Caroline's update: a week in Haiti

Hey friends! You might remember back in December we had a day dedicated in our shop to our dear friend/photographer Caroline. All profits from the shop went to raise money for her trip to Haiti. Today she's back to update us on how the trip went and what she's been up to. 

Caroline is one of the best photographers I've ever met and her passion is also crazy contagious. I'm so grateful she's one of my people and I'm so grateful she's sharing her story with us today. Enjoy, friends! - Jessi 

It’s been almost eight weeks since I returned from working in Haiti and I’ve been at a loss of how I should write about this trip, these people and these stories. I’ve had a ton of friends meet me for coffee or dinner to hear my stories which I am so grateful for and I’m an open book for wanting to talk about it. My people know that I don’t tell stories quickly-I tell them with all the detail for you to feel the moment, the situation, the intensity-I want you to love and ache and be as excited as I was. And putting all of those stories into words on a screen is hard. Anyone who has gone through an experience with a group of people that you’re no longer with knows how hard it is to come to terms with the real world after that experience is over. It’s a balance of wanting to let those experiences and relationships change you but at the same time, realize that the real life you return to is hard. Going back to running a business is hard. And time consuming. And frustrating when the world has taught us that emailing is more important that maintaining relationships and meeting deadlines is more important than being a part of a change in a broken nation.

So I’ll try to show you with pictures and with words because that’s what I do.

I could say that the heart of the trip was love or service or joy or any of the other genuine emotions that both our team received and we were able to give but from my perspective, it was about giving hope. Coming into the trip, our team didn’t know what we were going to be doing. Heck, we didn’t even know each other. We came from all across the continent as professional photographers and entrepreneurs (with a student, a firefighter and a few nurses sprinkled in) wanting to serve with the skills and talents that we had. What we didn’t want was be there without a purpose. We didn’t want to come in wearing matching t-shirts, hug the kids and disappear only to post photos on Instagram for our friends to double tap.

So we didn’t.

For the week, we worked with Child Hope International, an organization in Port-au-Prince that encompasses a school, a clinic, a boys home, a girls home, a feeding program and a transitional program. As part of their schooling, the older kids take classes to help bridge the gap between aging out of the orphanage and heading into the real world where the unemployment rate is 82%. But as we all know, there is a large difference between merely knowing the skills of baking sewing, metal working, jewelry making, screen printing and computer tech and being able to use them to profit, thrive and grow.

So that’s where we came in. Throughout the week, we were able to teach the kids business classes, help them verbalize and write down their why of why they do what they do and work with the staff to talk out obstacles and how to get over those walls. And of course, photograph/film all their programs for an upcoming project that we didn’t even know needed to happen until the last few hours of our trip.

And the people…the people on this trip…gosh. We came from all over and connected immediately on so many different levels that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to explain to those who weren’t there. They are SOLID, fearless, hilarious, boldly-loving, world-changing people that are some of my new favorites.

So here goes. The week in pictures from not only me, but my whole team of photographers (with a few stories thrown in). And team-thanks for helping me tell this story with your photos! Below you can also watch the video made about the Passion Project trip to Haiti! 

Passion Project // Haiti 2014 from Josh Newton on Vimeo.

Photos and adventures by this fearless team: Josh Newton, Dave Grube, Andrew Barlow, Chris Tyson, Jeremy Roloff,Jeremy Kester, Darryl Kuehl, Caroline Raush, Jessica Drogosz, Hannah Drogosz, Caitlin Woodsen, Taylor Jetton, Katie Eckel, Kate Meyer, Aundrea Shafer, Tamara Lockwood, Jane Ammon, Melanie Maczuga, Denise Saucedo, Alyssa Turner,Kelsey Goodwin or check out the hashtag #haitipassionproject2014 on Instagram.

In other news? Meet you guys back here Monday? It's a big, big day for Naptime Diaries blog + shop. We'll be launching two new websites and our spring line of prints and new products. 

PLUS a big sale! See you then! 

Let's Get Wild!

Today is a really fun day and I'm really excited to share a little more about Wildly with you guys. This isn't a paid or sponsored post - this is a friend gushing over another friend and the amazing business she just started. 

Hayley, aka The Tiny Twig is my online partner in crime in so many different things. We founded The Influence Conference and The Influence Network together. We speak into each others blogs and encourage each other in our writing, speaking, and various endeavors. We're also really good friends and our families love being together. 

