Rise Up Designs

Grab your coffee, because Mother Nature decided she wanted to be part of my market planning this week. 😂☕ Yesterday I returned to a market that was one of my best last year, so I was really looking forward to it. Then came the weather. We’d had a lot of rain in Texas, including flooding in some areas, and San Antonio had gotten enough that the organizers moved our market from the park to the parking lot because the ground was too wet. Immediately, I started thinking: What if it rains? What should I take? What could get ruined? And, if I’m being completely transparent, there was also a little part of me thinking: But if I don’t bring everything, what if I don’t do as well? There it was. 😂 That small-business-owner voice that convinces you the ONE THING you leave at home will absolutely be the thing everyone wants. But I couldn’t control the weather. I could control how I prepared for it. So I edited. I left my carpet at home. I focused on products that were already protec...

One of the things I genuinely love about doing markets is the people. I love meeting customers, talking about what I make, watching someone discover something they didn’t know they needed, and getting that immediate feedback you just don’t get from an online shop. The part I could live without? Packing. Loading the car. Unloading the car. Setting everything up. Breaking everything down. Loading it all again. Then getting home and realizing you still have to unload. 😂 After doing markets for a while, though, I’ve learned something that has made that process a little easier: You don’t have to take everything you own. Every market has its own personality. Something that flies off my table at one market might barely get looked at somewhere else. At another market, people may head straight for my Blind Date with a Book collection. Somewhere else, it’s gift sets, totes, bookmarks, or something completely different. So this year, I’ve started paying much closer attention. What are pe...

One thing markets have taught me is that growth is not always about bringing more. More products. More displays. More signs. More things packed into every available inch of the table. Sometimes growth looks like learning what to leave behind. When I first started doing markets, I wanted to bring everything. I thought the more choices I gave people, the better chance I had of making a sale. And honestly, that made sense to me at the time. But after doing markets for a few years, I’ve learned that too much can become overwhelming—not only for the customer, but for me too. A crowded table can make it harder for people to understand what I sell. Products can get lost. My best items may not stand out. And instead of creating a warm, inviting space, the booth can start to feel like I simply brought everything I own. Now I try to be more intentional. Before I pack for a market, I ask myself: Does this product fit the direction of my business? Does it work with the rest of my displ...

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 ...

If you’ve been following along, you know weekends are usually filled with market prep, product planning, inventory checks, and getting ready for the next event. This weekend looked a little different. After a trip to Waco and a week of feeling under the weather, I found myself doing something I don’t do very often: slowing down. No major crafting projects. No late-night prep sessions. No marathon product-making weekends. Just rest. At first, I felt a little guilty. As a small business ownerl, there’s always something that could be done. A product to create. A display to improve. A social media post to schedule. The to-do list never really ends. But this week reminded me that sometimes rest is part of the work. When we’re constantly moving, creating, and hustling, it’s easy to forget that our energy is one of our most important resources. If we don’t take care of ourselves, eventually our creativity, motivation, and excitement begin to suffer too. My next summer market is com...