink all over themselves. Awesome...

5. Printers designed for small businesses are in fact really useful to small business owners.

6. Sarcasm and satire are not always "gotten" until people know you better.

7. Always trust your gut.

8. You never know the role a stranger may play in your life when you first meet them. (we're talking fortune cookie wisdom here!)

9. Girls nights are essential to sanity.

10. The salsa that you buy in a bag in the produce section of the HEB is Ah-mazing!!! Aka...don't judge a book by its cover.

10 Deep thoughts from the past week

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May 012012

At the Austin Social Affair on April 26th, 2012. Photo by SteveDeMentPhotography

1. Having a display for outdoor shows that is wind resistant can make you feel god like.

2. One mosquito can bite you 7 times in under 2 minutes.

3. When going through a stressful situation, it can be AMAZING to talk to a friend who's been through something similar.

4. When you live in Texas, you can somehow become very tan, even though you work inside all of the time. Think outdoor shows...those tents are penetrable!

5. Rereading a book you've read before can feel like constant deja vu. Accept defeat and move on.

6. Avocados are way better in Texas than they are in New York.

7. Cupcakes make everything better.

8. Busy breeds busy. Similar to "it takes money to make money"

9. Too much bee pollen (in a smoothie) is NOT a good thing.

10. Taylor Kitch is hot. I know I've had this deep thought before but I've been watching Friday Night Lights in my studio again and I feels it needs repeating.

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