Collective Grace

As we go through life, we think we have a roadmap. First high school graduation, then that college degree, followed by the job of our dreams, then the picture-perfect wedding, a quaint starter house for the hubby and new dog, and then the adorable children who listen so well, sitting in my freshly-cleaned, neutral-colored living room giggling while playing Scrabble as the sunshine streams in the open window and I’m kicking my feet up while enjoying a coffee and rela…. who am I kidding? 

Ah, yes. Our life’s goals.  

It’s funny that we are asked so often as kids to construct this roadmap and answer the all-important question, “what do you want to be when you grow up?” Are anyone’s answers the same now as they were back then?   

As an 8-year-old I really thought I wanted to be the next great baker... I would sit in my grandma's kitchen flipping through cookbook after cookbook picking out just the right recipe to try with her. I'd sit in front of the stove and watch the cupcakes start to rise out of the ice cream cones (Did anyone else ever do this... my masterpiece) Then at 18 I was on my way to Iowa State where I set myself up for a career in Fashion Design because after college I'd be moving to NYC to become the next hot clothing designer. As I made these choices, I was always dreaming big and felt like I truly could do whatever I set my heart to.

The years out of college led me through the corporate world of Target... my soul yearned for more challenges and creativity... which pulled me into a small home based home decor company, Julia Knight... where I was reminded of my love for creating, business and the world... then my life shifted to wife... then mom... And this is when those notions of “real jobs” felt entangling and constricting. My brain itched with the thought that there was something more out there. My fingers tingled with the need to be busy making something, anything from my own two hands, and my heart felt pulled into what I would have only years earlier thought of as a too-risky adventure. But I couldn’t not do it. My soul was on fire with a need to be creative and to spread inspiration and encouragement in this small pocket of the globe that I call home. 

And so in this season of my life, Allison Marie Design was born. You can read about it in this post - 'Be Brave'.  I was content, fulfilled, and in love with life, but still kept feeling itchy and fiery and sensed that I needed to do MORE. I couldn’t quite understand why, until a dear friend proposed something in 2017. A project that was equally as too-risky as starting AMD… curating and hosting a pop-up shop filled with creative female makers like us. You can read about how that all came about here - 'Dream Big'.

Again, I found that as much as I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t possible – that I didn’t have the time or the energy or the network to pull it off – I couldn’t not do it. This event needed to happen to empower women entrepreneurs and encourage their business ventures. And so, in the short span of two months, Rachel and I pulled together all the female makers we knew and begged them to join our cause. We rented a beautiful storefront in Downtown Lakeville, and we filled that space with gorgeous furniture and handmade goods and hope and love and compassion and support… and prayed that God would lead people to our humble little pop-up.  

I recall the night before we opened, thinking to myself… "what if no one shows up?” 

The next few days were a whirlwind. When we saw a line of women outside the door for our grand opening 15 minutes early I was humbled and overtaken with gratitude. I felt that helping these entrepreneurs and makers reach their audience was the most professionally empowering thing I had ever done, my soul was at peace and my heart was full.  Rachel and I knew that this had to happen again, and almost as soon as the last ornament was down from the Christmas trees in our homes, we started lining up the Collective Grace Spring Pop-Up event. 

This spring we have decided to follow God's prompt and walk by faith into a space that is twice the size in Prior Lake, MN. So with that we have had an amazing opportunity to not only fill it with more amazing goodness (which we are doing of course!) We will be using the space to permanently host local stylist Hazel & Blush, there will be a hand lettering workshop hosted by Lauren Ibach (click here to Register), Stamped by Jen will be hand stamping on site, we will have a succulent bar, area for your kiddos to hang out while you shop... and more ideas that are still in the work... It is going to be so much fun! 

So…Back to life’s goals. 

When I was younger, I didn’t even know that I already had in me all the qualities necessary for running my own business and managing all the hats one must wear to be self-employed. I didn’t know that I would feel a need to be a creator, an artist, a maker, and someone who felt called to do something bigger for the women surrounding her; I didn’t know that life was so gloriously complicated and fraught with major decisions, or that I would be the person who grew to be confident in her decisions and in LOVE with waking up each day for work. Life’s goals have a funny way of being too small when we are still small people. 

What do I want to be when I grow up now, you ask?  

Happy. Happy with all the gifts I’ve been given in this life.  

Healthy. So that my children and husband and I can live a full life.  

Graceful. Not in the coordinated sense (though that would be helpful), but in the fact that I am accepting of and humbled by all that God has given me and that I pass His love on to others. 

