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An Fan Girl’s Thoughts on Apple’s WWDC Keynote 2017

I remember the special day. The day I got my first Apple computer. I graduated from high school and was on my way to FIDM to become a graphic designer. My dad pre-ordered a G5 work horse when they were first released and it came just in time for my first quarter. The rest is history.

The reason why I really like Apple is because of its simplicity. I used to be all about the frills. But when I started my first business in 2004 (my 2nd year in college) I realized what I wanted was a reliable, compact, and portable device that I could utilize to become successful. And for me, Apple did that in every way.

The G5 was so fast compared to what I was used to. Photoshop and Illustrator would load so much faster compared to my old HP PC. Yeah there weren’t as many games available (virtually none at the time) and I had to learn all the new “Apple speak” but it was definitely worth it when the theme was reliability.



Photo Source: Wikipedia

Then came the iPod. Charlie won one at a dance competition and after I saw what it could do I knew I wanted one for myself. It ended up being really useful. My first experiences with a larger capacity external hard drive. I was able to bring large Photoshop, Illustrator, and QuarkXpress files to and from school. Best thing ever.


Photo Source: Amazon

Then came the iPhone. I was like, “WHAT?” I want to see how well it works first. When my 2 year contract was up I snagged a 3GS and it revolutionized the way I did business. My business was at my fingertips – email, calendar, spreadsheets, everything. I had internet all the time, well, most of the time. I went from a Palm Treo (which I thought I loved), to the HTC 3525 (which I liked but crashed ALL.THE.TIME.), to the iPhone 3GS. OH. MAH. WURD. Everything this little entrepreneur wanted – and more! Oh the days of camping outside the AT&T store overnight to get an iPhone when they release. Haha!


Photo Source: iMore

Fast forward to yesterday’s keynote. I made myself a margarita and sat in front of my TV to take it all in. To be honest with you, these keynotes aren’t as exciting to me as they used to be. I guess it just used to be so exciting when new product came out because I was witnessing technology advance. But now, it’s kind of expected. Nonetheless, they’re still exciting!

My big takeaways from the super long presentation:

  1. iPad Pro 😱 I want but just got one. So moving on.
  2. IOS 11. Really excited about this for my personal devices. Terrified of the bugs for my business. Main things I’m excited for: Files, drag and drop capabilities, annotations, new Control Center, and (most of all) Apple Pay in iMessage.
  3.  IMac Pro 😱 That matte black doe! I definitely don’t need a machine that powerful but it’s beautiful. And a girl can dream right?!
  4. Watch OS 4. I’m just so amazed at what this little thing can do and the tools that are now available for us to use to better our health. I’m excited for everything about the new update – more watch faces (not really excited about the kaleidoscope though), activity goals centered around the user, more workouts in the Workout app, a better music experience (Spotify get on this shizz, where you at?!), more intuitive virtual assistant…man! I’m excited.

As a fan girl, I still look forward to these Apple Events. But I have to admit I want to do more to use Apple’s features. I don’t utilize them as much as I’d like. Am I as excited as I used to be? No, I definitely used to geek out way more in the past. But will I stray away from Apple? No, not any time soon.

Xoxo,

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Journey to Wholesale

We are officially 8 weeks to Las Vegas Summer Market 2017! How in the world did that happen?!

 

I hopped on a webinar hosted by LV Market about their marketing plan and all the resources we have as exhibitors to promote ourselves before, during, and after the market. The webinar was really helpful and helped me to realize that I have a lot of tools at my fingertips, way more than I thought I would. I just need to make sure I take advantage of as many opportunities as I can.

At this moment, I’m very casual about it. Am I ready? No. Is our product line ready? No.  Is our catalog done? Heck to the no. But that’s ok lol! At least at this moment it’s ok, only because I’m not freaking the F out right now. Hence the “.” at the end of that sentence instead of a “!”

I have my occasional stressed out moments about once a week. I feel like it usually happens on Tuesdays haha! But I figured that if I didn’t have those freak out moments something would be wrong. Being so blasé all the time isn’t good for anyone, that means I won’t push myself to do the work. So I guess all is right with the world.

I honestly still can’t believe that I’m debuting at a wholesale trade show this year. I’ve been dreaming of doing this for years and it’s finally happening. That surreal feeling of achieving something that I’ve wanted for so long is just mind blowing. And it just shows that slow and steady doesn’t mean failure. Timing is everything, don’t rush into it. Give it time to grow, to marinate in your mind, to strategize.

This journey is just beginning, and I’m so happy that things are happening the way they are.

xoxo,

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June Wishlist

I have a funny way of shopping. I don’t shop on a regular basis for clothes or shoes. I probably shop for clothes 2 or 3 times a year or when something finally has a hole in it. I get sad that I have to part ways with it. But when it comes to home accessories, tech stuff, and office supplies I’m all about it! 

I recently got a stay cool/hot tumbler and it’s only the 2nd day and I love it already! It’s a 30 oz. tumbler, I like that I only have to refill my cup a minimum of 3 times to get my daily water intake. No moisture on the outside, the ice doesn’t melt right away….ahhhh dream come true. I know, first world problems right? 

I have had my eye on these markers for a while, have no idea why I haven’t bought them yet. But for those of you that are hand letter enthusiasts like me, Crayola markers are my favorite to use! The tips are really sturdy so they last longer than the felt tips I’ve used in the past. And these Super Tips are the perfect size. If you love variety theses are also sold in larger packs.

Here’s my 1 home appliance that I want to buy – an air fryer! I’ve heard pretty good things about this Black and Decker model, considering it’s compact and affordable. I’m thinking I’d start out with this one, after all Charlie and I are only a family of 2 so we don’t need a larger capacity for now.

As you start to accumulate things in your home anything you can do to save or maximize storage space becomes really important. These collapsible colanders have become really useful, I already have a large rectangular one that can expand and collapse to fit perfectly on my sink.

Charlie and I are not professional bartenders by any means, but we like to enjoy a good cocktail at home. And when we host parties we love to have sangria, cold beer, and spirits for people to enjoy at our little bar cart we bought last year. I’m eyeing this bar tool set on Amazon. It’s got everything you need to make a great cocktail and every piece has a home so you’re not misplacing it.

What are the things on your wish list for this month?

xoxo,