So you can imagine my crazy excitement when she told me a few months ago that she wanted to start an ethical kid's clothing line that would help mamas dress their kids in a cute, affordable style in the least fussy way possible. I was straight up overjoyed. And today - it's finally here, Wildly Co has officially launched!

So here's what you need to know about Wildly! It's run by Hayley and Mike Morgan and it may look like just some fun t-shirts, but this is only the beginning. Their plan is to develop an ethical kid's clothing line that is a complete capsule wardrobe for kids - but these amazingly cute tshirts aren't a bad start, right? All the shirts are screen printed by hand in their home office and the quality is impeccable. 

And here's what you need to know about Hayley as a mom. She's a fantastic one. She's a mother of boys and a leader of women. She has her finger on the pulse of what is cool and fun, while being incredibly grounded in what is real and important. Today I am buying my kid's a few Wildly t-shirts and supporting an amazing family + a fantastic dream. 
And I unashamedly think you should too!

You can check out the Wildly Co website here, or follow them on instagram + twitter!

A day in the life at Naptime Diaries!

Today's post is by Jacey, the Naptime Diaries Shop manager! She also just released an amazing new eBook - Escaping Reaction, Embracing Intention. 

Monday starts before it’s light out, bundled in a blanket on the couch, a candle’s glow lighting the Word as I blink away sleep.

This feeding my spirit and my soul, nourishing myself for the week to come? It’s my time with the Lord, but it’s also on our Naptime Diaries daily tending list.

As Jessi put it during a 2014 vision planning session, “If we’re going to run a business that makes Scripture prints, we’ve got to be in the Word personally every day.”

We rarely do the important things in life by accident, and one of the best ways I’ve learned to get to the essential but not urgent things is to do them first.

I’m in the Word while my phone stays on my nightstand, sometimes reading the same verse over and over while I focus my ping pong mind away from last night’s dreams and TV shows, away from my mental to do list.

As I eat my breakfast and check on the emails that came to our shared Naptime Team account over the weekend, a text comes in:

Tall black coffee, please.

I swallow a last gulp from my oversized mug before combing my hair and exchanging sweats for jeans, pulling on the boots I wear everyday during this spring that can’t shake winter.

By 9:30, I’m pulling up at Jessi’s, equipped with gold polka dotted notebook and a list of questions. What do you think about this collaboration? That guest post? Where are we on this project? That overdue commitment?

Jessi wisely copies me on every email in which she agrees to do something so I can follow up. She is trustworthy and reliable, but an email can easily slip through the cracks because of the high volume. I act as a safeguard so that we can keep commitments or say no up front.

Coffee in hand, Nick, Jess and I structure our meeting around three categories: profits, projects and problems.

None of us are “numbers” people - seriously, we had to get outside help to learn some 7^th grade formulas - but a focused intention this year is to hone in on those numbers.

Projects are the fun part, where our creative minds come alive and we get to envision the end result months before Jess puts pen or brush to paper.

We’ve had some growing pains the past few months as we’ve changed almost every aspect of our fulfillment process. We work through the details but don’t get bogged down in them.

A growing small business requires both hardcore work in the trenches and flashes of long term vision on a daily basis. Thriving means shuffling between the grunt work and the visionary; pivoting between marketing, creating, and customer service, sometimes all in the space of an hour.

By lunch I’ve answered emails, and I’m getting an order together for our print fulfillment center. Jessi eats lunch standing over Cannon’s high chair or at her computer, and I do the same. We shout back and forth every so often. If her voice sounds tender, I come in to make eye contact while she gives me the lowdown in between salad bites.

How long I stay at my desk depends on the priorities I’ve set for the day. Are there urgent and essential tasks I need to complete, things that need to happen today?

A balanced, intentional business requires constant shifting and reevaluating. Some days, I put in a full day printing labels, fulfilling orders, and answering emails at my desk. Others, our meetings or lunches last longer, because we’re pinpointing the icky feeling I got from that article or discussing that inspiring book she read this weekend.

Intentional living doesn’t mean becoming a robot. It means setting your intention, following through, and showing up the next day to do it again.

Bio: Jacey is the shop manager for Naptime Diaries. She’s passionate about living intentionally in the face of real demands, the unexpected, and human nature itself. Her book on the topic, Escaping Reaction; Embracing Intention, released this month. She writes about relationships, faith and personal growth at The Balanced Wife. She lives in Charleston, SC with her husband, Mike, and golden retriever, Jack.

let's get to the heart of it

For me, March feels like a good time to circle the wagons and get back to the heart of what's at hand. If you're a goal-setter or a plan-maker, you probably spent January and February taking steps forward and making things happen. Maybe some went well, maybe you feel like you're back to square one on other things. I have areas where I set goals and saw great fruit, and I feel like I had some plans or ideas that have needed restructuring or more heart-work. 

