My new home sweet home

Life is busy and wonderful and I am in love with Asheville.

After just four months here, I feel it is more my home than Orlando ever was in my 25+ years there. I've already spent more hours exploring the streets and shops downtown than I ever did in Florida.

And there is always something happening here. There are festivals, protests, buskers (everywhere), galleries, and double decker busses turned into cafes. It's fantastic. People here are also unbelievably friendly and interesting. The food is mind blowing and almost all restaurants serve locally grown food.

I have a growing circle of friends here that I'm very fortunate to have met. This past Friday I was even able to put together a 'ladies night' for myself and four other women and we had dinner and drinks downtown at Laughing Seed.

I've finally found some play groups for Oliver and he's meeting some new buddies as well. We had a meet up at the Biltmore last week, we have a group picnic tomorrow at the Arboretum, and next week we go to a local farm to pick organic blueberries! Just today we met someone new at the park and have another play date there set for Wednesday. I'm probably happiest about that - that my little guy is gaining friends. The poor kid gets cooped up with me working at home a lot, and I'm thrilled he's getting to run around and play with some people his age now.


Business has also been growing rapidly, though the past few weeks feel so slow after a flurry of activity in the past few months. There have been some pretty fun developments:

- I met with my new business attorney and now have my North Carolina LLC set up.

- Also met a lovely CPA who can handles my taxes so I don't screw it all up!

- In May I signed a partnership with the USA Science & Engineering Festival in Washington DC (www.usasciencefestival.org). They commissioned two new designs for specific scientists voted on by their facebook followers and they will be using nine of my scientist designs on their promotional school posters, as well as an art poster to be sold at their event in April 2014. They are the largest science festival in the nation (250,000 attendees at their last event) and I am incredibly excited to be involved with them. While I won't be an exhibitor at the festival, I am planning to be in DC for the festival and become an uber-tourist for a few days.

- I signed a released to have some of my large 24x36 scientist prints filmed in an episode of 'Longmire" on A&E. (http://www.aetv.com/longmire/about). I believe it should be in episode five.

- I was contacted by Reddit.com and invited to sell my work on their invite-only redditgift marketplace.  I JUST opened the shop there June 1st and I'm still getting it stocked (http://redditgifts.com/marketplace/merchant/megan-lee-studio-llc/)

- May 5th I was going to be an exhibitor at the art & Music festival in Asheville called Big Love Festival. Unfortunately, we got rained out, but the new event has been moved to September!

- I've been contacted by several different companies interested in becoming wholesale clients - one of which HAS signed with me, but I can't quite announce it or give details yet :)

- I've hired a web designer to make my a fancier site + a shop on my own domain. Really excited to see the results.

- And something little but cool - I found out that my work is referenced in a book by Chris Anderson. (you can read about him here: http://about.me/andersonchris)

And that's the news update. I always intend to write regularly, but can't promise anything :)

Snowy Saturday

It's been a while since I posted, so here's an update: We moved to Asheville. Ta-da! Now on with the rest...

Oliver woke me up a little earlier than usual yesterday. At first I was a bit grumpy (having stayed up too late watching Fringe again), but then I happened to peak out the window and spy this wonderland in my backyard.

SNOW! After 25+ years in Florida, the actuality of seeing snow has become a rare and sought after treasure in my mind. I was more than a little excited that it arrived so soon after moving here.

I even braved the outdoors in my pj's to see the street.

This day called for something special, so while Oliver snuggled with my dad on the sofa (and mom tried to get some rest after being awake in the middle of the night) , I got busy cooking in the kitchen. Baked apple pancake has always been a family favorite, and I've been using the same recipe from a children's cookbook I received as a present when I was about six years old. So I made a regular pan recipe for my parents, and a gluten-free dariy-free version for Oliver and myself. It was my first time trying it without the normal ingredients, and it was still surprisingly tasty.

Instead of sitting in the kitchen, we took our plates and hot beverages to the family room and watched WALL-E with Oliver. He loves to have his own cup of tea and little table to eat at. A fun start to a cozy Saturday.

Afterwards Mae Mae and Poppy went out for a bit, Oliver played then took a short nap, and I attempted to figure out how to move my LLC from FL to NC, look into some weird yet mandatory unclaimed property report I have to file, the FL annual business report requirements, and my income tax report instructions. It made me want to throw up. I love having my own art business. I just really dislike doing the 'business' part. I need a CPA and business manager to the rescue.

But all that stuff doesn't seem to matter when watching Oliver playing in a light snow for the first time. Who could worry when there's such a sweet and excited face to watch?

Poppy came out to run around for a few minutes too.

In the afternoon our new neighbor stopped by and we decided to do dinner together. I offered to cook for her and her family, so Oliver and I made a quick trip to the store to load up on chicken, rosemary, and lots and lots of chocolate for dessert.

I wanted something gluten-free, but wanted it to be something that you don't think about being gluten-free or not, so I made my rosemary chicken and potato wedges along with sautéed garlic green beans and Mom cook some fried cinnamon apples

Dessert (so fun picking out all these bars!)