My goals have changed over the years, and so have I, but in this season, my heart and soul are on fire with creating art and bringing together our second Collective Grace event for you.  

What do you strive to be when you grow up?! 

xoxo, allison 

Women Who Inspire - Meet Cate

When I decided to start this blog series, 'Women Who Inspire' I knew I had to kick it off with Cate Mezyk of The Wild Ruffle. But before we get started with her interview I'm going to take you back to 2012 aka - 'the hardest season of my life'. We had just added Sweet E (baby #3) to our family - so I was working from home with a 3-year-old, 2-year-old and newborn... we just moved into our 3rd house within a year... and were on the hunt to find the right home to buy and settle in to. I kid you not I bet we looked at 100 homes over the course of a year - why our realtor is still friends with us I do not know - we were crazy. 

During this season all I longed for was community (it was my never ceasing prayer), and I thought it was impossible living in the city. At this point in time I felt 'forgettable' like I could easily fade into the background wherever I went... I could go to church - scoot in and out - no one would remember my face, even the woman I talked to the week before.  

Does anyone else ever feel that way? Maybe it's a maturity thing... maybe it's just a weird Allison thing I don't really know. But growing up in rural Iowa everyone knew everyone, if you needed help, ten people lined up to lend a hand. It truly is a special place, and I was sad to think I wouldn't be able to give that to my kiddos. It was so hard for me to wrap my head around how I could ever feel that sense of community without being in a small town. 

In 2013 God stepped in - I'll never forget the day my husband called to tell me about this house in Prior Lake he found - he wanted me to call the realtor and set up a showing. My response: 'Absolutely not.'  

We had looked at 100 houses on the west side of the Cities, and we were temporarily living there because that is where we wanted to be (as HGTV would call it, our ‘preferred neighborhood’).  I was not about to start a new search 30 miles in the opposite direction in a city I had never heard of. Curt had lost his mind, and he was making me lose mine. But reluctantly I went along to look at this house, and as we pulled in the drive I knew this was where God wanted us to be. It wasn't my 'dream Pinterest' house. It was this little, wooded, 3-acre property secluded from the chaos of the city…and it felt like home. So we took a leap of faith and moved.  

Shortly after relocating, I quickly learned about these 'Wild Ruffle Pop-Up Events' in town (hosted by Cate), and on a whim, I applied to be a vendor. Here I learned that this town I knew nothing about was filled with Jesus-loving women entrepreneurs like myself - thank you Lord for bringing me my community - these are my people. The days of Cate's pop-ups are gone as she now has a retail store with another amazing woman, Tammy. I'll never forget the day I received an email from them asking if I'd be interested in selling my signs in the shop they were opening: The Wild Ruffle. They were the first store to carry our signs, and it was such an empowering feeling to have these two women believe in me and my art.  

And so, I am honored to introduce you to Cate Mezyk, our inaugural “Woman who Inspires.” She is a beautiful writer, with an amazing fashion sense, and heart for women and her community. 

Women Who Inspire: April 2018 

Cate Mezyk, Wild Ruffle 

Words to describe myself: 

1) Loved. If I was a girl who believed in luck, I'd describe myself as the luckiest in the area of love. I have an amazing husband and three kiddos who are so good to me, family that feel like friends, and friends who are close as family could ever be. They all love me so well. And even better - I have the love of my Father in heaven, whose love is the best thing to have ever happened to me.  

2) Creative. I'm always happiest when I have a project underway (and honestly, sometimes I take too many of them on because I get so excited about them!). Whether I'm making up a dinner recipe on the fly, making jewelry, or decorating my home, I love straying from the norm and thinking of something unique. 

3) Includer. An extrovert for sure, I prefer being with others than being on my own. It's why my business was better once Tammy (my partner) came on board. Being a part of a team makes me better at whatever I do. The more time I can get in with friends, the happier I am.  

Favorite Bible Verse: 

At the beginning of the year, I prayed that the Lord would give me a word for the year. A couple of weeks later, he gave me an answer: Brave. And along with that word, he gave me the verse 1 Corinthians 16:13-14: 'Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith, be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.' I'm both excited and nervous to see where this word and verse take me this year. I've already had a couple of health scares, and the reminder from God to be brave has kept me calmer than I ever could've been on my own. Come what may, I know that I can look to Him for courage.  