When we set out to make our Naptime Diaries Shop plans for the year, we set March as a catch up month. We obviously will still sell prints and run our shop, but we're not releasing anything new and we don't have any big projects planned. Our major goals? Clean + reorganize the office spaces (more on that next week), stabilize our rhythms as a business, freshen up our websites, and get back to the heart of why we do what we do. 

Scripture is crazy important to us. Knowing that people are reading, absorbing, learning, and being blessed by God's Word is the most important thing. It's a blessing to us that we get to do it creatively, in a way that hopefully is incredibly inspiring to people. So this month we're circling the wagons and getting back to doing what we do: working to get scripture in as many homes as possible, in the most creative + inspiring ways possible! And I thought I'd let you guys in on a little bit of that process this month. 

First up, we try to start most seasons or print releases with a mood board. For winter 2014, I was feeling crazy uninspired so my great gal Hayley at The Tiny Twig made a moodboard FOR us, which was a huge blessing. As we prep to release a spring/summer line of prints and as I design for the blog and style photos for social media + promotions, I'll try to rely heavily on the following moodboard! It's inspired by summers on the East Coast & West Coast and COLOR. When I made this moodboard I was thinking about picnics on the side of the Atlantic Ocean, afternoons painting with my kids, jeweltones, hiking in the pacific northwest, waking up in a cushy + classic bedroom, or taking naps in an eclectic bohemian bedroom. It might sound disjointed and crazy to you, but to me it all fits! 

Clockwise from the top: House of Rym blanket, one of my instagram pictures, Yolanda Sanchez painting, Nena & Co bag, Whitlock & Co pillow, driftwood shelf, sailing picture, pacific northwest,
bedroom inspiration, one of my instagrams of ocean

The next thing I did for this season was really get visual and specific about the homes we design for. I always tell small business owners they should KNOW their customer and bloggers that they should KNOW their reader. Where do they read your blog? What are they typically wearing? When they use your product, where is it in their house? When I worked at Anthropologie, I thought one of the wisest things they did as a company was name the lady they were designing + merchandising for each season. Each collection of clothing had a name, she had a whole story, a personality, a job, and we knew what her family was like. It was all imaginary - but it helped the company be intentional about their customer, their branding, etc. 

So I try to do the same and be intentional about who I'm designing for and what she'd like on her walls. While I like the customers that don't fit the mold and still love our product, here are some of the homes + ladies I tend to keep in mind when making our prints. You might recognize a few of these gals! 

A. This picture is straight from the home of Erin over at Blue Eyed Bride. Erin is a blogger & a sweet friend of mine. I haven't been to her new house (though I'd sure like to go), but I picture it classically decorated with a youthful flair. 

B. Next up, I love this picture of Jessica from Jessica N Designs sitting near her Ephesians 4:2 print. Jessica is a young mom, an entrepreneur like me, and when I see pictures of her home or studio - it looks really eclectic and bright. 

C. One of my favorite houses I've ever hung out in is my friend Ellen's. It's a crazy beautiful mix of traditional, creative, bohemian, comfortable, and on trend. It's the kind of house where you feel like you can put your shoes on the couch and talk for an hour - but you also look around and think, "I want to go home and do THAT in my house." Ellen was one of my first handmade business friends and I still design with her in mind - would Ellen want this? 

D. I've followed Promise Tangeman for years online and she is one of the most inspiring + creative ladies I know. When I see glimpses of her house on instagram or her blog, I take note. She seems to be edgy in her home decor, while also really organized and tidy. I definitely think of homes like hers when I design. 

E. Lastly, I try to watch women who are most definitely taste-makers like Whitney English. Whitney has impeccable style & is an amazing designer. Her home decor is really classic, but super timeless. I love some edgy, bohemian home style - but I still want our prints to be traditional enough to fit in a home like Whitney's. 

But again - the heart of it is the heart of it. 
No matter how people's homes look, our desire is to provide inspirational art that reminds people of God's Word and encourages them in their days. 

What's on your plate for March? We'd love to hear. 
And do you have a space you'd like us to keep in mind when making our prints?
Tell us about it! 

