IMAGE via lhcalligraphy

Hey there! I’ve been meaning to write a little update on why I’ve been so quiet on this space for awhile now, but…SUMMER! And then… September! Which is always a busy month in our house and this year was no exception. We also didn’t have childcare over the summer and the nap time window of opportunity was slim to none. It was a blessing in disguise because I had no choice other than prioritizing what I was doing and spending lots of time with the littles. I also decided once Andy was done with school that I wasn’t going to spend our weekends catching up on work so we could get our family time back on track. Best decision ever. It’s been so nice feeling like our weekends are actually weekends. 

This little break has also given me a lot of time to think about what Kailey Marie Designs is, and where it’s going. Lots of lego building, doll playing time to sort through my KMD identity crisis. Instagram is really the teller of my story, and if you follow along you know that it’s a mix of my little people and pretty paper creations. I try really hard to keep it even, but at this stage of life, mom life tends to take the lead. I can also be a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to sharing my work, so sometimes I just post photos of my kids instead. Because I gave up being a perfection in that department awhile ago. Plus, ya’ll tend to like my personal posts over stationery anyway. 😉   

So, what is Kailey Marie Designs? It all started as a fun hobby I did on the side. It was small…like real small…and has grown into something really wonderful, and really busy. I seriously had no idea when I designed my own wedding invitation five years ago, that it would evolve into this. My nearest and dearest friends, and complete strangers!, have entrusted me in the early stages of my stationery career to create pieces for their memorable events and I am forever grateful for all of the support and encouragement I have received. Each year, as more friends and family get engaged, have babies, and throw showers/parties, I get busier. It’s bittersweet because, how great! But throw in your own kids and a marriage; it has become challenging.  

A few years ago I didn’t mind taking on anything and everything because I had very few other commitments. There wasn’t a cute little boy asking me to play cars, or a two year old tugging on my leg telling my computer “bye, bye” as I try to get through emails. I put my heart and soul into every single design, and we all know heart and soul equals time. So much valuable time in the sense that these two are growing up way too fast. Designing is no longer a fun hobby to just fill time while my husband completes his twentieth house project of the year, or a night away from the bar {ahh the life of Andy & Kailey seven-ish years ago}, it’s time away from my family.

These words. Are. Everything. I recently read the book “Grace Not Perfection” and it literally depicts every waking minute of my life. I used to think I really could do it all, and be good at it. Then I realized I didn’t have to. I just have to do what makes me happy. Creating invitations makes me happy and my family makes me really happy. Instead of “picking” one over the other, I’m trying to find balance. And let me tell you, it ain’t easy. 

My biggest struggle with saying no is leaving clients with no options. So with my “unfortunately, my custom project schedule is all booked up” email, I scramble to include a number of past designs that could possibly work. As I’m doing this, I hear voices in my head; “WHY do you not have an online shop?!” And the answer is, I have no idea other than finding the time to get it set up. I’m also learning that most people think I only offer custom design. But I actually have lots of invitations that are available for purchase-wedding & special events! I just haven’t done a very good job at advertising this. 

It is long overdue, but I am so excited to announce that an ONLINE SHOP is coming! It might still take me a hot minute to get it up and going, but it is in the works. And now that I’ve announced to you all, I really need to get going. I’m really hoping to have it up and ready for holiday card season! Wishful thinking? Maybe.

So, what does this mean exactly? When you’re in need of an invitation, you will be able to browse available designs on my website to see if anything meets your needs. If so, you can order. If not, you can contact me for a custom design request. Hopefully this will help things be more efficient on my end and give clients some non-custom options to choose from. I am also hoping it will free up some more time to dedicate to this space, because I really do love it when I have time for it. 😉

As always, THANK YOU. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart for each and every one of you who take the time to read what I post here, and support me in all aspects of my life. And while I have you {if you made it this far}, I would love your feedback on anything and everything! Comment, email, text…I’m all ears. xoxo, KM