Growing Pains

 

 

 

 

 

 

Recent weeks have been quite challenging trying to positively represent a company I so whole heartedly believe in.  There have been many issues, from delayed orders, out of stock issues, orders being filled incorrectly, right down to a fellow rep receiving a box with nothing in it.  I will admit, I began to waver and question the potential Origami really had, not only to provide a supplemental income, but to be the “force for good” they proclaim.  However,  I sat back and rode the wave, in hopes that my faltering hopes weren’t dashed after all.  I wanted to do this not only for the reasons stated, but also to show my daughter you don’t simply GIVE UP when things become difficult…..

Well, patience is in fact a virtue.  Great success does not come without great challenges, and it would appear Origami’s success is no different from any other.  In recent weeks they far surpassed their forecasted sales and reached an astounding sales volume four times what  they received in ALL of 2012.  Can you imagine??  The outpouring of interest in such an item speaks volumes to what I have seen in this product.  Of course this dramatic increase in sales caused an overwhelming fluster of activity at headquarters and made it extremely difficult for them to maintain the level of customer service we had all grown so accustomed to.  However, I am happy to say they have regrouped and have not only made right what went wrong, but have instituted a solid plan to address this rapid growth so the issues are not experienced again.

I am overjoyed that I hung in there, that I have butterflies again with excitement over the potential I had not dreamed of.  But mostly, I am proud of the example I set for my daughter.  We do not give up, we display patience…..and good things truly do come to those who wait!!

 

Spring Has Sprung

There has always been something about Spring that has made it my favorite season.

Maybe it’s that everything seems to come back to life during this time? It gives a sense of new beginnings or things to come.

 Well, I don’t seem to be the only one who feels this way. Origami is launching a new Spring Collection, with a multitude of new products.

There are new lockets, chains, tags, dangles and best of all, over 100 new charms!!

On April 22nd you can get a look at all the new items yourself at http://www.revealyourself.origamiowl.com……. until then, enjoy the sneak peak!!

Mother/Daughter Movement Madness

Ok, so it has been a few weeks since this concept was put out there.  I simply want to follow up with what has been going on in our world that has supported the intentions behind the Mother/Daughter Movement concept.

While hosting an Origami Jewelry Bar we were introduced to a woman organizing a fund raiser for Leukemia.  She noticed we had a Leukemia awareness charm and asked if we would be interested in donating a necklace to be raffled off during the fundraiser.  Of course this was something we were 100% behind, after all, part of our mission is to be a force for good.  Additionally, we were contacted by another group who was putting together an event for victims of Sandy, as though the hype has died down, the needs of the families effected have not.  Their focus was on our tag collection, and the inspirational messages they send.  Once again, we are right behind the effort and are proud to say we will be contributing proceeds of sales to this cause.

Origami Owl has been an amazing avenue to earn extra income, spend quality time with my daughter, (and even my son who has now asked to be involved in some way), and contribute to our community, giving back to those in need.  However, I still have hopes and believe this could be so much more if others joined the movement.  Not only would you gain the opportunity to be a participating and positive influence in your child’s life, but I truly believe banded as a group we would not just be a force for good, we could be a force to be reckoned with!!

As an additional incentive to join the cause, ask us how you can sign up and receive your kit for free!!  This is incentive is only available through Hooting Harley’s, simply because we believe we can and we wil!!  Help us create the MADNESS behind the Mother/Daughter Movement…..go visit the page on this site for more details.

Patience is a Virtue

I’m finding more and more that my daughter has inherited my impatience. Though I don’t like to admit it, I sometimes can be a bit impatient. When I want something done, I want it done yesterday. It used to be that if I couldn’t achieve what I wanted right away, the drive to achieve it would fizzle out. However, over time and through maturity, though the impatience still exists, it is in fact at a “healthy” level. Let me clarify by saying, it is at a healthy level for those around me, as they no longer have to withstand my wrath when things don’t come so easy.

Enter daughter, who I now see has this same trait….times 10. Living in an “on demand” society tends to feed into this ugly characteristic. Being an all consumed teenager, living in an “on demand” society,who has a tendency towards impatience makes me want to call in an exorcist!! Unfortunately, I can’t help but feel slightly responsible, so in this area I try to display as much patience as possible.