2014 Lent Journals - 40 Days with Jesus

Last year, we released our first ever Lent Calendar - what started as a joke because one of our customers didn't want to take down her advent calendar, turned into a beautiful product for people to celebrate the season leading up to Easter. But something tugged at our hearts and we wanted a product that was more reflective. A friend of ours suggested a Lent journal - and we were all over it. 

So, we're really excited to announce our 2014 Lent Journals. They are 5x7 bound journals with 40 days of scripture prompts and room for you to reflect on what you've read. They're undated, without commentary, so that they can be used for Lent - or any time of year. There are 4 sections made up of ten days - Hope, Follow, Live, Bless - and those are intentionally created to walk people through the redemptive story of Jesus whether they've never set foot in a church or if they've been a Christian for decades. 

We have put much prayer and consideration in these and we cannot wait to use them with you guys. Our hope is that you'd use them and be blessed by them and want to share them with others who'd be blessed by them as well! 

If you want your reflective journal in time for Lent, you need to order it by February 26th - but we'll keep selling them since they can be used any time of year. We hope you enjoy and we can't wait to start getting these in your hands ASAP. Get yours today!

because we love them too.

You love your family and your friends and we do too. 
And we (the Naptime Diaries crew) just want to do what we can to help. 
So..... ta da! 

The easiest online gift cards EVER. 
You purchase and immediately get a download .jpg of a gift card 
that you can email or print and GIVE. 

there's this one - the gets your person one print

and this one - that gives them FOUR for the price of less than three

And as a bonus -- here's a link to a holiday budgeting guide. 

And your friendly weekly reminder that you've got till  NOVEMBER TWENTY SEVENTH to order your Naptime Diaries Advent calendar - if you've already ordered one -- your shipment goes out this week! And we'll keep doing Christmas cards + Christmas printing up till December 19th:)

relaunch // 15 FREE

The shop relaunch is still going on and I've got more new prints going up daily! So many people have been taking advantage of the buy three, get one free option that I thought - why not do a little giveaway? So for each customer that purchases the buy three, get one free today or tomorrow (Monday or Tuesday), 

I'll enter you in to win 15 free prints of your choice! 

Don't forget to use the coupon code RELAUNCH for 25% off and check back in Wednesday to see if you won! (ps, here is an example of a new print that just went up)

(( ps - happy monday! ))

relaunch!

Can I tell you a story? 
Last year, we were in the hospital with Glory's epilepsy and I noticed a large amount of people were sharing Psalm 46:5 with us. It's a beautiful passage and I was just super blessed by it. 


One night when we were in the PICU and Glory was resting, I started making this "print" of it, only I didn't know it was a print. I was just kind of playing on the computer. 
This is what happened: 

A week or so later, at the encouragement of a few friends, I listed a few of these in an Etsy shop I'd created years ago without using. I blogged about it (naturally), and what do you know?! I sold a few! Thank you Jesus! 


Nick and I kept saying, "How cool would it be if we sold 100 this year?!".
Ha. The truth is, we had no clue what we were doing. 
No clue the best way to print them, market them, design them, schedule time to run this business. And as the year went on, and we eventually sold something like 1200 prints before the year was up, we were blessed AND overwhelmed. 


And now, we're in this whole new season - where the Etsy Shop is a big part of our family and Nick is spending a good portion of time helping me whip it into shape. We're taking the quality of the design, printing, customer service, etc, EVERYTHING seriously and really trying to bless others with these goodies. 

And so - I give to you.....

the Naptime Diaries relaunch. 

Without much more talk, I'll start showing you really quickly what is new in the shop. 

#1. We've made it easier to order. 
Clearer product descriptions, easier custom order process, easier custom colors, easier buy three get one free ordering! 


#2. We've introduced a whole new set of products. 

After a lot of encouragement from friends and a lot of dreaming and doodling on my part, I've released the first three pieces in a new collection of mixed media prints that contain digital design and my own hand-drawn design. These things are so sweet printed and I hope you guys will just LOVE them. 

love these two newbies! psalm 46:5 and happy the home

#3. We've marked a LOT on sale. 
I want to start carrying around 30 prints at all times, so I have a good amount of designs that need to get shuffled out. Now, in the sale section of the shop, you'll find a lot more prints and once they're gone, they're gone! 


#4. You know we've got a coupon code! 
You can't have a shop relaunch without a coupon code. For the next week, I'd love for you guys to enjoy using the code RELAUNCH for 25% off everything in the shop! New prints, old prints, sale prints, custom prints, large poster prints - you name it! 


Most of all, i just want to say thanks. 
I am so thankful for each of our customers and friends and blog readers.
Thank you for loving our family and our little family business and spreading the word about this relaunch!

