Rise Up Designs

One of my commitments this year was to become more involved in the small business community. This weekend, I participated in another small market at a local coffee shop. If you’ve followed my journey for a while, you know that most of my larger events are 10x10 booth spaces filled with products, displays, and lots of foot traffic. This market was much smaller—a cozy 5x5 setup—but it reminded me of something important. Of course, every small business owner hopes for sales when they attend an event. But I’ve learned that showing up isn’t always about what you sell that day. Sometimes it’s about building relationships, getting out of your comfort zone, and becoming part of something bigger than yourself. As I walked around the market, I took photos of the other vendors and shared them on Instagram. I tagged their businesses and encouraged people to stop by and support them. My thinking was simple: if someone comes out to support me, maybe they’ll discover another amazing small business...

 When I first started creating, my focus was pretty simple: tumblers, wraps, and learning everything I could about UV DTF products. Like many small business owners, I spent countless hours figuring out designs, testing products, and learning what customers responded to. But something interesting happened along the way. I realized the product wasn’t really the thing. The creativity was. The skill set was. The ability to take an idea and turn it into something meaningful was. For a while, UV DTF decals primarily meant tumblers for me. And while I still love creating them, I started asking myself: What else can I do with the tools I already have? That’s where the fun began. The same UV DTF products I was using on tumblers started showing up on: 📚 Blind Date with a Book bundles 🔖 Beaded bookmarks 🔑 Keychains 👜 Book lover totes 📖 Annotation kits 🎁 Reader gift bundles Instead of learning an entirely new craft, I simply found new ways to use the skills I already had....

Yesterday was my first summer kickoff market of the season, and overall, it was a great day. The weather cooperated, customers stopped by, and I had the opportunity to share some of my favorite products with fellow book lovers and market shoppers. But one interaction stuck with me long after the market ended. A customer stopped by my booth and began asking questions. Lots of questions. How do you make these? Where do the materials come from? How much does it cost to make them? Do you make them yourself? Do you buy them premade and resell them? As creators, we pour so much time, energy, and creativity into what we do. It’s natural to feel protective of our work and wonder why someone is asking so many detailed questions. But as the conversation continued, I learned something important. She wasn’t trying to copy my business. She wasn’t looking for shortcuts. She was trying to raise money for her church and was looking for ideas and inspiration that could help support their ...