About a week ago her head was ready to spin right off its shoulders and it took a lot of tongue biting and open ears to muddle through. She was in her school play this week, which was proceeded by four months of rehearsals until 5:30Pm every day. She was having a melt down because of a line in the play that she kept messing up, and just knew she was going to blow on opening night. Her solution was to just quit the play….but she didn’t stop there…she was not only quitting the play, she was quitting chorus, quitting her friends, quitting school and quitting our Origami Owl business “because nobody likes her ideas anyway”. It was a quitting extravaganza….I let her vent….I took a tylenol….I let her vent some more….

When she was all done and her head was back in a forward facing position, I simply said “do you think giving up all the things you enjoy is really going to make you feel better?” She sat and thought for a long time,…I know this pondering well, as I do it myself, its the “I know she’s right, but I have to think of a really good come back so I don’t have to admit it” ponder…..She didn’t verbally answer me, but simply gave the defeated “no” shake of the head. I then followed with, “I know it doesn’t feel like it right now, but anything worth having, is worth working really hard to have”. I got the eye roll, shrug of the shoulders and the skulking walk to her room….I believe she may have also been mumbling something under her breath, and I’m even more certain that I don’t want to know what it was. However, the next morning she got up, went to school, ate lunch with her friends and stayed once again until 5:30 to practice for the play…..and life went on.

The play went off without a hitch…she didn’t blow her line and she is back to her generally happy self…this week anyway. She came to me earlier this evening and said she had a new idea for the lockets……..

What Will I Leave Behind?

I must admit, there are days that I sit and wonder what my children will have to look forward to in their lifetime.  I try my best to instill morals, values, respect, responsibility, compassion… basically all the attributes that I believe will lead them to a happy, fulfilled life.  Yet, at the end of the day, living in a world full of turmoil I can’t help but wonder if what I’m doing is enough?

What I do believe, is that though I wonder, and sometimes get discouraged, if I stop hoping, believing or dreaming that the memories I’m creating will somehow inspire them to rise above the turmoil of this crazy world and become more than even they expected, that I may as well throw in the towel now.

So…I won’t stop doing what I’m doing…..even after a day that my daughters biggest epiphany is that “humans fart an average of 28 times a day”….because you just never know. What are your hopes and dreams for your children????

It’s STILL Not All About the Money

I’ve recently had the good fortune of “meeting” someone from Australia who was interested in a locket for herself. She has been such a pleasure to deal with and fun to exchange messages with, that though we’ve only been interacting for a few days, I feel like I’ve known her for a long time. Our exchange this morning solidified that this really is not only about the money. It’s about the messages the lockets send, the stories the people tell, the new people I’m getting to know that I wouldn’t have ever known had it not been for this business. In life it is very easy to get consumed with the daily routines, that we overlook the simple things in life, the little exchanges that put smiles on our faces, that reinforce we aren’t alone on this journey, that make the reasons (ie: family) we get out of bed each morning, and do the things we don’t love so much, well worth it.

Following is our exchange, (some items “X’d out for obvious reasons”), I wanted to share what it really is all about…..

• 

  7:05am

  Nicole Harley

   Good morning Anna…so, I totaled up your order and the total comes to $67.31. It is a touch more than it would normally be due to the additional shipping from origami to me then me to you. However, because I feel bad that O2 doesn’t ship direct to you, I picked out an additional surprise charm for your locket on me. Send me your email address so I can email you a receipt. I will update you on shipping status as I receive info as well as a tracking number. Lastly, bc it’s traveling so far I’m going to insure the package when I send it to you just to play safe.

   
• 

  7:06am

   Anna B

   oh my gosh thats a great price!! are you charging me for insurance? i do not want you to be out of pocket… im enormously grateful for all you have done… please do not worry about putting in an extra charm… ive been after something like this for a looong time, just so pleased i found you,

   
• 

  7:07am

   Anna B

   and do i just message you the details through her 

  my email address is anna_bxxxxx

   
• 

  7:13am

   Nicole Harley

   I don’t want to sound corny, but finding someone who is so happy with the locket and a pleasure to deal with is part of the reason I do this. The daily grind and hustle bustle can sometimes bring you down….this is such a “happy” job that it brings me a little peace and I really do love the stories behind what everyone picks out. I’ve got the insurance and the charm is so cute I want you to have it!!….Send me your info through email, I would feel safer that way. My email is hootingharleys@yahoo.com.

