Rise Up Designs

I use AI. A lot. I use it in my full-time job to help me work more efficiently. I use it in my small business to help write product listings, brainstorm ideas, organize my thoughts, and yes, even check my grammar on some of these blog posts. So this is definitely not an “AI is bad” post. I think AI is an incredible tool. But as a crafter and small business owner, I also think we have a responsibility to pay attention to how we use it. Especially when we’re showing customers our products. AI can take a basic product photo and put it into a beautiful setting. It can help create a cozy bookish scene, clean up a distracting background, or help you imagine how something might look displayed in a home. That can be incredibly helpful. But here’s where I think we have to be careful: If the AI-generated picture no longer looks like the product you’re actually selling, we have a problem. If my tumbler has one design but the AI changes the artwork, that’s not my product. If my gift se...

​ It may still be hot outside, but if you’re a small business owner, somewhere in your brain it is already November. At least that’s how it feels for me. The holidays may seem far away, but this is the time I start thinking about them. Not because I want to rush the season. Not because I’m ready for Christmas music in August. But because holiday prep takes time. I’m already thinking about what products make good gifts. What can be bundled together. What inventory I need to reorder. What packaging I want to use. What signage needs to be updated. What markets I want to participate in. What sold well last year. And maybe just as important…what I do not want to repeat. That part matters. Every season teaches you something. There are products you thought would fly off the table that barely moved. There are things you almost didn’t make that customers loved. There are packaging ideas that looked cute but took way too much time. There are products that were great individual...

​ The last three weeks have been a whirlwind. If you’ve been following along, you know I was in Nebraska, then came home and had a market, then the Monday after that market I had the APCO conference, and the Saturday after that…another market. So when this weekend finally came around and I didn’t have anything scheduled, I was grateful. Really grateful. And at first, it almost felt strange. No market to pack for. No booth to set up. No event to rush to. Just a little space. And I realized how much I needed it. Not because I wanted to do nothing, but because I needed time to catch up on the things that are easy to ignore when you’re constantly moving. I checked inventory. I ordered new UVDTF wraps. I started updating some of my signage. I finished special orders that needed my attention. I looked at what I had, what I needed, and what could be improved before the next market. And honestly, it reminded me that slowing down is part of running a business too. When you’re c...

This week’s Sip & Sunday looks a little different. Last week, I was in Nebraska watching my niece compete at nationals, and seeing her step onto that floor has been such a reminder of what it takes to believe in yourself. There is the talent people see, of course. But behind that are the hours of practice, the mistakes, the hard days, the nerves, the lessons, and the decision to keep going anyway. Watching her has also reminded me how important support is. Sometimes believing in yourself starts with borrowing a little belief from the people around you—the people who show up, encourage you, remind you how far you’ve come, and see something in you before you fully see it in yourself. I think we all have moments when doubt gets loud. Moments when we question whether we’re ready, whether we’re good enough, or whether we really belong in the room. But doubt does not mean you are incapable. It means you are human. You can feel nervous and still move forward. You can have doubts...