In life, there are many moments that you look back on and realize that those specific events were pivotal moments that changed your journey. I am having more of those moments in my life and as I move forward I am seeing them happen at the exact moment in time. These events usually cause some stress with a decision that needs to be made that can be small or life-changing but I am realizing that the smallest decision sometimes has the biggest impact.

I noticed that in these moments I have been really stressed, excited, nervous especially anything that takes risks since I have my daughter in our life now. Before my daughter, I took many risks in life, business, and experiences, and then when I had her I settled down a little to adjust to motherhood. The stress of making the best decisions with and for her as a family added a new dynamic.

I do believe things happen for a reason and even in the lows of life there will be a silver lining and I am beginning to trust my intuition and my heart. The mind can easily set limitations and present all the fear and stress of the situations and while you are going down that rabbit hole you are missing the beauty of life right in front of you. I did a lot of business and personal mindset coaching during Covid that has changed my life and improved my quality of life. I am doing things I want and not doing things I do not want to. I have stronger boundaries for my business and my personal life. Life is really short and I do not want to be overwhelmed and miss it because I am too busy trying to build it. I wanted to have my business support me in so many ways because I have a passion for what I built and I am truly grateful for that. I love being a mother and sharing that with my family and it is important for me to simplify my life and enjoy it the way I would like to.

With all this being said over the course of the last couple of years each decision I made, I decided to listen to my heart and trust the process that it will present what I need at the moment even if it is different than what I have imagined.

I am still taking a limited number of custom wedding invitation projects a year. My custom invitations built something that I worked hard for and am proud of while also opening the doors for new opportunities. A year and a half ago I decided to open an Etsy shop with all the design experience I have accumulated I wanted to offer customized pieces and expand my product lines.

I also had an opportunity to design some art pieces for HGTV’S Property Brothers and that opportunity opened up the idea that I wanted to create more art and start working on other design pieces.

Since this pivot began I also have a shop on Creative Market selling bundles of mockup photos for other designers to use to showcase their invitations on social media platforms as well as client presentations of wedding and stationery designs.

In February Minted launched a new direct-from-seller program where they would hand-pick designers to join the team to open up their own shops selling wedding invitation accessories and products. I am excited to announce that Clove and Cedar Design is now on Minted! I will be adding so many products over the next few months including vellum wraps, vow books, envelope liners, wax seals,

and even some new product categories that are not even created yet but I am so excited to share.

I am grateful for all the opportunities that each one before has paved a path for growth, expansion, balance, and love and I can tell you that if you have a passion keep working hard

But also make sure that you have balance in your life. It is important to step back and prioritize every day if that feels good to you because we are all changing, growing and constantly evolving and your mindset needs to be flexible as well!

Check out my new shop on Minted and I will see you over there! Have a beautiful day!

Xoxo | Jess