the path i followed = how dreams grew for me.

90 cards arrived from printer = excitement overload

build a booth exactly like the one in NYC in our living room

Rent a van and drive across the country to NYC

National Stationery Show booth BEFORE

Get lucky and have 2 cards chosen for BEST NEW PRODUCT categories

FINISHED BOOTH before the crowds arrive.

View from our living room. We are home.

Two years ago this May I had a dream to create my own line of greeting cards, paper products and showcase them in NYC at the National Stationery Show. In order to make this happen I would need money. So after loving my home of 17 years my hubby and I decided to sell it. Get the equity out of the home and start fresh with dreams. We moved to Sarasota FL with big hopes of starting this path of dog inspired goods. We tried but, this was not to be our place. We moved to Siesta Key (not far from our first rental but, close to the #1 beach in the USA) thinking this would be the connection. Nope. So we stayed for a little over one year and moved to a city I have been smitten with since I was in 6th grade, Galena IL.

We arrived in Galena in October. In Dec I  sent samples of my artwork to the National Stationery Show division called Fresh ( a jury picks who gets in ) I got in. Starting in Jan I thought I best get busy and start designing this line.

In four months I designed over 90 cards - all illustrated, painted, hand lettering, designed by me. I had no assistants (my hubby and my parents) I paid no one to help me with all of this creative and work except one person at the last minute (I hired a darling writer to write my press release) impossible for me to write about myself. He he he.

I cannot begin to tell you the amount of endless days went into this creation of Pearl Button's World.

I showed up in NYC I faced my anxieties of being in front of my creative. No panic attacks. Hard stuff for me. I did it. I was present and gracious and thrilled to be standing in my dream. Yes, at times it was surreal and overwhelming to think of all it took to be standing there in that time and space.

The show went really well for me. I have several good orders from shops that really got me. I also have several licensing conversations in the works. Super positive potential and more hard work to complete. I am following up with everything and everyone as that is part of the show. I have learned so very much, I have moved out of my comfort zone and into a new launch of me.

I am proud of myself. I worked really hard next to my hubby who supports me with wisdom and hard work too. This dream took years to make happen. This dream will continue to take big thinking and more more more dreaming even bigger. I am up for this challenge and very excited about it all.

My new website will launch very soon and my etsy shop will be loaded with goods.

I live in Galena now with my hubby and our little girl Pearl Button. We are happy, we have started to find a community of like souls who want to know us and are so so nice. Our travels in the past two years have been crazy nuts goofy and honestly the lessons I have learned and creative that I have found in myself is incredible. I am one lucky girl.

Here's to knowing how precious life is and busting down everything for dreams.

https://www.facebook.com/kelli.maykrenz