I really have so much more I could write about, but I'll save some for another post. Now that we've moved, I'm in much more of a mood to photograph and write. Yay! :)

If you feel bad, buy stuff and eat pastry.

I've been a little down and melancholy lately. After being sick and taking care of sick Oliver for 2+ weeks, I've been in a totally different routine than usual and have felt isolated at the house. I feel very weird when I'm away from people, and even small interactions at the store or a 2 minute conversation with a stranger helps me feel much much better .

I try to focus on the many positives and blessings in my life (Like people say, if you focus on all the things your thankful for, it's harder to complain about things you don't like. Do people say that? I guess I do now), but I've still been down in the dumps.

I'm finally starting to feel a bit back to normal, and it believe it's thanks to the following:

- Retail therapy. I guess it can help to a degree. I found this 5x7 rug that makes me smile every time I walk into my room. The colors feel warm and cozy, and since it's all wool on a cotton backing, it meant hardly any oder and it was safe to bring into the house. I've been looking for a rug for months, but they are usually $250-$400 if made with natural materials (meaning not polypropylene). At only $99, I'd say this was a steal.

- A mini trip to Orlando. We were there only 24 hours, but we crammed a lot of fun into it, including:

- Vietnamese food. I repeat, GOOD Vietnamese food!

- Special gluten-free cupcakes for Oliver from Rhaphsodic

- Afternoon coffee, chatting, and haircuts with Renee and Eva

- Finding Oliver some birthday presents at Target

- Time with Mark and Darlene, who Oliver spontaneously and adorably started calling "Pop Pop Mawk" and "Ma Ma Dar"

- Morning coffee with Gram

 - A trip to my old workplace and pleasant visits with old bosses and coworkers

- MORE Vietnamese food

- And pastries that I daydream about on a weekly basis - chocolate almond croissants from Cafe 906.

And now I'm preparing for a small little party for Oliver's birthday this Saturday. Nothing fancy, but I hope he likes it. It's nice to get back to feeling like myself again :)

Cookies and Clutter

Yesterday was national cookie day, and I've been wanted to bake sugar cookies for the holidays, so last night I ignored work for a little while and baked some special cookies for my boy.

I found a nice gluten-free dairy-free recipe that is safe for Oliver, and unlike most other times I make sugar cookies, I took the time to roll out the dough and cut some fun shapes for him (the rest I just quickly roll into balls and slightly flatten for baking)

Once they had cooled, I called Oliver into the kitchen to try one.

 His face just makes my heart so happy.

As usual, the rest of my time is mostly spent working. My biggest struggle right now (emotionally at least) is focusing so much on work and not on Oliver. I know in my head that if I wasn't doing this, I would just have to be at some 9-5 type job completely away from him, and I'm over-the-moon happy to be able to be near him all day, but I can't help feeling like I should be focusing on him more....I think that's the plight of every working parent though, so I'm sure many feel the same. Thankfully, my mom is here and helps watch him and play with him while I work and I can hear their playful screams and giggles almost constantly, so I know he's not missing me too much :)

Last week I finally moved all of my work materials into the detached pool house/office. It has been an incredible upgrade and helped to improv my packing process immensely. I'm still working on getting everything into it's right place, but here is what it looks like today. 

(I don't really have a surface to work on so I have an 8ft folding table set to arrive later this week)

Not everything can fit in the room so some materials are being stored on the covered patio. I'm just crossing my fingers that it doesn't rain for awhile because this area floods in a heartbeat.

The Recap

Life is busy and good. Most of the good news revolves around my business, which is growing more quickly than I ever expected. It's all a bit surreal.

 For anyone that is a friend on FB, this all mostly will be old news, but here's some of the fun stuff happening lately:


 1. The Associated Press will be writing a story on space-themed gifts for the holidays and mentioning my shop and planet prints. It will run in nat'l and int'l newspapers, print and online editions the first week of December.

 2. Shop Til You Drop Magazine in Australia will be publishing a little blurb about my Earth print for their "best picks from Etsy" story in their February issue.

 3. A geek website wrote a great review of my products and is also hosting a giant giveaway of my items right now. They also featured me in their holiday geek gift guide.

 4. A few weeks ago a facebook page called I F***ing Love Science shared my work with their 1.7 million followers which created an influx of new followers and orders for my facebook page and shop.

 5. Last night my huge 4 day 25% off sale ended in my shop. It went very well and I can, without a doubt, support myself and Oliver with my art, as long as I keep working on growing my business. That is a huge huge relief.

 6. I'm officially an LLC :)

Below is my work space. It has been a happy little space, but I've quickly outgrown it. I'm about to receive a ridiculous amount of packaging supplies, prints, and t-shirts, so I'll be taking over the pool house and turning it into my office. 

We had an amazing Thanksgiving at our house this year. I was struck by how absolutely picturesque it all was. And while having an absolutely amazing day, I was also struck by the thought that we never know what can happen in a year. Where we will all be, if we will ever have this exact opportunity to be together again...it may sound like a negative outlook, and I did get bit teary, but it also made me appreciate the day all the more.