The story behind where I am: 

The story of where my business is today is one of surprises. Whenever I'm asked if I have a business plan, I have to laugh. I could certainly sit down and make one (and trust me, I do have goals set), but the plan would constantly be in flux. The Lord has dropped so many beautiful gifts on our laps (regular appearances on Fox 9 is just one of the many amazing things that have come our way in the past few years). Instead of having a plan set in stone, we are letting him lead us, and His plan has been way more than anything I could've imagined on my own.  

Who do I serve and why? 

I really have a heart to serve women. It's so fun to see women grow into themselves, whether through a Bible study where their faith can flourish, or an event where their small business can turn into something big. There can be a lot of competition between women, but when we come together and lift one another up, great things happen. 

Who is an inspiring woman and why? 

I don't know that I could narrow this answer down to simply one woman. I look at my daughters and am inspired by the way they're growing into themselves and learning how to navigate the world. My oldest is one of the most empathetic people I know - she feels other's pain and seeks to do something about it. She's bright and witty, and I admire how she holds firm to her beliefs even when it's the not the easiest to do so. My youngest is inspiring in that she happily plays with anyone and everyone. Want to be her friend? She's happy to include you in her plans.  

My mom is a strong woman of faith who helped to shape who I am. My friends each have their strengths, and I'm drawn to each of them for different reasons. There are women in business who are killing it and making it look easy (Allison included!), and I admire each one. I'm grateful to be surrounded by so many females who rock. 

One thing I'd tell thousands: 

Be kind to yourself. Give yourself grace. Oh, how hard we are on ourselves! It's tough for me to be anything less than perfect. To forgive myself for the many mistakes I make. And yet those missteps were often the greatest teachers - I learned more from what went wrong in the long run. And God is so good at forgiving me when I repent. Who am I to hold onto something when He has already let it go?  

We hope you enjoyed learning a little more about Cate from Wild Ruffle.  Check back in a few weeks when we continue our “Women who Inspire” series with our May feature. 

Why the 'Women Who Inspire' Series?

You know her. She’s the woman who seems able to do it all.  The mom who also works a full week, and still has the energy to put a home-cooked dinner on the table.  Or maybe it’s the lady boss who you know has worked her butt off to climb the corporate ladder.  She might even be the teacher at your child’s school who kicked cancer last year, yet returned with a smile in September to resume molding the minds of the kiddos in your community. She might even be you. You’ve seen her, you’ve admired her, and you’ve been in awe of how much strength it must have taken to walk her path in life. Women are strong, inspirational and compassionate.  

When I started my journey as a maker, I, like many women I know, was looking for an outlet for my creativity, while staying home to be a mom and to provide a little extra income for our growing family.  I was thinking small: I had a talent that I could turn into a product in order to turn a profit. But it didn’t take long for me to realize that this talent was actually a calling I could use to affect change in a bigger way, and it was then that Allison Marie Design pivoted (thank you Ross from Friends for never allowing me to use that word without thinking of you- am I the only one?) into the hand painted signs you know today. I recognized that there were so many women out there who I could serve with my art. Ladies like myself who were devoted to their families and to God and wanted to decorate their walls with more than just the prints you can purchase at Bed, Bath and Beyond.  These women were looking for encouraging messages to remind their families of the love that grows among them and inspirational verses to uplift the spirit. Women who wanted to feel their purchases were appreciated by real people, not just an increase in profit margin for an already-established chain. It is these women who I think of as I craft each unique piece of art, and it is these women I appreciate and thank the Lord for every day. 

As I have been in business and traveled to events and vendor shows, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with other female entrepreneurs and visionary creatives and learn about the causes that drive them.  As I open each inbox message with orders from clients, I learn a small piece of their life’s story and see just how unique and inspired each one is.  This modern world of connectedness can sometimes be seen as a curse, but myself, I view it as a blessing, as these technologies have allowed me to connect and be graced by so many more people than I ever could have dreamt of at the beginnings of my AMD business almost 10 years ago. I love the ladies I work beside and the ladies I serve, and I feel privileged every day that God put me right here.  

Early 2018 has been a time of deep reflection for me and my goal this year is to spread hope, encouragement and to be a blessing. So with all of that an idea was born to provide a platform for these women who have inspired me to tell their story and hopefully in turn inspire you. From makers to moms, CEOs to entrepreneurs, the women we have coming up cover a wide range, but the commonality that connects them all is the passion in their hearts, the depth of their talents and the generosity of their spirits. 

And so I invite you to join me on this journey to recognize the beauty and strength of the women in our communities, and I encourage you to take time to recognize important female mentors and role models in your own life.  As for me, I’m super excited that you'll get to hear from some of the important ladies in my own life these next few months, and I ask your help in supporting and raising them (and all of us women) up!