DESIGNER JOURNAL: New Years Resolutions

I love New Years.

You won't find me in a huge crowd when the clock strikes midnight or dancing at a party. I usually spend New Years with my family. We watch movies, eat too much, the kids get cranky at nine, but we let them stay up anyway. Maybe it's boring, but it's relaxing and I love it.

I see the new year as a new beginning. It's a chance to set new goals and feel unrealistically ambitious. Every year has been an an insanely big year since I turned 18 so the start or a new chapter is extra motivating. I can't wait. I have goal lists from when I was a kid in my journals somewhere. Most of them have the same 4 things unchecked:

-Learn French

-Travel to Europe

-Pay off my debts

-Learn Guitar

Along with a page or two of others that I've actually managed to conquer. So this year, I thought I'd share my Resolutions with you, and I'll be coming back to this post throughout the year to cross off completed ones.

IN 2014:

2014 PERSONAL RESOLUTIONS:

• I'll Finally Learn French
• Take the kids back to Disneyland
• Create and live within a realistic budget
• Install can lighting and rip out the popcorn ceiling in the basement
• Take weekend vacations with Jon to Long Beach, Vegas, Seattle, and Portland without the kids
• Pay off half our debt (<- Trying to be more realistic here)
• Complete the bodybuilding.com workout program I've started 3 times.
• Write 5 things I'm grateful for atleast 4 times a week
• Plant something and keep it alive for an entire season
• Enroll the kids in Karate, Gymnastics, and Ballet
• Take an art class with Jon

2014 BUSINESS RESOLUTIONS:

• Attend Magic (A trade show for the fashion industry)
• Be a vendor at the Magic Trade Show
• Sell my clothing line at 10 eCommerce sites
• Sell my Clothing line at 20 Brick-and-Mortar Boutiques
• Keep up on my blog!
• Maintain a relationship with my SCORE.org adviser
• Launch collections along the time frames of the industry rather than "when I have a moment"
• Make all updates to the website (LissmeeApparel.com) that are on my list
• Have at least 12 unpaid press publications for the year

Wish me luck!

LISSMEE BACKSTAGE: Our Favorite Time-Saving Apps

I own 2 businesses, balance school, and have 3 kids under the age of six. My days are always long and it's a constant battle to stay balanced. Tonight I'm tired.... honestly. But I can truly say I have loved every part of my day so I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow. Here's a glimpse of my time saving IPhone Apps that make my crazy life possible. 

Sounds crazy, but I always go to sleep with the Sleep Time App It works just like an alarm clock but tracks my sleep patterns and wakes me up only when I am done with a full sleep cycle. The first night I used it, I woke up so much easier and in a better mood. You can set an alarm for 15 minutes and it may wake you up in 20, but you'll actually wake up feeling better. On restless nights it will chart all your movement. Crazy.

I love the Cozi App to keep track on random To Do's, Shopping Lists, Etc. The best part is, I can update my shopping lists on the go and they are immediately visible for my husband while he's out and about. I separate lists for business, home, etc. and keep all our shared To-Do lists in separate categories like Home Projects, LissMee tasks, and Press Publications

Cozi also has a family locator I use on late-night photo-shoots. It let's him see where I am, links me to 911 if I'm in trouble, and sends an emergency text to him with one click...... I have done it on accident though. It also will show your proximity to all registered sex offenders and their police pictures. It's so creepy but also, kind of awesome.



Red Lazer is most popular for it's reliable bar-code scanner but I love it most for it's other features. It automatically compares prices on the same item from other retail stores and online venues.  Red Lazer also automatically shows what retail stores are close to you via GPS and what sales they are having. It carries coupons within the app so your always sure to get the best deal without all the time-draining effort.



But above all, the app I use the most that has hands-down saved me the most time and kept me on task the most is my Google Calendar. I balance play dates with projects I'm working on and everything in between. I joke that if it's not on the calendar, it's not going to get done. I love it because I can drag and drop meetings and with the last IPhone update, I can create an vent off someone's text message. Awesome.

How LissMee was born

I'm reflecting on the past month and the start of my new clothing line, LissMee. It's been a complete whirlwind and I can't believe it's getting the recognition we've received. I'm the luckiest girl in the world and so excited about the future.

Just a few weeks ago, I was approached by Jennifer Chipman, the director of Salt Lake City RAW: Natural Born Artists. I told her I had always wanted to launch a clothing line and she gave me a couple weeks to create a collection to be debuted at September's RAW show. 

Just one month later I found out I had gained the votes necessary to compete for the state title of Fashion Designer of the Year

I created some new pieces to better complete my line, worked like crazy, and won fashion designer of the year! I cried when they called my name.

Since then it's been one crazy, absolutely amazing dream-fulfilling, experience after another. Right now we're working on our website, doing as many photoshoots as possible, working out manufacturing details, and preparing for our line to be carried in stores.

Here, on LissMee's blog, I'll write about our new products, what we're up to, and invite you to join our journey in launching this business, getting inspiration, and what we're really all about. Take a look around and let us know what you think! We really want to hear from you. You'll also find our latest updates on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/LissMee

-Lisa Miller 

Owner/ Designer