Now!!! Go enjoy that coupon code:) 

vday.

In honor of the day, I want to tell you one thing I love about each of my valentines. 

Nick: I love that you are so incredibly quick to forgive. I've never seen you not forgive.
Elias: I am obsessed with your ability to comprehend biblical concepts. I am positive that you understand the passover better than I do. 
Gloriana: Oh girl. I love your nod. Your incessant, hopeful, helpful, persistent little nod of your head. Only a mama can know what lies behind a nod like that.
Benja: I love that you're breaking out of the old I'm-going-to-pretend-like-I-don't-like-anyone shell. Nala the dog, Ben at church, and me - we're all on to you. You LIKE us. 


In all seriousness, Connolly Family: I love you guys. 
I don't deserve to be the wife and mama of such a special brood. 
I love you all so much. 


And also in honor of the day, how about two new prints and a QUICK 24 hours sale? 
If your hunny forgot to buy you a gift, 
or you forgot to buy your hunny a gift (oh gasp)
or you just need an excuse for some new scripture prints in your home - today's the day. 

Until midnight PST, use coupon code VDAY30 for 30% off everything in the shop! 

Like, maybe, specifically, these two: 

psalm 139

do everything

Or any of these oldies & goodies.

it is well, strength & dignity, tears, greatest

But most of all, have a precious valentines.

Tell somebody you love em. 

And tell them who else loves them. 

Amen?

the one that kept going.

That sale I started in my shop a few weeks ago? 
The one to help you get new scripture prints all over your home
to start 2012 off right?
That one?
It's still going on. 

Use coupon code NEWYEAR at checkout for
30% off your entire order.
On everything. 
Because I love the idea of more of us having 
more and more scripture in our home in 2012. 


And while we're at it, 
How about a few new prints to get 
with that big ol' discount? 

Praying you all are having a wonderful Wednesday!
Visit the shop today for some goodies! 

THIS JUST IN.

That's right. 
I've been bitten by the Black Friday bug. 
Something about being out shopping till FIVE AY EM this morning has made me a little nutty. And now, not only am I offering 30% off your whole order using coupon code BLACKFRIDAY, but also - for every order over $20 between today and 5pm Monday, you'll be entered to win a set of 
FIFTEEN FREE PRINTS OF YOUR CHOICE. 
I'll announce the winner Tuesday. 
But for now, I hit the stores again. 
Or do I sleep? 
Only time will tell. 
If you're exhausted and need to just shop from home, 
go for it. 

advent, advent!

Hey guys!

I am so excited to share something with 

ya'll today that has been a serious undertaking 

and I hope it will be as fun for you as it is for me. 

I'll preface it with: 
we're big on the Advent around here. I'll talk more about how we celebrate as it gets closer - but in a nutshell, we go big the 24 days leading up to Christmas and do a lot of fun things and a lot of sweet things that basically help our family build tradition and really pump our kids up about the blessing that is Jesus being born. Some days we do biblically centered things, somedays we do just silly fun things, but each day during the month of December - we try to set aside some sort of time to focus on celebrating the gift we have in Him. 


Sooooo.... last year I made an advent calendar! 
It was a huge labor of love but it was such a blessing for our family. I have no really good pictures of it, but it was essentially a banner with a small mini-print for each day of advent. On the back of it, I wrote a fun activity/bible reading/project/craft/outing and each day - the kids got to take down the corresponding print for the day and find out what fun thing we had in store! And it was pretty! And it blessed our home!

And thus. I want to share it with ya'll. I present: 

The 2011 Naptime Diaries Advent Calendar! 

There are 25 mini prints (3x4.2) all decorated in eclectic styles & colors. There is something for EVERY style here. Whether you like formal, traditional, modern, whimsical - there is something for everyone! And you can do WHATEVER you want with them. 


I'll be hanging mine as a banner again, 
but you could could get creative!
Here are some ideas: 
- Tie them on your Christmas tree as ornaments
- Put one in an envelope each day for your family to open
- Write a different person to pray for on each day's card.
- Hide them around the house and let the kids find them each day! 
- Do whatever you want! 

Either way - it is my JOY to share them with you. 
You can get them in two forms: 
- I can professionally print them for you and trim them and send them to your door in plenty of time for December 1st if you purchase them here. 
- OR I can email you five high resolution word documents (containing 5 prints each) for you to print yourself at home,  you purchase them here. 
It's totally up to you!


I hope these are a blessing to you! 
Enjoy!