   
• 

  7:17am

   Anna B

   will do sounds fantastic!! i can not wait!! soo excited.. my little boy is my life… every day i feel sooo blessed to have him… all i ever wanted was to be a mum and when i fell pregnant with him all my dreams and wishes came true! its just him and i as his dad wasnt ready to be a dad so we have such a close bond… i love that when hes at school he will still be close to my heart…. NOW THATS CORNY! LOL

   
• 

  7:18am

   Anna B

   its so lovely that you are genuinely into it for the love… theres not many people out their that are passionate about their jobs…

   
• 

  7:24am

   Nicole Harley

   I’m a single mom as well, though there father is involved, he just didn’t do well with the husband part, haha!! I completely understand that love for your child, its a love I really think only a mother can feel. I never truly understood unconditional until I had my two…..they actually inspire me to do this, for the extras solely for them…and because of them I wanted to find something that represented more than just selling stuff, exactly what Origami Owl is all about, I’m a free spirit, love the messages behind the products….its almost more hobby like than job….I’ll look for your email, have a great day!!

   
• 

  7:25am

   Anna B

   thats lovely! what an amazing mum you are!! just sent the email now…thanks so much! have a great night

   

  or morning there

   

 

 

My “sun” and I….

Me and my “moon”…

 

Prosperity….

This past weekend I took a couple of days, kid free, and went to Woodstock, NY for a mini getaway. As I’m sure you can imagine, this town was just overflowing with peace, love and happiness. It was a very “zen” place to be, very inspiring. Every corner had a unique shop filled with clothing, candles, jewelry, toys and trinkets. In almost every one of the shops there were spiritual and motivational items. In one shop they were selling prosperity bracelets for $1. There was a letter next to the ball of string that told the story of having the string tied around your wrist representing the circle of prosperity and how giving back completes the circle and brings you prosperity. With this new Origami Owl venture I couldn’t resist, as it seemed to fit in perfectly with all my thoughts of what our little business should be…..gaining as well as giving back…..

Call me superstitious but within an hour of having the bracelet bound to my wrist I started receiving all these hits on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/RevealYourselfOrigami). I even had two people place orders and one book a party!! I was…still am….a bit floored by this….and the numbers all of a sudden are still climbing. Now, I am curious to see if I can establish a following here as well….I really want to test out the powers of faith and prosperity…..and if this starts to expand I believe I will start spreading this prosperity by sending out these bracelets with any order I receive.

Lets see how far belief and good intentions take us……

 

Blessed

  Just a quick note today…..though there are days where I want to pull my eyelashes out, I’ve come to the realization that life is good.  I have two healthy children, a roof over my head, food in our stomachs and a loving group of friends and family that surround us.  I am truly blessed.

It would behoove me, and those of you who simply have “those days” where it is very easy to lose sight of the good in your world, to take a deep breath, count to ten and take stock in what is right in life.

That’s all………

This is turning into a movement …

This weekend as my daughter and I sat and created lockets to give to our cousin that had her first baby on Saturday, and her mother who is a grandmother for the first time, Quinn said ” we should have Melissa and Aunt Debbie do this like you and I do this”. I chuckled and said “I think Melissa will be too busy with the baby right now to get into anything new”. She then went on to say how cool she thought it would be to have a group of mother/daughter designers like her and I working with us. I was a bit engrossed in picking out charms to really ponder the idea until later in the day.

At dinner that evening I brought up the topic again, asking her what she meant. She went on to explain that she thought it would be great to get a bunch of moms and daughters like her and I to join Origami Owl and we could be one big team. She further elaborated and noted that not only would it be “awesome” to have a team, but for that team to promote mother/daughter relationships on top of the lockets and charms. She ended with the thought that it would be even cooler if we had one team from each state!!….I sat, a bit stunned, in silence for what seemed like an hour. I couldn’t believe she had such deep thoughts and that she really valued what we are doing as much as she apparently does. I was, still am, amazed!!

With this said, though I haven’t thought through all the details yet and exactly what we will represent, am starting the movement. I will be creating yet another page in this site for mother/ daughter teams to receive information and link to signing on to the Hooting Harley team!! As details unfold, I will post them. Can’t wait to hear from anyone about what they think of this idea. My head is swirling with great intentions and ideas for how this band of women and girls can make a difference. I’m so excited!!