I actually felt like I was living in a movie. I made the turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, broccoli salad, and pecan pie, but had some help with side dishes from mom and Jess (who I mistakenly told to cook 10 POUNDS of potatoes. It was a potato extravaganza). 

We lounged by the pool, ate at our makeshift dining room table, shot water balloons in the backyard, took family photos, and in the evening the adults played Apples to Apples while the kids watched Home Alone. It was...great :)

Mom made Danish Kringle for breakfast. Oliver helped with the icing :)

(He is still gluten-free and dairy-free so I bought him special GF donuts instead)

 Our makeshift table. We sold our dining room table before we moved, so we pieced together some smaller desks and chairs from around the house. Pretty dandy.

Family photo taking.

On Saturday some friends came over with their daughter and we went to St. Pete for a small craft fair. Very very small. We were only there about 10 minutes, but I DID find an adorable hand -sewn and hand-stamped stuffed owl (which you can see in the above picture of my work space)

(they don't want photos pf their daughter online - that's why they're blurred or have her head turned)

This past Sunday we all headed out to pick our Christmas tree. Oliver had a ball running around the pines and would barely stay still for a photo. (We ended up getting an 10'+ tree!)

And now back to work...

I fell in love yesterday.

I've fallen in love with an inanimate object.

It may not whisper sweet nothings in my ear, but it sends out a gentle hum, gives me exactly what I want, and leaves me more time to do other things.

I'm talking about the DYMO 4XL. No idea what that is? Well before I get the side eye from someone wondering what kind of joy I'm talking about that comes from something with DYMO! and XL! in the name - it's a thermal printer.

Gone are the days of hand-typed (or, god forbid, HANDWRITTEN) address labels, secured with three strips of packing tape, plus a wait for who-knows-how-long at the post office to weigh and buy postage for each and every package.

Now with just a few clicks on shipstation.com, this printer copies all the info from an Etsy purchase, makes a little *bzzz*, and spits out a sticky label with ALL of the info and postage I need (even customs forms!). And it's thermal, so it doesn't use ink or toner and the only materials I will ever have to purchase from here on out are the labels (which, by the way, are super cheap over at royalmailers.com).

This will be a much much cheaper and faster way to package all of my shipments. And it come with double bonus points because I won't be waiting in any more post office lines! Just walk in, drop in the bin, and go back home to caress my 4XL.

I swear this isn't an advertisement, I'm just really really happy about my new friend.

My 4XL with his new buddy, the 35lb scale.

Today Is The Day

A few hours sleep and a good cup of coffee. That is what I'm running on this morning. But today is the day I want to start with blogging again. I will try to set aside some time in the morning while I drink my coffee to post at least a little something here.

Oliver has been sick the past few days and, miraculously, until last night had been sleeping 10-12 hours straight. Last night however, he woke up at 3am with some horrible coughing and cries for mamma, so we walked outside and looked at the stars. It's one of his favorite things to do and it calms him instantly. We both love the stars and the moon.

After a snack, some cuddling, and yet more episodes Curious George, he went back to sleep. I was wide awake until about 6am and contemplated just staying awake,  but my better judgement (and heavy eyelids) won the battle and I got a little more rest before he woke up again at 8.

And now the day is here with all of it tasks waiting to be done. I am busy preparing for my exhibitors booth at The Museum Of Science And Industry in Tampa next month. I also have t-shirt and print shipments arriving today that will need to be packaged and dropped of at the post office.

I finally started printing my own postage so I don't have to waste time in lines at the post office. And, to save even more time, I've just purchased a thermal printer and sticky labels that will save on ink, paper, and tape as well. Other good news: I now have a dedicated business PO Box and I'm in the process of becoming an LLC. Busy busy bee, I am.


Add laundry, cleaning the bathroom, and wiping an endless faucet of snot from Olivers nose to the list, and that's my day.

And while I was typing that last sentence, Oliver had a massive dirty diaper that leaked onto my freshly laundered bedding that I just put on yesterday. Oh, and at the same time, the lawn maintenance crew showed up at our yard which causes us to get sick from fumes if we're not careful, so of course TWO of Oliver's styrofoam nerf bullets were stuck in the sliding glass door so that it wouldn't shut tightly, causing the house to flood with gasoline fumes. I just spent 5 minutes trying to dig them out with a steak knife.

And my coffee got cold.

But I'm looking at it all as amusing as opposed to frustrating....as long as nothing else happen before nap time :)


And for your viewing please, here are some pictures of Oliver, pre-sickness.

I bought Oliver a package of little boy (SUPERHERO!) underwear to get ready for potty training. He refused to try them on the normal way and instead wanted to wear them all as a hat.

He likes hats.

A few weeks ago I was busy working while Oliver played around my feet. I realized all of a sudden he had disappeared and then I heard giggling coming from my very crowded walk in closet. I found this smiling face peeping through my clothes.

The following two photos are from our last visit to Orlando at Mark and Dar's house. 

To keep him entertained I made a pile of every single throw pillow I could find in the house. 

He spent a good 30 minutes sliding off the chair into our "nest" in a very dramatic and faux death-defying way.